WEEKEND EDITION Delhi
sunday, december 18, 2016
Tajik President Rahmon
vows to enhance
security ties with India
Page 12
BRIEFLY
2 RBI officials arrested
for illegal exchange
NEW DELHI: The crackdown on
the illegal exchange of
demonetised notes intensified
on Saturday with the arrest of
two more RBI officials. The CBI
arrested Sadananda Naika and
A.K. Kavin of the RBIs Bengaluru
office for the alleged illegal
exchange of Rs. 1.99 crore.
NEWS | PAGE 13
China seeks to defuse
tensions with U.S.
BEIJING: China sought to de-
escalate tensions arising from
its seizure of an underwater
drone of the United States,
which has called for its speedy
return. China said the military
channels of both countries were
activated to appropriately
handle the issue.
WORLD | PAGE 14
Rahul meets ailing
Karunanidhi in hospital
CHENNAI: Congress vice-
president Rahul Gandhi on
Saturday met ailing DMK
president M. Karunanidhi at
Kauvery Hospital here and
enquired about his health. Mr
Karunanidhi was admitted to
the private hospital on Thursday
night following complaints of
difficulty in breathing.
NEWS | PAGE 12
Packaged foods may
carry salt, sugar details
NEW DELHI: Food and beverage
companies may have to disclose
additional information on the
sugar, salt and sodium content
of packaged products, said an
official of apex food regulator.
NATION | PAGE 9
SUNDAY MAGAZINE
6 Pages
CLASSIFIEDS
Pages 6 & 7
Three soldiers killed, two
injured in Pampore attack
PEERZADA ASHIQ
SRINAGAR: Three soldiers were
killed and two injured in
south Kashmirs Pulwama on
Saturday when militants
fired indiscriminately at an
Army convoy enroute to
Srinagar from Jammu.
An Army spokesman said
the convoy came under at-
tack between 2 p.m. and 3
p.m. near the Kadlibal area in
Pampore town on the Srin-
agar-Jammu highway.
The exchange of fire las-
ted around 10 minutes and
the area was sealed by the
soldiers immediately.
Search operation
A house-to-house search
operation, however, failed to
track the militants.
A good samaritan who also delivers letters
D. Sivan treks around 15 km every day through difficult hilly terrain in The Nilgiris
ROHAN PREMKUMAR
UDHAGAMANDALAM (TN): This
postman has been chased
by wild elephants. He also
comes across sloth bears,
gaurs and snakes as he
crosses slippery forest
streams and waterfalls
nimbly to deliver mail to
remote settlements in the
forests near Singara and
Marapallam.
He mostly walks along
the Nilgiri Mountain
Railway track, trekking
from the Hillgrove Post
Oice near Coonoor,
treading railway bridges,
the land falling
precipitously below,
carrying mail or pension to
plantation workers who
live near forests on the
Singara Estate, near
Buriliyar, and Marapallam
in the midst of disused tea
and pepper estates.
When this reporter
caught up with D. Sivan, 62,
CM
YK
www.thehindu.in Weekly Edition Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08 RNI No. TNENG/2012/49939 ISSN 0971 - 751X Vol. 6 No. 50 CITY EDITION 26 Pages Rs. 8.00
Printed at Chennai, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Madurai, Noida, Visakhapatnam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Vijayawada, Mangaluru, Tiruchirapalli, Kolkata, Hubballi, Mohali, Allahabad, Malappuram and Mumbai
Vardah fallout: Its going to be a searing summer for Chennai
City authorities
scramble to cope
with the widespread
loss of green cover
ALOYSIUS XAVIER LOPEZ
K. MANIKANDAN
CHENNAI: Winds that came
with Cyclone Vardah, howl-
ing through the city at
speeds of 120 kilometres an
hour, pulled down nearly a
fourth of Chennais green
cover. That amounts to a
whopping one lakh trees.
Sole survivor
SAFE AND SOUND: A caregiver calms Sudan, the last known male of the northern white rhinoceros subspecies, at the
Ol Pejeta conservancy at the foot of Mount Kenya, which is home to the last three of its kind. PHOTO: AFP
A soldier takes position
before entering a building
in Pampore on Saturday.
PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The militants took the ad-
vantage of the presence of
the civilian population to es-
cape, said a police oicial.
KEEP WALKING: D. Sivan walks on the NMR track near
Marapallam on way to deliver letters. PHOTO: M. SATHYAMOORTHY
he said he crossed plenty of
tunnels too during his
15-km daily journeys. After
years of experience he
knew where animals
congregated and is extra
cautious on those
stretches.
Mr. Sivan said the
number of letters he
delivered over the last six
years had come down, with
many people in the
settlements moving to
Ban Ki-moon may
run for South Korean
Presidency
Page 14
Stunned? So are the city
authorities.
Urban local bodies and
town planning agencies in
the Chennai Metropolitan
Area are scrambling to pre-
vent civic issues associated
with such a drastic reduction
of foliage.
Clearing green waste
Even as residents associ-
ations, research institutions
and NGOs are initiating
measures to cope with the
challenge, the Greater Chen-
nai Corporation is focussing
Three militants are be-
lieved to have used a bike in
the attack. One AK-47 rifle
magazine has been re-
covered from the encounter
site, said the police.
Random frisking
Security forces have
stepped up random frisking
of vehicles on the strategic
300-km Srinagar-Jammu
highway, which has become
highly vulnerable this year.
On November 29, heavily
armed militants stormed an
army camp in Nagrota,
which left seven soldiers
dead, on the same highway.
This year, militants car-
ried out seven major attacks
on the Srinagar-Jammu high-
way, mainly in south Kash-
mir.
either Coonoor or
Mettupalayam. On an
average, he said, he
delivered three letters a
week to each of the
settlements near Buriliyar
and Marappalam. Three
years ago, he used to
deliver many more 10-15
a week per settlement.
S. Sagathevan, a resident
of Badugan Thottam at
Coonoor, which is
inaccessible by road, said
primarily on clearing the
green waste in most of the
33,000 roads and 560 parks, a
task that it hopes to com-
plete by Monday.
SUNDAY SPECIAL
A number of trees in
thickly forested areas within
the city limits such as the in-
ternational headquarters of
the Theosophical Society in
Adyar and the Guindy Na-
tional Park and on the IIT
campus were uprooted.
South Chennai de-
Forget ID cards, use
Aadhaar number to fly
SOMESH JHA
BAMBOLIM (GOA): You may soon
not have to worry about car-
rying physical identity docu-
ments at metro airports as a
plan for biometric authentic-
ation of flyers is all set to take
of.
After the successful pilot
run for Aadhaar-based air-
port entry authentication for
passengers at the Hyderabad
airport, the Mumbai and
Bengaluru airports are plan-
ning to take up similar pilot
projects.
Hyderabad pilot project
The Rajiv Gandhi Interna-
tional Airport at Hyderabad
started a pilot project last
year allowing passengers to
enter their Aadhaar number
at kiosks set up at one of the
Mr. Sivan had even
delivered mail to residents
who had moved to
Mettupalayam and
Coonoor. He recalled how
a man to whom he was to
deliver pension had shifted
to Coimbatore and fallen
seriously ill, and was badly
in need of money. So Mr.
Sivan tracked the
pensioner down to the
hospital he had been
admitted to and went there,
paying for the trip out of
his own pocket, and
delivered the pension.
We always ofer him tea,
but he declines and ofers
to buy us some instead,
said Sagathevan.
Mr. Sivan said he was
only doing his job, for
which he got paid Rs.
12,000 a month. I have
three years left for
retirement. I enjoy serving
the people, and I will do
that till I retire, he said,
resuming his trek.
After Trumps victory,
Merry Christmas
comes to limelight
Page 14
veloped primarily because
of the greenery in areas in-
cluding the Theosophical
Society and the IIT campus.
There are 220 diferent kinds
of trees on the 250-acre cam-
pus. Hundreds of trees have
been uprooted, said S. Hari-
hara Raghavan, General
Manager of the Theosoph-
ical Society headquarters.
Pointing to the lack of nat-
ive wisdom in preserving
trees in the city, Mr.
Raghavan said, We want to
preserve nature. When we
plant a tree, we plant with re-
entry gates. The authorities
now plan to implement the
exercise at all entry gates.
However, the move will
not be mandatory and pas-
sengers without Aadhaar
numbers can proceed after
showing physical identity
documents at the airport
entry gate.
After successfully com-
pleting the POC [proof of
concept] at the Hyderabad
airport, we have formally
asked UIDAI [Unique Iden-
tification Authority of India]
to recognise us as authorised
user agency, S.G.K. Kishore,
CEO, GMR Hyderabad Inter-
national Airport Ltd.
(GHIAL), told The Hindu on
the sidelines of the India Avi-
ation ICT Forum 2016 here.
CONTINUED | PAGE 12
Stephens students were toppers
DEEKSHA TERI
NEW DELHI: From topping the
class to volunteering for a
good cause, the three St.
Stephens College students
who drowned in Kerala on
Friday were remembered as
being well-liked all-rounders
by friends and faculty on
Saturday.
Aditya Patel, Anubhav
Chandra and Kenneth Jose
drowned in Periyar River in
Keralas Ernakulam district
on Friday evening. They
were on a trip that started on
December 13 with several
other students of the college.
On Saturday, the college
held a condolence meeting
for the three, Principal Prof.
John Varghese said. Aditya
and Anubhav were final-year
students, while Kenneth had
just joined the college this
year, said Prof. Varghese.
St. Stephens College is
deeply saddened by the de-
mise of three of its students
who were on a trip to Ker-
ala...The entire college com-
munity joins the bereaved
families in this tragic mo-
spect and reverence. Huge
trees are mutilated. The
damage cannot be repaired
in another 50 years.
Water supply hit
The uprooted trees have
damaged our water supply
from 28 wells, said Mr.
Raghavan, explaining that
the system of pipes that con-
nected the wells would have
to be repaired. The Guindy
National Park presents an-
other grim picture.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat
is next Army Chief
Two senior-most
officers
superseded in
surprise decision
DINAKAR PERI
NEW DELHI: In a surprise move,
the government on Saturday
announced that Lt. Gen.
Bipin Rawat will be the next
Chief of Army Staf.
The appointment goes
against the long-held tradi-
tion of appointing the
senior-most eligible oicer
to the post. By this criterion,
Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi,
General Oicer Command-
ing-in-Chief Eastern Com-
mand, should have been ap-
pointed. Air Marshal B.S.
Dhanoa, now the Vice-Chief
of the Indian Air Force (IAF),
has been appointed the next
Air Chief.
The next Army Chief will
be Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat with
efect from the afternoon of
December 31, a Defence
Italys top court orders retrial in
AgustaWestland bribery case
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: In a decision that
will possibly have serious
implications for the ongoing
probe by the Central Bureau
of Investigation (CBI) into
the VVIP chopper scandal,
Italys top court has ordered
the retrial of two top execut-
ives of defence group Fin-
meccanica in the bribery
case.
This comes at a time of
dramatic developments in
India, with the government
and the Opposition trading
A deserted St. Stephen's College on Saturday.
- PHOTO: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
ment, he said in a statement.
According to friends,
Anubhav and Aditya were
popular students. Aditya was
a class topper and was being
considered for a scholarship.
He was also a budding poet
and was an active member of
the Hindi Sahitya Sabha of
the college. The two, who
were close friends, were also
part of the Shakespeare
Sabha of the college.
I was very close to both of
them. The whole college not
only knew them, but loved
them, said Divyanshu Jha, a
second-year student.
Vijender Singh keeps
WBO Asia-Pacific Super
Middleweight title
Page 17
An uprooted tree on the Theosophical Society campus, one of
the best maintained green spaces in Chennai. PHOTO: SHAJU JOHN
Bipin Rawat. FILE PHOTO:
SUSHANTA PATRONOBISH
Ministry spokesperson said.
Army Chief General Dal-
bir Singh and Air Force head
Air Chief Marshal Arup
Raha will both retire on
December 31.
1983 precedent
Lt. Gen. Bakshi is widely
respected as a highly com-
petent and professional of-
ficer. The last time the
senior-most eligible oicer
was not appointed was in
1983 when Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi chose to ap-
point Lt. Gen. A.S. Vaidya as
the Chief, contrary to ex-
charges. Last week, former
IAF chief S.P. Tyagi was ar-
rested on the charge that he
received kickbacks for alter-
ing the technical specifica-
tions of the bid to favour
AgustaWestland, a subsidi-
ary of Finmeccanica.
Sentenced in April
Two top executives
former Finmeccanica CEO
Giuseppe Orsi and former
AgustaWestland chief Bruno
Spagnolini were sen-
tenced in April by a Milan
appeals court for corrup-
Devastated by the news of
their death, Mr. Jha said that
he had been in touch with the
two and had even had a con-
versation with them on Fri-
day afternoon. Apart from
activities in college,
Anubhav was also associated
with the NGO BloodCon-
nect, which he joined in
April 2015.
He was appointed as the aunt and uncle who had re-
manager of the North Delhi
division of the NGO.
(The writer is an intern
with The Hindu)
MORE REPORTS | PAGE 2
pectations that Lt. Gen. S.K.
Sinha would take over. Lt.
Gen. Sinha, then Vice-Chief,
chose to resign in June 1983
though he was due to retire
in early 1984.
With the appointment of
Lt. Gen. Rawat, two senior-
most oicers have been su-
perseded, which is unpre-
cedented in the military. Lt.
Gen. P.M. Hariz, Southern
Army Commander, is second
in seniority after Lt. Gen.
Bakshi. With the unpreced-
ented delay in the announce-
ments of appointments to
the top posts, military circles
have been rife with specula-
tion of a change in the line of
succession. It is customary
to announce the names two
to three months in advance.
Lt. Gen. Rawat is currently
the Vice-Chief of the Army.
He was commissioned in the
Fifth Battalion of the Eleven
Gorkha Rifles in December
1978.
GOVT. APPOINTS NEW
RAW, IB CHIEFS | PAGE 12
tion and falsifying invoices.
Mr. Orsi was sentenced to
four-and-a-half years in
prison, while Mr. Spagnolini
received a four-year term.
According to Reuters, the
top court took the decision
for retrial last Friday after
the case went to the highest
court after the two execut-
ives launched an appeal.
Both will now have to be
tried again in front of Milans
appeals court, it said.
S.P. TYAGI REMANDED IN
JUDICIAL CUSTODY | PAGE 5
15-year-old girl
gang-raped in
east Delhi
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Hours after a 20-
year-old woman was al-
legedly raped by a car driver
in south Delhi on the eve of
the Nirbhaya gang-rape an-
niversary, Delhi witnessed
another incident that
proved that the city contin-
ues to remain unsafe for
women.
In this case, a 15-year-old
girl was allegedly drugged
and gang-raped by her land-
lord and his two tenants in
east Delhis New Ashok
Nagar on Thursday.
The victim is a native of
Bihar, and lived there with
her parents until a month
ago when she arrived in the
Capital to take care of her
cently met with an accident.
The couple had moved
into this house a few weeks
ago.
DETAILS ON | PAGE 3
ND-ND
2|
CM wants panel to probe funding of parties
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday
demanded setting up of a commission to probe source of
funding of political parties Page 4
STUDENTS DROWN IN KERALA
Victims posted updates hours before death
Classmates at St. Stephens College say photos documenting the trip serve as cruel reminder
DEEKSHA TERI
NEW DELHI: Their social media
accounts were buzzing with
updates on their Kerala trip
till hours before they
drowned in the Periyar,
friends of Aditya Patel,
Anubhav Chandra and Ken-
neth Jose said on Saturday.
Friends of the three St.
Stephens College students
said they are struggling to
come to grips with the
tragedy, with photos docu-
menting the trip on social
media serving as cruel re-
minders.
They were posting pic-
tures on Instagram of a
church and the waterfall
they visited. I was making
fun of them and telling them
to enjoy the trip, instead of
posting all these pictures,
Pet Fed 2016 kicks of with world record in sight Chilly day
SHIVANI SINGH
NEW DELHI: Playful canines
posed for photos, at a dog cafe
and donned decorative
headgear with their pet par-
ents in tow at the inaugural
day of Pet Fed 2016 at the
NSIC exhibition grounds
here on Saturday.
An annual, two-day pet
festival, the event is aiming to
set a Guinness World Record
for the most number of dogs
wearing bandanas in one
place at the same time on
Sunday afternoon.
From a special art gallery
for dogs to customised canine
accessory stalls to photo-
shoot for pooches, the fest
had a plethora of activities for
the furry creatures to indulge
in. On the one hand,
Puppychino (Delhis first dog
caf) served sumptuous
treats like Woofsome Cup-
cakes and Slurpy Pupsicles
while Heads Up for Tails (an
online pet store) set up water
CM
YK
TRAGIC: St Stephen's College held a condolence meet for the
three students on Saturday. PHOTO: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
recalled Sameer Sagar, a
friend of Aditya and
Anubhav.
Upcoming birthday
In fact, they had decided
to cut short their winter va-
cation to be able to plan a
CANINE LOVE: Dogs at the Pet Fed 2016, a special festival for dogs, at the NSIC grounds on Saturday. PHOTOS: R.V MOORTHY
bowls across the venue for the
tired pooches. Dogs also had
exclusive gaming zones and
grooming booths.
Expanded event
Akshay Gupta, the founder
of Pet Fed, spoke on the
events conceptualisation,
There is an event for every
liking of a human being, be it
special treat for Aditya, who
would have turned 21 on
December 24.
We were a group, or a
squad. Anubhav was con-
sidered an extrovert who
never said no to any oppor-
tunity and Aditya was the
music, dance, art, fashion. I
feel the love for animals also
deserves to be celebrated.
From our start at Dilli Haat
three years ago to this day, we
have expanded in leaps and
bounds. We saw about 250-
300 dogs in the first edition
whereas this year were ex-
pecting nearly 4,000 dogs.
When asked about the
CITY
DCW seeks Sushmas help
The DCW has sought External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swarajs help in bringing back the mortal remains of a man
from Delhi who died in Japan recently Page 5
poet who was brilliant at
academics, he said.
As soon as the news
broke, the Facebook walls of
the three students were
filled with condolences
from their college mates.
While people remembered
Kennet as the first-year
chemistry student who was
full of energy, Aditya and
Anubhav were remembered
for the strong bond they
shared.
Updates
Divyanshu Jha, a second-
year student, added that
Aditya and Anubhav had
been sending him pictures
and telling him about the
activities during the trip till
12 noon on Friday.
The two had been asking
him to join them in Kerala,
Guinness World Record, he
said, Every year we try to de-
liver something unique...
what better than attempting a
world record to commemor-
ate the event.
Competitions
The dogs competed for
various titles. While Great
Danes dominated the
They were posting
pictures on Instagram
of a church and a
waterfall they visited
during the trip
but he was unable to go.
Adityas friends were
planning his birthday next
week, as he and Anubhav
were expected to return to
Delhi on December 23.
Aditya used to plan for
everyones birthday, but we
were never able to do any-
thing for him as his birthday
would always be during the
vacations. This year, we
were hoping to be able to
make the day memorable for
him, said Sameer.
(The writer is an intern
with The Hindu)
Strongest Dog contest, flufy
Shih Tzus, Lhasa Apsos and
Chihuahuas wooed the audi-
ence for the Cutest Dog
award. Numerous dogs also
made their owners proud by
carrying out their commands
during the Most Obedient
Pet challenge. Many canines
even walked the ramp sport-
ing their customised t-shirts,
Bodies to be flown back today
STAFF REPORTER
KOCHI: The bodies of two of
the St. Stephens students
Anubhav Chandra from Bi-
har and Aditya Patel from Ut-
tar Pradesh who drowned
in Periyar on December 17
along with two others, will
be flown back to their re-
spective hometowns on
Sunday.
According to the police,
the bodies of these youths
were sent for post-mortem at
the Ernakulam General Hos-
pital on Saturday morning.
Preliminary examination
confirmed drowning as the
cause of death.
There were no injuries or
signs of concussion on the
bodies, suggesting that they
did not hit any rocks after
drowning, hospital sources
said.
Funeral
Meanwhile, the funeral of
the third student Kenneth
Jose, a native of Wayanad
Adidog hoodies, suave
bandanas and the like.
My dog loves to socialise...
he stands on his hind legs and
tries to hug every dog he
meets, said Poorva, a resid-
ent of Rohini attending the
fest with Pogo, her 2-year-old
Lhasa apso.
(The writer is an intern
with The Hindu)
THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016
DELHI Calling all readers to connect with us for all things Delhi at
twitter - @DelhiConnect
CONNECT www.facebook.com/NewDelhiConnect
is scheduled to take place on
Sunday. His post-mortem
was carried out at the Per-
umbavoor Taluk Hopsital.
The funeral of Benny Ab-
raham, the home-stay owner
and father of one of the
group members, who died
while rescuing the students,
will be held on Monday.
The incident
Kenneth, Anubhav and
Aditya were part of a 13-
member team, including 11
students from St Stephens
College, New Delhi, who
were in Kerala for a seven-
day tour.
The students were staying
at a cottage owned by Mr.
Abraham near Irumalakka-
davu and the accident took
place on Friday evening
when one of them slipped
after venturing into the wa-
ter body and was carried
away by the current,
whereupon the others tried
to save him.
Meanwhile, four students
for Delhiites
NEW DELHI: It was a chilly
day in the Capital on
Saturday with shallow
foggy conditions in the
morning delaying 55
trains, while 29 others
were rescheduled.
The minimum
temperature settled at 8.2
degrees Celsius, normal
for this time of the year,
while the maximum
temperature was pegged
at 21.6 degrees, a notch
below the seasons
average, a MeT
Department oicial said.
Visibility
The visibility was
recorded at 1,500 metres
at Safdarjung at 5.30 a.m.
It dropped significantly
to 400 metres at 8.30 a.m
but improved to 1,500
metres at 11.30 a.m.
At Palam, visibility was
500 metres at 8.30 a.m
and improved to beyond
1,500 metres at 11.30 a.m,
KEEPING COMFY: People warm themselves near a bonfire in
Delhi. PHOTO: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
Metro services to be hit
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Metro services will
be operational only on a
single line for about four
hours between Badarpur and
Sarita Vihar due to mainten-
ance work on Sunday.
Less frequent trains
According to the Delhi
CINEMA
ENGLISH:
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS
STORY: PVR (Anupam, Plaza,
Rivoli, Sangam, Vasant Kunj, City
Walk, Naraina, Vikas Puri, 3Cs,
Shalimar Bagh, Mahagun, EDM,
Opulent), Satyam (Patel Nagar,
Janakpuri, Nehru Place), DT
(Saket), Movie Time (Raja Garden),
Wave (Raja Garden, Noida), Spice
(Noida), SRS Cinemas.
HINDI:
WAJAH TUM HO (New Release:
Sana Khan, Sharman Joshi,
Gurmeet Choudhary ): Abhishek
Cineplex, Milan, Delite Diamond,
Vishal, Gagan, G3S (Rohini), Batra
Reels, Eros One, PVR (Plaza, Rivoli,
Priya, Saket, City Walk, Naraina,
Vikaspuri, Prashant Vihar, EDM),
M2K (Rohini, Pitampura), Movie
Time (Raja Garden, Pitampura),
FUN (Moti Nagar, Pitampura, Laxmi
Nagar, Karkardooma), DT (Saket,
Shalimar Bagh, Vasant Kunj),
Satyam (Patel Nagar, Nehru Place,
Janakpuri), BIG (Odeon, Vaishali,
Kaushambi, Noida), Wave (Raja
Garden, Kaushambi, Noida), SRS
Cinemas, JAM Shipra, M4U, Movie
Palace, Movie Magic, Galaxie, Star
X (Vaishali), Chaudhary
(Ghaziabad), Movie World and
Silver City (Ghaziabad), Inox and Q
Cinemas (Faridabad).
BEFIKRE (Ranveer Singh, Vaani
NOIDA/DELHI
in the group left for their
homes on Saturday while the
remaining members of the
group plan to attend Ken-
neths funeral before leaving.
To arrange the safe return
of the remaining students, a
team of faculty members
from the college has reached
the city. Nikhil J. Varghese,
president of the students
union at St. Stephens, was
also present at the hospital.
Dangerous spot
The riverside tourist des-
tination of Paniyeli Poru, loc-
ated on the outskirts of
Ernakulam district near Per-
umbavoor, has left several
tourists vulnerable.
During the past two dec-
ades, 93 people have lost
their lives in the dangerous
spots in the region where the
Periyar flows through a
rocky terrain. In most cases,
deaths happened when the
victims crash into rocks after
losing their grip on slippery
rocks.
the oicial said.
According to a
Railways spokesperson,
55 trains were delayed
while 29 others were
rescheduled.
IGIA not hit
Flight operations at
Indira Gandhi
International Airport
were normal, airport
oicials said.
Authorities have
predicted mainly clear
skies for Sunday with
mist to shallow fog in the
morning.
Maximum and
minimum temperatures
are expected to settle
around 22 and 8 degrees
Celsius, respectively,
the weatherman said.
On Friday, the
minimum and maximum
temperatures were
recorded at 7.9 degrees
Celsius and 24.4 degrees
Celsius respectively. PTI
Metro Rail Corporation, the
frequency of trains will be af-
fected from Mandi House to
ITO, Mandi House to Central
Secretariat, Central Secret-
ariat to Sarita Vihar, Sarita
Vihar to Badarpur Border
and from Sarita Vihar to Es-
corts Mujesar between 12
p.m. and 4 p.m.
With PTI inputs
Kapoor): Delite, Milan, Shiela,
Regal, Eros One, Batra Reels, G3S
(Rohini), PVR (Plaza, Rivoli, Priya,
Saket, City Walk, Naraina,
Vikaspuri, Prashant Vihar, EDM),
FUN (Moti Nagar, Pitampura, Laxmi
Nagar, Karkardooma), Satyam
(Patel Nagar, Janakpuri, Nehru
Place), M2K (Rohini, Pitampura),
Movie Time (Raja Garden,
Pitampura), SRS Cinemas, Movie
Palace, Movie Magic, Galaxie, Star
X (Vaishali), Chaudhary
(Ghaziabad), Movie World and
Silver City (Ghaziabad), Inox
(Faridabad).
KAHAANI 2 (Vidya Balan, Arjun
Rampal): G3S (Rohini), PVR (Plaza,
Saket, City Walk, Naraina,
Vikaspuri, Prashant Vihar, EDM),
M2K (Pitampura), Movie Time (Raja
Garden, Pitampura), Satyam (Patel
Nagar, Nehru Place, Janakpuri),
Wave (Raja Garden, Kaushambi,
Noida), JAM Shipra, SRS Cinemas,
Galaxie, Star X (Vaishali).
DEAR ZINDAGI (Shah Rukh Khan,
Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur): G3S
(Rohini), PVR (Saket, City Walk,
Naraina, Vikaspuri, Prashant Vihar,
EDM), SRS Cinemas, JAM Shipra,
Spice (Noida).
(BOOKING ENQUIRIES: PVR
51513391; Spice Gold
012043890000; Satyam
Cinemas 25797385; Delite
23272903; Wave 51832222)
ND-ND
 CITY |3
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

D E L H I
Dec 18,Sun Dec 19, Mon Dec 20, Tue
RISE 07 09 SET 17 28 RISE 07 09 SET 17 29 RISE 07 10 SET 17 29
RISE 22 12 SET 10 40 RISE 23 09 SET 11 21 RISE 00 00 SET 11 59

UNSAFE CITY MOTI BAGH RAPE

CISF man held for

Minor gangraped on Nirbhaya anniversary eve misuse of MHA label
15-year-old girl drugged, gangraped by landlord, two tenants in New Ashok Nagar; accused nabbed within hours SHIV SUNNY
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Continuing their
NEW DELHI: Hours after a 20- CCTVs in investigation into the alleged
year-old woman was al- rape of a 20-year-old woman
legedly raped by a car driver sensitive in a car in Moti Bagh on
in south Delhi on the eve of Thursday, the Delhi Police
the Nirbhaya gang-rape an-
niversary, Delhi witnessed
areas on Saturday arrested a CISF
head constable in whose
another incident that proved STAFF REPORTER sons vehicle the crime took
that the city continues to re- place. The sticker was found
main unsafe for women. NEW DELHI: A crime- The head constable, pasted on the car in which
In this case, a 15-year-old mapping survey Omkar Singh, has been ac- the woman was allegedly
girl was allegedly drugged conducted by the cused of misusing a parking raped. FILE PHOTO
and gangraped by her land- Delhi Police has label issued by the Union
lord and his two tenants in identified sensitive Ministry of Agriculture. Until then, Avneesh had
east Delhis New Ashok areas under 44 police Singh is currently posted in been driving a school van,
Nagar on Thursday. stations in terms of Delhi on general duty. leading the police to probe
The victim is a native of crime against women. The sticker, which also whether he had sexually ab-
Bihar, and lived there with CCTV cameras have carried Ministry of Home used any of the children he
her parents until a month been installed in these Afairs in bold letters, was ferried to school.
ago when she arrived in the areas. found pasted on the Maruti Avneesh was driving the
Capital to take care of her SX4 car in which the woman car on Prithviraj Road on
aunt and uncle who had re- Aftermath was allegedly raped by the Wednesday night when he
cently met with an accident. Talking about the 28-year-old driver. came across the victim. He
The couple had moved into measures taken after The sticker, which had ex- ofered to drop the woman to
this house a few weeks ago. the December 2012 pired in 2014, was issued to her home in Greater Noida,
According to the police, gang-rape, DCP Singh for use on a govern- but allegedly drove her
the girl was working in the (South) Ishwar Singh ment vehicle. He, however, around on Delhi roads for the
kitchen around midnight, said that cases of had pasted it on the second- next four hours.
when their house owner, molestation and hand car purchased by his The DCP alleged that he
Prashant, allegedly walked outraging the modesty son a few months earlier. finally stopped the car at an
in through the main door of a woman in south isolated spot in a residential
that had been left open. district had come Complaint received colony in Moti Bagh, after
down by around 30 We received a complaint which he raped the woman.
Caught of guard per cent. Further, from an authorised oicer of She managed to escape when
The accused forcibly patrolling teams and the Ministry of Agriculture. Avneesh went to relieve him-
made the girl snif some- women oicials at The oicer alleged misuse of self. She was lucky to spot
thing which made her un- LURKING DANGER: Two incidents of sexual assault were reported on the night of December 15, four years after the Nirbhaya gang- every police station the parking label. We re- two policemen in the area,
conscious. She was then rape, proving that the city continues to remain unsafe for women. FILE PHOTO are available to deal gistered a case of criminal after which a hunt for the car
dragged into the room of the with complainants on breach of trust at the South and the driver was launched.
accused, said Omveer unconscious girl. The three The police said they when accused persons lived in the collected evidence from the a one-to-one basis, Campus police station on The car was found within
Singh, DCP (East). were also consuming alco- they reached the spot, they same building, said an room, which, the police said, DCP Singh said. Friday, said Manishi four hours, and the accused
Prashant was joined in by hol at the time of the alleged found the victim in a state of investigator. should help in nailing the Chandra, Additional DCP nabbed eight hours thereon.
his two tenants as they al- crime. shock. The police rounded up the accused. Surveillance in (South). While Singh has been
legedly took turns to rape the It was around 5 a.m. that She was taken for a med- men in the building, after south Delhi The matter was probed, booked, investigators said he
the girl regained conscious- ical examination, which in- which she identified the Past criminal record? Of the 44 police and Singh was arrested on was cooperative when ap-
ness. Finding the men sleep- dicated that she had been landowner as one of the men Investigators are probing stations identified as Saturday morning from his proached to reveal the iden-
ing, she walked back to her raped, said Mr. Singh. who had raped her. if the accused persons had sensitive, nine are in Kotla Mubarakpur resid- tity of the driver.
One accused forcibly room and informed her aunt Once she returned from The man was immediately targeted any more women south Delhi. These ence. He was produced at the
made the girl sniff about the incident. The po- the hospital, she was reques- nabbed. Upon interrogation, who lived in the building or include Hauz Khas, Patiala House courts, but Tracing the accused
lice were subsequently in- ted to help the police in he revealed the identities of in the colony. Mehrauli, Sarojini was released on a bail bond We asked him to call the
something which left formed. identifying the accused. the other two men. We have learnt that the Nagar, Safdarjung of Rs 25,000. driver. He did as directed,
her unconscious. The girls uncle and aunt They, too, were nabbed landowner frequently got Enclave, Fatehpur Singh and his son Mohit but the phone number of the
She was then were so shocked by the in- Headway subsequently. into quarrels with women in Beri, Vasant Kunj had hired the rape accused, accused was found switched
cident that they could only Since she is new to the The police then searched the neighbourhood. He has North, Vasant Kunj Avneesh, a few weeks ago. of. But we used Avneeshs
dragged into call for help saying some- city and mostly stayed in- the crime scene to recover come across as a man with a (South), Neb Sarai and Avneesh was to drive the car call detail records to identify
his room thing bad has happened, re- doors, she barely knew the some open bottles of alco- perverted mindset, said an Malviya Nagar. that was being put out on his friends, who led us to his
vealed an investigator. men. But she told us that the hol. A forensic team has also oicer. rent. hideout, an oicer said.

Murder accused held after 13 years on the run Body of DTC employee Bullets seized at
Metro station
STAFF REPORTER Vikaspuri. Her only daugh- They then robbed the found, murder suspected
ter was living abroad at the cash and jewellery from the NEW DELHI: A 29-year-old man
NEW DELHI: Almost 13 years time. house. Dharmender and Krishna Kumar had left home to irrigate his field was on Saturday held at a
after he allegedly robbed Raju had been hired by Arun were arrested soon, Metro station here for al-
and killed an elderly woman the victim for painting her whereas Raju and Vikas NEW DELHI: In a suspected case legedly carrying two live bul-
at her west Delhi home, law flat. The accused, in turn, managed to abscond. They of murder, the body of a Delhi A case under Section lets in his bag.
caught up with a civil had deputed three men, were subsequently declared Transport Corporation (DTC) 302 of the IPC has Oicials said the incident
contractor. Dharmender, Arun Kumar proclaimed ofenders. employee was found in been registered was reported from the Sura-
Raju, 33, was arrested and Vikas Yadav, for the Mr. Yadav said Raju re- Bawana here on Saturday. jmal Stadium station around
from west Delhis Dwarka work, said Ravindra Yadav, mained in hiding in Nepal, Krishna Kumar (58) was an against unknown 5 p.m., when CISF personnel
earlier this week. Joint CP (Crime), under Bihar and Punjab for the last assistant ticket inspector with persons, said police detected the live ammuni-
whose supervision Raju was 12 years before seeking a DTC. tion, of .315 bore calibre, in
One accused absconding arrested. hideout in Dwarkas Sector He had left home in Nangal the Indian Penal Code has the bag.
His two other accom- 16 A. He had also changed Thakran village around 8 p.m. been registered against un- They said the bullets were
plices have already been Plan hatched his name to Pramod Pandit on Friday to irrigate his field, a known persons, the oicer detected during the X-ray
convicted in the case. One of While the painting work to be able to live with his police oicer said. said. scanning of the bag.
them is serving a life sen- went on, the men hatched a family, the oicer added. His body was found in a pool
tence, while the other was conspiracy to rob the vic- On Monday, the crime of blood in the field later that Interrogation on No explanation
awarded two years in prison. tims house thinking it held branch nabbed him near a night. Locals and family members The man, Kuldip, is a res-
A jeweller who was ac- large amounts of cash and metro bridge in the area The body has been sent for a are being questioned to know ident of Timarpur here and
cused of buying the stolen WHEREABOUTS: Accused Raju remained in hiding in Nepal, Bihar jewellery. They tied the wo- based on a tip-of. Upon sus- post-mortem examination. whether Kumar had enmity has been handed over to the
items was acquitted. A and Punjab before moving to Dwarka. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT mans limbs and strangu- tained interrogation, he re- A case under Section 302 with anyone, which could have police by the CISF as he
fourth accused continues to lated her before removing vealed his identity to the po- (punishment for murder) of led to the murder. PTI could not produce any docu-
remain on the run. the early hours of January 26 old Indira Devi, lived alone all the jewellery worn by her, lice. He was subsequently ments for carrying the
The murder dates back to in 2004. The victim, 65-year- in a DDA flat in west Delhis said the police. arrested. rounds, they said.PTI

DELHI TODAY
Cop booked Gun racket: 43 pistols seized, two arrested Talk: The Triumph of Trump: Implic-
ations for the US, the World and In-
Bhalerao classical vocal music,
Sachin Sharma tabla, and Zakir

for extortion STAFF REPORTER The Delhi Police

dia; speakers: Amb. Lalit Mansingh,
former Foreign Secretary and Indian
Ambassador to the US; Dr. Ramgopal
Dholpuri - harmonium, at Vasuki Aud-
itorium, Lok Kala Manch, 20, Lodhi
Institutional Area, Lodhi Road, 6 p.m.
Agarwala, Honorary Senior Fellow, Music: Let The Music Speak
STAFF REPORTER NEW DELHI: Three months recovered 460 NCAER, and formerly World Banks Concept by Shaheena Khan, featur-
chief economist in Beijing; Prof. K.P. ing vocalist Sumita Dutta; musical
after the Delhi Polices illegal firearms Vijayalakshmi, SIS, JNU; Dr. Manoj rendering and recital of poems of
NEW DELHI: A Delhi Police con- Special Cell seized 13
stable allegedly kidnapped a pistols from a gang
till September Joshi, Distinguished Fellow, ORF; Prof.
AchinVanaik, political scientist; Mod-
Mirza Ghalib, Rifat Sarosh, Faiz
Ahmad Faiz and Khalish Dehlawi, at
man and extorted Rs. 1 lakh running a gun racket, 43 this year erator: Amb.K. P. Fabian, former Am- Amaltas Hall, India Habitat Centre, 7
bassador; Chair: Suhas Borker, Editor, p.m.
in new notes from him by more pistols have been CFTV News and Convener, at Gulmo- Exhibition: Film festival on Sustain-
threatening to frame him for seized from two persons manufactured in three har Hall, India Habitat Centre (IHC), 7 ability, curated by Nitin Donde, at
carrying a large sum of who allegedly worked for Madhya Pradesh villages p.m. Experimental Art Gallery, IHC, 11 a.m.
money. the gang. bordering Maharashtra, 7 p.m.
Music: Sur Saugat, semi-classical Exhibition: Textured Conscience, a
The constable, Kapil, has The first arrest was said the police. vocal music recital: Avantika Sinha - show by Indian and Nepalese artists,
been booked for kidnapping made on Thursday, when These thinly- semi-classical vocal music, Deepak at All India Fine Arts & Craft Society
and extortion and arrested, the police received a populated villages are Kumar - tabla, Ghanshyam Sisodiya - (AIFACS), 1, Rafi Marg, 11 a.m. 7 p.m.
tip-of that one of the located in jungle areas. sarangi, Zakir Dholpuri - harmonium; (Mail your listings for this column at
said Ajit Kumar Singla, DCP classical vocal music: Sameer cityeditordelhi@thehindu.co.in)
(North-East). The incident men, Hari, would be They use certain
took place in north-east Del- going to central Delhis machines to manufacture
his Jyoti Nagar on Thursday, Shantivan. these pistols which are of
when Intezaar, a dairy busi- As many as 20 pistols NABBED: One of the accused (above) was nabbed from high quality and thus
nessman in U.P.s Loni, was were seized from him, the central Delhis Shantivan. PHOTO : R. V. MOORTHY diicult to diferentiate
passing through the area. police said. from imported pistols,
The constable allegedly two arrests. Pradesh. said the DCP.
had learnt that Intezaar was Breakthrough Rajput is allegedly a Hari would bring the
carrying Rs 2.6 lakh in new On sustained regular arms supplier, consignment from MP by Cause for concern
notes. interrogation, he and has been arrested by train by concealing the Meanwhile, the Special
He and his informer inter- purportedly revealed that the Madhya Pradesh pistols in secret cavities Cell claimed to have
cepted Intezaar and al- he had recently supplied Police in the past under of specially-designed seized 347 pistols and
legedly accused him of pro- 25 pistols to one the Arms Act. He has bags, said Mr. Yadav. nine country-made guns
curing the money through Yogender Singh Rajput in been in the business for already this year.
illegal means. Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. 10 years, said the DCP. Big business Before this seizure, the
Kapil then allegedly left A police team was sent Hari allegedly The pistols would be Delhi Police had
the man with the only option to Madhya Pradesh, and confessed to have bought by the two recovered 460 illegal
of parting with Rs. 1 lakh if he Rajput was arrested with supplied at least 200 suppliers at Rs. 15,000 firearms till September
wanted to avoid legal 23 pistols. Sanjeev Kumar pistols to small-time each and sold for this year.
troubles. Yadav, DCP (Special illegal weapon suppliers anywhere between Rs. This was 30 more than
The victim handed over Cell), said a three-month in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, 30,000 and Rs. 40,000. the seizures made in the
the cash, but approached the investigation led to the Haryana and Madhya The weapons are same period last year.
police the next day.
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).

CM ND-ND
YK
4|
CM demands panel to probe
funding of political parties
Accuses Prime Minister of helping the biggest hoarders of black money
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday
demanded the constitution
of a commission to probe the
source of funding of political
parties.
Speaking at a press confer-
ence here, he also ques-
tioned the BJP-led Central
governments decision to ex-
empt the parties from paying
income tax while depositing
old Rs. 500 and Rs.1,000
notes. Linking this decision
to the meeting between
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and Congress vice-
president Rahul Gandhi on
Friday, Mr. Kejriwal alleged
there was collusion between
the two.
Common people are be-
ing investigated for deposit-
ing Rs. 2.5 lakh, but if polit-
ical parties are not going to
be investigated even if they
deposit Rs. 2,500 crore, then
it is wrong. We demand set-
ting up of a commission to
probe into the bank accounts
details of political parties
over the past five years, Mr.
Kejriwal said.
Transparency
He also demanded that the
Centre make public the de-
tails of money deposited by
all political parties post de-
monetisation, and sought the
removal of the less than Rs.
20,000 donation cap for tax
exemption, saying each
paisa the parties receive
should be declared.
The income tax returns
filed by AAP, right from its
formation, are being looked
into. We are presenting each
Swaraj Abhiyan backs Kejriwals demand
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Swaraj Abhiyan
leader and founder-
member Prashant
Bhushan on Saturday
backed Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwals demand
for the establishment of a
commission to probe the
source of funding of
political parties.
Swaraj Abhiyan is
scheduled to hold a Halla
Bol rally against black
money and corruption at
Jantar Mantar on Sunday.
FILM REVIEW
Not enough to make a noise about
Like most omnibus films Shor Se Shuruaat seven shorts on the theme of sound is also riddled with inconsistency
NAMRATA JOSHI
The big problem with om-
nibus films is that of incon-
sistency. Some in the pack-
age shine on bright while
others may not even man-
age to flicker for a minute.
Shor Se Shuruaat is riddled
with the same glitch. The
seven shorts on the theme
of noise have been directed
by seven budding film-
makers under the steward-
ship of seven biggies like
Shyam Benegal, Mira Nair,
Sriram Raghavan, Imtiaz
Ali, Nagesh Kukunoor, Zoya
Akhtar and Homi Adajania.
Whats more, the young
filmmakers have access to
some of our most talented
actors Atul Kulkarni,
Sanjay Mishra, Rasika Dug-
gal. While some turn out
better than the rest, the
crop of shorts remains mid-
dling overall.
At one level Rahul V.
Chittellas Azaad is about
silencing an idealistic
voice; at another it is about
an iconoclastic fathers re-
lationship with his young
pushy son. In the backdrop
are the discordant noises
the noise of religion, class,
caste et al. Noise is at the
core of Pratik Rajen
Kotharis inefective Hell O
Hello that plays on the fa-
miliar clichs of mobile ser-
vices salesmanship and
marketing. Theres way too
much efort to make the
audience laugh but it re-
mains little more than
unfunny.
CM
YK
DEMONETISATION
BLAME GAME: Arvind Kejriwal has questioned the central
government's decision to exempt political parties from
paying income tax while depositing old Rs.500 and Rs.1,000
notes. PHOTO: R.V. MOORTHY
of the receipts and vouchers
to the Income Tax Depart-
ment. We are not scared.
What are the other parties
scared of? Why should they
be also not probed? he
asked.
Mr. Kejriwal also accused
the PM of helping political
parties, which he termed as
the biggest hoarders of
black money, to convert it
into white at a time when
common people have been
forced to queue up outside
banks and ATM kiosks.
Appeal
Hitting out at Mr. Gandhi,
the Chief Minister said, He
is not sharing details of Mr.
Modis corruption. He is only
talking about it... Then he
meets the PM and seals a
Addressing a press
conference, Mr. Bhushan
said that the Centre was
not serious about taking
any decision to tackle the
menace of black money:
By allowing them to
deposit old notes, political
parties will become a
means to convert black
money into white.
There is already an
existing loophole that is
being exploited by most of
the major political parties
to convert black money
into legitimate political
IN SEARCH OF SOUND: Sanjay Mishra renders a wonderfully tactile performance in Supriya Sharmas Dhvani, while Amira
Bhargavas Aamer looks at the hearing impaired world of a street kid. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Arunima Sharmas
Yellow Tin Can
Telephone is the
most whimsical and
fresh in its feel
Some films could be two
sides of the same coin.
Aamer and Dhvani for in-
stance. Amira Bhargavas
Aamer looks at the silent,
hearing impaired world of a
street kid. What happens
when sound enters his life
through a hearing aid?
Bhargava takes us through
his experiential journey on
the streets of Mumbai.
Then you have Supriya
Sharmas Dhvani where an
Also seeks disclosure
of information about
money deposited
by political parties
since demonetisation
deal. I will insist Mr. Gandhi
to make public the evidence
and that he stops entering
into deals with Mr. Modi. Or
else, the country will not for-
give him.
He also denounced the de-
cision to hike petrol and
diesel prices, which, he said,
was a repercussion of de-
monetisation.
He also termed demonet-
isation as unconstitutional
and likened it to dacoity by
the Prime Minister on the
bank accounts of people.
donations up to Rs.20,000.
Taking advantage of this
clause, most parties
declare an overwhelming
majority of their income as
cash donation under this
limit and escape scrutiny
of the source of its
donations, Mr. Bhushan
said.
Centre constantly lying
Mr. Bhushan also
accused the Centre of
constantly lying on the
issue of demonetisation
and said that the figures
lence of his solitary con-
Shor Se Shuruaat
Directors: Rahul V.
Chittella, Amira Bhargava,
Annie Zaidi, Pratik Rajen
Kothari, Supriya Sharma,
Arunima Sharma and Satish
Raj Kasireddi
Starring: Atul Kulkarni,
Sanjay Mishra, Rasika
Duggal
Run time: 120 mins
inmate facing life sentence
gets to have one last tryst
with the familiar everyday
sounds before he recedes
back in the heightened si-
CITY
Will file PIL in SC
against Centres
decision: Kanhaiya
NEW DELHI: Former JNU Stu-
dents Union president Kan-
haiya Kumar has criticised
the Centres decision to ex-
empt political parties from
income tax on old notes de-
posited by them in banks,
saying that a Public Interest
Litigation will be filed in this
regard in the Supreme Court.
Online petition
An online petition has
been circulated for signa-
tures of people opposing the
governments decision and
soon a PIL will be filed in the
SC, Mr. Kumar said.
We are contacting law-
yers and we are going to file a
granting exemption from IT
scrutiny to political parties.
We have already started tak-
ing signatures on an online
petition, Mr. Kumar said.
Patently unfair
The online petition ad-
dressed to the Chief Justice
of India opposed this move
as patently unfair to the cit-
izenry of the country.
Given the extraordinary
nature of this measure (de-
monetisation), which has af-
fected every citizen and
business financial
autonomy and brought their
records under scrutiny, the
exemption granted to polit-
ical parties from any I-T
scrutiny seems patently un-
fair to the citizenry, the peti-
tion read. PTI
for old Rs.500 and Rs.1,000
notes in circulation were
being changed.
Yogendra Yadav,
president of Swaraj India
the political wing of
Swaraj Abhiyan, said that
the government has a list
of blacklisted tax haven
countries, but they have
now removed Cyprus
from the list with
retrospective efect from
2013. So there will be no
scrutiny of funds that have
been channelled from the
country, Mr. Yadav said.
the most whimsical and
finement. Sanjay Mishra
renders that last life airm-
ing experience in a wonder-
fully tactile performance
on-screen.
Annie Zaidi makes it all
futuristic in Decibel. Her
world is that of controlled
sounds that get suitably
modulated in sleeping sta-
tions.
All for the most optimal
experience of sleep. Most of
all the film is about nostal-
gia of the audio kind, about
our acoustic memories,
about purane zamane ka
shor as the lovely Rasika
Duggal puts it.
Arunima Sharmas Yel-
low Tin Can Telephone is
Tech talk
DIGITAL INDIA: Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan (left) and IT and Communication Minister Ravi Shankar
Prasad (2nd from left) visit DigiDhan Mela on Saturday. The two-day fair is being organised at Major Dhyan Chand
National Stadium by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to generate awareness among citizens and
traders about various forms of digital payment systems. PHOTO: R. V. MOORTHY
Relief for consumers, water
tarif hike unlikely in January
DAMINI NATH
NEW DELHI: Water rates in the
Capital are unlikely to be in-
creased in January 2017, with
the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) ex-
pected to keep the annual 10
per cent revision on hold.
The automatic 10 per cent
rate hike from January 1 had
been introduced by the
Sheila Dikshit government
in 2009, however the then-
Chief Minister had put of
the revision in 2013 an
election year.
On hold
In 2015, the hike was put
of till the Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) government came to
power in February and the
DJB passed it in March that
year. While the AAP had
said it would abolish the
mandatory hike, the DJB de-
cided to keep it on hold.
This year, too, the hike
was kept on hold.
According to sources in
the Delhi government and in
the DJB, the tarif hike will
once again be kept on hold
come January 1, 2017.
One source in the govern-
ment said that the rates for
both domestic and commer-
cial users would remain the
same for the time being.
on Friday.
fresh in its feel and stands
distinctly apart for its visual
treatment the use of an-
imation and colours and
the lovely narration.
Its about two parallel
lives one girl with an
overdeveloped sense of
sound and a guy with an
oversensitivity to colour
and how they interconnect.
Satish Raj Kasireddis Mia
IM is set in the North East
and charts out the tale of a
girl caught in an MMS scan-
dal. Its about how music
rescues her from the noises
that inhabit her head and
sets her free. The tone and
tenor don't come together
quite as well.
NO REVISION: The automatic 10 per cent rate hike from January
1 had been introduced by the Sheila Dikshit government in
2009. FILE PHOTO: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
A senior DJB oicial ad-
ded that there were no plans
to bring the proposal for a
hike before the Board in
January.
Apart from keeping the
hike in abeyance, the DJB
has been providing up to
20,000 litres of water free of
charge to domestic con-
sumers. For domestic users
who consume between
South Delhi to get new
CNG crematoriums soon
DAMINI NATH
NEW DELHI: Making last rites
more environment-
friendly, the South Delhi
Municipal Corporation will
soon be setting up three new
CNG-powered crematori-
ums and trying out a tech-
nique to reduce consump-
tion of wood at conventional
grounds.
Fired by CNG furnaces,
the crematoriums at Green
Park Extension, Subhash
Nagar and Dwarka Sector-24
will be greener than the
conventional wood pyres.
These facilities will be
ready by the end of January,
Shailender Singh, the chair-
person of the Standing Com-
mittee of the SDMC said on
Saturday.
The Standing Committee
passed the proposals to set
up the CNG crematoriums
We are looking at envir-
onment friendly techniques.
Apart from the CNG facilit-
ies, we will be experiment-
ing with a new technique
that reduced wood usage at
cremation grounds by 60 per
cent, said Mr. Singh.
Converting furnaces
While the SDMC already
had an electric crematorium
at Green Park Extension, it
had become dilapidated, as
per the Corporations own
admission in the proposal for
the CNG facility.
The existing crematorium
at Green Park Extension will
be converted into a CNG fa-
cility using two furnaces at a
THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016
20,000 litres and 30,000
litres of water per month,
the service charge is
Rs.219.62 and the volumetric
charge is Rs. 21.97 per 1,000
litres.
Customers who use over
30,000 litres a month have to
pay Rs. 292.82 in service
charge and Rs. 36.61 per
1,000 litres in volumetric
charge.
cost of Rs. 1.22 crore.
With two furnaces each,
the Subhash Nagar and
Dwarka facilities will cost
Rs.1.22 crore and Rs.2 crore
respectively. These costs in-
clude the amount needed for
operation and maintenance
for seven years.
We have faced problems
in the past when calling
tenders has taken long or
there has been a disruption
in supply, but with these pro-
NOIDA/DELHI
Kejriwal appeals
for donations
ahead of Goa,
Punjab elections
NEW DELHI: Ahead of Punjab
and Goa polls, Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) National Con-
venor and Delhi Chief Minis-
ter Arvind Kejriwal on Sat-
urday appealed for
donations from the common
man, even as he said that his
party does not take funds
from industrialists as they
ask us to do their wrong
work after elections.
Mr. Kejriwal also asked his
supporters to spare time for
campaigning in the two
States and said that the party
works on common peoples
time and money.
The AAP works on com-
mon peoples time and
money. You have to give both
time as well as donations for
polls in Punjab and Goa, Mr.
Kejriwal said.
Scrutinised by I-T dept
In a video message, Mr.
Kejriwal said that the reason
behind not taking donations
from the industrialists is that
they will have to return the
favour by doing their wrong
work. Mr. Kejriwal also
claimed that every single
penny donated to his party is
scrutinised by the Income
Tax Department. PTI
jects, there will be no such is-
sue. We will have adequate
supply of CNG, said Mr.
Singh. The CNG-powered
crematoriums are expected
to have an impact on air pol-
lution, with less wood being
burnt at funeral pyres.
Delhi has had CNG crem-
atoriums for years, including
at Nigambodh Ghat, but
most people still prefer the
conventional wooden pyres
to give loved ones a send-of.
ND-ND

NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016
FLYING HIGH
Gearing up to take of
Despite arguments against the profession, the life of an air hostess continues to excite young girls
AKANKSHA JAIN
NEW DELHI: A lot has been said
about the life of an air host-
ess, be it the erratic working
hours, the improper conduct
of passengers, and how their
personal life is put on the
back burner.
But despite arguments
against the profession, the
life of an air hostess contin-
ues to excite many young
girls.
Shalu Deelwal, who is pur-
suing her Ph.D in Hindi from
DU, was one of the candid-
ates who had come for the
walk-in interviews organised
for cabin crew for two private
Indian airlines.
The salary and the chance
to travel is what brought me
here, she said.
Yuri, another 19-year-old
who was here from Manipur,
said she loved the hospitality
she experienced onboard
while on her way to Delhi.
I am dependent on my
aunt. This is one job that can
help me be independent, she
said.
I see myself there
Immaculate dressing, per-
fectly done hair and make-up
are what attracted 19-year-
old Anjali Mishra who has
never flown in an airplane
before to nurture the
dream of becoming an air
hostess.
I have never been on a
flight, but I have seen air
hostesses on TV. I love the
way they dress and their
make-up. I want to see myself
there, said a visibly excited
Anjali.
Independence
I know they get to travel a
lot. It brings a lot of inde-
pendence as well, she
added.
A second-year student at
Delhi Universitys School of
Open Learning, Anjali said
that a job as an air hostess
would allow her to earn reas-
onably well, even without a
strong academic
background.
Twenty one-year-old Shiv-
I know they get to
travel a lot. It brings
a lot of
independence as
well
Skip in their step
RARE SIGHT: Sparrows enjoy a sunny afternoon in New Delhi on Saturday. PHOTO: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
DCW seeks Swarajs help to bring mortal remains of man from Japan
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Commis-
sion for Women (DCW) has
sought the intervention of
External Afairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj in bringing
back the mortal remains of a
man from Delhi who died in
Japan recently.
Wife unable to bear
expenses
The wife of the deceased,
Radha Debi, a resident of
Ambedkar Nagar, has ap-
proached the commission
saying she is financially
weak and unable to bear the
expenses of bringing back
the body of Gopal Ram, 48.
Ms. Swaraj, who recently
underwent a kidney trans-
plant, is recuperating at
AIIMS.
CM
YK
FINDING THEIR WINGS: Candidates come for walk-in interviews organised for cabin crew for two
private Indian airlines at Essex Farms on Saturday. PHOTOS: R. V. MOORTHY
ani Sharma, meanwhile, had
come for the interview with
her family.
It is my dream to be an air
hostess. Two years ago I had
joined the Frankfinn Insti-
tute, but my parents felt I was
too young then, she said
after her interview.
Ms. Swaraj, who recently
underwent a kidney
transplant, is recuperating at
AIIMS. FILE PHOTO
The woman has ap-
proached the commission to
seek assistance for repatri-
ation of her husbands body
to India for performing last
Varender Kaur, 21, an IT
graduate, was among the as-
pirants who were finally se-
lected.
She said that she was on
the hunt for jobs in the IT
field when she chanced upon
an advertisement inviting as-
pirants for cabin crew.
Wife of the deceased
approached the
commission saying
she was unable to
bear the expenses
rites.
She has informed that she
has no means of ensuring the
same as her family is finan-
cially weak and is unable to
bear the expenses for the
same.
The family is severely
distressed and needs your
kind support. As we all are
aware, you have been ex-
tremely pro-active in resolv-
ing such matters. Therefore,
I am forwarding the repres-
entation along with this let-
CITY/STATE
I was looking for a job in
any case. Also, this is one
thing I would love to do as I
like travelling and interacting
with people, said Varender.
But becoming an air host-
ess is not cakewalk as candid-
ates stand to face multiple
challenges.
ter for your kind perusal,
DCW chairperson Swati
Maliwal wrote in a letter to
Swaraj. Ms. Maliwal also
wished the minister a fast
and speedy recovery.
Gopal had gone to Tokyo
in September last year to
work as a cook in a hotel.
According to his son, he
was fired from the job within
three months after which he
started working in some
local shop.
His financial condition
was bad because of which he
was in distress.
However, on December 10,
the family received a call
from a person who worked
with Gopal, saying that he
has passed away following a
heart attack. PTI
Nothing matters as long
as my family supports me,
said Anjali.
Manoj Tiwari takes
ride on Delhi Metro
NEW DELHI: Delhi BJP chief
Manoj Tiwari on Saturday
took a ride on the Metro to in-
teract with people and pro-
mote cashless modes of
transactions.
Interacting with youths,
Mr. Tiwari encouraged them
to adopt e-banking facility
and spread awareness about it
among friends and families.
Mr. Tiwari boarded the
Metro from Sultanpur and got
down at Patel Chowk station
on the Yellow Line.
Several youths, whom Mr.
Tiwari spoke to, claimed that
they use e-banking facility
and praised the Centres de-
monetisation move, Delhi
BJPs media in-charge
Praveen Shankar Kapoor said.
Attending a workshop or-
ganised by Delhi BJPs Sched-
uled Caste Morcha on bank-
ing apps available on mobile
phones, he said, The Centre
Tyagi remanded in judicial
custody, moves bail application
NIRNIMESH KUMAR
NEW DELHI: A special court
for CBI cases here on
Saturday remanded former
Air Chief Marshal S.P.
Tyagi in judicial custody
tillDecember 30 in the
AgustaWestland VVIP
helicopter bribery case.
Two other accused
Mr. Tyagis cousin Sanjeev
Tyagi and lawyer Gautam
Khaitan were also sent
to judicial custody by
Additional Sessions Judge
Arvind Kumar after the
CBI did not seek their
further police custody.
The three accused have
moved bail applications
which are likely to be
heard on December 21 as
the CBI has sought time to
file replies to the plea.
The three accused
remained in CBI custody
for eight days. The probe
agency had arrested them
on December 10.
The court had on
December 14 extended the
police remand of the
Medical college must obtain
cadavers before admissions: HC
AKANKSHA JAIN
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High
Court has held that a lack of
corpses for dissection is
enough reason to deny
permission to a medical
college to begin the
admission process.
The court said this while
denying to stay a Centres
communication by which
Patna Homeopathic
Medical College &
Hospital was denied
permission to accept
admissions for the
academic session 2017-18 as
it did not meet the
eligibility conditions,
including having cadavers
for dissection.
The Centre had on
November 4 told the
college that it would be
denied permission to start
admissions if it does not
fulfil the eligibility
conditions by producing
suicient documents,
besides obtaining a No
Objection Certificate
(NOC) from the State
The Delhi BJP chief
boarded the metro
from Sultanpur and
got down at Patel
Chowk station
has made such arrangements
for expansion of mobile bank-
ing apps that even with the
help of ordinary mobile
phones transactions and
shopping can be done easily.
PTI
Retd Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi. FILE PHOTO
accused for three days
after the CBI submitted
that it was a very serious
case and required custodial
interrogation to unearth
the larger conspiracy as
the interest of the nation
had been compromised.
Earlier, the court had on
December 11 remanded
them in five-day CBI
custody when they were
produced before it after
government.
Eligibility
The Centre also said
there were no corpses for
dissection and the sitting
capacity and total number
of books in the Central
Library were not available
as per the Homoeopathy
Central Council (Minimum
Standards Requirement)
Regulations, 2013. The
Bench noted that there was
no regulation for an
existing college to obtain
an NOC from the State
government, but added that
lack of NOC was not the
only deficiency.
Deficiency
The deficiency with
regard to availability of
cadavers for dissection is
of more importance,
Justice V. Kameshwar Rao
said, while dismissing the
petition of the institute.
The observation of the
Hearing Committee of the
Centre is that at present the
college does not have any
Two members of Tillu gang arrested
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police
have arrested two members
of the notorious Tillu gang,
which used to extort money
from businessmen in the
city.
The arrested have been
identified as Sandeep and
Deepak, both residents of
Tajur Kalan village of outer
Delhi, the police said.
Recently, the duo had
REMEMBRANCE
|5
being arrested.
Mr. Tyagi had allegedly
entered into a criminal
conspiracy with the other
accused in 2005 and agreed
to change the 6,000-metre
service ceiling of VVIP
helicopters to 4,500 metre,
which helped
AgustaWestland to meet
the eligibility criteria for
the contract, the CBI
alleged.
cadavers for dissection,
which is a requirement
under the Regulations. If
this is so, the plea of the
college that it is using
alternate methods to fulfil
the educational
requirement under the
Bachelors Degree in
Homeopathy Medicine and
Surgery is not tenable. This
one deficiency is suicient
to deny permission, the
court said.
The college had
contended there was no
provision under the Act or
the Regulations for an
existing college to submit a
No Objection Certificate
from the State government
and that as far as
availability of dead body
for dissection was
concerned, besides writing
to the District Magistrate
of Patna, it had resorted to
alternate methods.
The court added that the
college has been granted
time till December 31 to
meet the deficiencies and
carry on with admissions.
made a threat call to busi-
nessman Pradeep, who ap-
proached the police.
Acting on a tip-of, the po-
lice nabbed the duo from
Murthal in Haryana, DCP
(Outer) M N Tiwari said.
Two country-made pis-
tols, four live cartridges and
one mobile phone was
seized from their posses-
sion, he said. PTI
DEATH
S.R.KRISHNAN(61) S/o.K.Ramaswamy
Passed Away on 15.12.2016. Deeply
Mourned by Dr.S.R.Vijayalakshmi,
S.R.Ravi & Relatives. Phone:
08861755593
A. KANNAN (Vysya Bank), 66, ex-
pired 9122016. Shubham 2012
2016 @ his residence. Ph.
9940353067.
ND-ND
6|
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

TENDERS TAMIL TAMIL

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CM ND-ND
YK
 |7
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

Disclaimer: Readers are requested to verify &

make appropriate enquiries to satisfy
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tisement before responding to any published in
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CM ND-ND
YK
8|
MP who didnt go to Parliament
Man nominated to Rajya Sabha under Governors quota finds he was conned
MARRI RAMU
HYDERABAD: A sexagenarian
landed behind bars on Sat-
urday after allegedly creat-
ing a fake Government of In-
dia Gazette notification. It
said a person named Matta
Raghuvamshi had been
nominated as a Rajya Sabha
member under the Gov-
ernors quota for Telangana
and Andhra Pradesh States.
Telangana Crime Investig-
ation Department (CID) oi-
cials arrested prime accused
Maramraju Raghava Rao, 62.
Political connections
But Matta Raghuvamshi,
mentioned as Rajya Sabha
member in the false notific-
ation is still at large.
Raghuvamshi from Gun-
tur in Andhra Pradesh, who
wanted to become a public
representative somehow, fell
into Raos trap as the latter
promised him a nominated
post using his political con-
nections, investigators said.
Rao hails from Polkam-
palli village of Ibrahimpat-
Landmine scare in Woman Maoist killed in encounter buried
Chintur, traic stalled
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
CHINTUR (EAST GODAVARI): Three
landmines, reportedly
planted by Maoists, were
found on Saturday on the
main road between Bhad-
rachalam and Rajama-
hendravaram in Chintur
mandal.
The Maoists also hung
banners on the trees near the
village, condemning the Oc-
tober 23 encounter on the
Andhra-Odisha border in
which 24 Maoists were
killed.
Bomb squad arrives
Chintur Circle Inspector
Durgaprasad said they got in-
formation that some wires
were seen hanging out near
the village main road which
was dug up on both sides.
CM
YK
nam mandal of Ranga Reddy
district. He worked as a Vil-
lage Revenue Assistant (the
post of Karanam which was ment of India Gazette noti-
banned by the government of
unified Andhra Pradesh).
Police said some
villagers saw wires
near a road that was
dug up, reportedly
by Maoists
They informed SP M. Ravi-
prakash who ordered that
the area be cordoned of and
vehicular traic stopped.
The police checked the
vehicles.
Armed Reserve police
personnel visited villages
along with Greyhounds for
leads on Maoists who came
to the villages on Friday
night.
The Greyhound force,
along with the bomb squad
from Kakinada, left for the
scene by the evening to de-
fuse the landmines, if any.
Telangana police say
the victim, who was
taken for a ride,
wanted to somehow
get a public post
As he was familiar with
revenue matters, land re-
cords and State politics, he
used to impress people
claiming that he was well
connected.
Fake notification
Raghuvamshi happened to
meet Rao during his visits to
Hyderabad before the bifurc-
ation of Andhra Pradesh.
He was keen on getting a
nominated political post
and, noticing this, Rao threw
the bait of nominated Rajya
Sabha seat, CID oicials
said.
As Raghuvamshi insisted
on the nominated post after
paying money to Rao, the lat-
ter created a fake Govern-
that Rao was already facing
fication letter, which
mentioned Raghuvamshis
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
KOZHIKODE: More than three
weeks after she was shot
dead by the Kerala police in
an encounter in the Nilam-
bur forest, Tamil Nadu-born
Ajitha (Kaveri), a lawyer-
turned-Maoist, was buried at
the public cemetery at West
Hill here on Saturday.
Maoist sympathisers,
former Naxalites, and human
rights campaigners were
among those who turned up
to pay their last respects. On
the directive of the Kerala
High Court, the body was re-
leased to the police at 10 a.m.
on Saturday from the
Kozhikode Government
Medical College mortuary,
where it was held for three
weeks. The court, which re-
jected an application by her
friends to allow them to give
her an honourable burial,
however, directed the police
SOUTH
nomination as Rajya Sabha
member. He created more
forged documents in the
name of the Governor of
Andhra Pradesh and Telan-
gana States, with names of
some persons nominated to
MLC/MLA posts. Soon you
will get intimation from Raj
Bhavan, Rao reportedly told
Raghuvamshi.
Seeks clarification
As the Raj Bhavan commu-
nication never came,
Raghuvamshi wrote a letter
to Raj Bhavan under the
Right to Information Act,
seeking an explanation why
the order of his Rajya Sabha
nomination was not issued.
He also attached copies of
the fake Gazette notification
along with the letter.
Raj Bhavan oicials grew
suspicious of the notification
and complained to CID,
which registered a cheating
case.
Investigation confirmed
some cheating cases in land
deals.
An activist bursts into tears when the body of Maoist Ajitha
was brought to the West Hill cemetery on Saturday.
PHOTO: K. RAGESH
to let them pay their last re-
spects.
The court had wanted the
friends to perform the last
rites peacefully, without rais-
ing any anti-government slo-
gans. In the funeral meeting,
presided over by Grow buried last week by the po-
OFFICERS & GENTLEMEN: IAF cadets at the passing out parade in Hyderabad. PHOTO: PTI
Air cadets graduate in style
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD: Fifteen minutes
past 8 a.m., the sky above the
Air Force Academy, Dun-
digal, in the outskirts of Hy-
derabad bore witness to a
colourful graduation cere-
mony. The combined gradu-
ation parade of flying, navig-
ation and ground staf
oicers of five Air Force
training colleges three in
Vasu, leaders of rights organ-
isations, parties such as the
RMP, SDPI and Welfare
Party; and activists of the
Committee Against Fake En-
counter Killings, spoke.
The body was to have been
ral committee.
Hyderabad and one each in
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
also included a scintillat-
ing air show.
Audience enthralled
As 110 young oicers, men
and women, marched past a
sprawling ground, onlookers
cheered them. The cadets
astounded the audience with
the precision of their steps
and gait. From handling the
lice as an anonymous one,
because no relative of Ajitha
came forward to claim it. Her
mother is said to be bedrid-
den. Ajithas friend moved
the High Court asking the
body to be handed over to
the friends. The government
had opposed this. The body
was buried instead of being
cremated in view of the on-
going magisterial inquiry
into the November 24 en-
counter.
Born to a middle class fam-
ily in Tamil Nadu, Ajitha was
a lawyer at the Madras High
Court for many years. She
was a senior leader of the
Western Ghats unit of the
CPI(ML-Maoist) that is said
to be active in parts of the
Ghats that belong to Tamil
Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka.
Kuppu Devaraj, who was
killed along with Ajitha, was
a member of the partys cent-
ing the State. The number
THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016
launch on Jan. 27
baton to the display of hon-
orary artillery, the oicers
performed drill with ease.
The oicers who passed out
were trained in professional
and advanced courses for
one year at the Air Force
Academy, Dundigal, the Air
Force stations Hakimpet and
Begumpet, Airforce Station,
Yellahanka, Karnataka, and
the Airforce Administrative
College, Coimbatore.
Kerala may have to
close 115 liquor outlets
G. ANAND
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Ker-
ala government on Saturday
asked the Excise Department
to furnish the list of bar ho-
tels, beer and wine parlours
and government-run liquor
retail outlets that could face
potential closure in the wake
of the Supreme Court de-
cision banning the sale of li-
quor on national and State
highways.
The move was to gauge the
impact the verdict would
have on excise enforcement
and on the crucial hotel and
tourism sectors.
Kerala faces the diicult
prospect of shutting down
115 State-run liquor outlets
abutting 77 State and 9 Na-
tional Highways criss-cross-
percussions involved.
NOIDA/DELHI
PSLV-C 37
scheduled for
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
VIJAYAWADA: The next PSLV-
C37, that will put into orbit a
record number of 83 satel-
lites, is being scheduled for
launch on January 27, said
PSLV Project Director B.
Jayakumar.
Sharing the dais with
Vikram Sarabhai Space
Centre Director K. Sivan,
who was in Vijayawada to re-
ceive the 100th nozzle for a
PSLV rocket from Resins and
Allied Productions (RAP),
Mr. Jayakumar said six PSLVs
had been launched in 2016.
Mr. Sivan said ISRO was
planning to launch 12 to 18
PSLVs in a year.
100th nozzle
He said the 100th nozzle
would be used in the historic
PSLV that would launch 83
satellites. He said RAP would
have to increase its produc-
tion to meet the rising de-
mand of the ISRO. The 100th
nozzle would be one among
the six nozzles that would be
used in the PSLV-C37.
would increase significantly
if outlets within a 500 m ra-
dius from the outer-edge of
the highways are also closed.
Relocating them is dii-
cult. The government fears
that bootleggers would step
in to fill the gap between de-
mand and supply. The de-
cision has significant social,
economic and legal implica-
tions for Kerala, a senior oi-
cial said.
There is uncertainty
whether the apex court or-
der applies to bar hotels and
beer parlours. The govern-
ment has requested the Ad-
vocate General to clarify.
The State is against filing a
review petition. But it might
seek more time from the Su-
preme Court to implement
the order, given the grave re-
ND-ND
 NATION |9
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

Packaged food labels may soon How 2 Britons gave Bhuj

quake survivor a new life
carry details of salt, sugar content VIJAY SONEJI

AHMEDABAD: Love knows no

Presently, information on them need not be disclosed unless it is part of advertisement pitch
JACOB KOSHY
NEW DELHI: Food and beverage
companies may have to com-
pulsorily disclose additional
information on the sugar,
salt and sodium content of
their packaged products, as
part of a proposed revision
of food labelling laws, said a
top oicial of Indias apex
food regulator.
Currently, packaged food
companies including
those who make instant
noodles, biscuits, snacks and
breakfast cereal need spe-
cify only the energy, protein,
carbohydrate and fat content
on their covers.
Information on other con-
stituents such as sodium,
salt, vitamins need not be
disclosed unless companies
claim it as part of their ad-
vertising pitch. For instance,
details on fibre content in
biscuits or the percentage of
trans unsaturated fatty acids
(trans fats) need not be spe-
cified unless a company pro-
motes them as high fibre
Pawan Agarwal, CEO, Food
Safety and Standards Au-
thority of India, told The
Hindu, However this is
quite a challenge and re-
quires much consultation.
Draft likely in a month
A draft of these notifica-
tions is expected in a month
but after that would require
clearance by the Health Min-
istry for it to become a norm,
according to Mr. Agrawal.
On Friday, the Centre for
Science and Environment
made public a report Food
Labelling, Claims And Ad-
vertisements in the pres-
ence of Mr. Agarwal de-
tailing instances of
IN BLACK AND WHITE: Food labelling norms will undergo a sea change in India if the revised under-reporting by several
proposals come through. PHOTO: AFP food and beverage compan-
ies.
or zero trans-fat. This than 25 gm of sugar per day large amounts aggravate dia- In contrast to best prac-
gives companies leeway to while the American Heart betes and hypertension. tices in other parts of the
not disclose if, say, their Association says that an We have set up various world, there is no mention of
high-fibre biscuits are also adult should not consume panels on scientific assess- several other types of nutri-
high on sugar or sodium. more than 2.3 gm of sodium. ment and labelling to con- tion claims, Amit Khurana,
The World Health Organisa- While both of these are crit- sider these issues and may programme manager, Food
tion recommends that an ical to the healthy function- incorporate this in our re- Safety and Toxins team, CSE,
adult should not have more ing of the body, they can, in vised labelling norms, said in a statement.
reason, no boundaries, no
distance. But not often does
one get to see the kind of re-
lationship that Parth Joshi,
known as Gujarats earth-
quake boy, shares with Lon-
dons John Miller and Nick
Spence.
The duo miraculously
saved Joshi during the killer
2001 earthquake in Gujarat.
Parth, then 10 years old, was
pulled out from the rubble 92
hours after the quake. Mr.
Miller and Mr. Spence had PILLARS OF SUPPORT: Parth Joshi with his wife Chintal Joshi and
come to Bhuj as part of the Nick Spence (left) and John Miller. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Rapid Rescue Team from
London. get married, said Mr. Miller. don and show him places
Early this month, Parth, Its 15 years since the Janu- that even my relatives in the
now a computer engineer, ary 26 earthquake which U.K., who are natives,
got married and Mr. Miller killed around 15,000 people havent seen, says Parths
and Mr. Spence were special and injured another 1,67,000. father Pradip Joshi, who is a
guests at the wedding in bank employee. They host
Kutch, which bore the max- Gracious hosts me in London every year.
imum brunt of the 2001 After Parth was pulled out Once they took me to watch
earthquake. from the rubble, John and an England-Pakistan match
Tears rolling down their Nick had to amputate his leg at the Lords from the VIP
eyes, the duo amazed almost to save his life. Since that sur- box. Then they made me
every guest at Parths wed- gery, every year they two meet Naseer Hussain and
ding reception. I dont know send tickets for Parth to fly to other cricketers. More than a
what the connection is London. They get him a new life and an artificial limb,
between Parth and us. I cant artificial limb every year and they have given me memor-
find words to describe the take care of all his expenses. ies that I can live with for the
joy of seeing my little brother They take him around Lon- rest of my life, says Parth.

Clash over
tilling of land
leaves five dead
ETAH (UP): Five people were
killed as rival factions clashed
over a piece of land in
Sunngadhi area of neighbour-
ing Kasganj district here, the
police said on Saturday.
Rival factions belonging to
diferent villages opened fire
at each other and clashed
over tilling a piece of land left
behind by the receding Ganga
river. One person was injured
in the clash.
In the cross firing, Ram Ra-
hees and Amrit Pal of Kisaul
village, and Shivram, Ram
Kishore (both brothers) and
Sukhbir of Kilauli village
were killed and another was
injured, according to SP Sunil
Kumar.
Every year, villagers in Kas-
ganj lay claim over the land
left behind either by the re-
ceding Ganga or the river
changing its course, and illeg-
ally sow crops on it. PTI
Train engine kills three
elephants in Assam
GUWAHATI: Three elephants
were killed after a speeding
train engine rammed into
them in Assams Nagaon dis-
trict on Saturday.
The engine hit the ele-
phants, including a pregnant
one, who were crossing
tracks in Potiyapam area of
Kampur killing two of them
on the spot. The third jumbo
died later, a district adminis-
tration oicial said.
Forest Minister Pramila
Rani Brahma directed the
Forest Department to file an
FIR against the Railways.
Strong action will be taken
against the Railways as they
have not taken the issue seri-
ously. I have ordered an in-
quiry into the incident, the
oicial added. The Forest
Minister also directed the
railways to limit the speed of
trains to 15 km/hour.
The Railways maintain
speed restrictions of 40 km/
A child places flowers near
a dead elephant in Kampur
on Saturday. PHOTO: AP
hour in areas earmarked as
elephant corridors but this
particular area between
Jamunamukh and Kampur
railway stations is not ear-
marked as a notified ele-
phant corridor by the Forest
Department, a North East
Frontier Railway spokesman
said. PTI
Honour for Varun Bhatt of
Rajasthan Patrika, The Week
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI: The International
Press Institutes (IPI) India
Award for Excellence in
Journalism, 2016 has been
awarded jointly to Varun
Bhatt of Rajasthan Patrika
and The Week for outstand-
ing journalistic work done
during 2015.
In a press release, the India
Chapter of the IPI an-
nounced that Varun Bhatts
exclusive investigative re-
port in Rajasthan Patrika
had exposed the apathy and
negligence of the authorities
in fulfilling promises to build
a memorial for 1,500 tribals,
who were killed during the
freedom struggle in
Mangadh. He traced the ori-
ginal papers with the Central
government, wrote a series
of articles on how the me-
IPI-India Award
for Excellence in
Journalism will
be presented in
New Delhi in January
morial has been stalled and
once the work resumed, kept
a track of it.
The Week was selected for
an exclusive interview and
an accompanying article by
Rabi Banerjee through
which the magazine ex-
plained to its readers the
hitherto unknown life and
struggles of human rights
activist Irom Sharmila. The
interview also gave out for
the first time the fact that she
wanted to give up her pro-
longed fast and take to polit-
ical work.
The selection was made by
a distinguished jury of Edit-
ors and Publishers headed by
Justice A.S. Anand, former
Chief Justice of India and
former Chairman of the Na-
tional Human Rights Com-
mission. The members of the
jury were N. Ravi, Chairman,
IPI -India and Director, The
Hindu; M.K. Razdan, Mem-
ber of the Board, IPI-India
and former Editor in Chief,
Press Trust of India;, Mr.
Riyad Mathew, Senior As-
sistant Editor, Malayala
Manorama and Sanjaya
Baru, Former Chief Editor,
Financial Express and Busi-
ness Standard.
The award will be presen-
ted at a function in New
Delhi by the end of January
2017. The award comprises a
cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh, a
trophy and a citation, to each
winner, the release said.
Laado Chaupal is the latest in
Rajasthans fight for girl child
MOHAMMED IQBAL
JAIPUR: A Laado Chaupal or-
ganised here over the week-
end laid emphasis on the
strict implementation of the
drive to check foetus sex de-
termination tests in order to
improve the declining child
sex ratio in Rajasthan.
The State governments
ambitious Daughters are
precious programme for the
protection and welfare of
girls was also highlighted
during the event.
The National Health Mis-
sions State Director Naveen
Jain, who is also the State Ap-
propriate Authority under
the Pre-Conception and Pre-
Natal Diagnostic Techniques
Act, said the campaign for
saving the girl child had been
taken up in Rajasthan as a
mission.
Underlining the need for
changing the mindset of giv-
ing priority to sons, Mr. Jain
said decoy operations, mon-
itoring of sonography ma-
chines via GPS (Global Posi-
tioning System) and the
scheme for informers were
being executed eiciently in
the State.
Painful reality
Laado Chaupals convenor
Shipra Mathur said that fe-
male foeticide was a painful
reality at a time when girls
were scaling new heights in
education, science, the hu-
manities and various arts.
The message for saving
daughters should be spread
far and wide to ensure the
protection of girls, she said.
College students attend-
ing the event also took part in
a quiz for general awareness.

Mumbai women assert their right to loiter

SHUBHA SHARMA
MUMBAI: At 11 p.m. at Churchg-
ate station, there is still a
bustle, mostly people rush-
ing to catch trains rather
than coming into south
Mumbai.
Outside the station, close
to the taxi stand, a group of
young women is catching a
smoke. A middle-aged man,
clearly inebriated, staggers
up. Beta, kahan jaana hai
he asks one of the women.
The taxi drivers are curious,
but dont ofer assistance. A
police constable strolls
across, asks if the man has
touched them.
The women quickly enter
the more secure environ-
ment of the station.
They are post-graduate
ensure the risk doesnt re-
main a risk any more.
Just like men
The students, along with a
few others gathered via so-
cial media, are part of the
Why Loiter? event. The
agenda? To simply stroll
down the Marine Drive and
take the last train home, to
assert womens right to be in
a public place and have fun,
just like men do.
Violation isnt just phys-
ical contact, Ms. Priyadar-
Women travelling in the general compartment of the last train shini says. Even their defini-
from Churchgate to Borivali in Mumbai. PHOTO: SUBHA SHARMA tion of harassment is
restricted. They dont realise
students from the Tata Insti- their teacher. Were always that they are violating your
tute of Social Sciences. told we are taking a risk by space by standing near you,
This is a womens studies being out on the streets at staring at you and speaking
class in action, says night. But it ought to be your to you. That man just
Pratikshya Priyadarshini, responsibility, not ours, to thought it was okay to do so.

Want ticket? Walk 5 km, Congress tells cadres

Inspired by Rahul, party asks aspirants to participate in yatra, spend time in village
KAVITA UPADHYAY
DEHRADUN: In a peculiar
move, the Uttarakhand
Pradesh Congress
Committee (PCC) has set a
challenging task for those
aspiring to be the party's
candidate in the elections.
With Uttarakhand going
for Assembly polls early
next year, the State PCC
president Kishore
Upadhyay, in an
unprecedented decision,
has announced that any
candidate applying for the
Congress ticket should be
able to walk for at least 5
kilometres.
In politics, till you do
not connect with people,
you cannot survive
Elections are nearing and
we need to reach out to
people. Hence, to be able to
walk for at least 5 km is the
minimum criterion for
Congress workers and
leaders who wish to get the
RAISING THE BAR: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat
with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. FILE PHOTO
party ticket to contest the
polls, Mr. Upadhyay told
The Hindu.
Fitness test
In a State where 70 per
cent of the population (70
lakh people) resides in
villages with roads that
mostly remain
disconnected due to
frequent landslides, it is
imperative for political
leaders to be able to cover
long distances by foot.
To make it to the
Congress screening
committee, the aspiring
candidates will participate
in a yatra Samaveshi
Satat Vikas Ke Liye
Janasheesh Yatra where
they will walk at least 5 km.
After the yatra, they will
spend a night at a house in
their constituencies.
The yatra, which will
start on December 19 from
Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar,
will be organised across
the 70 constituencies. The
Zila Congress Committees
will keep track of the yatra
and keep us informed on
the performance of the
aspiring candidates, Mr.
Upadhyay said. The
criterion, however, will not
apply to candidates
sufering from a physical
condition.
We also want the
candidates to halt at their
respective constituencies
for a night so that they can
familiarise themselves
with the people they wish
to work for, Mr. Upadhyay
said.
The party, he said, was
inspired by vice-president
Rahul Gandhi, who, in the
past, had done several
night halts in villages.

CM ND-ND
YK
10 | WEEKEND THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016
NOIDA/DELHI

BEING
DR HUMERUS POPULATION CONTROL

The sterilisation skew

Keshav

A little after Vasectomy Fortnight, the Telangana experience shows the gap in Indias family planning programme
ROHIT P.S. Of the 40 lakh sterilisation Experts maintain that the gap
between vasectomy targets and

AROUND THE WORLD
Why baby-level
cholesterol
pays off
Reducing our
cholesterol levels to
those of a newborn
baby significantly PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
lowers the risk of
cardiovascular disease. Although previous studies
have suggested that lowering cholesterol levels
may be associated with a lower risk of heart attack,
recent evidence has questioned whether very low
levels are beneficial. Scientists at Imperial College
London, analysed data from over 5,000 people
taking part in cholesterol-lowering trials and found
that dropping cholesterol to the lowest level
possible to levels similar to those we were born
with reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke or
fatal heart disease by around a third. The team
arrived at their conclusions after 10 trials.
Eurekalert
Heartburn pills
W
ith the national
Vasectomy
Fortnight
(November 21 to
December 4)
coming to an end recently, the writ-
ing on the wall is clear: men are un-
willing to share the burden of birth
control.
The government observed Vas-
ectomy Fortnight with the hope to
create awareness about male steril-
isation and, more importantly, to
facilitate district administrations
reach sterilisation targets through
campaigns. Of the 40 lakh sterilisa-
tion procedures done in 2014-15,
vasectomies accounted for a
minuscule 1.9 per cent.
Hardly any takers
Experiments in the countrys
youngest State, Telangana, reveal
the sterilisation gap in Indias fam-
ily planning programme. This fort-
night, five men walked into the vas-
ectomy camp in Ranga Reddy, a
district adjoining Telanganas cap-
ital Hyderabad with a 25 lakh popu-
lation. The district administration
managed to convince them to opt
for the procedure. A second camp
on December 8 found no takers
and oicials have renewed eforts
to draw more men before the end
of the financial year. With an an-
ITS CLEAR: Men are unwilling to share the burden of birth control.
PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
nual target of 2,500 vasectomies
this year the districts count
stands at 5. Last years numbers
only seem marginally better with
37 men undergoing the procedure.
The State paid them Rs.1,100 each
for undergoing sterilisation while
the 24,000 women who underwent
sterilisation were paid Rs.880 per
person.
Vigorous campaigning, ei-
cient counselling and post-operat-
ive services as well as education
are real diferentiators, says Renu
Kapoor of the Family Planning As-
sociation of India. She pegs the
lack of willingness to share the bur-
den of contraception on a mis-
placed sense of masculinity.
Men who avail vasectomies at
procedures done in 2014-
15, vasectomies accounted
for a minuscule
1.9 per cent
our centres are educated and from
organised work sectors, Dr. Ka-
poor says. She stressed the import-
ance of counselling in understand-
ing the strong likelihood of
pregnancy for three months after
the procedure.
Indias total fertility rate of 2.3 is
expected to sink below 2 within the
next decade. Telanganas fertility
rate reached replacement levels
before the State came into being in
2014 the third round of National
Family Health Survey (NFHS)
done a decade ago established that
undivided Andhra Pradesh had re-
corded fertility rate of 1.8.
The latest survey in 2015 af-
firmed Telanganas fertility rate
stood at 1.8 births per woman. For
men, concerns of losing sexual po-
tency and physical vigour make
them unwilling to discuss vasec-
tomy, says Harish Chandra Reddy,
health oicial in Ranga Reddy dis-
trict. A small number of uninten-
ded pregnancies and a few unfa-
vourable post-vasectomy fallouts
seem to have thrown it out of the
reckoning.
achievements remain unchanged
over the years even as the countrys
fertility and birth rates continue to
fall, driven mainly by female
sterilisation.
Tubectomies still the norm
Despite aggressive promotional
campaigns over the last decade,
only a small proportion of couples
use State-distributed condoms (0.5
per cent in 7,786 Telangana house-
holds surveyed in 2015), oral con-
traceptives (0.3 per cent), intra-
uterine devices (0.3 per cent) and
male sterilisation to prevent birth.
Of the 77,000 sterilisation proced-
ures performed in the States pub-
lic health sector till October 2016,
only 1,287 or 1.6 per cent were vas-
ectomies. In the two years since
Telanganas creation, vasectomies
as a percentage of total sterilisa-
tions stood at 3 per cent, un-
changed over the last decade.
The States health administra-
tion, under no pressure to reach
targets given that Telangana has
achieved replacement level fertil-
ity, aims to perform around two
lakh sterilisations this year. If last
years numbers are any indication,
one lakh more Telangana women
will undergo sterilisation in the
next three months.
rohit.ps@thehindu.co.in

and cancer PERSPECTIVE

Something as
seemingly harmless
as a heartburn pill The hell of Syrias field hospitals Wake-up call
could lead cancer
patients to take a
PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
turn for the worse. A
University of Alberta study published in the journal
on superbugs
JAMA Oncology discovered that proton pump
inhibitors (PPIs) which are very common
medications for heartburn and gastrointestinal
bleeding, decrease effects of capecitabine a type
B efore the discovery of
antimicrobials,
infections with serious
of chemotherapy usually prescribed to gastric disease-causing
cancer patients. The study included more than 500 organisms were often a
patients and found that PPIs affected progression- death sentence.
free survival by more than a month; the overall Occasionally, people
survival in cancer patients was reduced by more recovered if their natural
immunity was good, but
than two months, and the disease control rate the rest either ended up
decreased by 11 per cent. PPIs are very popular for dead or with severe PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
their efficacy and many of them are over-the- disability. The earliest
counter drugs Eurekalert New York debated AMR
antimicrobials were on September 21, only the
made of heavy metals fourth time that the
such as gold or antimony UNGA has discussed a
Attention, compounds, which also health topic. Many
had a lot of side efects. countries including India
night shifters However, they were have reiterated the urgent
It has been known found to be efective need for action to prevent
for a long time that against infections such as further increase in AMR,
early risers work syphilis and while at the same time
less efficiently at leishmaniasis. The first promoting access to
night than night antibiotic was penicillin, appropriate drugs for
PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT discovered by Alexander patients who do not have
owls do. But Fleming. Fleming
researchers have uncovered new and distinctive access at present. Most
presciently warned that large pharmaceutical
features between the night activities of these two indiscriminate use of
types of individuals. At night, early risers ALEPPOS MEDICAL NIGHTMARE: Syrian physicians continue to endure extreme conditions, many working in makeshift companies have given up
penicillin could one day research and
demonstrate a quicker reaction time when solving shelters in basements and under constant siege and bombardment. Each day is the same: cleaning mutilated
unusual attention-related tasks than night owls, but wounds, amputating obliterated limbs, and watching people lose their lives in overcrowded rooms with scarce development on
these early risers make more mistakes along the medical resources. Picture shows doctors treating an injured child inside a field hospital after air strikes on rebel- antibiotics, focussing
Soumya instead on lifestyle
way. Sleep deprivation and a relative increase in the held areas of Aleppo, Syria. PHOTO: REUTERS Swaminathan diseases such as obesity,
time spent awake negatively impact the brains hypertension and
attention system. The study results challenge the dyslipidemias. However,
education- and human resources-paradigm in INDIA-BASED STUDY some companies are now
certain areas. The results of this study could also be lead to its loss of efect. waking up to the

Uncovering the surge in renal failure deaths

very useful for people who work night shift. Today, we have challenge of AMR.
ScienceDaily reached a situation where Recently 13 drug
more than 50 per cent of manufacturers have
While hypertension and cardiovascular disease are significantly associated with increased some groups of bacteria pledged to curb overuse
Fat? Blame mums are resistant to almost all of antibiotics and clean
risk of renal failure deaths, diabetes is the leading factor the antibiotics we have. up pollution from
pregnancy diet factories manufacturing
R. PRASAD Economic cost, factors
Diet composition antibiotics as part of their
around the time of It is estimated that the drive to fight infections
pregnancy may
influence whether
D eaths from renal failure among
Indian adults now outstrip
deaths from HIV/AIDS, signalling a
world loses a trillion
dollars due to
antimicrobial resistance
caused by superbugs.
Another recent initiative
offspring become is the setting up of a
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES/CREATAS RF major shift in causes of mortality in (AMR). While in the
obese. Giving global antibiotic R and D
the country over the past decade United States, 23,000 (GARD) fund (which
females a typical American, or western, diet away from infectious disease causes people die of resistant
appeared to set the next generation up for lifelong aims to raise $350
to non-communicable disease causes. infections each year, the million) and mechanism
obesity issues. This work, recently published in the These are the results of a study pub- number in India is likely
American Journal of Physiology, was based on for various stakeholders
lished recently in The Lancet. to be much higher; 50,000 to work together under a
studying two lines of rats, one selectively bred to be As per a National AIDS Control Or- newborns alone are unified framework.
obesity-resistant to a high-fat diet and one bred to ganization (NACO) annual report estimated to die of drug- ICMR is partnering with
be unusually vulnerable. Rats from each group were 2015-16, in 2015, an estimated 67,600 resistant bacterial this programme and
fed either a diet with the same overall fat, saturated people died of AIDS-related causes infections, probably Drugs for Neglected
fat, carbohydrate and protein levels as a typical nationally. In the same year, renal fail- acquired in hospitals. Diseases initiative to
western diet, or a lower-fat, higher-grain control Surveillance by support innovation and
ure accounted for an estimated three
diet. The scientists found that female rats given a government agencies clinical trials of new and
per cent of all premature deaths in In- such as the Indian
western diet in the weeks leading up to pregnancy, dia. The proportion of renal failure repurposed drugs to treat
during pregnancy and during nursing had offspring Council of Medical certain resistant
deaths has been steadily rising from EPICENTRE: For reasons not known, South and East India recorded the highest Research (ICMR) and the
more prone to obesity at birth, during early 2.1 per cent in 2001-03 to 2.9 per cent in infections.
number of premature renal failure deaths. Picture shows a person with kidney National Centre for
adolescence and many months later through 2010-13. Compared with 86,000 renal disease at his house in Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh. PHOTO: K.R. DEEPAK Disease Control (NCDC) For a united fight
adulthood. This occurred even if the mothers failure deaths in 2003, the number has shows that many tertiary It is now clear that
themselves did not overeat and maintained a increased to 136,000 in 2015. not known, the southern and eastern factor for Indians. Most people with hospitals have very high addressing AMR will
healthy weight, body fat and insulin status. What is more important than the States recorded the highest number of diabetes in India have poor glycaemic rates of antibiotic
ScienceDaily require involvement of
absolute change in the number of premature renal failure deaths. control. resistance. There is some the agriculture,
deaths (which will reflect the increas- In the east (Assam, West Bengal, good news, however. veterinary, poultry and
ing population and changing popula- Odisha and Jharkhand), the death rate Pointer to diagnosis Data from monitoring of fisheries sectors,
tion structure in India over the past doubled to 50 per 100,000 population Untreated or poorly controlled resistance in typhoid
DEMYSTIFYING SCIENCE decade) is the changing age-standard- between the two time periods. In the diabetes is well recognised to cause bacteria, for example,
environment agencies,
drug regulators, doctors
ised rates of renal failure death, which south, Tamil Nadu had the highest kidney complications, including pro- shows that the bacteria and pharmacists as well
What is a Death Star? can regain susceptibility
have significantly increased over the death rate and it increased more than gression to end-stage renal failure and as common citizens. The
The Death Star may be better known from the study time period, especially for the Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and death from renal failure, he says. to antibiotics that are no Ministry of Health has
Star Wars franchise as a planet-sized weapon age group 45-69 years, says Prof. Karnataka. In contrast to south and Renal failure is usually a late com- longer widely used. developed a national
There are multiple action plan which is
capable of vapourising a planet but researchers Prabhat Jha from the University of east India, the renal death rate in both plication of diabetes, developing
reasons for development comprehensive and
this week report having a found a star a lot Toronto, Canada, and the correspond- north and west India remained nearly many years after the onset of the dis- of AMR. Indiscriminate
like our sun that likely consumed the planets ing author of the paper, in an e-mail to static during this time period. ease, but among Indian adults with multi-sectoral, but which
and improper use of will only work if there is
that once orbited it. The Hindu. We are not able to definitely ex- diabetes, we saw a substantial number antibiotics by patients
HIP68468, is a kind of solar twin, about 300 plain the reasons for the diferent of deaths in people in their fourth and commitment from all.
and unnecessary India successfully
light years away, containing four times more What the data show rates of renal failure deaths in the fifth decade of life. This suggests that prescription by handled the HIV crisis
lithium than what a typical 6-billion-year old star The rate of deaths due to renal fail- south and east in this study. It seems diabetes in Indian adults has been go- physicians are major and is once again
like it would normally have. It also contains a ure at ages 15-69 years was 13 per likely it is due to diferences in risk ing under-diagnosed or under- reasons. Further, the challenged in the face of
huge store of heat-resistant metals which are 100,000 in 2001-03 but has since in- factors such as diabetes, including the treated, resulting in [an] acceleration animal and poultry an AMR crisis. Decisive
found in abundance in rocky planets. The creased to 17 per 100,000 in 2010-13. prevalence of diabetes, how early it is of renal failure complications. industry has traditionally action is needed to
amount of lithium and the engulfed rocky planet Among 45 to 69 year olds, the rate has diagnosed and how well controlled it Besides causing death due to renal used antibiotics in feed as prevent further spread of
material in the atmosphere of HIP68468 adds up shot up from 30 per 100,000 in 2001-03 is. These factors will all influence the failure, chronic kidney disease can growth promoters. Some drug resistance and to
to the equivalent of the mass of six earths. to 40 per 100,000 in 2010-13. progression of diabetes complica- also significantly increase the risk of of this finds its way into preserve the antibiotics
Computer simulations show that billions of While the total number of deaths tions including renal failure, Prof. Jha premature cardiovascular death. So the environment as well. we have for future
years from now, the accumulated gravitational was more in rural areas, the death rate says. the total number of deaths caused by generations.
tugs and pulls between planets will eventually was higher in urban areas; the in- While hypertension and cardiovas- kidney disease will be much higher In the global spotlight Dr. Soumya Swaminathan is
cause mercury to fall into the sun but it isnt yet crease in deaths in urban areas in- cular disease are significantly associ- than those attributed to renal failure The UN General Director-General, Indian Council
Assembly (UNGA) in of Medical Research.
known if a similar fate awaits planet earth. creased from 27 per cent in 2001-03 to ated with increased risk of renal fail- alone.
32 per cent in 2010-13. And for reasons ure deaths, diabetes is the leading risk prasad.ravindranath@thehindu.co.in
CM ND-ND
YK
 | 11
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

WEEKEND
READING
ESSAY SHELF

HELP
Glass ceilings divide us all G

When life as you

Reading Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a U.S. Supreme Court judge, is to learn how to craft strategies and gather energies to fight against
discrimination everywhere and in all contexts
UMA MAHADEVAN DASGUPTA
Last month, when the U.S.
election results made it clear
that at least one particular
glass ceiling was still shatter-
proof, I was in the midst of
reading My Own Words, a col-
lection of the writings and
speeches of U.S. Supreme
Court Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg.
The book helped to process
the sharp sense of disappoint-
ment. Much ground has been
covered in the struggle for wo-
mens equality, in the matter of
a few decades. This has been
possible because of the cour-
age, brilliance and tenacity of
many. It has been a struggle
hard fought around the world.
It is not even half done.
Separate-spheres mindset
In 1957, in a court in Florida,
a woman named Gwendolyn
Hoyt stood trial for murdering
her husband with a baseball
bat. She was, remarks Gins-
burg, what we would today
call a battered woman. Her
philandering husband had ab-
used and humiliated her to the
breaking point. Florida did
not appoint women on juries
in those days, out of paternal-
istic concern for womens
place at the centre of home
and family life. Hoyt was
convicted of second-degree
murder by an all-male jury. In
1961, when Hoyt appealed to
the U.S. Supreme Court with a
plea that a woman on the jury
might have better understood
her state of mind, the U.S. Su-
preme Court rejected her plea.
This, remarks Ginsburg, was a
reflection of the long-held
separate-spheres mindset: a
belief that men were bread-
winners and women were
home-makers because this
was how nature intended
things to be.
Ten years later, in 1971, in
Reed v. Reed, the U.S. Supreme
Court changed direction. A
teenage boy in Idaho, the son
of long-separated parents, had
died in an apparent suicide
while in his fathers house. His
mother and father each ap-
plied to be appointed adminis-
trator of the boys few belong-
ings. Idaho had a male
preference statute for admin-
Ginsburg entered Harvard Law School as one of
the first nine women in a class of 500; at
Columbia, she graduated at the top of the class. And
yet, on graduation, she could not get a job.
TRAILBLAZER: At both Harvard Law School and Columbia Law School, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the
first woman to serve on the Law Reviews. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who appointed
Ginsburg as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, with her in Washington. FILE PHOTO: THE HINDU ARCHIVES
istering a dead persons estate:
Males must be preferred to
females. Sally Reed, the
mother of the boy, was a
former clerical worker who
now worked as a caregiver for
elderly and disabled people.
She wanted her sons few be-
longings for sentimental reas-
ons. Ginsburg writes: She
probably did not think of her-
self as a feminist, but she had
the strong sense that the
states law was unjust, and that
the judiciary could redress her
grievance. Ultimately, her
faith was vindicated. The Su-
preme Court unanimously
held that Idahos male prefer-
ence statute was
unconstitutional.
Ginsburg, then a law pro-
fessor, had written the brief
for Reed v. Reed. It was her
first Supreme Court brief. It
would be followed by several
more. Hundreds of laws were
changed after this landmark
case.
In the course of her lifes
work, Ginsburg has dramatic-
ally transformed the law for
American women. For the
first time in U.S. history, she
writes, it became possible to
urge, successfully, before le-
gislatures and courts, the
equal citizenship stature of
women and men as a funda-
mental constitutional
principle.
This book is also the in-
tensely human story of a little
Jewish girl born in Brooklyn,
New York, in 1933. This was
the year when Hitler became
gender stereotypes. I remem-
ber envying the boys long be-
fore I even knew the word
feminism, because I liked shop
better than cooking or
sewing.
In 1946, when Ruth was 13,
her mother was diagnosed
with cervical cancer. Celia
Amster Bader died in 1950, a
day before her daughters high
school graduation. In 1993, in
her acceptance speech after
nomination to the U.S. Su-
preme Court, Ginsburg paid
homage to her mother: The
bravest and strongest person I
have known, who was taken
from me much too soon. I pray
that I may be all that she would
have been had she lived in an
age when women could aspire
and achieve and daughters are
cherished as much as sons.
Then and now
Ginsburg entered Harvard
Law School as one of the first
nine women in a class of 500;
at Columbia, she graduated at
the top of the class. At both
schools, she was the first wo-
man to serve on the Law Re-
views. And yet, on graduation,
she could not get a job. This
was because of what was then
viewed as a grave impedi-
ment: on graduation, I was the
mother of a four-year-old
child.
Surely this personal experi-
ence of discrimination of
being unwanted in workplaces
despite being eminently quali-
fied contributed to her re-
lentless eforts for equality.
She sees it as an imperative to
free both girls and boys to as-
pire and achieve their dreams,
Chancellor and ordered the whatever they may be. Glass
first concentration camp in ceilings divide us all.
Dachau. Anti-Semitism was Today, schoolchildren visit
present in America too. As a her at the U.S. Supreme Court
little girl driving with her fam- at least weekly. They ask
ily in Pennsylvania, Ruth saw whether she always wanted to
an inn with the sign: No Dogs be a Supreme Court Justice. It
or Jews Allowed.
Her older sister had died of
meningitis aged six. Ruth went
to public school. Her mother
Celia had never gone to col-
lege; instead, she had worked
in a garment factory to fund
her own brothers college edu-
cation. To ensure a better life
for her daughter, Celia regu-
larly took her to the library
and taught her to love reading.
Ruth read widely. She liked
Nancy Drew books: Nancy
was a girl who did things. She
was adventuresome, daring.
At school, Ruth played the
cello, the beginning of a
lifelong love of music. She dis-
liked segregation based on
is a sign of huge progress
made. When I entered law
school, women were less than
3 per cent of the legal profes-
sion in the United States, and
only one woman had ever
served on a federal appellate
court. Now, for the first time,
the majority of students in
U.S. law schools are women.
One of the most moving
pieces in this book is Gins-
burgs tribute to Belva Lock-
wood. Born in 1830, Belva
Lockwood was the first wo-
man to gain admission into the
U.S. Supreme Courts Bar, and
the first woman to argue a
case before the nine Justices.
Widowed with a child at the
age of 22, she enrolled in col-
lege to become a high school
teacher and later school prin-
cipal. She was an ardent suf-
fragist. In 1869, as a 39-year-old
mother of two, she applied for
admission to law school. Her
application was rejected as
her presence would distract
the young men in class. She
persisted until she was al-
lowed to matriculate. When
the law school refused to grant
her a diploma, she wrote to the
university ex-oicio presid-
ent, President Ulysses S.
Grant: I have passed through
the curriculum of study and
demand my diploma. Two
weeks later, she had it.
Belva Lockwood was also
the first woman to run for of-
fice as president of the U.S.
Lockwoods reason, quoted by
Ginsburg, was simple and
powerful: We shall never
have equal rights until we take
them, nor equal respect until
we command it.
There are three reasons to
read this book. First, to honour
the achievements of those
who have fought with civility
and determination to make
the world a more equal place
for our children, for girls and
boys, so that they may achieve
their full potential as creative
and productive human beings.
Second, to learn about
strategies and gather energies
to continue this work in other
places, in whatever small
ways. And third, to realise that
even those who have achieved
so much in this struggle didnt
always win. They did face
losses. What set them apart
was that they picked them-
selves up after every loss and
carried on. There are some
books that show that hope is a
duty like any other, and this is
one of them.
Uma Mahadevan Dasgupta is in the IAS,
currently based in Bengaluru.
know it ends
ANURADHA RAMAN
How many of us while giving an
account of a day that turned on us
without a warning have begun its
telling with the following lines: It
was a perfectly normal day. The sun
was bright and the sky blue and
clear? Whether it was 9/11 or 26/11,
or deeply personal narratives,
normalcy is the default position at
the time of their retelling. Joan
Didions bestseller, The Year of
Magical Thinking, reveals itself in
diferent ways with each rereading.
Life changes fast. Life changes in
the instant. You sit down to dinner
and life as you know it ends.
I bought my copy in 2006, three
years after Didion lost her husband,
and have gone back to it each year.
Her deeply personal exploration of
primary relationships is a universal
experience, allowing the reader to
put herself in a situation similar to
the one Didion finds herself in. This
year, a bookmark
fell out of the
pages where
Didions
husband
suddenly slumps
over. She has
been having a
rough time. Her
daughter is in
the ICU after her
health takes a
turn for the
worse. Didion and her husband are
talking about it. It is a normal
evening under stressful
circumstances. One minute he is
there, the next minute he is gone.
On the scrap of paper which
passes for an improvised bookmark
was a note from my mother,
reminding me of the WorldSpace
password. The WorldSpace radio
bound my mother and me in a bond
refined and enriched by music. This
was the normal till one day
everything changed. WorldSpace
pulled out of India for want of
subscribers one bright winter
afternoon six years ago. My mother
bid me goodbye a few months later.
How do you cope?
Didion tries to cope with a world
which no longer has her husband in
the frame. Her daughter is seriously
ill but miraculously pulls through,
allowing Didion to examine her
marriage, and her relationship with
her lover and her daughter the
personal experience at once
universal. As the book flap says,
The Year... appeals to anyone who
has loved a mother, father, husband,
wife or a child. It will appeal to
anyone who has loved and lost and
is grieving.
Didion is still writing and
enriching our lives. Helping us cope
and live. In an interview, she
described writing as a hostile act
where the writer is trying to make
the reader see something the way
she sees it. I welcome the hostility.
anuradha.r@thehindu.co.in

THE BOOK
TEXTS AND CONTEXT
IN MY HAND
Meena Kandasamy
Voices of rationality
Im reading Valerie Babbs
Decades before the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams resisted a food safety tag for its laddus, Satyajit Rays Ganashatru,
Whiteness Visible: The based on Henrik Ibsens An Enemy of the People, posed questions about blind faith
Meaning of Whiteness in
American Literature and
SUDIPTA DATTA last ten years? To this the doc-
Culture. With Donald Democracy is an tor says no. Dont you believe
Trump's election, admirable thing
whiteness has become a After waiting for hours in the in such rituals? The doctor,
talking point and its queue for a darshan of Lord in principle but on trying to remain calm, replies:
important to be informed Venkateswara, the famous I do not follow certain cus-
about it. As a writer, Im Tirupati laddu, which is made occasions the toms of Hinduism. Science
curious to find out the role of with chickpea flour, ghee, situation in An has shaped my beliefs.... It has
literature and popular culture in sugar, cashew, raisins, cardo- Enemy of the People been proved that the temple
shaping these notions, which is mom and sugar candy, does water is infected... it is a ques-
why I dug this book out to read. taste sweeter. But news this does occur in actual tion of hygiene, not religion.
The book that I last read was week that the Tirumala life - SATYAJIT RAY
The Good Immigrant, a collection Tirupati Devasthanams Raising the religion flag
of essays by black, Asian and (TTD) has turned down a If we hear our democratic
minority ethnic writers in the U.K., Food Safety and Standards Au- discourse today, the voice of
edited by Nikesh Shukla. I loved it. thority of India (FSSAI) de- son (Satyajit Ray: The Inner rationality appears to get lost
I moved to the U.K. recently, so mand to get a food safety li- Eye) before he began shooting in the din of religious fervour/
the many voices in the book spoke cence for its laddu would have Ganashatru. Democracy nationalism/patriotism. Too
to me in a very intense, personal way. Next Id like to read definitely made Satyajit Ray here [India] is very much like many people believe in what
some good old fiction. Im torn between Deborah Levys
smile. that... democracy is an admir- George W. Bush also once
Hot Milk and Paul Beattys The Sellout. Im very
indecisive, and often start several books at once. In Rays film Ganashatru, able thing in principle but on famously said: Youre either
Meena Kandasamy is a poet, fiction writer, translator and adapted from Henrik Ibsens occasions the situation in An with us or against us. But if
activist. 1882 play An Enemy of the Enemy of the People does oc- anyone can be expected to be
People, Ashoke Gupta, a doc- cur in actual life. rational and logical in this, it is
tor, was pitted first against his perhaps the TTD, which intro-
brother Nishith, a business- An uncomfortable truth duced efective crowd-control
man, and then the whole town Having said that, was Ray measures long back and is
Kanishk Tharoor when he announced that the
holy water or charanamrita
comfortable with this anti-
democratic stance in Ibsens
constantly upgrading techno-
logy the kitchen is solar-
I am reading Pereira
Maintains by the Italian that people were drinking in a play? Well, no. In fact, the film powered, the coupon for lad-
writer, Antonio Tabucchi. popular temple was contamin- A MATTER OF HYGIENE: The holy water that comes under scrutiny in Satyajit Rays film Ganashatru. ends with a small group of dus has a security code with
Last I read The Ocean of ated, causing severe illness. PHOTO: YOUTUBE SCREENSHOT young people taking up the biometric details, packaging
Churn: How the Indian The film was hugely anticip- protest against the temple has improved to ensure laddus
Ocean Shaped Human ated because it was the first went a step further in his ad- out every day and reports that gress of the town. When he from where the good doctor stay fresh longer. Getting an
History by Sanjeev Sanyal. Ray film after his heart attack aptation by introducing the the kitchen has been modern- finds the water contaminated had left of. The doctor had FSSAI licence of safety seems
While it is a lively and in 1983 forced him to take a theme of religion, and thus im- ised with conveyor belts to de- and refuses to say otherwise, just been out-shouted by his like an obvious thing to do till
engaging history, which is break. Critics panned it, say- mediately placing it in the liver the laddus from the kit- he is declared an enemy of the brother at a public meeting he the religion flag the laddus
in itself an achievement, I ing they missed the subtlety of realities of India where the chen to the counter and so people. The play ends with the had called to share with the are holy and hence cannot
had a few qualms with his earlier films, but the ques- conflict between science and forth, what harm would a pub- lead character Dr. Stockmann people his fear of an epidemic. be defined as food is
some of its nationalist and tions it raised havent lost faith still rages. The Tirupati lic health scrutiny possibly do? proclaiming that the His faith is questioned again raised and we run the risk of
politically motivated claims. I'm their relevance. management, for example, The Tirupati laddu got a Geo- strongest man in the world is and again just because he has drowning a sane voice. The
looking forward to reading said its kitchen is an auspi- graphical Indication tag in he who stands most alone. raised an uncomfortable truth. Tirupati temple trust feeds
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. A raging conflict cious place where outsiders 2009, and is thus protected Theres a grain of truth in Do you call yourself a more than a lakh of devotees
Kanishk Tharoor is the author of
Swimmer Among the Stars: Does the situation in the Ib- cannot be admitted, and hence from misuse of name or re- that actually, in Ibsens belief Hindu, his brother asks him. each day, why not use science
Stories sen play occur in reality? If a getting a food safety licence cipe. that the minority is always Even when the doctor says to tick the all-important check
play written in 1882 is still per- was out of the question and In Ibsens play, a doctor is right... its the fools who form yes, its not enough. The box of hygiene?
formed regularly, it perhaps unnecessary. With more than asked to inspect the public the overwhelming majority, brother attacks him: Have Sudipta Datta is a Kolkata-based
answers that question. Ray 3 lakh laddus being churned baths, which is key to the pro- Ray had told Andrew Robin- you visited our temple in the journalist.

CM ND-ND
YK
12 |
FROM PAGE ONE
Chennai faces a
searing summer
Huge tree uprooted due to Cyclone Vardah on a road in
Chennai. FILE PHOTO
An oicial explained: The
Park is spread over 270
acres and most of its trees
are very old. The trees
planted within the past 20
years remain firm. The
damage is scattered and not
in a cluster. Further, the
park is also a natural home
for black buck, which re-
quire open spaces and
grasslands to thrive. This
has been afected.
P. Esaac, a worker at the
childrens park in Guindy
said, Even the cyclone that
struck in 1994 did not cause
much damage. It hurts to
see so many trees
uprooted.
The parks birds, reptiles
and mammals managed to
escape unhurt. But not the
trees. A Forest Ranger said
most of the trees that fell at
the nearby Snake Park were
alien varieties and that the
native ones that got up-
rooted were several dec-
ades old. The bees had
made their hives and birds
their nests, only on the nat-
ive varieties of trees, he
said.
Scientific restoration
After inspecting the park
twice after the cyclone,
Principal Chief Conser-
vator of Forests N. Krish-
nakumar has ordered a sur-
vey of the trees existing,
uprooted, broken, half-
broken and so on.
During the inspection,
senior oicials have seen
gaps due to uprooting of
age-old trees, exotic variet-
ies and those with shallow
roots. The park manage-
ment will undertake a new
tree planting exercise to fill
the gaps, oicials said.
The loss of nearly one
lakh trees is expected to im-
pede the citys progress in
attaining 33 per cent tree
cover. It is a long way to go.
The Greater Chennai Cor-
poration Council in 2014
had passed a resolution to
increase the tree cover
from 6.5 per cent to 33 per
cent, initiating various
measures to rope in private
agencies and residents. The
State government plans a
brainstorming session on
improving tree cover and
civic issues associated with
it in the Chennai Metropol-
itan Area.
More noise, pollution
N. Mathavan, former
Chennai Corporation oi-
Forget ID cards, use
Aadhaar number to fly
Mr. Kishore said the move
will enable the airport to
get a larger bandwidth from
UIDAI so that the kiosk
processing is made faster at
all the entry points and to
avoid any delays to
passengers.
Its simple and success-
ful. You just need to put in
your Aadhaar number and
the security personnel will
be able to verify your de-
tails on the kiosk. We want
to give seamless experi-
ence to the passengers, he
said.
Mr. Kishore said the air-
port also plans to take other
initiatives to go paperless
by using biometric
identification.
We want to do the POC
for doing away with phys-
ical boarding passes and
link everything to the
Aadhaar number, he said.
Rajiv Jain, CEO of Mum-
bai International Airport
Limited (MIAL) said Mum-
bai airport is ready to go for
Aadhaar-based identity
verification soon. There is
a government proposal to
integrate Aadhaar with bio-
metrics at airport entry
points. We may do it next
CM
YK
cial who developed the dis-
aster resilience index of the
city, said the risk of climate-
related disasters will in-
crease in Chennai. Pollut-
ant levels, noise pollution
and ambient temperature
will increase. This summer
will be harsh, he predicts.
Planting trees should be
the priority of the govern-
ment, said Mr. Mathavan.
According to scientists
associated with eco-restor-
ation projects in the city,
the temperature is expec-
ted to increase by one de-
gree Celsius in neighbour-
hoods without adequate
number of trees.
The impact of reduced
green is likely to impact cit-
izens health. Apollo Hos-
pitals senior pulmonologist
R.P. Ilango said cases of in-
fectious diseases is likely to
increase owing to sewage
drains being blocked by up-
rooted trees.
Dust pollution caused
by tree cutting will lead to
increasing cases of bron-
chitis, he warned.
Bird habitat loss
Urban planners of Chen-
nai Metropolitan Develop-
ment Authority (CMDA)
stressed the need for im-
posing the Tree conserva-
tion rules in the Develop-
ment Regulations for the
Chennai Metropolitan
Area.
CMDA can issue direc-
tions to maintain any exist-
ing tree before giving ap-
proval for the construction
of a building. During site in-
spections, most of the huge
trees are removed by the
owners. So we are unable to
impose the Tree Conserva-
tion Rule before issuance of
planning permit. The need
for maintaining 12 per cent
of greenery in a private
housing development pro-
jects for environmental
clearance gives hope for in-
creasing the tree cover,
said a senior CMDA oi-
cial. The Corporation
should have a scientific ap-
proach towards the main-
tenance of trees. For ex-
ample, most of the trees
along TTK Road and C.P.
Ramasamy Road were not
uprooted. This is because
of regular pruning of trees
and scientific management
of pavement near the trees.
This should be extended to
all areas, added Mr.
Mathavan.
year, he said.
The Kempegowda Inter-
national Airport at
Bengaluru is also preparing
to introduce biometric
screening at entry through
a pilot project next week, a
senior Bangalore Interna-
tional Airport Limited ex-
ecutive said.
The biometric-based
entry in check-in proced-
ure will substantially re-
duce the boarding time for
passengers at airports and
can be followed elsewhere
too, Civil Aviation Minis-
ter Ashok Gajapathi Raju
said during the event.
The 2016 IT Trends
Benchmark study, released
on Friday by SITA, global
air transport IT provider
which organised the con-
ference, revealed that
around 80 per cent of the
airports are expecting IT
budgets to increase in 2017 .
It also said that around 83
per cent of airports plan
major passenger self-ser-
vice initiatives in the next
three years.
(The correspondent was
invited by SITA to attend
its India ICT Aviation
Forum 2016 in Goa)
Bengaluru man
with IS links
held in Himachal
SHIMLA: A 23-year-old man
from Bengaluru with alleged
Islamic State links was on
Saturday arrested by a team
of the National Investigation
Agency and the local police
from the Banjar area in Kullu
district of Himachal Pra-
desh. Abeed Khan was arres-
ted from a church where he
had been staying with a fake
identity for four or five
months, the police said.
Confirming the arrest,
Director-General of Police
Sanjay Kumar said that Khan
was being interrogated by in-
telligence agencies.
Sources said the man was
named by some of his ac-
complices during interroga-
tion after they were arrested
in Delhi.
They said that Khan had
admitted that he was influ-
enced by the ideology of the
IS terror group.
The NIA and the police re-
fused to divulge details in
this connection, saying that
investigations were under
way. PTI
Rahul meets ailing Karunanidhi Call for CBI probe
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI: Congress vice-presid-
ent Rahul Gandhi on Saturday
met ailing DMK president M.
Karunanidhi at Kauvery Hos-
pital here and enquired about
his health.
Mr.Karunanidhis son and
DMK treaurer M.K.Stalin,
daughter and Rajya Sabha
Member Kanimozhi and
senior party leader Duraimur-
ugan were present.
Emerging from the hos-
pital, Mr. Gandhi told report-
ers that he had met Mr. Kar-
unanidhi and wished him a
speedy recovery. I am happy
to see he is doing well. The
doctors told me that he will be
able to go home pretty soon.
He is the leader of the Tamil
people, of Tamil Nadu, so I
wanted to meet him, Mr.
Gandhi said.
Mr. Gandhi said he also con-
veyed wishes from his mother
and Congress president Sonia
Gandhi to Mr. Karunanidhi.
Former Union Minister P.
Chidambaram, TNCC presid-
ent Su. Thirunavukarasar,
former president E.V.K.S.
Elangovan accompanied Mr.
Gandhi during his visit.
Soon after that, senior lead-
ers of AIADMK Deputy
Tajikistan, India step up security ties Vacancies to be
KALLOL BHATTACHERJEE
NEW DELHI: Tajikistan and India
signed an agreement on Sat-
urday against terror finan-
cing and money laundering.
Addressing presspersons,
Tajikistan President Em-
omali Rahmon, who is on a
five-day visit to India, said
his government would con-
tinue to work to stabilise
Afghanistan.
In his address to the me-
dia, Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi said both countries
would deepen their engage-
ment to deal with the threat
of terrorism in the neigh-
bourhood. India and
Tajikistan live in an extended
neighbourhood that contin-
ues to face multiple security
threats and challenges. Com-
bating terrorism is an im-
portant area of our cooperat-
ive engagements, he said
highlighting that peace in
Afghanistan was necessary
India, Pak. nurse myths on Indus treaty, says Professor
PEERZADA ASHIQ
SRINAGAR: As India and
Pakistan continue to ex-
change barbs over the 56-
year-old Indus Water Treaty
(IWT), Shakil Ahmad Rom-
shoo, an ecological engineer-
ing and climatology expert,
says both countries nurse
many myths around the
Treaty.
While Pakistan keeps
complaining about a delib-
erate slowdown of dis-
charge from the Jhelum, In-
dus and Chenab rivers in
Jammu & Kashmir, Professor
Romshoo, Head of the Earth
Sciences Department at
Kashmir University, attrib-
utes it to climate change and
a fast-changing discharge
pattern. India is not stealing
waters as Pakistan tends to
believe. Pakistan is right
about water discharge com-
NEWS
J&K has no sovereignty: SC
Setting aside HC verdict, court says residents of the State are citizens of India
PEERZADA ASHIQ
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir
has no vestige of sover-
eignty outside the Indian
Constitution, and citizens of
the State are first and fore-
most citizens of India, the
Supreme Court has held.
The court made this obser-
vation while describing as
wholly incorrect the con-
clusion arrived at by the
Jammu and Kashmir High
Court that the State has ab-
solute sovereign power to
legislate laws touching the
rights of its permanent resid-
ents regarding their immov-
able properties.
The State of Jammu &
Kashmir has no vestige of
sovereignty outside the Con-
stitution of India and its own
Constitution, which is subor-
dinate to the Constitution of
India, a Bench of Justices
Kurian Joseph and R.F. Nar-
iman said.
It is, therefore, wholly in-
correct to describe it as being
GOODWILL GESTURE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visiting the
Kauvery Hospital in Chennai on Saturday to enquire about Mr.
Karunanidhis health PHOTO: P. VEDHAN
Speaker of Lok Sabha M.
Thambidurai and State Fish-
eries Minister D. Jayakumar
made a surprise visit to the
hospital to wish Mr. Karunan-
idhi a speedy recovery.
Mr. Thambidurai said, On
behalf of the AIADMK that is
on the path that Puratchi
Thalaivi Amma had set, and
Chinnamma who is going to
lead us, we came to the hos-
pital to enquire the health
status of Mr. Karunanidhi.
filled in B&S cadre
Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon being welcomed by
President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra
Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Saturday. PHOTO: R.V. MOORTHY
for the region. We will in-
tensify our defence and
counter-terror cooperation
with India and will work to
stabilise Afghanistan in our
neighbourhood, Mr. Rah-
mon said. We support In-
dias candidature for Shang-
hai Cooperation
Organisation and Indias bid
ing down but the reason lies
somewhere else it is the
melting of glaciers and
global warming, Mr. Rom-
shoo told The Hindu.
Post-1995 fall in discharge
He said that from the 1960s
to 1995, water discharge had
steadily increased by around
30 per cent, leading up to the
highest estimate of 159 mil-
lion acre feet (one acre foot is
enough water to cover an
acre of land one foot deep) in
the three rivers. After 1995,
water discharge started com-
ing down to 117 million acre
feet. This worried Pakistan,
but the fact remains that it
continues to get suicient
water as per the treaty, Mr.
Romshoo said.
Against the conviction in
Pakistan of a significant de-
crease in supply, Mr. Rom-
shoo said India could still re-
sovereign in the sense of its
residents constituting a sep-
arate and distinct class in
themselves.
The Supreme Court said
this while holding that provi-
sions of the Securitisation
and Reconstruction of Finan-
cial Assets and Enforcement
of Security Interest (SAR-
FAESI) Act, 2002, are within
the legislative competence of
Parliament and can be en-
forced in J&K. The State
Bank of India had appealed
against the High Court ver-
dict which held that the SAR-
FAESI Act would collide with
the Transfer of Property Act
of Jammu & Kashmir, 1920.
HC verdict set aside
The Bench set aside the
verdict of the High Court that
held that any law made by
Parliament which afects the
laws made by a State legis-
lature cannot be extended to
Jammu & Kashmir.
The High Court judgment
begins from the wrong end
Former DMK Ministers,
MLAs, other functionaries,
DMK leaders wife and his
daughter Kanimozhi were
present. We enquired about
his health and were told that
he is well, which is happy
news.
Karunanidhi stable
Doctors said Mr. Karunan-
idhi was stable, and that they
were hopeful of discharging
him on Monday or Tuesday.
for permanent membership
of the United Nations Secur-
ity Council.
At the end of the bilateral
talks held in Hyderabad
House here, the Financial In-
telligence Unit of India and
the Central Asian country
signed an agreement to pre-
vent financing of terrorism
Kashmiri boatmen on the Jhelum river on a foggy day at
Sangam, south of Srinagar. FILE PHOTO
tain 10 million acre feet,
which could irrigate large
tracts of around seven lakh
hectares in the State. The
fact is that water remains un-
der-utilised in J&K. The
State has no resources to
fund major hydroprojects,
he added.
Of late, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has evolved a
fresh narrative around the
Treaty, describing it as dis-
criminatory and spoke of
SC judgment came on
an SBI appeal against
the order that
SARFAESI Act would
collide with State law
and therefore, reaches the
wrong conclusion. It states
that in terms of Section 5 of
the Constitution of Jammu &
Kashmir, the State has abso-
lute sovereign power to legis-
late in respect of laws touch-
ing the rights of its
permanent residents qua
their immovable properties,
the Supreme Court said. We
may also add that permanent
residents of Jammu & Kash-
mir are citizens of India, and
there is no dual citizenship as
is contemplated by some
other federal Constitutions
in other parts of the world.
Concern in J&K
The National Conference,
which stands for complete
restoration of Article 370,
into AJL land case
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The Haryana gov-
ernment has called for a
Central Bureau of Investiga-
tion (CBI) probe into a case
of alleged irregularities in the
allotment of a Panchkula plot
to the Congress-linked Asso-
ciated Journals Ltd. in 2005.
The agency is yet to receive
the reference through the
Department of Personnel
and Training.
The plot in question was
reallotted to the company in
2005, when Bhupinder Singh
Hooda was Haryana Chief
Minister, allegedly overrul-
ing reservations expressed
by the departments. Earlier
this year, the Haryana Police
registered a case of alleged ir-
regularities, which is said to
have caused a loss of over Rs.
60 lakh to the exchequer.
Based on the FIR, the En-
forcement Directorate (ED)
initiated a investigation into
money laundering in July.
According to the police,
the company was first allot-
ted the plot in 1982 for run-
ning its Hindi newspaper
and money laundering. Both
sides also signed agreements
on bilateral investment and
avoidance of double taxa-
tion.
Tajikistan invited India to
invest in four free economic
zones that have come up in
the country and thanked it
for the modernisation of the
Varzob-1 Hydropower Sta-
tion.
Mr. Rahmon, who also
sought investment in the up-
coming small and medium
hydroelectricity projects,
appreciated the signing of
the trilateral Chahbahar port
agreement between India,
Iran and Afghanistan as the
project will provide con-
nectivity to Tajikistan.
The two sides indicated
that relationship was expec-
ted to deepen in 2017, which
would mark the 25th an-
niversary of the establish-
ment of diplomatic ties
between the two nations.
planning to retain waters of
six rivers, including three in
Punjab, within India only.
Its impossible treaty is in place. This kind of
One has to be a country
like North Korea to think of
stopping water flow into
Pakistan. Its impossible. For
example, the Kashmir Valley
is a flat land and stopping the
Jhelum means flooding the
land. Even connecting the
J&Ks three rivers is almost
THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016
fears violation of State Sub-
ject laws.
It remains a fact that in
certain aspects of Centre-
State laws, State laws run su-
preme. Earlier, the Centres
rights were limited to de-
fence, foreign afairs, com-
munication and currency.
J&K is a case of sub-sover-
eignty, said NC spokesman
Junaid Azim Mattu.
Calling for a more nuanced
understanding of Article 370,
Mr. Mattu said, The State
Bank of India (SBI) per se is
not a State subject. However,
it has come into being [in
J&K] because of the State le-
gislature. It cant have mort-
gage rights and violates State
Subject laws.
The J&K government was
of the opinion that the SAR-
FAESI Act encroached upon
the property rights of per-
manent residents of the
State and would need con-
currence of the J&K govern-
ment under Article 370.
(With PTI inputs)
It is alleged that AJL
was given a number
of extensions on
Bhupinder Singh
Hoodas instructions
Navjeevan. However, as it
could not complete the con-
struction in time, the allot-
ment was cancelled in 1992.
The company made several
appeals against the cancella-
tion, but they were turned
down.
During the tenure of Mr.
Hooda, the company again
moved a petition. The gov-
ernment approved reallot-
ment allegedly at the 1982
rate.
The departments con-
cerned had, however, recom-
mended that a fresh advert-
isement be published for its
reallocation as the first allot-
ment had been cancelled. Ac-
cording to the ED, it is alleged
that on Mr. Hoodas instruc-
tions, the AJL was given ex-
tensions and it finally fin-
ished the construction in
2013.
DINAKAR PERI
NEW DELHI: After repeated de-
mands from the Military En-
gineer Services (MES) about
loss of revenue in canton-
ments because of a shortage
of staf in the Barracks &
Stores cadre (B&S), the De-
fence Ministry has initiated
measures to fill some vacan-
cies on a priority basis and
outsource certain functions.
The government has
sanctioned a one-time filling
of 1,573 posts in the cadre. Be-
sides this, the cadre review of
B&S is under consideration,
Minister of State for Defence
Subhash Bhamre said in a
written reply in the Lok
Sabha on November 25.
Oicials said the sanc-
tioned posts include 450 of
supervisor, 478 of store-
keeper Grade-I, 481 of store-
Kashmir University
Professor says
climate change has
been changing
discharge pattern
next to impossible and may
incur incalculable costs, Mr.
Romshoo said.
Describing the IWT as the
best treaty for the two
countries, Mr. Romshoo
warned against scrapping it.
Its diicult to scrap the
treaty unless an alternative
treaty is not unique to India
and Pakistan. Europe has the
Helsinki Rules on the Uses of
the Waters of International
Rivers, where riparian rights
are shared between States.
Two, scrapping the treaty
means fuelling anger in 95
per cent of the population of
NOIDA/DELHI
RAW, IB get
new chiefs
NEW DELHI: The Union
government on
Saturday appointed
Anil Dhasmana chief of
the Research and
Analysis Wing and
Rajiv Jain Director of
Intelligence Bureau.
Mr. Dhasmana, a
1981-batch IPS oicer of
the Madhya Pradesh
cadre, will replace
Rajinder Khanna. Mr.
Jain, a 1980-batch IPS
oicer from the
Jharkhand cadre, will
succeed Dineshwar
Sharma.
Mr. Dhasmanas
domain of expertise is
considered to be
Balochistan, counter-
terrorism and Islamic
afairs.
He has experience in
handling Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Europe
and SAARC desks.
He had also served in
key foreign capitals
such as London and
Frankfurt. ANI
Cong. rushes to
Vadras defence
in land scam
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: As the issue of con-
troversial land deals made by
Robert Vadra surfaced again
on Saturday with the sum-
moning of a company linked
to the son-in-law of Con-
gress chief Sonia Gandhi by
the Enforcement Director-
ate, the party jumped to his
defence on Saturday.
BJP vendetta
Congress communication
chief Randeep Surjewala
said, Skylight hospitality of-
ficials had visited ED several
times and given it whatever
documents are required but
they have not been able to
find anything either against
Mr. Vadra or his company or
his associates. As part of a
further vendetta and witch-
hunt, the BJP government
has referred the matter to the
ED, even though the agency
has not been able to find any-
thing, he said.
Mr Surjewala was re-
sponding to the Rajasthan
High Court order on Friday
evening.
keeper Grade-II and 164 of
meter reader. The recruit-
ment process has begun.
B&S constitute the civilian
staf under the MES and are
instrumental in recovering
dues for utilities such as rent,
electricity, water and other
allied charges from over four
lakh residential and com-
mercial occupants inside
cantonments across the
country.
According to reports in
the past, the strength of the
cadre was 904 against a sanc-
tioned 3,085, which was caus-
ing a revenue loss of Rs.
3,000 crore a year over the
past decade. The issue has
been repeatedly conveyed to
the government. by the En-
gineer-in-Chief (E-in-C), the
head of the MES, as well as
the All India Barrack &
Stores Cadre association.
Pakistan, whose water needs
are fulfilled by these rivers,
he added.
Common concerns
In J&K, both the ruling
Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) and the opposition
National Conference (NC)
have called for a re-negoti-
ation of the treaty to make it
more pro-J&K, and have
sought compensation from
the Centre for the losses in-
curred due to the treaty.
But Mr. Romshoo said the
futuristic approach for both
the countries would be to
have joint hydropower pro-
jects on a river such as the In-
dus. There is a need to re-
build cooperation and
synergise common concerns
within the scope of the
treaty, and outside it through
mutual agreement, he ad-
ded.
ND-ND

NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016
Opposition stalled debate on party funds: Shah
Says they have no desire to free politics of black money, but he will still appeal to them to participate in a discussion
OMAR RASHID
LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi wanted a discus-
sion in Parliament on the
funding of political parties
but the Opposition created a
furore in the House to pre-
vent him from doing so, BJP
president Amit Shah said on
Saturday.
Blaming the Opposition
parties for stalling the pro-
ceedings of the winter ses-
sion of Parliament, Mr. Shah
said they have no desire that
politics be freed of black
money.
Furore in House
On the opening day of the
winter session, Modiji, at an
all-party meeting, said there
must be a discussion and
change in the funding of
Why I-T exemption
for parties: Mamata
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee
on Saturday questioned the
income tax exemption on de-
posits by political parties in
demonetised 500 and 1,000-
rupee notes, alleging ulterior
motives.
Even the timing of these
statements show that there
may be an ulterior motive. Is
there a motive? Are they try-
ing to give a hidden message
to cadre of one political
party, Ms Banerjee said in a
series of tweets.
The Trinamool Congress
(TMC) chairperson, one of
the most vocal critics of the
demonetisation drive, ques-
tioned the division between
common people and polit-
ical parties.
They need to clarify that
#DeMonetisation means it is
#DeMonetisation for all.
Same rules for everyone. If
500/1000 are illegal tender,
then how are they trying to
show that there is a division
btwn [between] common
Demonetisation
is Modi-made
disaster: Rahul
STAFF REPORTER
BELAGAVI: Continuing his
tirade against Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi, Con-
gress vice-president Rahul
Gandhi described demonet-
isation as Modi-made dis-
aster and demanded to
know what had happened to
the poll promise of bringing
back black money stashed in
foreign banks.
In his 32-minute address to
a gathering of Congress
workers here on Saturday, he
said while people were impa-
tiently waiting for Mr. Modi
to deposit Rs. 15 lakh of the
retrieved black money in
each bank account, the
Centre had waived Rs.
1,10,000 crore of bad debts of
the rich, forming 1 per cent of
Indias population.
Demonetisation had only
boosted unemployment, the
Congress leader said.
In Lucknow weddings, pipers dont call the tune
The season is considered most lucrative for band troupes, but not this time because of the note ban
OMAR RASHID
LUCKNOW: Family members
and guests dancing away to
blaring modern DJ sets or
traditional bands with
drums, clarinets and
trumpets; well-adorned
mares, grand Victorian-
style chariots or palanquins
bringing in the groom;
disco lights and sound
trolleys electrifying the
atmosphere in the night
band processions are an
essential part of marriages
and signify the baarat
(arrival of the groom). And
winter the preferred
season for marriages is
considered most lucrative
for the band companies.
But this season is
diferent. The timing of the
demonetisation
announcement could not
have come at a worse time
for around 200 bands in
Lucknow. Its not been a
CM
YK
ON THE OFFENSIVE: BJP president Amit Shah addressing a rally
in Etah, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday. PHOTO: PTI
political parties. From pan-
chayat to Parliament elec-
tions, they must all be held
on a single day. But the whole
Mamata Banerjee
people & political parties?,
she said. Her remarks came a
day after Revenue Secretary
Hasmukh Adhia said that
political parties depositing
old 500 and 1,000-rupee
notes in their accounts will
be exempted from income
tax provided the donations
taken are below Rs. 20,000.
Meanwhile, senior TMC
leader and States Urban De-
velopment Minister Firhad
has called BJP president
Amit Shahs diatribe against
the party chairperson ex-
tremely indecent.
Two RBI oicials held, raids continue
DEVESH K. PANDEY
NEW DELHI: The crackdown on
the illegal exchange of de-
monetised notes intensified
on Saturday with the Central
Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) arresting two more of-
ficials of the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI). The Enforce-
ment Directorate (ED) also
conducted searches against
four Mumbai-based bullion
traders and exporters for the
alleged illegal exchange of
Rs. 69 crore in trashed notes
using bank accounts of shell
companies.
Senior Special Assistant
Sadananda Naika and Spe-
cial Assistant A.K. Kavin of
the RBIs Bengaluru oice
were arrested for the alleged
illegal exchange of Rs. 1.99
crore. They join their col-
league, Senior Special As-
sistant K. Michael, who was
arrested a few days ago for
the alleged conversion of Rs.
6 lakh through the Kollegal
branch of State Bank of
SILENT SEASON: This peak wedding season has not been busy
for band troupes. PHOTO: AFP
good season. There has
been a fall of 30 per cent in
business, says Suresh
Kumar in Qaiserbagh, who
runs the Ram Chandra
Band Company. Mr. Kumar,
who has had four
cancellations, says many
more orders have been
delayed as families have
postponed marriages after
Opposition created a furore
and did not allow the pro-
ceedings, Mr. Shah said.
Addressing a parivartan
Weekend rush
LONG HOURS: Work does not end so soon for people these days. After office hours, they need to hunt for ATMs with cash.
A scene at Sangareddy in Telangana on Saturday. PHOTO: MOHAMMAD ARIF
They allegedly did not
follow the rules while
giving away new
notes in exchange
for the old ones
Mysore, and is also suspec-
ted to have facilitated the ex-
change of Rs. 1.5 crore in de-
monetised currency.
The CBI alleges that the
duo, along with some other
unknown RBI oicials who
were deployed for the ex-
change of old notes, gave
away new notes without fol-
lowing the rules. Of the total
amount, Rs. 60.3 lakh was
purportedly exchanged over
just one counter.
The CBI registered an-
other case against an Assist-
ant Commercial Manager
(Railway) posted at Chhat-
rapati Shivaji Terminus in
Mumbai for the alleged ex-
change of Rs. 8.22 lakh in de-
monetised notes.
Acting on intelligence in-
the demonetisation
announcement.
Mr Kumar and other
band owners of the band immediate payment in
shops or companies,
employ daily wage earners.
Some outsource the orders
but most of these bands
already have their own set
of expert instrumentalists,
with some owners acting as
NEWS
Centre knew that
common people will
face difficulty but it
was for the countrys
good in the long run
rally in Uttar Pradeshs
Shahjahanpur, Mr. Shah said
he would still appeal to all
Opposition party leaders to
come forward and particip-
ate in a discussion initiated
by the Prime Minister to
clean up politics.
An excuse
The BJP chief also lashed
out at the Opposition parties
for using the long queues
outside banks as an excuse
to attack Mr. Modi. He said
the Centre had predicted
that common people would
puts, the Enforcement Dir-
ectorate searched Mumbais
Zaveri Bazaar premises of
four bullion traders and ex-
porters. While we have so
far tracked a deposit of Rs. 69
crore in the bank accounts of
various shell companies, the
amount may go beyond Rs.
100 crore. Funds were trans-
ferred from the accounts to
the bullion traders ostens-
ibly for gold purchases. One
account with a balance of Rs.
1.2 crore has been frozen,
said a senior ED oicial.
Similar operation
The oicial said the modus
operandi was similar to the
one used to exchange old
notes through 30 shell com-
pany accounts with a Noida
branch of Axis Bank from
where the money was trans-
ferred to bullion traders. The
directorate has registered a
money laundering case to
probe the Noida accounts,
after a person whose iden-
tification papers were used
lead musicians. Typically a
band consists of 15 to 20
persons, including
musicians and light
bearers. The size of the
band depends on the
number of people in the
baraat.
Though the situation
improved after the initial
weeks, Mr. Kumar says the
damage has been done
since the first phase of the
peak season ends in a few
days.
Customers come
ofering to pay in old notes
or through cheques. That
poses problems for us. We
have to pay daily wage
labourers, who need
carrying on the trade.
cash. I had to deploy an
employee to stand outside
the bank just to encash the
amount, said Mr. Kumar.
The second phase of the
peak marriage season starts
mid-January, but Mr.
have to face diiculty but it
was for the countrys good in
the long run. Modiji said
there will be discomfort for
50 days but the country will
improve for 50 years, Mr.
Shah said.
He specifically targeted
the Samajwadi Party, Bahu-
jan Samaj Party chief May-
awati, Congress vice-presid-
ent Rahul Gandhi, Delhi
Chief Minister Arvind Kejri-
wal and his West Bengal
counterpart Mamata Baner-
jee for their opposition to the
move. I cannot understand
what losses they sufered
due to demonetisation? Till
November 7, they would ask,
Modi ji, what did you do for
black money? After Novem-
ber 8, they ask, Modi ji why
did you do this? Things have
changed from what to
to open an account lodged
a complaint with the local
police. These accounts are
also being scrutinised by the
Income Tax Department.
On Saturday, the ED also
seized about Rs. 30 lakh and
2.5 kg of gold from a tailor in
Chandigarh. Earlier this
week, the agency had seized
close to Rs. 2.2 crore in cash
from a cloth merchant there.
In another operation
against a Ludhiana-based
jewellery house, the IT De-
partment seized Rs. 9 lakh.
The jeweller allegedly dis-
closed unaccounted income
worth Rs. 15.40 crore.
In yet another case, the
Haryana Police seized more
than Rs. 10 lakh cash in new
notes from a money ex-
changer, while five persons
were arrested with an unex-
plained Rs. 37 lakh in Rs.
2,000 denominations at
Erode in Tamil Nadu.
(With Gautam S. Mengle
in Mumbai and Mohit M.
Rao in Bengaluru)
Kumar is not too optimistic
things will improve. We
cannot say what will be
rolled out next, says he.
Dalits lead trade
Mr. Kumar belongs to the
Dhanuk community, one of
the many Dalit castes in
Uttar Pradesh. Though
over the years members of
other groups, including
Muslims, have ventured
into the band business,
Dalits have traditionally
been its mainstay.
Most of the popular
brass band companies in
Lucknow are run by Dalits,
especially Dhanuks, with
successive generations
Orders are usually made
many months in advance,
with few cancellations on
either side.
But there have been few
fresh orders since
November 8.
why, Mr. Shah said.
Mr. Shah asked Uttar Pra-
desh Chief Minister
Akhilesh Yadav to give an ac-
count of the development
work done by his full major-
ity government instead of
harping on notebandi.
Dont try to distract the
people with demonetisa-
tion, Mr. Shah told Mr.
Yadav.
He also appealed to the
people of Uttar Pradesh to
give his party a two-thirds
majority in the upcoming
Assembly polls so that the
Centre-State coordination
on the development front
was smooth. The Akhilesh
Yadav-led State government
was not allowing the
Centres welfare schemes to
be implemented, Mr. Shah
alleged.
Cash crunch
leads to scule
in Bulandshahr
STAFF REPORTER
MEERUT: Cash crunch and pub-
lic anger led to complete
chaos and a clash with the
police in Bulandshahr, 70 km
from here, on Saturday.
The absence of cash in a
local branch of Punjab Na-
tional Bank in Bulandshahr
led to a few women waiting
outside the bank clashing
and assaulting head con-
stable Jasveer Singh.
According to the video
shot by other villagers, who
were waiting outside the
cash-strapped bank, the wo-
men accused the policeman
of misbehaving with the
crowd and started hitting
him. Later, the banks staf
and policemen were seen
placating the angry crowd.
UPPING THE ANTE: RJD chief Lalu Prasad addressing the partys
MLAs, MPs and office bearers, at a meeting on the
demonetisation issue, in Patna Saturday. PHOTO: RANJEET KUMAR
Demonetisation
a fraud, says Lalu
AMARNATH TEWARY
PATNA: Sharply criticising
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on his demonetisation
drive, Rashtriya Janata Dal
(RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on
Saturday said the exercise
would meet the same fate as
the Congresss forced steril-
isation campaign in the
mid-1970s.
He also announced a
massive protest against de-
monetisation with like-
minded regional and na-
tional parties in Patna in the
New Year. Notebandi ka
wahi haal hoga jo Congress
ka nasbandi ka hua tha
Emergency ke samay [de-
monetisation will meet the
same fate as forced sterilisa-
tion by Congress party dur-
ing the Emergency], Mr.
Prasad said while addressing
party MPs, MLAs and work-
ers at 10 Circular Road, the
oicial residence of his wife,
Rabri Devi. The meeting
was held to discuss
strategies to protest demon-
etisation.
It is not notebandi but
farzibandi [fraud] that has
afected common people in
the countrythe Prime Min-
ister has cheated people,
Mr. Prasad said.
Rural awareness
The RJD chief further said
his party would launch an
awareness programme in
villages on the impact of de-
monetisation and explain
that it had nothing to do
with the poor or the eco-
nomy of the country.
On December 28, our
party will organise a dharna
at the district headquarters
on the issue of demonetisa-
tion all across the state, he
said while adding that once
the deadline of December 30
given by the Prime Minister
| 13
RJD leader likens
demonetisation to the
Congresss Emergency
campaign of
forced sterilisation
is past, the party will discuss
the situation with like-
minded regional parties, in-
cluding the alliance partner
Janata Dal (United) and na-
tional parties to hold a mam-
moth rally in Patna.
Recalling Mr. Modis poll
promise of retrieving black
money from banks overseas
and depositing Rs. 15 lakh in
every citizens bank account,
Mr. Prasad said: Well not
sit idle as this Prime Minis-
ter changes his words very
often.
Unlike the JD(U), the RJD
chief has been opposing de-
monetisation since begin-
ning. When asked, he also
said that it is unfortunate
West Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee, Delhi CM
Arvind Kejriwal and Bihar
CM Nitish Kumar are not to-
gether on the issue of
demonetisation.
Deputy Chief Minister Te-
jaswi Yadav, younger son of
Mr. Prasad, said: The coun-
try has not been benefited
through demonetisation in
any way.
Senior RJD leaders
Raghuvansh Prasad Singh
and Jagdanand Singh too at-
tacked the Union govern-
ment on the issue, and ap-
pealed to party workers to
expose the BJP and its ne-
farious design.
Earlier, Mr. Raghuvansh
Prasad Singh had said the Bi-
har Chief Minister Nitish
Kumars support to demon-
etisation had sent a wrong
signal on the unity of the
grand alliance government
in the State.
ND-ND
14 |
New deal reached to
complete Aleppo evacuation
ALEPPO/BEIRUT: A new deal has
been reached to complete
the evacuation of rebel-held
areas of Syrias east Aleppo
which ground to a halt on
Friday over demands from
pro-government forces that
people also be moved out of
two villages besieged by
rebels.
Syrian rebel oicial al-
Farouk Abu Bakr, speaking
from Aleppo to news chan-
nel al-Arabiya al-Hadath on
Saturday, said the deal com-
prised an evacuation from
the two Shia villages be-
sieged by insurgents, the
evacuation of wounded
people from two towns be-
sieged by pro-government
forces near the Lebanese
border, and the full evacu-
ation of rebel-held east
Aleppo.
A Syrian government oi-
cial also said the stalled evac-
uation of Aleppo would re-
sume, alongside some
evacuations from the four
besieged towns and villages.
It was agreed to resume
evacuations from east
Aleppo in parallel with the
evacuation of [medical]
cases from Kefraya and al-
Foua and some cases from
Zabadani and Madaya, said
the government oicial, part
of the evacuations negotiat-
ing team.
Besieged villages
The Shia villages of al-
Foua and Kefraya in Idlib
province are besieged by in-
surgents. The towns of
Madaya and Zabadani are
blockaded by pro-govern-
ment forces.
The operation to evacuate
fighters and civilians from
the last opposition-held area
of Aleppo was suspended on
Friday, its second day, after
pro-government militias de-
manded that wounded
people also be brought out of
al-Foua and Kefraya, and
protesters blocked the road
out of Aleppo.
There were recrimina-
Protests hit Venezuela
following demonetisation
CARACAS: Venezuela became a
country mostly without cash
on Friday, sparking scattered
protests and looting around
the country as people fumed
at having their already lim-
ited purchasing power cut
of almost entirely.
As the nations most
widely used banknote went
out of circulation, the higher-
denomination bills that were
supposed to replace the
100bolivar note had not yet
arrived at banks or ATMs.
That forced people to rely on
credit cards and bank trans-
fers or to try to make pur-
chases with bundles of hard-
to-find smaller bills often
worth less than a penny each.
Indignation at having to
deal with an economy even
more paralysed than usual
sparked social unrest. Police
put down looting near a bank
building in the large western
city of Maracaibo with sev-
eral arrests. Young men
marched down the street
after growing tired of wait-
ing outside the bank to turn
in their money.
Looting in cities
Mobs looted several busi-
nesses in the remote eastern
state of Bolivar. In total, au-
thorities said there were
protests and looting in six
cities, leading to 32 people
being detained and one in-
jured.
In Caracas, some people
passed the day banging on
pots and cursing the govern-
ments apparent lack of plan-
ning. There was no cash to be
seen changing hands on the
street or inside shops, and no
NATION WITHOUT CASH: People queue up outside Venezuelas
Central Bank to deposit their 100-bolivar notes on Friday;
(above) a protester burns a 100-bolivar note. PHOTOS: REUTERS
CM
YK
WAIT TO END? Rebel fighters sit on the rubble of buildings as
they wait to be evacuated from a rebel-held sector of eastern
Aleppo; (below) a child in a rebel-held area. PHOTOS: REUTERS
tions on all sides and UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-
moon said Aleppo is now a
synonym for hell.
Breach of agreement
Rebel sources accused
pro-government forces they
identified as Shia militias of
detaining and opening fire
on a convoy carrying evacu-
ees from east Aleppo on Fri-
day. Abu Bakr told al-Hadath
the previous agreement was
breached by pro-govern-
ment militias who detained
hundreds of people trying
to leave, leading to some
deaths.
A Syrian military source
denied this, but said a convoy
sign that the new bills were
on their way.
President Nicolas Maduro
had made a surprise an-
nouncement on Sunday that
the 100-bolivar note would
go out of circulation by the
weeks end amid the worlds
highest inflation. He also
temporarily closed the bor-
der with Colombia and
Brazil, and then on Thursday
night extended the border
closure for another 72 hours.
Mr. Maduro said the clos-
ure was needed to thwart
mafias who hoard bolivars.
Critics mocked the notion
that gangsters would choose
to keep their wealth in the
worlds fastest-devaluing
currency. The 100bolivar
bill until now the coun-
trys largest denomination
is worth little more than 2
cents, down from 10 cents at
the start of the year.
Mr. Maduro held up a new
500-bolivar bill on his televi-
sion show on Thursday,
promising the new bank-
notes would soon be in wide
circulation and ofering to
temporarily cut sales tax for
credit card transactions. But
on Friday, ATMs were still is-
suing only the nowworth-
less 100-bolivar notes. AP
trying to leave Aleppo was
returned back to the city.
Now we are working on
international guarantees to
guarantee the safety of those
who leave Aleppo so that
such violations are not re-
peated, Mr. Abu Bakr said.
Complexity of war
The chaos surrounding
the Aleppo evacuation re-
flects the complexity of Syr-
ias civil war, with an array of
groups and foreign interests
involved on each side.
Aleppo had been divided
between government and
rebel areas in the nearly six-
year war, but a lightning ad-
vance by the Syrian Army
and its allies that began in
mid-November deprived the
insurgents of most of their
territory in a matter of
weeks.
The Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights, which
monitors the war, said no
buses or ambulances had yet
entered al-Foua or Kefraya,
but the operation was expec-
ted to begin soon. It said in
the villages there are about
20,000 people, of whom
roughly 4,500 are pro-gov-
ernment fighters. Reuters
Adieu to an astronaut
LAST JOURNEY: Thousands were expected to gather on Saturday in Ohio for a memorial
service to pay tribute to American space legend John Glenn, who died last week at the
age of 95. Picture shows his body lying in state, under a U.S. Marine honour guard, in
the Rotunda of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. PHOTO: REUTERS
Trump adds Christmas politics to rallies
VARGHESE K. GEORGE
WASHINGTON: If U.S. President-
elect Donald Trump were to
be believed, his election last
month has changed the way
Americans celebrate
Christmas.
Were gonna start saying
Merry Christmas again, he
told a rally in Michigan last
week. By this week, Mr.
Trumps thank you rallies
have added an explicit
Christmas fervour to it.
Standing against the back-
drop of Christmas trees and
lights, Mr. Trump told sup-
porters in Wisconsin on
Tuesday: So when I started
18 months ago, I told my first
crowd in Wisconsin that we
are going to come back here
someday and we are going to
say Merry Christmas
again... Merry Christmas. So,
Merry Christmas everyone.
Happy New Year, but Merry
Christmas.
War on Christmas
At the heart of the debate
is the question of whether
wishing Merry Christmas is
appropriate in a religiously
WORLD
China seeks to defuse tensions with U.S.
After seizure of under-water drone, Beijing says right channels are being used to handle the issue
ATUL ANEJA
BEIJING: China on Saturday
sought to de-escalate ten-
sions arising out of its
seizure of an underwater
drone belonging to the
United States, which has
called for its speedy return.
Reuters quoted a Chinese
foreign ministry statement
as saying that military chan-
nels of China and the U.S.
have been activated to ap-
propriately handle the
issue.
It is understood that
China and the United States
are using military channels
to appropriately handle this
issue, Chinas Foreign Min-
istry statement said.
An ocean glider
Global Times newspaper,
ailiated with the Commun-
ist Party of China (CPC),
quoted a source from the
Peoples Liberation Army
(PLA) as saying that the is-
sue would be resolved suc-
Ban could run for S. Koreas presidency
UNITED NATIONS/SEOUL: Ban Ki-
moon left the door open to
possibly running for Presid-
ent of South Korea in his fi-
nal press conference as
United Nations secretary
general, noting that the
country is in turmoil.
Mr. Ban, a South Korean
citizen who leaves his cur-
rent post at the end of the
year, was at first evasive
when asked on Friday about
his political future.
I am still the Secretary-
General. I still have 15 days to
go, Mr. Ban said.
But after leaving the UN
the 72-year-old plans to take
a rest, then go to South Korea
and try to meet as many
people as possible, which
may include political leaders
and leaders of the com-
munity, societies and my
friends.
diverse society. Many pro-
gressive people have
switched to a religiously
neutral greeting of happy
holidays in recent years.
Many companies also took
the cue and started avoiding
Merry Christmas ads. Reli-
gious conservatives view
this as an extreme form of
political correctness, and
have termed it a war on
Christmas.
Rise of Obama blamed
Some have linked the de-
cline of Christmas greetings
to President Barack Obamas
rise. The Obamas wished
happy holidays on greeting
cards always, though the
President has wished Amer-
icans a Merry Christmas
every year, in his weekly ad-
dress ahead of December 25.
Thank you, everybody.
Mele Kalikimaka, Mr.
Obama said on Friday, con-
cluding what could be his fi-
nal presser in oice, with the
Hawaiian greeting for
Merry Christmas.
Presidents before him too
have used happy holidays or
seasons greetings and
cessfully. The incident ap-
parently took place on
December 15, northwest of
Subic Bay, of the Philippines
coast. The Chinese side
seized the drone just as the
U.S. oceanographic ship,
Bowditch, was about to re-
trieve the underwater
vehicle. According to the
Pentagon spokesman Peter
Cook, the vehicle was an un-
classified ocean glider that
has been routinely used to
gather data on salinity, water
temperature and sound
speed.
The Hong Kong based
South China Morning Post
quoted Zhao Xiaozhuo, the
director and a senior colonel
at the Centre on China-
America Defence Relations
at the Academy of Military
Science, a PLA think-tank, as
saying that Beijing and
Washington were likely to
resolve the issue through
negotiations.
This is an incident
between China and the U.S.
I will really consider seri-
ously how best and what I
should and I could do for my
country, he told reporters,
noting South Korea is in
turmoil.
Mr. Bans statements fol-
low days of protests de-
manding the swift and per-
manent removal of
impeached South Korean
President Park Geun-Hye.
Impeachment motion
Lawmakers on December
9 voted to impeach Ms. Park
over a corruption scandal,
opening a new period of na-
tional uncertainty.
Mr. Ban said that he under-
stood the aspiration of
people for a new type of in-
clusive leadership, and sug-
gested that social integra-
tion, reconciliation and
much more mature demo-
Some Americans
in the recent years
have switched to
a neutral happy
holidays greeting
avoided mentioning Christ-
mas on cards John F the nonsense and Merry
Kennedy and Herbert
Hoover, for instance.
Mr. Trump had kept the is- wrote Bill OReilly, prime-
sue at the centre of his cam-
paign since the Christmas of
2015, when a controversy
erupted over Starbucks
avoiding Christmas symbols
on its cups as it used do to
earlier. Joshua Feuerstein, an
evangelical social-media
personality, launched a You-
Tube campaign against Star-
bucks, which has been
viewed 17 million times.
Mr. Trump, who was then
a Republican primary can-
didate, had promised to shut
down a Starbucks outlet in
Trump Towers in New York
in retaliation. If I become
President, were all going to
be saying Merry Christmas
again, that I can tell you, he ninth on the list, which was
had said then. worth $500 million.
NEGOTIATIONS ON: The USNS Bowditch, the oceanographic
survey ship, which was attempting to recover the drone when
Chinese Navy took it away. FILE PHOTO: AP
China has seized a piece of
equipment from the U.S.
side. They will definitely ask
us to return it. But China
would say, at least, you cant
behave in this way anymore.
China will more or less ask
for some conditions. Then
the two sides will enter ne-
gotiations. It will only be re-
turned when some form of
UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon. PHOTO: AP
cratic institutions could
help.
Mr. Ban, a former South
Korean Foreign Minister
who was widely believed to
be angling to run for the
presidency, was expected to
13 soldiers killed in
Turkey suicide bombing
ISTANBUL: Thirteen Turkish
soldiers were killed and
dozens more wounded on
Saturday in a suicide car
bombing targeting of-duty
conscripts blamed on Kurd-
ish militants, the latest in a
string of attacks to rock Tur-
key in recent months.
The government said all
signs so far suggested the the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) was behind the
bombing in the city of
Kayseri, a usually calm in-
dustrial hub in Anatolia.
48 soldiers wounded
Forty-eight soldiers were
wounded in the attack which
struck when the soldiers
were being taken from their
barracks by bus on a week-
end shopping trip, the Army
said in a statement. Interior
Minister Suleyman Soylu
said a total of 55 people were
wounded, six seriously. Tele-
vision pictures showed the
bus reduced to a smoulder-
Mr. Trump is going to be
President soon, and Star-
bucks has brought evergreen
trees, reindeer and snow-
flakes back to its red cups
this year, and its outlets are
playing Christmas jingles
non-stop these days.
Most companies stopped
Christmas became a com-
mon greeting once again,
time anchor on Fox News,
who has been a proponent of
the war on Christmas no-
tion, on his blog this week.
Made in China
But all said, American
Christmas remains mostly
Made in China, still. In 2015,
Christmas articles made up
the third category among the
ten items that have more
than 90 per cent of the total
U.S consumption coming
from China. America impor-
ted more than two billion
dollars worth of Christmas
articles from China last year.
Christmas lights, entered as
a separate category, was
THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016
agreement is reached, he
observed.
The daily also interviewed
Wang Yiwei, an interna-
tional relations professor at
Renmin University, who said
that the incident showed
the power of the Chinese
Army. He added: This in-
cident indicated the contest
between the two Armies has
run in elections next year as
the leader of Ms. Parks party.
The scandal however may
have derailed his plans.
Tens of thousands of pro-
testers turned out in Seoul
for the eighth straight week
on Saturday, pushing for the
immediate and permanent
removal of impeached South
Korean President Park
Geun-hye.
Unlike previous weeks,
the demonstrators didnt
have the streets of the capital
all to themselves, with a size-
able rally by Park loyalists
seeking to buttress support
for the beleaguered Presid-
ent. The main anti-Park
protest began with a gather-
ing in central Seoul, with or-
ganisers putting the peak
turnout at around 600,000.
Police put it much lower at
60,000. AFP
All signs suggest that
the the Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK)
was behind the
attack, says govt.
ing wreck by the blast, which
comes a week after 44 people
were killed in a double bomb-
ing in Istanbul after a football
match. That attack was
claimed by Kurdish militants.
All indications at present
point to the PKK, Deputy
Prime Minister and govern-
ment spokesman Numan
Kurtulmus told NTV televi-
sion. Prime Minister Binali
Yildirim said that the attack
was carried out by a suicide
bomber, without giving fur-
ther details.
President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said that the acts of
terror in Turkey were aim-
ing at all 79 million of our cit-
izens together with our sol-
diers and police. AFP
7.9-magnitude quake hits Papua New Guinea
SYDNEY: A major 7.9-
magnitude earthquake struck
off Papua New Guinea (PNG)
on Saturday, the U.S.
Geological Survey said, but
Indian films to return to Pakistani screens
KARACHI: Pakistani film
exhibitors and cinema
owners are likely to end a
self-imposed ban on
screening of Indian films on
Monday that was put in place
amid escalating tensions
between the two countries.
Zoraish Lashari, Chairman
of the Film Exhibitors
Association, told reporters
that after thorough
discussions with parties
concerned, it has been
decided screening of Indian
films would resume from
NOIDA/DELHI
There has been a rise
in tensions between
the two sides since
Donald Trumps
remarks on Taiwan
entered into a phase of un-
derwater competition.
Show of strength
There has been a rise in
friction between China and
the U.S. following President-
elect Donald Trumps state-
ment questioning Washing-
tons unqualified support for
Beijings sovereignty over
Taiwan.
After the event, China has
embarked on a show of
strength, including military
exercises by a composite
force of ships and fighter
jets, led by its aircraft carrier,
Liaoning. Fully armed
Chinese nuclear bomber
HK-6 has also been conduct-
ing regular air patrols over
the South China Sea.
Unpresidented
tweet triggers
deluge of mockery
WASHINGTON: U.S. President-
elect Donald Trump got
plenty of attention but not
the kind he was looking for
after a tweet on Saturday
calling out China for its
seizure of an unmanned U.S.
naval probe.
China steals United
States Navy research drone
in international waters
rips it out of water and takes
it to China in unpresidented
[sic] act, wrote Mr. Trump
on his favourite platform.
Unpresidented quickly
became a top trending topic
on Twitter in the United
States, as online wags sav-
aged the incoming President
for the unfortunate
misspelling.
TrumpSpellCheck Un-
presidentedly efective,
tweeted Harry Potter au-
thor JK Rowling.
Dear world, most Amer-
icans really wish we could be
#unpresidented, another
Twitter user wrote.
Mr. Trump deleted the
tweet after about an hour, re-
placing it with one correctly
using the word unpreced-
ented. While many mocked
the deeply divisive political
novice, famous for his verbal
tics and gafes, supporters
jumped to his defence and
said critics were piling on
about a typo while ignoring
the bigger problem.
U.S. hyping it up
Also, Beijing later on Sat-
urday slammed the U.S. for
hyping up its seizure of the
naval probe. The hyping up
from the American side is in-
appropriate and unhelpful to
the swift resolution of the
problem, Chinas Defence
Ministry said.
China said it strongly op-
posed U.S. reconnaissance
activities and had asked
Washington to stop them.
The Chinese side will
take the necessary steps in
response, the statement ad-
ded. AFP
no immediate casualties
were reported and an initial
tsunami threat was later
deemed to have passed. The
earthquake struck 60 km to
the east of Taron, New
Ireland, at 8.51 pm local time
(1051 GMT) at a depth of
some 75 km, the USGS said.
New Zealands Ministry of
Civil Defence also briefly
issued a tsunami warning for
the countrys coast. AFP
December 19. He said the
cinema owners and
exhibitors had only taken a
suspension of screening of
Indian films and that it was
not a ban.
Sources in the industry
said that most of the cinema
owners, exhibitors and
importers of Indian films had
got panicky after Pakistani
films, including old and fresh
releases, and even latest
Hollywood movies failed to
fill up the halls. PTI
ND-ND
 BUSINESS | 15
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

Forex reserves drop by $887.2 million Availability of PoS machines to improve M&M in JV with MSTC to scrap vehicles
Indias foreign exchange reserves declined by Availability of point of sale (PoS) machines for Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) said one of its
$887.2 million to $362.99 billion in the week cash transactions will improve in coming days, arms has formed a joint venture with MSTC for
to December 9, the RBI said. PTI Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said. PTI scrapping of old automobiles. PTI

Remonetisation wont INTERVIEW ARUNA SUNDARARAJAN

Reviewing legal framework for

take very long: FM
Minister says GST a transaction tax so can start any time
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley said the govern-
ment had taken a somewhat
courageous step by with-
drawing high value bank-
notes and going in for a large
scale currency swap, adding
that the remonetisation of
the economy with fresh cur-
rency notes was not going to
take a very long time.
The fact that India today
has the capacity to take and
enforce these decisions, and
experiment boldly even at a
time when the world is look-
ing inwards, marks an excep-
tion as far as India is con-
cerned, Mr. Jaitley said,
adding that one needed clar-
ity, courage, broad shoulders
and the stamina to carry out
such decisions.
Once the remonetisation
process was complete, which
the minister said had made
substantial headway, it
would mark the creation of a
new normal for India.
Unacceptable normal
The 70 years of normal
we saw before is unaccept-
able, he said. It had become
a way of life, not merely that
you had a lot more cash cur-
rency as part of your GDP,
but the adverse socio-eco-
nomic consequences of that
including aberrations such
as not getting into banking
system, escaping the tax net
and using cash for collateral
purposes including crimes.
Only...a section of the Par-
liament seems to be unaware
of what is happening... In
2000, people would have
laughed at the suggestion of
every poor person having a
mobile phone. But that be-
came a reality in a few years.
AN OUTLIER: Once remonetisation was complete, it would mark
a new normal, Mr. Jaitley said. PHOTO: KAMAL NARANG
The same principle applies
today, he said, referring to
the drive toward a less-cash
economy through the
propagation of digital pay-
ments.
There were more than 75
crore debit and credit cards,
diferent types of e-wallets
being experimented and in-
creases in the range of 100
per cent to 1000 per cent in
the use of each digital mode
of payments, the minister
pointed out.
The whole process of re-
monetisation is not going to
take a very long time. I am
sure very soon, the RBI, by
injecting currency daily into
the banking and postal sys-
tem would be able to com-
plete it, he said.
Exuding confidence about
building a consensus with
States on the legislations to
implement the new Goods
and Services Tax regime, he
said that 10 important de-
cisions had already been
taken with complete con-
sensus of the Council.
One major issue, which is
in fact a very small issue in
the larger scheme of things,
is the issue of cross-em-
powering Centre and States
on assessment of taxpayers.
We are trying to resolve
this.
Ideally, Mr. Jaitley said,
common taxation had to lead
to a federal bureaucracy and
the new indirect tax regime
ought to begin in a new fin-
ancial year, so April 1, 2017,
was still a target.
However, since it is a
transaction tax and not an in-
come tax, it can start in any
part of the year. The earlier
we do it, the better it is for us
to switch over to the new sys-
tem as the curtains will come
down on existing indirect tax
system from September 16,
2017.
Citing the Brexit vote as a
surprise for most observers,
he said, even the U.S. elec-
tions saw a lot of cynicism.
The Republican party,
whose candidate has won,
was traditionally regarded as
a trade-friendly party than
the Democrats and the
global situation, as also the
U.S. situation, is moving to-
wards excessively protec-
tionist positions.
securing digital payments
YUTHIKA BHARGAVA
The Electronics and IT
ministry, which would play
a crucial role in the
Centres attempts to move
the country to a less-cash
economy following the
withdrawal of high-value
currency notes, is working
on a new legal framework
to ensure security of digital
transactions, its Secretary
Aruna Sundararajan
said in an interview. Edited
Excerpts:
What are the areas you
have identified as crucial to
push the transition towards
more digital payments?
The focus is on four things.
First is to review the legal
framework for digital pay-
ments and cybersecurity,
and see whether there is
anything that we need to
do. There are some areas
where we need to work, so
we are comprehensively re-
viewing that.
The second area is new
technologies that are com-
ing up. We need to encour-
age these because unless
technology is very easy to security concerns have been
use and very convenient, it
is diicult for people to go
cashless. We are looking at
near field communications
(NFC), embedded iris- and
biometrics-enabled smart-
phones, USSD-enabled mo-
bile banking. A lot of start-
ups are also coming up with
applications using these
technologies. We are trying
to see which of those can be
suitable.
The third area is using
our own CSC (common
service centre) network for
getting one crore citizens
enrolled into digital pay-
ments. And the last is to
create awareness
through the TV channel
that we have launched (Di-
giShala) and a knowledge
repository website, where
all information on digital
payments can be found.
While theres been a surge
in use of e-wallets, a lot of
raised too. Till your review of
the legal framework is
complete, is there any interim
measure planned for
enhancing security of such
instruments?
The legal framework we
will do immediately...I cant
give a date, but we will do it
very quickly as it is very
important.
Can we expect any steps to
address customer complaints
for digital payments? For
example, a lot of time
payments dont go through or
a customer is charged twice
Money, and players like
Paytm. In the first stage, it
has been decided to make
the banks wallets
interoperable.
Concerns have also been
raised over infrastructure
capacity to carry digital
payments. Recently, there
were reports of transaction
failures due to network failure.
Failures can happen at
three to four levels. One is
the basic underlying net-
work i.e. the telecom net-
work itself. On telecom net-
works, I think while we do
have call drops, we dont
have system-wide failure.
Second, it can be at the
switch level (Visa or Mas-
terCard switch). Recently, I
think what happened was
that one of the switches
Customer complaint re- went of. That is something
dressal will fall within the that they have to fix. The
domain of service pro- third is at the bank. The
viders, but if there are is- banks back-end servers
sues relating to the techno- may have been down etc.
logy, there has to be Usually, all service pro-
accountability and liability viders take urgent actions
of the platform providers. in such cases, we dont even
We will build that into the have to tell them because
legal provisions. they lose revenue if the sys-
tem is down.
Is there any proposal to
allow interoperability of But have you spoken to
mobile wallets? telcos and the banks on the
issue?
The committee of Chief
Ministers, chaired by Yes. There have been sev-
Andhra Pradesh Chief Min- eral rounds of meetings
ister Chandrababu Naidu, with the telcos to ensure
has discussed this with the that network is
Reserve Bank of India and strengthened.
the decision was that, for With banks also we have
the time being, we will al- continuous meetings. Last
low interoperability of week, the IT Minister (Ravi
bank-backed mobile wal- Shankar Prasad) took a
lets. Currently, there are meeting with bank oicials.
three types of mobile wal- He is meeting them again
lets given by banks, given on Monday, along with the
by telecom players such as Finance Minister (Arun
Airtel Money and Jio Jaitley).
HDFC wins RBI
nod to raise
Rs.3,000 cr. more
in masala bonds
MUMBAI: Having already ex-
hausted a Rs. 5,000 crore
limit to issue masala bonds,
mortgage major HDFC on
Saturday said the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) had
granted it permission to raise
another Rs.3,000 crore from
the newly emerging route.
We have approval from
the RBI to raise more money.
I think we have approval for
Rs 3,000 crore. But, we will
wait and watch, its Vice
Chairman and Chief Execut-
ive Keki Mistry told report-
ers here.
He said the company has
already raised Rs.5,000 crore
through the masala bond
route, wherein an Indian
company raises money over-
seas denominated in Indian
rupees, in four tranches.
The rate of interest for the
fund raising was 8.3 per cent
in the first tranche, which
came down till 7.25 per cent
for the last one, he said, con-
ceding that developments
such as the Fed rate hike and
commentary about similar
actions in the future make it a
diicult route.
This is not probably the
best time to raise fresh
money in the context of the
fact that Fed policy has come
out and Fed has hinted at
higher rates, he said, adding
that the company will be tak-
ing a call on the new fund
raising from January. PTI
Bullion Rates
December 17 rates in rupees with
previous rates in brackets
Chennai
Bar Silver (1 kg) 39,305 (39,120)
Retail (1 g) 42.10 (41.90)
24 ct gold (10 g) 27,910 (27,850)
22 ct gold (1 g) 2,670 (2,664)
Delhi
Silver 39,650 (39,600)
Standard Gold 27,930 (27,750)
Sovereign 24,000 (24,000)

Centre mulls Taxman can scrutinise political

merger of cyber,
telecom dispute
appeals tribunals
NEW DELHI: As part of plans to
merge some of the tribunals
into larger entities to avoid
identical functions, the
Centre is looking to con-
verge the Cyber Appellate
Tribunal (CyAT) and
TDSAT. Government
sources on Saturday said that
CyAT was proposed to be
merged with the Telecom
Disputes Settlement and Ap-
pellate Tribunal (TDSAT)
and a Cabinet note to this ef-
fect would be moved shortly.
CyAT adjudicates matters
related to information tech-
nology and is seen carrying
significance at a time when
the government is pushing
for digital payments. CyAT,
however, has been headless
since July 2011. IT Minister
Ravi Shankar Prasad said the
Centre was working to ra-
tionalise tribunals, merge
tribunals. PTI
parties accounts, says Centre
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of
Finance sought to clarify on
Saturday that deposits of de-
monetised high-value cur-
rency notes into political
parties bank accounts could
also be subjected to scrutiny
under the Income Tax law.
There have been some
newspaper reports which
seem to wrongly suggest that
there cannot be any scrutiny
of Income-tax returns of
political parties registered
with the Election Commis-
sion in the context of depos-
its of old currency notes.
This inference seems to have
been drawn because of the
fact that the income of the
political parties is exempt
from Income Tax under Sec-
tion 13A, the Ministry said
in a statement.
The clarification was
prompted following Rev-
enue Secretary Hasmukh
IT exemption is given
to only registered
political parties
subject to certain
conditions
Adhias comments on Friday
suggesting that deposits of
old Rs.500 and Rs.1000 cur-
rency notes in bank accounts
of political parties would not
be taxed.
Stressing that there are
enough provisions in the In-
come Tax law to scrutinise
political parties accounts for
which they are required to
file a return, the ministry has
now said that accounts of
each party have to be audited
by a chartered accountant
and parties have to submit a
report to the Election Com-
mission about the donations
received within a prescribed
time frame. The exemption
from Income Tax is given to
only registered political
parties subject to conditions
which includes keeping and
maintaining books of ac-
counts and other documents
as would enable the Assess-
ing Oicer to deduce its in-
come, the Ministry said.
In respect of each volun-
tary contribution in excess of
Rs.20,000, the political party
will have to maintain a re-
cord of such contributions
along with the name and ad-
dress of such person who has
made such contribution, the
Ministry added.
Later in the day, Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley denied
that political parties enjoy
any immunity and said
there is no question of spar-
ing anyone, and the political
class is no exception.
Under Section 13A of IT
Act 1961, political parties
have to submit audited ac-
counts, income and ex-
penditure details and bal-
ance sheets, said Mr. Jaitley.
(With inputs from PTI)

Airlines want direct line to passengers

SOMESH JHA
BAMBOLIM (GOA): Domestic air-
lines have approached the
Centre to enable them to-
communicate directly with
passengers in case of res-
cheduling of flights, espe-
cially during the fog season,
citing diiculties in inform-
ing those who book their
tickets through travel agents
about flight delays and other
critical information.
Every morning, we wake
up to fog in Delhi and I see ir-
ate customers on the social
media asking us why they
werent informed about the
flight delay, Vistara Chief
Strategy and Commercial
Oicer Sanjiv Kapoor said at
the inaugural of the two-day
India Aviation ICT Forum
2016, organised by global air
transport IT provider, SITA,
here.
Now, 98 per cent of our
customers may carry smart-
phones but we only have
contact information of those
who either book through us
or are frequent flyer mem-
bers. We dont have contact
CM
YK
GAME-CHANGER: Any solution that can integrate customer
details with database will make travel hassle-free. FILE PHOTO
information of 50 per cent of
passengers who book
through travel agents, he
said. He also said that
roughly 75 per cent of all air-
line tickets are booked
through travel agents at
present. Any technology
solution that can integrate
passenger information with
our database in addition to
regulatory solution would be
a game-changer and make
travel hassle-free for cus-
tomers, he said.
An airline executive said
most travel agents do not
share contact information of
passengers fearing airlines
may take away their cus-
tomer base. Another airline
executive said that it had ap-
proached the government to
frame regulations to make it
mandatory for travel portals
to pass on passengers con-
tact information to airlines.
In nine out of 10 com-
plaints, we find that travel
agents havent shared the
contact details of passengers
with us, said SpiceJet Senior
vice-president and Head of
in-flight services Kamal
Hingorani.
We have requested the
government to make
Aadhaar or any other single
identification mandatory for
flight bookings so that the
contact details of passengers
are captured, Mr. Hingorani
said.
Airline IT
Domestic airlines and air-
ports are expected to ramp
up their spending in techno-
logy in 2017, according to
SITAs 2016 IT Trends
Benchmark study released
here. About 80 per cent of
the airports are expecting an
IT budget increase in 2017
over 2016 compared to 58 per
cent airports globally, the re-
port said. Over the next three
years, 80 per cent of airlines
and 67 per cent of airports
plan major projects develop-
ing mobile services for pas-
sengers, the report added.
Further, about 83 per cent of
airports plan major passen-
ger self-service initiatives in
the next three years.
(The correspondent was
invited by SITA to attend its
India ICT Aviation Forum
2016 in Goa)
ND-ND
16 | BUSINESS
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

Digital INTERVIEW ADHIL SHETTY Australias FCTG

transactions to to complete
help usher in The incentives on digital payments will give a Travel Tours
transparency
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
further push to those undecided on going digital acquisition soon
N. ANAND

NEW DELHI: Digital transactions OOMMEN A. NINAN CHENNAI: The acquisition of

will help bring in transpar-
ency, according to Ravi
Shankar Prasad, Minister for
IT and Electronics.
The Ministers comments
comes amid the Centres ef-
forts in pushing for a cash-
less ecosystem in India.
If the transactions are di-
gital, the consumers are
known to the banks, leading
to transparency in the sys-
tem, he said addressing the
AGM of FICCI.
Transformative
government
He said the current dis-
pensation is a transformative
government. This govern-
ment is a transformative gov-
ernment, designed to make
India an economic power.
Talking about the govern-
ments move to withdraw old
Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes,
the minister said, demonet-
isation is a part of a trans-
formative programme which
is aimed at stronger and
more movable digital
economy.
Pointing out that not
everybody in India had a
smartphone, Mr.Prasad said,
Were encouraging
Aadhaar-based payment for
them.
With a population of more
than 1.25 billion, India had
1.04 billion mobile phone
users of which 350 million
were smartphone users.
The Centre is working on
an Android-based Aadhaar
Enabled Payment System
(AEPS) application de-
veloped in collaboration
with TCS to ease the cash-
less payments process for
merchants. The application
will be introduced shortly.
The 13-member panel of
Chief Ministers, to push di-
gital payments, has recom-
mended that Aadhaar-en-
abled payment transactions
be kept free for users.
Mr. Prasad, who is also the
Law Minister, said India
aimed to become a hub for
international arbitration.
Simplified Aadhaar-en-
abled OTP (one-time pin)-
based e-KYC can be a big
boon to both customers and
the Banking, Financial Ser-
vices and Insurance indus-
tries. In the wake of demon-
etisation and the Centres
resolve to promote a cash-
less economy, Adhil Shetty,
Co-founder and Chief Exec-
utive Oicer, BankBazaar-
.com, one of Indias largest
online financial market-
places, believes that e-KYC
will help inimproving finan-
cial inclusion and bringing
in potentially hundreds of
millions of unreached and
marginalised Indians under
the ambit of the formal
banking system, thanks to
the power and reach of mo-
bile phones. Edited
excerpts:
The RBI recently allowed the
use of OTP in e-KYC process for
account opening. How will this
simplify procedures for the
consumers?
This small step by the RBI is
a giant leap towards digit-
ising finance in India. Fin-
ancial institutions now have
the option to on-board cus-
tomers through an OTP
(one-time pin)-based
Aadhaar e-KYC process.
Customers can use OTP
generated through Unique
Identification Authority of
India (UIDAI) on their mo-
bile phone to complete the
e-KYC process electronic-
ally.
This completely paper-
less and presence-less pro-
cess can be used to open
term loan accounts of up to
Rs.60,000 or deposit ac-
counts holding up to Rs.1
lakh a year.
The OTP-based Aadhaar
e-KYC process is a mobile-
based paperless and pres-
ence-less solution.
Customers no longer
need to be physically
present at the bank branch
to open an account or apply
for a loan. The process can
be done online at their
convenience. This is
also going to
quicken and
make the pro-
cess friction-
less as it only
requires in-
teraction
between a
customer
and his cell-
phone.
This is be-
cause these
OTP-based ac-
counts, both deposits
and loans, will have to
be regularised to a
standard account by
completing the
Customer Due Diligence
(CDD) procedure within a
year.
The responsibility of
completing the Customer
Due Diligence (CDD) is
shared between the banks
and the customer unlike
earlier where the onus was
on the customers to provide
KYC documentation.
Further, the Aadhaar-
based e-KYC will ensure
higher security as an applic-
ants data can only be ac-
cessed with the customers
consent and analysed in-
stantly.
Aadhaar, as it is biomet-
rically de-duplicated,
provides a higher level of se-
curity compared with other
forms of identification. It
will reduce incidences of
identity theft, forging signa-
ture and submission of fake
documents.
The electronic platform
helps banks to reduce oper-
ating cost on processing pa-
perwork.
The reduction in costs is
2-3 per cent in the case of
banking products, and 20-30
per cent in case of insurance
products. Ultimately the
customers stand to gain
from the reduced cost of
customer acquisition.
We are confident that it
will prove to be a cost-ef-
fective and trustworthy al-
ternative.
Further down this road,
we look forward to further
modifications that electron-
ify and make Customer Due
Diligence completely pa-
perless.
A potential increase in
the credit limits, once the
data shows that it reduces
risk but increases conveni-
ence, will also be welcome.
The Finance Minister had
announced various incentives
in order to push the Digital
Payments agenda. What is
your view on this and how will
these discounts help the
common man?
These incentives on digital
payments will give a further
push to those undecided on
going digital.
As a predominantly tradi-
tional market, people are
still uncomfortable trans-
acting through digital
means as they are still un-
aware of the convenience
and transparency that di-
gital transactions bring.
While digital transactions
through wallets and cards
make keeping accounts
simple, you have record of
every rupee you spend,
which is not always the case
with cash.
Moreover, you have a big-
ger quantum of available
funds at any time, based on
the limits on your card,
which is again not the case
with cash.
This means you are better
covered for emergencies.
Digital payments are also
convenient in the sense that
you can do many things
through your phone such as
transfer money to someone
at your convenience instead
of having to go to the bank.
And now, you are being
rewarded, essentially mak-
ing your life easier.
The best part is that these
incentives are aimed at
transactions that are not
very high value but are
something almost everyone
makes frequently.
So, they will build up cus-
tomer confidence and help
people take the next steps of
going paperless, presence-
less and cashless.
How do you see digital
payments impacting the rural
economy? What opportunities
will it bring for rural economy
as it is a highly cashintensive
economy?
We believe that with digit-
isation of payments, more
and more customers will be-
come part of the formal
banking system.
Large percentage of rural
population is still not aware
of the benefits of banking
and is dependent on local
resources.
Most importantly, digit-
isation will bring rural pop-
ulation face to face with
products like insurance,
overdraft, mutual funds etc.
and will help customers
from these unreached loca-
tions to access these useful
financial products easily
and quickly.
How do you see technology
playing its part in order to
push Aadhaar-based
transactions? Do you think
India is ready for this?
We were the first fintech
(financial technology) com-
pany to talk about how sim-
plified Aadhaar-enabled
OTP-based e-KYC can be a
big boon to both customers
and the BFSI sector itself.
Few months back, we intro-
duced the worlds first
multi-brand paperless plat-
form for online approval of
unsecured loans and credit
cards.
Many customers have
already transacted with 100
per cent satisfaction.
It is based on Aadhar-en-
abled platform and is very
secure. As we are working at
the core of it and hence un-
derstand the technology in-
volved in it, I can say with
confidence that India is ab-
solutely ready for this.
Do you see Digital Payment
agenda and Aadhaar-based
transactions helping in
increased adoption of other
financial services such as
mutual funds/insurance etc.?
Customer is either not
aware that such products
exist or is not confident
enough to apply for one.
After they become part of
the banking system, it will
be easy for the banks to edu-
cate and bring them face-to-
face with such products and
its benefits.
Not only they gain know-
ledge but also can compare
various products to choose
the right one and apply with
confidence.
The entire process of pur-
chasing personal finance
products is very time con-
suming if taken oline.
Also, some of the best
products are not available
oline as the brick and mor-
tar establishment of finan-
cial institutions providing
such ofers are missing from
these locations.
With digitisation, cus-
tomers can access the right
financial product for them-
selves using their mobile
and apply for the same in-
stantly.
With restrictions on cash
transactions, the real estate
and jewellery may not be
looking very profitable in-
vestment options now.
Hence, mutual funds, which
give average CAGR (com-
pound annual growth rate of
15-16 per cent) will gain
popularity.
We have recently intro-
duced mutual funds based
on paperless platform as
well.
We have been looking for-
ward to this future for quite
some time and have been
working hard on innovating
and developing paperless
assets keeping consumer
and partners at the core to
drive frictionless, digital
financial product
consumption.
There are likely to be
discounts on insurance
premiums. Can you share more
details on this?
From January 1, people pay-
ing general insurance
premiums will get a 10 per
cent discount and 8 per cent
discount for life insurance if
the payment is made online.
It is currently from PSUs
and only if purchased from
their respective websites.
Bengaluru-based Travel
Tours Group (TTG) by the
Indian subsidiary of Aus-
tralia-based Flight Centre
Travel Group (FCTG) will be
completed by early next
month, a top oicial said.
FCTG had agreed to buy
TTG in a cash and stock deal.
FCTG is an A$19.3 billion
company with over 40
brands. The financial details
of the deal will be announced
soon, said Shravan Gupta,
TTG Managing Director,
who will join the board of
FCTG and also hold a minor-
ity stake in FCM Travel Solu-
tions.
While FCM Travel Solu-
tions will concentrate on
corporate travel and leisure
business in the northern and
western parts of the country,
TTG will focus on the south
and the east. Both the brand
names will be retained as
TTG is a 40-year-old firm,
said Mr. Gupta. We have a
strong presence in the south
and will try to capitalise on
it, he added. TTG posted an
income of Rs.750 crore last
year with the foreign ex-
change business accounting
for Rs.300 crore.
During the current year, it
expects to earn revenue of
Rs.1,000 crore of which the
forex business will be close
to Rs.700 crore. Announcing
the opening of its third for-
eign exchange branch in
Chennai, C. Srinivasan, vice
president, Forex Busi-
ness,TTG, said: We initially
planned to open 20 forex of-
fices.
About 15 have been
opened. Six more forex of-
fices will be opened during
2017 in Chennai, Bengaluru,
Madurai, Coimbatore, Pu-
ducherry and Tiruchi.
We have authorised
dealer category II license to
receive forex remittances.
On the impact of demonet-
isation, Mr. Gupta said there
was a 15 per cent decline in
leisure tours compared with
the previous months.

CM ND-ND
YK
 SPORT | 17
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

Telecast Schedule
Australia vs Pakistan: First Test, STAR Sports 2 & HD2, 8.30
a.m.; India vs England: Fifth Test, STAR Sports 1,3, HD1 & HD3,
9.30 a.m.; ISL final, STAR Sports 1, 2, 3, HD1, 2 & 3; Junior
Hockey WC, STAR Sports 4 & HD4, 11 a.m., 1.30 p.m., 3.45 p.m. &
6 p.m.; NBA: Sony Six & HD, 6 a.m. (Monday).
FIFA boss wants video refs
FIFA president Gianni Infantino hopes to see video referees used at the
2018 World Cup in Russia if its teething problems have been fixed in time.
Colombia's Atletico Nacional slammed the new video assistant referee (VAR)
technology being trialled at the Club World Cup in Japan after the first-ever
penalty awarded under the system helped knock them out midweek.
Moya joins Nadals team
Former World No.1 Carlos Moya is joining Rafael Nadals
coaching team alongside the 14-time Grand Slam champions
long-time coach, his uncle Toni Nadal. I am very excited to
announce that Carlos Moya will join my team immediately and
work together with Toni and Francis Roig, said Nadal.

Debutant Dawson, robust Rashid propel England to big total

CRICKET / In reply, India makes a confident start through Rahul and Parthiv
K.C. VIJAYA KUMAR
CHENNAI: Englands tail led from
the front and ensured that In-
dia will have to do all the catch-
ing up for the remainder of the
fifth and final Test here at the
M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
Propped up considerably
through the eforts of debutant
Liam Dawson (66 not out) and
Adil Rashid (60), Alastair
Cooks men posted 477 in their
first innings on the second day.
Vijay injured
In reply, India scored 60 for
no loss with K.L. Rahul and
Parthiv Patel remaining un-
defeated at the crease. Rahul,
who was in fine nick, drove
with aplomb. Parthiv stepped
up again as an opener after M.
Vijay was left nursing a
bruised left-shoulder follow-
ing a diving efort on the field.
Vijays progress is being
monitored by the teams sup-
port staf and he is likely to bat
on the third day, a positive cue
for the host as its entire batting
strength needs to be expressed
in the initial battle for the first-
innings honours.
Earlier, resuming at 284 for
four, England lost a wicket dur-
ing Saturdays first over. R.
Ashwin drew Ben Stokes for-
ward and as the southpaw
lunged, the ball dipped, turned
and found the edge. And when
Ishant Sharma, after losing a
review for lbw against Jos But-
OVERCOMING THE BLUES: Debutant Liam Dawson, who was hesitant to start with, found his feet to compile an undefeated 66.
PHOTO: K. PICHUMANI
tler, managed to again rap the
batsmans pads and found his
vociferous appeal vindicated,
India seemed to be clawing
back. There was also this
tricky issue of scalping Moeen
Ali. Finally a Plan B was set in
motion to test his apparent
weakness against short-
pitched bowling. The left-
hander, who had clattered two
fours of Ashwin, looked awk-
ward when Umesh Yadav
steamed in from around the
wicket and banged it in short.
Cramped for space and try-
ing to protect his ribs, Moeen
got into a tangle. Squared up
and still stubborn, the south-
paw tried to pull his way out of
trouble and spooned a catch to
a sprinting Ravindra Jadeja.
The left-hander scored 146
(262b, 13x4, 1x6).
At 321 for seven, England evident in the way he got his get, the edge flying to Parthiv.
was nervous and India sensed wrists into play. The whip to- Dawson soldiered on, either
an opportunity. wards the on-side was his pre- side of tea, and with Stuart
Debutant Dawson was un- ferred stroke. Broad and Jake Ball delaying
derstandably fidgety and it Once, he nearly popped a the inevitable, England fin-
didnt help that Ishants boun- catch to Umesh at mid-of but ished with a score that laid the
cer crashed into his helmet. He whenever he timed it right, the base for a draw, or an improb-
gradually found his breath and ball found the mid-wicket able triumph.
feet, cutting and square-driv- fence. However, Rashid could These were themes that
ing the spinners, and along not resist slashing Umesh and seemed distant prior to this
with Rashid, shepherded the the fast-bowler nailed his tar- match.
visitor to 352 for seven at
lunch.
After the break, the England
lower-order prospered and it
helped that the pitch had eased
considerably and the Indian at-
tack could never impose pres-
sure.
Dawson and Rashid stitched
together a 108-run eighth-
wicket partnership, an incre-
ment that may prove crucial in
the final analysis.
Through Englands dogged
resistance, Virat Kohli
swapped his bowlers, em-
ployed them in short spells and
there were moments of frus-
tration, anger and fear as India
gaped at the visitors lengthen-
ing tenure at the batting crease.
A reflex throw by Kohli
whizzed past Dawson, while
Jadeja and Rashid collided and
fell when the latter attempted a
run.
Thankfully, calm was re-
stored, aching limbs were
daubed with pain-relievers
and the game went on.
Rashids oriental genes he
is of Pakistani origin was

Interesting first few balls
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI: Liam Dawsons bap-
tism into Test cricket wasnt
easy and part of the welcome
brigade was a nasty bouncer
from Ishant Sharma. The Eng-
land debutant did well to sur-
vive that phase and his un-
beaten 66 proved crucial as
Alastair Cooks men won the
first brownie points in the fifth
Test.
He also scripted a few Eng-
Not a typical Chepauk
land records, minuscule but
feel-good for him. Dawsons
66 was the highest by an Eng-
land debutant at No. 8 or lower
and he eclipsed the likes of
David Bairstow and Darren
Gough.
Excerpts
First steps
It is obviously nice to do
well on debut. It was an inter-
esting first few balls in Test
cricket but I was pleased to get
through them. It was a good
bouncer, I tried to watch it as
hard as I could but thats part
of the game sometimes... you
get it a little bit wrong. I put
that ball at the back of my mind
and managed to concentrate,
that was crucial.
Idols
Shane Warne is probably
one of my heroes. Watched a
lot obviously when he played
in Hampshire as well.
Surface-tension
It is a pretty good wicket.
There isnt huge amount of
spin, hasnt been much pace in
it for the seamers, so it is going
to be hard work for us but if we
keep going all day and keep
trying, then we can take
wickets.
Dawson, the spinner:
He (Cook) basically asked
me to enjoy the occasion. I am
obviously going to try and do
that. So just get the fields when
I bowl because I have seen that
the Indian batsmen are good
players of spin.
pitch, says Umesh
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI: After a back-breaking
stint, bowling quick on a placid
track, Umesh Yadav spoke
about pace still being his ace,
and the immediate challenge
of staying alive in the fifth
Test.
The Indian speedster con-
ceded that it wasnt easy for the
bowling unit. It is very dii-
cult to bowl on this track be-
cause the ball is not turning
that much. It is unlike a Chen-
nai wicket. England got some
quick runs, but the ball is not
turning that much. That is the
problem as we cant get wick-
ets as well as the momentum,
he said.
Short-ball plan
Queried about the short-ball
strategy against Moeen Ali, al-
beit a bit late after the batsman
had gone well past his hun-
dred, Umesh explained: The
plan was already there. Yester-
day [Friday], the fast-bowlers
didnt bowl that much. Today
[Saturday] we thought, talked
to the captain and coaches.
After some time, we made a
plan that we will bowl short to
Moeen and make sure he plays
all the balls. We wanted to
bowl to his left shoulder and
after that we got the mo-
mentum... after that he tried to
pull a few balls. Yeah, it is good
for the team.
Umesh stressed that he was
trying to fuse pace with accur-
acy. My strength is pace. Now
I am trying to control my line
and length and also learning
from past mistakes. I have kept
bowling and bowling, and
thats why I am getting better
now, he said.
On the context of the match,
he added: If we bat well and
long, obviously we will try to
bowl them out in the next in-
nings. Lets see how the wicket
behaves, if it turns after the
third day. I think there is still
some interest left in the game.
The speedster also clarified
that the team was not missing a
specialised bowling coach. It
doesnt matter that much, but
still we need coaches who can
help us during the bad ses-
sions. Anil [Kumble] bhai and
Sanjay Bangar are there. They
know about bowling. Sanjay
was a medium-pacer, he
bowled a lot during his time.
His ideas are also good, said
Umesh, who also lauded Ishant
Sharmas role as the emerging
mentor within the squad.
Stunned
When a correspondent
pointed out that he reportedly
clocked 160 kmph, Umesh was
stunned. Nobody told me that
I have bowled 160. I feel that
this is a little too much!
The curious case of Amit Mishra
S. DINAKAR
CHENNAI: Spin bowling is a lot
about confidence, more so leg-
spin. Its a delicate, high risk
craft.
In the start-stop-start Test
career of Amit Mishra, a se-
cure place in the side has been
a rarity. There were times
when he was treated harshly
by the selectors; on other oc-
casions, Mishra had only him-
self to blame.
Playing here only because of
promising of-spinning all-
rounder Jayant Yadavs fitness
concerns, Mishra largely
struggled at Chepauk, appear-
ing to fight the demons in his
mind caused by self-doubts.
Dismissing last man Jake
Ball with a googly was little
consolation for Mishra who
could never really settle into
the sort of rhythm that enables
a leg-spinner bring his reper-
toire into play.
The 34-year-old Mishra
figured in the first Test in Ra-
jkot, and by his own admis-
sion, was not at his best.
Then, the team-manage-
ment took the calculated
gamble of opting for Jayant, an
of-spinner in the classical
mould, and also a solid bats-
man.
Many were sceptical about a
sameness in the attack, but
the move paid of since Jay-
ants methods as an of-spin-
ner were diferent from those
of the surface.
Amit Mishra. Photo: PTI
of R. Ashwin. It was only last
year that Mishra worked with
former India leg-spinner L.
Sivaramakrishnan here. The
two dwelt on bringing altera-
tions in pace and trajectory,
and pitching the ball up to the
batsman and inviting him to
drive.
Much focus was on the
transfer of weight from back-
leg to front-leg and into the de-
livery stride.
The idea was to bring the
whole body, not just the bowl-
ing arm, into play, enhancing
the follow-through as well.
Mishra gets his leg-breaks to
turn and has developed a
handy wrong un. The top-
spinner has fetched him wick-
ets as well, but he tends to
pitch short while attempting
flippers.
One criticism against
Mishra he had 74 wickets in
21 matches at 35.10 ahead of the
ongoing Test is that he lacks
the natural fizz of a leg-spin-
ner, and is not quick enough
Lacking the hip drive
The turn and bounce nor-
mally associated with quality
leg-spinners are, on occasions,
missing in his bowling. Not
imparting suicient revolu-
tions on the ball and lacking
the hip drive so vital for
leg-spinners can be among
the reasons.
It is intriguing that Mishras
only five-wicket haul in Tests
came on his debut, against
Australia in Mohali in 2008. A
leg-spinner is essentially an at-
tacking option, but Mishra has
largely donned a supporting
role.
Some have argued that
Mishra is a more potent
bowler in T20 cricket, where
the batsmen attempt to hit him
out of the attack, than in the
longer forms where they have
the time to wait and just play
him out.
A leg-spinner is an exciting
bowler; he is not dependent on
the pitch to turn the ball and
employs his wrists to rip the
sphere.
Mishra had inherent advant-
ages over the other spinners at
the sluggish Chepauk track,
but seemed to be only clutch-
ing at straws. Does he enjoy
the confidence of the skipper?

Pawar steps down as TENNIS Fighting Sindhu BOXING

Djokovic still the best, bows out Vijender packs a punch

MCA president says Becker
AMOL KARHADKAR
MUMBAI: A day after the Su-
preme Court criticised oice-
bearers for holding on too long
to their posts in cricket admin-
istration, Sharad Pawar sub-
mitted his resignation as Mum-
bai Cricket Association
(MCA) president.
The association, though, is
yet to accept the resignation.
Pawars letter, which was
read out to the media by MCA
managing committee member
Vinod Deshpande, refers to the
Supreme Courts remarks dur-
ing Fridays hearing.
During the proceedings in
the Supreme Court, while bar-
ring 70-plus individuals from
being president of a cricket
body, the Court has referred to
these posts as lucrative. I am
deeply hurt by such usage of
words, so I dont intend to
work now on, Pawar stated in
the letter.
In fact, these posts are
democratically elected, so I en-
joyed holding the post. During
my tenure as MCA president, I
never claimed any allowance
or financial gains
It is the responsibility of
every Indian citizen to respect
a court decision, so without
further dissecting, I am happy
to honour it.
On Friday, while discussing
Association yet to accept AMITABHA DAS SHARMA
resignation
KOLKATA: Boris Becker says In-
the third status report of the dia is on the threshold of real-
Lodha Committee, the three- ising the necessity of having
member SC bench, headed by sports as a way of life.
Chief Justice of India T.S. The German tennis legend,
Thakur, had remarked: Every- who arrived here on Saturday,
one wants to go around and drew instantaneous crowds of
continue to hold the post even enthusiasts and selfie-seekers.
after 70 years. This is such a I am overwhelmed. I did not
lucrative business that every- know tennis was so popular
one wants to go on forever. here, said, Becker, who main-
According to MCA joint- tains a very good friendship
secretary Dr. P.V. Shetty, Sat- with Leander Paes.
urdays managing committee On his popularity here,
meeting has not accepted Becker reasoned I did not
Pawars resignation letter. think the efect of winning
He submitted his resigna- Wimbledon at 17 would be so
tion to the secretary today, much.
which we will be placing be- As The Hindu caught up
fore the managing committee with him, Becker said India was
to be convened at a later date, doing well by adopting running
Shetty said. as a way of life. He was refer-
Surprisingly, despite ring to the Tata Steel Kolkata
serving the MCA as president 25K run where he will be the
for well over a decade, Pawars crowd puller as the Puma
resignation letter is addressed Legend.
to the secretary, MCA. On his favourite pupil, Novak
However, in the MCAs ex- Djokovic, Becker said the Ser-
isting rulebook, the post of sec- bian might have lost his World
retary does not exist. The two No. 1, but his merit lay in the
joint-secretaries are respons- number of Slams he has won.
ible for the activities of the He also did not agree that Andy
association. Murray was dominating world
It remains to be seen tennis. Domination in tennis
whether the managing com- means winning Grand Slam
mittee accepts Pawars titles. Murray definitely fin-
resignation. ished the year as No. 1 but I
Boris Becker. PHOTO: PTI
would not call it dominating.
He was just better point-
wise than Novak. If you go into
the count of Slams, Novak is the
best, Becker, who recently
parted ways with Djokovic,
said.
The German legend also re-
vealed that his nickname
Boom-Boom came from his
once doubles partner Vijay
Amritraj.
Vijay was my first doubles
partner before I even won
Wimbledon. He was playing
with me in Luxembourg and
seeing me serve he said, Boris I
have never seen a boy hitting
the ball as hard as you. To make
it easier I will call you Boom-
Boom. That stuck, Becker
said.
Putting speculation to rest,
Becker said he was looking to
get back to coaching soon.
DUBAI: Olympic Silver medallist
P.V. Sindhus brilliant run at
the BWF World Super Series
Final came to an end after she
sufered a narrow defeat
against World No 5 Korean
Sung Ji-Hyun in the womens
singles semifinals, here on
Saturday.
It was a contest between
Sindhus power and Sung Jis
precision and unfortunately
the Indian failed to break the
Koreans impregnable defence
and went down fighting 15-21,
21-18, 16-21 in a thrilling 76-
minute contest.
Deft touch
Sindhu could not match the
Koreans excellent court cov-
erage and deft touch.
The Indian had a 6-3 head-
to-head record against Sung
before the match but it meant
nothing as Sung, who has been
inside top 10 for last six years,
tried to make Sindhu run to all
four corners of the court with
her accurate returns and
placements.
Her strategy seemed to work
as she lead 10-7 after battling
for every point early on in the
contest. The Korean entered
the break with a slender 11-9
lead. Sindhu narrowed the de-
ficit to 14-15 with the help of her
sharp smashes and half
smashes but Sung always
found a way to bounce back by
mixing her strokes. PTI
NEW DELHI: The Vijender Singh
juggernaut rolled on as the In-
dian boxing star took less than
10 minutes to successfully de-
fend his WBO Asia-Pacific su-
per middleweight title with an
emphatic Technical Knockout
(TKO) win over Tanzanias
Francis Cheka here on
Saturday.
Vijender landed the winning
blow in the third round of what
was to be a 10-round contest to
leave the former World cham-
pion Cheka dazed and a packed
Thyagraj Stadium delirious.
I trained hard in
Manchester for two months
for this. I thank all my coaches
for the efort they put in. Cheka
talked so much but I believed
in my punch-power, and I have
done it, said Vijender after the
bout.
Celebrities occupied the
front rows surrounding the
ring. From five-time World
champion M.C. Mary Kom,
Minister of State for Home Af- MAKE THAT EIGHT: Vijender Singh stretched his unbeaten record
fairs Kirren Rijiju to the star when he beat Francis Cheka on Technical Knockout (TKO) in
wrestling duo of Sushil Kumar the third round. PHOTO: PTI
and Yogeshwar Dutt, it was a
power-packed front row to was quicker of the blocks even having a go at the hard-hitting
cheer for Vijender. as Vijender played block and Haryana boxer who landed
dodge. clean blows. Cheka was also
Trademark entry However, the Indian got into unsettled by the reach
Walking in to the trademark the groove soon after and Vijender enjoyed.
Singh Is King tune, Vijender landed an uppercut to the body While Cheka struggled ow-
had the crowd excited even be- to rattle Cheka. ing to his shorter reach,
fore he entered the ring. When Cheka was on the backfoot Vijender put his long arms to
the bout finally started, Cheka in the second round, wary of good use. PTI

CM ND-ND
YK
18 |
Indian girls stun
China
BANGKOK: India prevailed 3-2
over China in a closely-con-
tested contest of the fourth
womens Asia Cup under-18
tournament here on Saturday.
India was of to a good start,
the first goal coming in the
seventh minute through
Lalremsiami. She doubled the
lead, five minutes before the
end of the first half.
But, China came out
stronger in the second half as
Gu Yangyan converted a pen-
alty-corner in the 40th minute
and converted a penalty in the
51stfor the equaliser.
However, Sangita Kumari
took full advantage of a pen-
alty corner to score the match-
winner for India.
The result:
India 3 (Lalremsiami 2, Sangita) bt
China 2 (Yangyan). PTI
Faisal surprises
Siddharth in final
RAIPUR: Fourth seed Faisal
Qamar upset top-seeded
Siddharth Vishwakarma 7-6
(2), 7-5 in the final of the Gond-
wana Cup Rs. 5 lakh AITA
mens ranking tennis tourna-
ment at the VIPs Club on
Saturday.
It was a tough blow for the
National hard court champi-
onship finalist Siddharth Vish-
wakarma who had come
through the grind, winning
hard matches, including the
one against former National
champion Vinod Sridhar.
For Faisal, the young lad
from Rajasthan, it was further
proof that he had the game to
tackle better players.
The champion collected Rs.
65,000 and the runner-up Rs.
45,000. Sports Bureau
Sri Lanka braced for
series against S. Africa
JOHANNESBURG: Buoyed by vic-
tories in the most recent five
Test matches, Sri Lanka em-
barks on a two-month tour of
South Africa with a three-day
match against a youthful
South African Invitation XI,
starting in Potchefstroom on
Sunday.
It is likely to be a relatively
gentle introduction to a tough
challenge in a country where
Sri Lanka has struggled on four
SAILING
Pujan has a great day
CHENNAI: Shiv Pujan of India fin-
ished first in the green fleet
(first-timers) section of the
Optimist class in the India In-
ternational Regatta at the
Chennai Port here on Sat-
urday.
The results (Indians unless
otherwise specified): Optimist:
Main fleet: 1. Ramadhan Tito (Ind),
2. Panwa Boonak (Tha), 3. Jedtavee
Yongyuennarn (Tha); green fleet: 1.
Shiv Pujan, Mustafa Topiwala,
Bethamalla Sachin; Laser 4.7: 1.
Samsauardi, 2. Nancy High Field
(HK), 3. Vivin Vinil; RS1 (wind surf-
ing): Dayne Coelho, 2. Abdullah Al
Sarhi (Oman), 3. Rahul Chaudhary;
laser radial: 1. Vishnu Saravanan,
Rishab Nayar, 3. Marian Williams
(HK); 420: 1. Aryaman Dutta &
Vishnu Sujeesh, 2. Diya Correa &
Krisha Mongia, 3. S. Bharat & Ab-
hishek Kumar.
Fridays results: 29er: 1. Anand
Thakur and Pradeep Thakur; 2. Satish
Yadav and Alankar Survashi; 3. Inu
Binsen and Rahul Yadav; 420 Open:
VARIETY
SU | DO | KU
CM
YK
Pakistan has its back to the wall
CRICKET / Australia will look to press for victory on Sunday
BRISBANE: Pakistan had its back
to the wall, struggling to save
the day-night first Test as Aus-
tralia took a strangle-hold on
the third day at the Gabba on
Saturday.
At stumps, Pakistan was
hanging in at 70 for two with
Azhar Ali batting on 41 and vet-
eran Younis Khan yet to score
after facing 19 balls.
Pakistan played better in the
tricky twilight session losing
just two wickets after its cata-
strophic 24 for seven in the first
innings on the previous
evening.
The openers lasted till the
12th over before Mitchell Starc
got Sami Aslam to edge to Matt
Renshaw at first slip for 15.
Babar Azam fell to spinner
Nathan Lyon in the final half-
hour when he edged to Steve
Smith at slip for 14.
Slow going
It was slow going, but at least
the tourists were not shedding
wickets in clumps and kept the
Australians at bay, with two
long days to play.
We are taking this game
step by step, hour by hour,
Pakistan batsman Asad Shafiq
said.
Australia will be pressing
hard on Sunday to win the
series opener at the Gabba
where it has yet to lose in 27
Tests stretching back to 1988.
Skipper Smith chose not to
enforce the follow-on after
Pakistan was dismissed for 142
in the first session, even though
the hosts were 287 runs in front
on the first innings.
Instead Australia amassed a
formidable lead over the belea-
guered tourists to set up a de-
previous tours.
The fixtures:
Dec. 26-30, First Test (Port Eliza-
beth), Jan. 2-6, Second Test (Cape
Town), Jan. 12-16, Third Test
(Johannesburg).
T20: Jan. 20 (Centurion), Jan. 22
(Johannesburg), Jan. 25 (Cape
Town).
ODI: Jan. 28 (Port Elizabeth), Feb.
1 (Durban), Feb. 4 (Johannesburg),
Feb. 7 (Cape Town), Feb. 10 (Centur-
ion). AFP
1. Aryaman Dutta & Vishnu Sujeesh;
2. Diya Correa & Krisha Mongla; 3. S.
Bharat & Abhishek Kumar Pandey.
RS1 (boys): 1. Dayne Coehlo; 2.
Abdullah Al sarhi (Oman); 3. Rahul
Chaudhary.
Laser Radial (boys): 1. Rishab
Nayar; 2. Thorwen Uiterwal (Hong
Kong); 3. Vishnu Saravanan; Girls: 1.
Ramya Saravanan; 2. Marian Willi-
ams (Hong Kong); 3. Stepanie John-
son (Hong Kong).
Laser 4.7 (Boys): 1. Samsaurdi
(Indonesia); 2. Vivin Vinil; 3. Ram
Milan Yadav; Girls: 1. Nancy High-
field (Hong Kong); 2. Harshita Tomar;
3. Mahak Mankar.
Optimist (boys): 1. Rasmus
Granzin (Sweden); 2. Douglas Leung
(Hong Kong); 3. Saranwong Poonpat
(Thailand); Girls: 1. Louise Zetter-
storm (Sweden); 2. Shiori Moroo
(Singapore); 3. Oriane Voets (Hong
Kong);
Optimist green fleet: 1. Shiv Pu-
jani; 2. Mustafa Topiwala; 3.
Bethamalla Sachin. Special
Correspondent
Sudoku is 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.
DECEIVED: Pakistans Babar Azam fell to off-spinner Nathan Lyon with Aussie skipper
Steve Smith taking the edge at slip. PHOTO: AFP
claration during the dinner
break to capitalise on bowling
in the final twilight session.
Smith went after the runs
and brought up his 19th Test
half-century of 59 balls with
his eye on a declaration.
He was caught at long-on by
Rahat Ali, going for a heave of
leg-spinner Yasir Shah for 63
of 70 balls with 11 fours.
Earlier, Pakistans last two
partnerships battled for almost
an hour before it was was all
out for 142.
Wicketkeeper Sarfraz
Ahmed top-scored with a
fighting unbeaten 59 of 64
balls as Pakistan added 45 runs
to its overnight score of 97 for
eight. AFP
Unfit only if I cant bowl my quota of overs: Nehra
VIJAY LOKAPALLY
NEW DELHI: A player under-
stands his body best. His coach
understands better. For Tarak
Sinha, the cricket guru with
the eyes of an eagle to spot tal-
ent among thousands, Ashish
Nehra is one enigmatic pupil.
A left-arm seamer, endowed
with enviable wicket-taking
skills, Nehra oozes confidence
at the Sonnet Club nets in
south Delhi. In the distance,
work is in progress at a furious
pace to erect the metro station.
At the busy nets of Ven-
kateswara College, Nehra is
calmly engaged in assessing
his body for a possible return
to the Indian squad.
A bout of chikungunya laid
him low for nearly two
months. It was a hard phase. I
was ready for the season, had
worked on my fitness too, but
this illness left me drained. I
am confident and fit now, said
Nehra, ahead of his planned
stint at the National Cricket
RACING
Baashagar has an edge
HYDERABAD: Baashagar has an edge
over his rivals in the Ch. Satyanaray-
ana Rao Of Itkyal Memorial Cup
(1,400m), the main event of the races
to be held here on Sunday (Dec. 18).
1 GRAND PARADE PLATE
(1,100m), (Cat. II), maiden 2-y-o
only (Terms), 2-15 p.m: 1. All The
Best (7) K. Mukesh Kumar 55, 2.
Jumeira Express (1) Kuldeep Singh
55, 3. Apowerx (2) Kiran Naidu 53.5,
4. Cannon Dear (8) Kunal Bunde
53.5, 5. Little Royal (9) A. S. Pawar
53.5, 6. Plain Jane (4) Sai Kumar 53.5,
7. Snow Castle (5) Akshay Kumar
53.5, 8. Top Starchy (6) Ajeeth Ku-
mar 53.5 and 9. Vancouver (3)
Deepak Singh 53.5.
1. Vancouver, 2. Top Starchy,
3. Jumeira Express
2 PALAMPET CUP (2,400m), 3-
y-o & over, rated 26 to 50 (Cat. III),
2-45: 1. Coruba (7) Akshay Kumar
61.5, 2. Time To Climb (2) Gopal
Singh 61.5, 3. Upon A Star (1) G.
Naresh 60.5, 4. Vijay's Harmony (4)
S. S. Tanwar 56.5, 5. Own Battle (6)
N. S. Rathore 54.5, 6. Vijay's Empire
(5) Deep Shanker 53.5, 7. Hal Chal
(3) K. Mukesh Kumar 52.5 and 8.
Bullish Approach (8) Sai Kumar 50.
1. Coruba, 2. Vijay's Empire,
3. Upon A Star
Smile Stone bags feature event
BENGALURU: Smile Stone (M.
Naveen up) won the Srikantadatta
Narasimharaja Wadiyar Memorial
Trophy, the feature event of the
races held here on Saturday (Dec.
17). The winner is owned by Mr. K.
Mallikarjuna Rao and trained by
Sharat Kumar.
1. GULBARGA PLATE
(1,100m), rated 00 to 20: Atlantic
City (A. Ramu) 1, Island Pearl
(Rajesh Kumar) 2, Thejaguar (S.
John) 3 and Claire (M. Prabhakaran)
4. Not run: Magnificent Mary. 1/2, 1
and 2-3/4. 1m 10.59s. Rs. 32 (w), 16, 41
and 21 (p), SHP: Rs. 123, FP: Rs. 448, Q:
Rs. 251, Trinella: Rs. 1,164 and Rs. 422,
Exacta: Rs. 22,170 and Rs. 14,252. Fa-
vourite: Atlantic City. Owners: Mrs.
Sangeetha & Mr. Mayank Rohatgi.
Trainer: Amit Caddy.
2. AMATHOS PLATE (Div. II),
(1,200m), rated 15 to 35: Tamara (A.
Imran Khan) 1, Roaring Thunder
(Chetan Gowda) 2, Queenofgood-
times (S. John) 3 and Ravishing Snow
(Neeraj) 4. Not run: A Hearttore-
member. 1-3/4, 5 and 2-1/4. 1m 15.86s.
Rs. 32 (w), 14, 30 and 17 (p), SHP: Rs.
84, FP: Rs. 169, Q: Rs. 92, Trinella: Rs.
SPORT
SCOREBOARD
Australia 1st innings: 429.
Pakistan 1st innings: S. Aslam
c Wade b Bird 22, Azhar Ali c Khawaja
b Starc 5, B. Azam c Smith b Hazle-
wood 19, Younis Khan c Wade b
Hazlewood 0, Mizbah-ul-Haq c Ren-
shaw b Bird 4, A. Shafiq c Khawaja b
Starc 2, S. Ahmed (not out) 59, Wahab
Riaz c & b Hazlewood 1, Yasir Shah c
Khawaja b Starc 1, M. Amir c Wade b
Bird 21, Rahat Ali run out 4; Extras
(lb-3, w-1): 4; Total (in 55 overs): 142.
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-43, 3-43,
4-48, 5-54, 6-56, 7-66, 8-67, 9-121.
Australia bowling: Starc 18-2-
63-3, Hazlewood 14-1-22-3, Bird 12-6-
23-3, Lyon 11-2-31-0.
Australia 2nd innings: D.
Warner c Wahab b Amir 12, M. Ren-
shaw c Younis b Rahat 6, U. Khawaja c
Academy
Bengaluru.
(NCA) in
Sinha is watching his ward
closely. He has been my most
disciplined student. It is bad
luck that he has incurred a few
injuries that have stopped him
from giving his best, but then
at no point has he been unfit,
emphasises Sinha.
Despite sufering setbacks
he has had little control over,
Nehra continues to back
himself.
I can only control my fit-
ness. Not my injuries. If a bats-
man gets hit on the body and
missed the next few games
does it mean he becomes un-
fit?
The same applies to bowl-
ers. You twist your ankle or
sufer a hamstring injury. That
does not make you unfit. I am
unfit only if I cant bowl my
quota of overs.
Importance of fitness
In todays cricket, every
player realises the importance
3 MEGHALAYA PLATE
(1,600m), 5-y-o & over, rated 26 to
50 (Cat. III), 3-15: 1. Naamdhari (3)
Deep Shanker 60, 2. Vijay Vidyut
(7) Akshay Kumar 58.5, 3. Proud
Image (4) Ajeeth Kumar 56, 4.
Buckshee (6) G. Naresh 53, 5. Dani-
elle (5) A. A. Vikrant 53, 6. Field
Commander (2) Ajit Singh 53 and
7. Roma Rouge (1) K. Mukesh Ku-
mar 53.
1. Vijay Vidyut, 2. Naamdhari,
3. Roma Rouge
4 CH. SATYANARAYANA
RAO OF ITKYAL MEMORIAL
CUP (1,400m), 4-y-o & over, rated
66 to 90 (Cat. II), 3-45: 1. Baashagar
(3) B. R. Kumar 60, 2. Morning Mir-
acle (6) Akshay Kumar 59.5, 3.
Queen Of The Stars (2) Kuldeep
Singh 57.5, 4. Blossom (4) N. Rawal
56, 5. Military Belle (5) K. Mukesh
Kumar 55 and 6. Movie Moghual
(2) P. Gaddam 54.
1. Baashagar, 2. Morning Mir-
acle
5 MALAKPET CUP (1,400m),
5-y-o & over, rated 46 to 70 (Cat.
II), 4-20: 1. Lopamudra (5) K.
Mukesh Kumar 60, 2. Rebellion (3)
Sai Kumar 60, 3. Exclusive Beauty
(10) Kiran Naidu 59, 4. Golden Ar-
604 and Rs. 198, Exacta: Rs. 2,731 and
Rs. 1,251. Favourite: Brunesco.
Owner: Mr. H. Thambuswamy.
Trainer: S. Dominic.
3. ROYAL RUSSIAN PLATE
(1,600m), rated 15 to 35, 4-y-o & over:
Masters Glory (Jagadeesh) 1,
Ocean Park (A. Ramu) 2, One To
Note (Arshad Alam) 3 and Ex-
tremelydangerous (Rayan Ahmed)
4. 5, 1-1/2 and 1/2. 1m 42.05s. Rs. 23
(w), 14, 67 and 45 (p), SHP: Rs. 209,
FP: Rs. 583, Q: Rs. 282, Trinella: Rs.
3,725 and Rs. 1,878, Exacta: Rs. 35,863
and Rs. 15,370. Favourite: Masters
Glory. Owner: Mr. Shankar Srinivas.
Trainer: R.V. Manohar.
4. RUIA STUD PLATE (Div. I),
(1,200m), rated 45 to 65: Side
Winder (Arshad Alam) 1, Virat (S.
Shiva Kumar) 2, Rich Revival
(Rayan Ahmed) 3 and Dream Star
(Cedric Segeon) 4. 3-1/4, 1 and 1-3/4.
1m 14.54s. Rs. 16 (w), 12, 25 and 67 (p),
SHP: Rs. 94, FP: Rs. 193, Q: Rs. 108,
Trinella: Rs. 1,486 and Rs. 963, Ex-
acta: Rs. 6,827 and Rs. 2,156. Favour-
ite: Side Winder. Owner: Mr.
Lakshminarayana G. Trainer:
Prasanna Kumar.
Misbah b Rahat 74, S. Smith c Rahat b
Yasir 63, P. Handscomb (not out) 35,
N. Maddinson c Azam b Wahab 4, M.
Wade (not out) 1; Extras (b-2, lb-4,
nb-1): 7; Total (for five wkts. decl. in
39 overs): 202.
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-24, 3-135,
4-188, 5-199.
Pakistan bowling: Amir 8-0-37-1,
Rahat 10-1-40-2, Yasir 10-1-45-1, Wa-
hab 7-1-47-1, Ali 4-0-27-0.
Pakistan 2nd innings: S.
Aslam c Renshaw b Starc 15, Azhar Ali
(batting) 41, B. Azam c Smith b Lyon
14, Younis Khan (batting) 0; Total (for
two wkts. in 33 overs): 70.
Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-54.
Australia bowling: Starc 8-3-
28-1, Hazlewood 11-8-5-0, Bird 8-3-
24-0, Lyon 6-2-13-1.
of fitness and I dont know
anyone who would comprom-
ise his position in the team by
ignoring his fitness, says
Nehra.
Sinha insists, If you ask me,
he is still good enough for a
couple of seasons. He has the
skills to get a batsman out and
that is what makes him a
bowler to respect.
He is an asset to any cap-
tain because he loves to bowl
in any situation. Plus his pres-
ence helps the other bowlers
on the field because he can
guide them.
As Sinha observes, Ashish
can be a good bowling coach.
He has a very efective idea of
bowling in diferent situations
and is good at sharing his ex-
perience. Not everyone can do
that. I am sure Ashish can be-
come a decent bowling
coach.
Nehra smiles and returns to
the nets to bowl to Rishabh
Pant, the latest batting sensa-
tion on the circuit.
row (8) B. R. Kumar 56.5, 5. Modern
Sniper (11) Kunal Bunde 56, 6. Tor-
remolinos (2) Akshay Kumar 55, 7.
Aston Doulton (4) Md. Sameerud-
din 54, 8. Khoshgel (9) Kuldeep
Singh 52.5, 9. Grand Canyon (1) G.
Naresh 52, 10. Cloud Dancer (6)
Deepak Singh 51.5 and 11. Sonic (7)
N. Rawal 51.5.
1. Lopamudra, 2. Exclusive
Beauty, 3. Torremolinos
6 TREASURE LEAF PLATE
(1,100m), 5-y-o & over (whips not
permitted), rated 46 to 70 (Cat. II),
4-55: 1. Symbol Of Pride (5) B. R.
Kumar 60, 2. Sprint Legend (2) Md.
Sameeruddin 59.5, 3. Kohinoor
Grace (4) Kunal Bunde 58.5, 4. Par
Excellence (1) Md. Ismail 57, 5.
Symbol Of Glory (6) Ajeeth Ku-
mar 55.5, 6. Egyptian Wind (7) A M
Tograllu 55 and 7. True Pearl (3)
Sai Kiran 55.
1. Symbol Of Pride, 2. Kohinoor
Grace, 3. Egyptian Wind
Day's best: Coruba
Double: Baashagar - Lopamudra
Jkt: 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6; Tr (i): 1, 2 & 3; (ii): 4,
5 & 6; Tla: all races.
5. CHICKMAGALUR NIR-
VANAPPA SHETTY NAN-
JAMMA TMP CUP (1,800m),
rated 30 to 50: Legacy Dream
(Jagadeesh) 1, Admiral One (Cedric
Segeon) 2, Towering Heights (S.
John) 3 and Turf Tactics (Arshad
Alam) 4. 3/4, 2-1/2 and 2. 1m 54.86s.
Rs. 111 (w), 23, 28 and 13 (p), SHP: Rs.
68, FP: Rs. 1,424, Q: Rs. 443, Trinella:
Rs. 2,286 and Rs. 810, Exacta: Rs.
12,418 and Rs. 7,096. Favourite:
Towering Heights. Owners: Mr. B.H.
Krishna Murthy, Mrs. M. Sandhya
Mohan & Mr. B. Puttanna. Trainer:
M.P. Mahaesh.
6. SRIKANTADATTA
NARASIMHARAJA WADI-
YAR MEMORIAL TROPHY
(1,400m), rated 75 & above: Smile
Stone (M. Naveen) 1, Dazzling Bay
(Ashok Kumar) 2, Coldstream (S.
John) 3 and Dubai One (Rayan
Ahmed) 4. 1-3/4, Lnk and 1-1/2. 1m
26.90s. Rs. 149 (w), 35, 55 and 15 (p),
SHP: Rs. 155, FP: Rs. 2,008, Q: Rs.
1,001, Trinella: Rs. 7,082 and Rs.
1,644, Exacta: Rs. 1,25,432 (carried
over). Favourite: Coldstream.
Owner: Mr. K. Mallikarjuna Rao.
Dhoni should continue to lead in
ODI and T20s, says Kapil Dev
CHENNAI: Indias 1983 World
Cup-winning captain Kapil
Dev felt that M.S. Dhoni
should continue to lead the
side in the limited-overs
formats as long as he is good
enough for the job.
With Kohli doing extremely
well as Test captain, there
have been whispers that he
should be handed over the
reins in all three versions.
I think the answer people
should look for is are we ready
to ask Dhoni to take a backseat.
I think if he is good enough he
should carry on. When the
time comes, Dhoni may quit all
three formats, said Kapil.
But I think, at the moment,
Dhoni is doing a good job. I
think he has enough experi-
ence and should continue.
Asked to compare skippers
Dhoni and Kohli, Kapil said: It
DELHI ROUND-UP
International polo
league in March
Indian polo will launch a new
league in March, with
matches under floodlights in
Jaipur.
All of us together can take
the sport of polo to newer
heights with this league, said
Chirag Parekh, a Gujarat-
based industrialist who has
announced the launch of the
league with the best players
from India and abroad.
The league will have six
teams with four players each,
and will be played in a new
format.
Auction of players is
scheduled to be held in
DISCIPLINED STUDENT: Ashish Nehras coach Tarak Sinha feels
that the left-arm seamer is still good enough for a couple of
seasons. PHOTO: VIJAY LOKAPALLY
Sergeant At Arms for main event
MUMBAI: Sergeant At Arms, who ran
second to Ice Glacier in the Mysore
Derby, should make amends in the
Panchshil Indian 2000 Guineas (Gr.
I) , the stellar attraction of the races
to be held here on Sunday.
There will be no false rails.
An amount of Rs. 5,00,000 will be
added to the Super Jackpot Pool
collection.
1 NAWABZADA
RASHIDUZZAFAR KHAN
TROPHY (2,000m), Cl. II, rated 60
to 86, 2-00: 1. Al Shamsheer (5)
Bhawani 61.5, 2. Bullrun (4) Ajinkya
60.5, 3. Highland Breeze (7)
Sandesh 57, 4. Caesars Star (1)
S.Amit 55.5, 5. Shadowfax (3) Zer-
van 55.5, 6. Arlene (6) Trevor 53 and
7. Zazou (2) Neeraj 49.5.
1. Arlene, 2. Highland Breeze
2 GULAMHUSEIN ESSAJI
TROPHY (1,600m), Cl. IV, rated 20
to 46, 2-30: 1. Celestial Light (7)
Zervan 59, 2. Simon Says (5) Trevor
57.5, 3. Trombone (4) Dashrath 55.5,
4. Geranium (3) Neeraj 54.5, 5. Thor
Of Asgard (2) C.S.Jodha 54.5, 6.
Knights Quest (6) Bhawani 54 and
7. Sahashrabaahu (1) T.S.Jodha 51.5.
1. Celestial Light, 2. Geranium
3 SETH RAMNATH DAGA
TROPHY (1,400m), Cl. I, rated 80
and upwards, 3-00: 1. Highlander
(4) Shahrukh 62.5, 2. Renee (5)
Trainer: Sharat Kumar.
7. AMATHOS PLATE (Div. I),
(1,200m), rated 15 to 35: Areca
Cruise (Arshad Alam) 1, Day
Flower (Neeraj) 2, Six Degrees (S.
John) 3 and Scenic Park (Ashok Ku-
mar) 4. Lnk, 2-1/4 and 1. 1m 15.74s. Rs.
547 (w), 53, 20 and 12 (p), SHP: Rs. 48,
FP: Rs. 6,763, Q: Rs. 1,544, Trinella:
Rs. 4,655 and Rs. 1,648, Exacta: Rs.
72,828 and Rs. 31,212. Favourite: Six
Degrees. Owners: M/s. Jairam G.
Kimmane & Ananth Iyengar.
Trainer: Prasanna Kumar.
8. RUIA STUD PLATE (Div.
II), (1,200m), rated 45 to 65: Lord
Darlington (Neeraj) 1, Amazing
Redd (Arshad Alam) 2, Havelock
Princess (Jagadeesh) 3 and Perfecte-
bony (Rayan Ahmed) 4. 4, Nk and
Nk. 1m 14.98s. Rs. 19 (w), 14, 33 and 24
(p), SHP: Rs. 102, FP: Rs. 186, Q: Rs.
116, Trinella: Rs. 874 and Rs. 372, Ex-
acta: Rs. 2,410 and Rs. 928. Favourite:
Lord Darlington. Owner: Mr. S.
Pathy. Trainer: S. Padmanabhan.
Jackpot: Rs. 2,41,357 (two tkts);
Runner up: Rs. 68,959 (three tkts);
Treble (i): Rs. 666 (23 tkts); (ii): Rs.
9,624 (four tkts).
THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016
is too early to answer that.
Every individual is diferent.
Kohli is very expressive, while
Dhoni is calm and quiet. I think
it is very diicult to compare
them because both have difer-
ent teams and a diferent
attitude.
Things have changed. To-
morrow you may ask me to
compare these two with
Sourav Ganguly as captain. So,
every skipper brings in his
own input, aggression and mo-
tivation, but it all depends on
how you use these things for
best results. It is not that you
have to be aggressive; if you
are not aggressive and still win
the match, it is good enough,
said Kapil.
The legendary all-rounder
heaped praise on the Indian
seamers, saying that they have
improved a lot.
January.
Inter-Ministry
badminton
NEW DELHI: The inter-Ministry
badminton tournament will
be played at the AIIMS
Gymkhana from January 2 to
11. Entries close on December
26.
Further details may be
obtained from the Central
Civil Services Cultural and
Sports Board, 361, B-Wing,
Third floor, Lok Nayak
Bhawan, New Delhi-110 003.
Apart from the team
championships, individual
events will be held in the
mens and womens sections
and also mixed doubles.
Sandesh 59, 3. Rule Downunder
(2) Zervan 58, 4. Remember Me (1)
J.Chinoy 57, 5. The Champ (7) Tre-
vor 57, 6. Mountbatten (6) Vishal
52 and 7. Papakura (3) T.S.Jodha
51.
1. Renee, 2. The Champ
4 GRACIAS SALDHANA ME-
MORIAL MILLION (Gr. III)
(1,200m), 3-y-o & over, 3-30: 1.
Adam (5) Trevor 59, 2. Dancing
Prances (3) Sandesh 59, 3. Holy
Smoke (6) Suraj Narredu 56, 4.
Brahmachari (1) C.S.Jodha 55, 5.
Congressional (7) S.John 54.5, 6.
Sun Divine (4) P.S.Chouhan 54.5,
7. Brynhill (2) Santosh 53 and 8.
Critics Choice (8) Neeraj 51.5.
1. Dancing Prances, 2. Critics
Choice. 3. Congressional
5 ALLAH RAKHKHA GOLD
TROPHY (1,200m), Maiden, 2-y-o
only, 4-15: 1. Admo (7) J.Chinoy 55,
2. Art O War (3) Dashrath 55, 3.
Cool Eyes (6) Merchant 55, 4.
Raiden (4) P.S.Chouhan 55, 5.
Dixieland (2) Neeraj 53.5, 6. Emo-
tionless (5) Altaf Sayyed 53.5, 7.
Masquerade (9) Trevor 53.5, 8. Oh
So Hot (1) T.S.Jodha 53.5 and 9.
Ruina (8) Zervan 53.5.
1. Ruina, 2. Masquerade, 3.
Raiden
6 PANCHSHIL INDIAN 2000
GUINEAS (Gr. I) 3-y-o only, 4-45:
MOTORSPORTS
Final round of MRF
K1000 Rally today
PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENT
BENGALURU: The best in the
business will compete at the
MRF K1000 Rally, the final
round of the MRF FMSCI In-
dian National Rally (INRC)
and MRF FMSCI Indian Rally
(IRC) championships.
The one-day event will be
held at Hosadurga
(Chitradurga district) on
Sunday.
Karna Kadur (co-driver
Nikhil Pai) leads the overall
INRC standings with 76
points, following his victory in
the Cofee Day India Rally a
fortnight ago in
NOIDA/DELHI
Kapil Dev. FILE PHOTO
It is not about the 140-plus
speed that the Indian bowlers
achieve, but the line and
length that is important. If you
can bowl around 135 and get
movement, that is good
enough. But again, if you have
pace, you can always take ad-
vantage of that, Kapil said.
PTI
Houston Rockets
posts a
record win
HOUSTON: James Harden de-
livered his second straight
triple double as the Houston
Rockets made an NBA record
24 three pointers in a 122-100
victory over the New Orleans
Pelicans on Friday.
The Rockets continued
their record-setting ways this
season, setting the single game
mark for threes made and at-
tempted (64).
Eric Gordon scored a sea-
son-high 29 points as the
Rockets improved to 20-7 and
extended their winning streak
to nine games.
Game-winner
In Los Angeles, Rodney
Hood nailed the game-win-
ning basket with 0.8 seconds
remaining to lift the Utah Jazz
to a 103-100 victory over the
Dallas Mavericks.
Hood finished with 15 points
as his clutch three pointer
came after the Mavericks tied
it 100-100 on a fadeaway
jumper from Harrison Barnes
with 45 seconds remaining to
close out a 14-3 run.
Elsewhere, Isaiah Thomas
returned to the lineup with a
bang as the Boston Celtics
ended its three-game losing
streak with a fourth-quarter
explosion en route to a 96-88
win over the Charlotte Hor-
nets.
Thomas, who missed four
games with a groin strain,
scored 26 points and Al Hor-
ford added 18 to lead the Celt-
ics.
In Orlando, Evan Fournier
scored 21 points , including 11
points in the final 2:20, to spark
the Orlando Magic to a 118-111
victory. over the Brooklyn
Nets at Amway Arena. AFP
1. Carbonara (2) Zervan 57, 2.
Frivolous (7) J.Chinoy 57, 3. Ger-
manicus (9) Trevor 57, 4. House
Of Commons (8) C.S.Jodha 57, 5.
Lucas (5) Suraj Narredu 57, 6. Ser-
geant At Arms (3) Sandesh 57, 7.
St. Andrews (1) S.John 57, 8. Su-
preme General (6) P.S.Chouhan
57, 9. Zanzibaar (4) Parmar 57 and
10. Devoted Eyes (10) Neeraj 55.5.
1. Sergeant At Arms, 2. Su-
preme General, 3. Frivolous
7 P.M.RUNGTA GOLDEN
SPRINT STAKES (1,200m), Cl.
III, rated 40 to 66, 5-15: 1. Nature
Boy (9) K.Kadam 60, 2. Zambian
(4) J.Chinoy 59, 3. Alishas Pet (11)
S.Amit 58.5, 4. Ancient Glory (3)
Zeeshan 58, 5. Magical Dancer (14)
Daman 56.5, 6. Star One (10)
Sandesh 56.5, 7. Flashy Wings (7)
P.S.Chouhan 54.5, 8. Allora (2)
Trevor 53.5, 9. Magical Memory
(13) Suraj Narredu 53, 10. Rock In
Rio (1) Dashrath 52.5, 11. Cracklin
Rosie (12) Zervan 51, 12. Safdar (6)
Neeraj 51, 13. Bidstone Hill (5)
Baria 50 and 14. Wonder Story (8)
S.Kamble 49.
1. Allora, 2. Safdar, 3. Magical
Memory
Days best: Arlene
Double: Renee - Allora
Jackpot: 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7. Treble: 5, 6 &
7. Tanala: All races. Super Jackpot:
2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7.
Chikkamagaluru. Nearest
rival Bikku Babu (co-driver
Milen George) stands 16
points behind the leader.
Asia Pacific Rally Champi-
onship 2016 winner Gaurav
Gill (co-driver Musa Sherif)
will also be seen in action here.
The Indian star will be driv-
ing the Mahindra XUV 500 in
the INRC class.
In the IRC class, the Mit-
subishi Evos should hold their
own, thanks to their superior
300bhp engines.
FMSCI president Akbar Eb-
rahim wished the competitors
luck.
ND-ND
 SPORT | 19
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

India looks to re-write history Anand draws

with Aronian
MOTORSPORTS

Cup of joy for

Indian colts lose
to Paranaense
NEW DELHI: Indian colts were
handed a 4-0 drubbing by a
strong Atletico Paranaense
side of Brazil in the first semi-
final of the Under-17 interna-
tional football tournament in
the South American nation.
Coach Nicolai Adam tried to
instil speed and purpose in the
midfield by introducing Saur-
abh and Abhijit in place of
Lalengmawia and Aniket. In
the last 10 minutes, the
Brazilian boys changed gear
and took the match by the
scruf of the neck. They netted
successive goals to over-
whelm their Indian counter-
parts. Indian boys are now
slated to take on Orlando City
SC in the third place. PTI
Will the crowd swing it Hofenheim continues its unbeaten run
in Keralas favour?
HOCKEY / After an impressive semifinal showing, hosts eye the perfect game
UTHRA GANESAN
LUCKNOW: When the Indian
hockey juniors step out on the
turf at the Major Dhyan Chand
Stadium here one last time on
Sunday night, they will be hop-
ing to not just reclaim the title
for the first time in 15 years but
also write history as the first
team to win the World Cup on
home soil.
The host started as favourite
for the title and, despite a few
niggles and concerns, has lived
up to the billing, producing its
best show in the semifinals
against Australia. Coach Har-
endra Singh and manager
Roelant Oltmans have indic-
ated that there was still room
for improvement and that the
players would be looking to
play the perfect game in the
title clash against surprise fi-
nalist Belgium, out to create
history of its own by lifting the
title for the first time ever.
The Indian defence has been
impressive so far and goal-
keeper Vikas Dahiya proved
he was up to the challenge in
the shoot-out on Friday, but
with other teams preferring to
sit deep in their defence and
only counter-attack occasion-
ally, the defence has had few
problems.
Its the attack that has been
erratic. Mandeep Singh, when
in form, is a delight with his
running and shooting but has
been mistrapping and out of
position often. Parvinder
Singh, Gurjant Singh and
Vikramjit Singh have been of
and on while Harjeet Singh and
Simranjit Singh have done well
holding up the midfield and
linking up to the front, along
with Armaan Qureshi and
Sumit Kumar, who have put in
the hard yards.
GEARED UP: India captain Harjeet Singh (left) and Mandeep Singh, seen with team coach
Harendra Singh, on the eve of the final. PHOTO: RAJEEV BHATT
The way India has been at-
tacking, Harmanpreet Singh
and Varun Kumar have been
seen more often in the opposi-
tion half, which has worked
well to create gaps but they
have had to back-pedal fast to
defend.
They would have to do that
against Belgium as well, which
has turned its defensive struc-
ture into an art and relied on it
to get the better of attacking
teams like Germany and the
Netherlands. The only team to
trouble it was an equally de-
fensive Argentina.
India, on the other hand,
struggled against the one team
that boasts of an equally tight
defence Spain. Belgium is
strong, there is no doubt it. But
at the same time, against every
opponent you get your oppor-
tunities. Against Belgium also
we will get them, Harendra
said.
BERLIN: Hofenheim and Borus-
sia Dortmund fought out an en-
tertaining 2-2 draw on Friday
The positive for India has
been the way it has bounced
back from a goal down thrice
here. As such, an early lead will
help India open up the opposi-
tion defence.
Belgium has never made it to
even the semifinals of the tour-
nament before this edition and
coach Jeroen Baart knows the
importance of the game for his
wards. Its been a dream for
the boys. They have been
working towards it for two and
a half years. They have sacri-
ficed a lot. I think our PC at-
tacks need more focus. If we
bring in the same defensive
discipline (in the final) we
showed against Germany I will
be happy, Baart said.
NZ downs SA
On Saturday, New Zealand
beat South Africa 4-1 to finish
at ninth spot while Malaysia
edged past Austria 2-1 in shoot-
11th straight victory that sent it
nine points clear at the summit.
The results: Premier League:
out to finish 11th after the
teams were tied 2-2 in regula-
tion time. Argentina and Spain,
meanwhile, will face of for the
fifth spot after winning their
respective games against Eng-
land and the Netherlands in
the 5-8 place classification
games.
The results: 5/8 place: Argen-
tina 3 (Nicolas Acosta, Ignacio Nepote,
Maico Casella) bt England 0; Spain 2
(Llorenc Piera Grau, Lucas Garcia Al-
calde) bt Netherlands 1 (Jorrit Croon);
11/12 place: Malaysia 2 (Aiman Nik
Rosemi, Mohamad Zulhamizan) bt
Austria 2 (Oliver Binder, Peter Kal-
tenbock) in shootout (2-1 in SO); 9/
10 place: New Zealand 4 (Max Wil-
cox 2, Brad Read, Dylan Thomas) bt
South Africa 1 (Courtney Halle).
Sundays schedule: 7/8 place:
England vs Netherlands (11.15 a.m.),
5/6 place: Argentina vs Spain (1.30
p.m.), bronze medal play-off: Ger-
many vs Australia (3.45 p.m.), final:
India vs Belgium (6 p.m.).
Wagner 20) drew with Borussia
Dortmund 2 (Gotze 11, Auybameyang
LONDON: Returning to an open-
ing line he has not employed in
nearly 14 years, Viswanathan
Anand easily drew with Ar-
menias Levon Aronian in the
seventh round of the London
Chess Classic here on Friday.
On his sixth move, Anand,
playing from the black side of
the Queens Gambit Declined,
went for a pawn move a
choice he had not made in
years. Aronian, too, played his
part to perfection.
By the time draw was agreed
in 30 moves, the players were
left with only three pawns and
a minor piece each on the
board and over an hour on
their clocks.
The results:
Seventh round: Levon Aronian
(Arm, 3.5) drew with Viswanathan
Anand (3.5); Wesley So (US, 5) drew
with Vladimir Kramnik (Rus, 4); Hi-
karu Nakamura (US, 4) bt Maxime
Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 3); Anish Giri
(Ned, 3.5) drew with Veselin Topalov
(Bul, 1); Michael Adams (Eng, 3) drew
with Fabiano Caruana (US, 4.5).
Eighth-round pairings: Topalov-
Anand; Caruana-So; Nakamura-
Aronian;
Vachier-Adams.
Kramnik-Giri;
Ramkumar wins
second Futures
title in Doha
DOHA: Ramkumar Ramanathan
capped his long stint in Doha
with another Futures title as
he tamed second seed Se-
bastian Ofner of Austria 7-5,
6-3 in the $10,000 ITF mens
tennis tournament on
Saturday.
It was the second successive
title in Doha for the top seed
Ramkumar, and the second
successive one at the expense
of Ofner.
After being beaten in the
quarterfinals of the first week,
Ramkumar captured the titles
over the next fortnight to have
a sound finish for the season.
The results: $10,000 ITF men,
Doha, Qatar Singles (final):
Ramkumar Ramanathan bt Se-
Siddartha and Lokesh
RAYAN ROZARIO
DAMBUK (ARUNACHAL PRADESH):
Overnight leader Bangalores
Boda of-roaders Siddartha
Santhosh (co-driver
Prithviraj) and Lokesh Shiva-
raja (co-driver M. Sujay) star-
ted of in a rather shaky man-
ner but planned a safe show in
the final stage to emerge the
champion of the JK Tyre Or-
ange 4x4 Fury of-roading
event here on Saturday.
The men from Bangalore
enjoyed a 140-point lead going
into the final day. It looked a
big lead at the start but a
topple at the river stream cut
short the points tally to 40
after the completion of the
first stage. It shattered the
teams morale a bit but Sid-
dartha and Lokesh got their act
together and drove with a lot
of caution and care to go home
richer and merrier.
It was a fine second-day per-
formance that saved the
blushes for the team. They tal-
lied just 166.5 points and fin-
ished fourth for the day but
that was enough to give them a
cumulative total of 830.75
points and the winners
trophy.
GETTING THEIR ACT TOGETHER: Bangalores Boda off-roaders
Lokesh, Sujay, Prithviraj and Siddartha who won the JK Tyre
4x4 Orange Fury on Saturday. PHOTO: RAYAN ROZARIO
One must not take the credit
of the teams co-drivers. Both
Prithviraj and Sujay stood pa-
tient and assisted their part-
ners well on all three days.
We thought we were com-
fortable but it was not to be.
The last stage was pretty crit-
ical but we managed to do it.
Of course, we were disappoin-
ted as it could have been much
better, said Siddhartha.
We know each others skills
as we all have been doing sim-
ilar events for sometime. The
co-ordination factor also
worked in our favour, said
Lokesh.
Last year we had a three-
team entry but we finished
only second. This year it was a
two-member team and we de-
cided to work hand-in-hand.
We were determined to do
well and I am glad that we
won. The cherry on the cake is
the top position, said
Siddhartha.
Defending champions Kabir
Waraich and Gurmeet Virdi of
Team Gerrari of-roaders
from Chandigarh enjoyed a
good day but had to rest con-
tent for the second spot in the
overall table.

STAN RAYAN
KOCHI: It has been a terrific ex-
perience for the Kerala
Blasters boys playing in front
of their home crowd at the
Nehru Stadium here.
And when they take on a
strong Atletico de Kolkata in
the Indian Super League final
here on Sunday evening, the
home boys will once again be
turning to the overflowing sta-
dium to lift them up.
We have 65,000 fans and as
our coach often says, our fans
give us wings, said C.K. Vin-
eeth, Keralas top goal scorer,
here on Saturday.
After Kerala won six games
on the trot in Kochi, the fans
expectations will be high:
Nothing less than a victory
will satisfy the wildly-cheer-
ing crowd.
So very tact-
fully, Steve Cop-
pell, the wise
man behind the
teams fairytale
run from the bot-
tom of the table to the top
stage, tried his best to ease the
pressure on the eve of the
biggest match.
It will obviously be a com-
fortable atmosphere for us. Its
not going to give us a goal
start, its not going to stop
goals going in, explained
Coppell, the Kerala head
coach.
Once you get within the
white lines, it just doesnt mat-
ter. Whoever wins has got to
earn the cup, they have to earn
the trophy by playing well and
being committed.
Attacking side
Kerala is aware what it is up
against. Kolkata is the only
team which has beaten Kerala
in Kochi this season and the
visitor has won four of its
CM
YK
seven games against the
Southern side, while Kerala
has just won once.
And with the Kolkata coach
Jose Molina making nine
changes in the teams semi-
final leg in Mumbai, it is clear
that the visitor enjoys a solid
bench strength, with almost
two quality players for every
position. Something which
Kerala does not have.
To top it all, Kolkata has
tasted earlier, when it won the
title in ISLs opening season
beating Kerala by a late goal in
the 2014 final.
Kolkata is an attacking side
with men like Iain Hume, who
is second in the list of top
scorers this season with seven
goals, former Portuguese
World Cupper Helder Postiga
and Spaniards Javi Lara and
Borja Fernandez who have La
Liga experience.
Strong backline
On the other hand, Keralas
backline has been very im-
pressive this season with the
experienced central defend-
ers, Northern Ireland star
Aaron Hughes and Frenchman
Cedric Hengbart, and right-
back Sandesh Jhingan thwart-
ing danger many a time.
But the suspension of left-
back Josu Currais Prieto, with
two yellow cards from the two
semifinal legs, could be a big
worry for the home side.
The home side is great on
the counter-attack with the
fleet-footed Haitians Kervens
Belfort and Duckens Nazon
along with the impact man
C.K. Vineeth impressing.
Overall, the stage is set for a
thriller and with both the
teams co-owners, including
Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav
Ganguly, expected along with
other celebrities, there will be
plenty to look around too.
which saw both sides stay on
the fringes of the Bundesliga
title race.
Hofenheim now trails Bay-
ern Munich and Leipzig by six
points having played a game
more with Dortmund two
points further adrift.
The draw saw the hosts re-
main the only unbeaten club in
Europes top leagues aside
from Real Madrid.
Its coach Julian Nagelsmann
was up against his ex-mentor
Dortmunds Thomas Tuchel
and it was Hofenheim which
drew first blood on three
minutes when Mark Uth
netted.
Mario Goetze levelled in the
11th minute only for Sandro
Wagner to put Hofenheim
back in front on 20 minutes
albeit after 27-year-old referee
Benjamin Brand found he had
not pushed aside Sven Bender
to head in.
Gabon striker Pierre-Emer-
ick Aubameyang made it 2-2
with his 16th of the season three
minutes after the restart after
good work by French interna-
tional Ousmane Dembele.
But Dortmund found its cre-
ative thrust somewhat blunted
when Dembele had to go of
midway through the second
period through injury.
Further hampering
Dortmunds cause was a dis-
missal four minutes before the
interval of Marco Reus for a
second booking which looked
harsh after a tussle with
Nadiem Amiri.
Costa strikes
In the Premier League, Diego
Costa struck as Chelsea won
1-0 at Crystal Palace on Sat-
urday, a club record-equalling
Guardiola and Wenger
weigh style vs substance
MANCHESTER: Long portrayed as
a lone idealist amid the cut-
throat pragmatism of the
Premier League, Arsenal man-
ager Arsene Wenger has
found a new ally in his
Manchester City counterpart
Pep Guardiola.
They face of at the Etihad
Stadium on Sunday at a time
when Guardiolas attachment
to attacking football has itself
come under attack, following
damaging losses to Chelsea
and Leicester City.
Guardiola was derided after
Citys 4-2 defeat at Leicester
for saying he was not a coach
for the tackles, but Wenger,
often accused himself of priz-
ing style over substance, rode
to his defence.
Pep Guardiola, like myself,
we are for ofensive football
and when you dont win,
people question that. And
thats as simple as that,
Wenger said.
Overall, I think what he
wanted to say is that he pro-
motes a game that is positive
Saturday: Crystal Palace 0 lost to 48) bastian Ofner (Aut) 7-5, 6-3.
Chelsea 1 (Costa 43); Middlesbrough La Liga: Saturday: Sporting Gijon $10,000 ITF men, Cairo, Egypt:
3 (Negredo 18, 29-pen, De Roon 58) Doubles (final): Chandril Sood &
1 (Carmona 89) lost to Villarreal 3
bt Swansea 0; Stoke 2 (Bojan 39- Lakshit Sood bt Oleg Khotkov (Ukr) &
(Dos Santos 11, Sansone 19, Pato 74);
pen, Allen 45+3) drew with Leicester Ivan Nedelko (Rus) 1-6, 7-6(7),
Atletico Madrid 1 (Saul Niguez 59) bt
2 (Ulloa 74, Amartey 88); Sunderland [10-5].
Las Palmas 0. Friday: Alaves 1
1 (van Aanholt 49) bt Watford 0; (Deyverson 58) bt Real Betis 0. $10,000 ITF women, Gabode,
West Ham 1 (Noble 76-pen) bt Hull 0. Djibouti: Singles (final): Margarita
Bundesliga: Saturday: Schalke Serie A: Saturday: Empoli 2 Lazareva (Rus) bt Riya Bhatia 6-2,
(Mchedlidze 8, 72) bt Cagliari 0. 6-2. Sports Bureau
04 1 (Konoplyanka 74) bt Freiburg 1
(Niederlechner 64); Mainz 3 (Latza
35, 56, 67) bt Hamburg 1 (Wood 21);
Augsburg 1 (Hinteregger 75) bt Bor-
ussia Monchengladbach 0; Werder
Bremen 1 (Gnabry 40) drew with Co-
logne 1 (Rudnevs 28); RB Leipzig 2
(Werner 41, Orban 62) bt Hertha Ber-
lin 0 Friday: Hoffenheim 2 (Uth 3,
and I agree with him on that.
You respect him for that.
Guardiola makes no secret
of his admiration for Wenger
and spoke out in support of the
Frenchman in 2014 after he
was branded a specialist in
failure by long-time nemesis
Jose Mourinho.
This life, Guardiola said at
the time, is not just about win-
ning trophies.
Ahead of Sundays en-
counter, the former Barcelona
and Bayern Munich coach
hailed Wenger anew.
He has been here a long
time. When that happens at a
club such as Arsenal, its be-
cause a person is doing a good
job, Guardiola told his pre-
match press conference.
I understand its not easy to
win the Premier League, but I
have a lot of respect for his
career.
Ive said many times that I
admire the way he tries to play
and especially the quality of
the players they like and they
buy. I like a lot. AFP
ND-ND
20 LIFE
NOIDA/DELHI

| THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

Big B gets 24 mn Twitter followers Strike closes Eiffel Tower for fifth day New technique to boost confidence
Amitabh Bachchan, the most-followed Indian The Eiffel Tower in Paris has closed for the fifth Japanese scientists have developed a technique
actor on Twitter, has now secured a fan following day in a strike over working conditions causing that identifies brain activity linked to confidence
of 24 million on the microblogging platform. disappointment for scores of tourists on Saturday. and then amplifies it to a high confidence state.

STAR TREK
No one wants to marry me: Chris Martin
Anne Frank may not have been How lung disease can
block ability to self-heal
C
oldplay frontman Chris Martin, who finalised his divorce from
actress Gwyneth Paltrow in July this year after a decade of
marriage, says he doesnt consider himself as husband
material and doesnt think anyone wants to marry
betrayed, suggests new theory BERLIN: Scientists have de-
coded how the lungs of
chronic obstructive pulmon-
ary disease (COPD) patients
Increased production
of Wnt5a molecule
disrupts the signalling
him. Martin, who was recently linked to actress
Annabelle Wallis, says there are rare chances of
Raid may have been staged to probe illegal activity in building, says research lose the ability to repair dam- pathway responsible
ages on their own.
him getting married again, reports THE HAGUE: Anne Frank may Franks memory. The Anne the sole survivor of the war Researchers at the Helm-
for repairs
dailymail.co.uk. In an interview on a radio have been discovered by Frank Houses new investiga- among the eight inhabitants holtz Zentrum Munchen in
station on Thursday, Martin joked: No one chance and not because she tion does not refute the pos- of the secret annexe. Germany found that the mo- creased production of the
wants to marry me. Im just not really nice. I was denounced to Hollands sibility that the people in hid- It was commonly assumed lecule Wnt5a may be to Wnt5a molecule, which dis-
fooled one person once. Nazi overlords by unknown ing were betrayed, but that Frank, her parents and blame for this problem. rupts the Wnt/beta-catenin
Martin and Paltrow announced they were betrayers as long thought, illustrates that other scen- sister, as well as four others, The first indication of signalling pathway that is re-
conscious uncoupling back in the museum in her honour arios should also be con- were betrayed by an ac- COPD is usually a chronic sponsible for such repairs.
2014, but have since remained on says. sidered, said Ronald Leo- quaintance to Nazi authorit- cough. As the disease pro- Our working hypothesis
good terms and are even New research suggests pold, its executive director. ies with fictionalised ac- gresses, the airways narrow was that the relationship
reported to be planning to move that the August 1944 police counts sometimes referring and often pulmonary em- between diferent Wnt mes-
back to London in the near raid in which Frank was ar- The famous diary to an anonymous phone call. physema develops. This in- sengers is no longer bal-
future. IANS rested may have actually The Diary of a Young Girl, But researcher Gertjan dicates irreversible damage anced in COPD, said Hoeke
been staged to investigate il- which Frank penned while in Broek honed in on details to the alveoli. Baarsma, scientist at Re-
legal activity taking place hiding from June 1942 to Au- from Franks diary about two The body is no longer search Unit Lung Repair and
Jeetendra and grandson strike a pose elsewhere in the building. Anne Frank in a photo taken gust 1944, is one of the most men who worked in the able to repair the destroyed Regeneration of Helmholtz
The question asked has in 1942. PHOTO: AFP/ANP famous testimonies of life in building illegally trading in structures, said Melanie Ko- Zentrum Munchen. The

A
ctor Tusshar Kapoor has
shared a photograph of his
father and veteran actor,
Jeetendra, holding his son Laksshay.
Tusshar on Saturday took to
Twitter, where he shared a
photograph of Jeetendra holding
baby Laksshay in his arms. What
are you looking at?...strike a pose,
theres nothing to it!!! ....Baap
numbri beta dus numbri! Love,
family, Tusshar wrote. Tusshar,
who is single, announced the arrival
of his son in June, born through IVF
and surrogacy. IANS
always been Who betrayed
Anne Frank and the people in
hiding? the Anne Frank
House said in a statement
published on Friday.
Ration coupon fraud
But at 263 Prinsengracht in
Amsterdam, where Frank
and seven others went into
hiding in a secret upstairs an-
nexe, illegal work and
fraud with ration coupons
was also taking place.
The current research
study provides a diferent
perspective: it is possible
that the SD (Sicherheitsdi-
enst, or German Security
Service) searched the build-
ing because of this illegal
work and fraud with ration
coupons, and that the SD in-
vestigators discovered Anne
Frank and the seven others in
hiding simply by chance,
said the museum, which is
housed in the same building
and dedicated to preserving
the Second World War and
the most famous diaries of all
time. It has sold more than 30
million copies in 67
languages.
The Jewish girl, who was
born in Germany before her
family emigrated to the
Netherlands, died in the Ber-
gen-Belsen concentration
camp in Germany in early
1945, aged 15, less than a year
after her capture and just be-
fore the end of World War II.
Her father, Otto Frank, was
ration cards, and who had
been arrested in March 1944
for it.
Mr. Broek said that activity
obviously ran the risk of at-
tracting the attention of au-
thorities. Mr. Broek found
other discrepancies that call
into question whether the
police were specifically
hunting for hidden Jews,
calling his inquiry a first
step in thinking more
broadly about the raid on the
Secret Annexe. AFP
nigshof from the Helmholtz
Zentrum Munchen.
In our current work we
have been able to show that
COPD results in a change in
the messengers that lung
cells use to communicate
with one another, Ms. Ko-
nigshof said.
Scientists discovered in-
team searched for possible
interference signals.
In both the pre-clinical
model and the tissue samples
from patients, we found that
in COPD tissue particularly
the non-canonical Wnt5a
molecule is increased and
occurs in a modified form,
said Mr. Baarsma. PTI

Serendipity fete kicks of in Goa Perus Santa police know

Dance, music, debate, immersive projects and photo displays are on offer
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
PANAJI: The Serendipity Arts
Festival in Goa has kicked of
with a wide array of en-
thralling art and photo-
graphy exhibitions, display
of craft work and captivating
musical performances.
The festival provided a
blend of theatre, music, craft,
visual arts and culinary arts
alongside an opportunity to
interact with industry stal-
warts and leading art
connoisseurs.
The festival commenced
on Thursday with a conclave
hosted by Ranjit Hoskote.
The discussion saw leading
art connoisseurs come to-
gether to deliberate on
What should an arts institu-
tion of the future in Goa look
like?.
Eminent scholars, writers,
artists and poets, including
Maria Aurora Couto, Arshia
Sattar, Tishani Doshi, An-
eesh Pradhan, Mortimer
Chatterjee, Shukla Sawant,
Manisha Patil and Rahaab
Allana came together to de-
bate the subject.
The first day witnessed in-
stallations such as The
FULL OF ENERGY: Prahava, a dance performance curated by
Sanjeev Bhargava, for the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa .
PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Power of Art at the Old
GMC Compound on the out-
skirts of the city put together
by Katharina Kakar. The pro-
ject saw a group of 10 chil-
dren, including two who
were visually challenged, of-
fering a fresh way of experi-
encing and accessing art
which drew upon all the
senses.
A captivating display of
Goan costume was brought
together at the Adil Shah
Palace, the newly renovated
old State Secretariat build-
ing, by Goan fashion de-
signer Wendell Rodricks.
The mythology and tradi-
tions associated with each of
the costumes were
explained.
Live performances
Lucid Sleep, a unique per-
formance art project curated
by Goas HH Art Spaces
Foundation, featured live
whos been naughty
LIMA: In Peru, Santa Claus jolly old Saint Nick, he pro-
doesnt come down the ceeds to help his colleagues
performances that blur the chimney. He breaks down round up a group of men in-
line between visual and per- the door. side and leads them out in
forming art, to create an im- At least thats what handcufs.
mersive space for audiences. happened when police The best gift we can give
This featured Uriel staged an undercover sting people is a little security,
Barthlmi, Bhisaji Gadekar operation against a house police colonel Jorge Angulo
and Yasmin Jahan Nupur. of suspected drug traick- told America TV after the
A fair spread of musical ers, filming the raid in a raid. The Santa cop is a
and dance performances video that has gone viral member of a special under-
across multiple venues of online. It shows the lead of- cover unit in Lima that
Kala Academy, the States ficer, dressed in a padded patrols the capitals streets
premier art and culture Santa suit to confuse the and carries out raids in
venue, and D.B. Ground on suspects, swinging a disguise.
the outskirts of the city sledgehammer to break Other costumes include
marked the first day of the down the door. street sweeper, homeless
festival. These included a Wearing a giant mask of person and hawker. AFP
specially curated perform-
ance by Sanjeev Bhargava.
He brought forth an amal-
gamation of dance styles in
performances by Leela Sam-
son and troupe and Priti Pa-
tel and troupe. The per-
formers responded to the
idea of life, preservation and
conservation using the river
as a narrative tool.
Adding to the fervour was
a musical performance, Liv-
ing Traditions, a concert of
Hindustani classical music
curated by Shubha Mudgal.
The performance featured
Murad Ali, Kaushiki
Chakraborty and Mo-
hammed Akram.

CM ND-ND
YK
 WEEKLY EDITION 2. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

sundaymagazine
Gender
2 4
SLICE OF LIFE BIBLIOPHILE
HOW TEA AND TOURISM WHY DOES U.R.A.S
divides
TRANSFORMED LIVES IN
A TRIBAL COMMUNITY
NOVEL BARA STILL
RESONATE?
hardly matter
3 6
SPOTLIGHT THE GOOD LIFE
in cinema:
IN ISFAHAN, THE PAST
AND PRESENT CONVERGE
REGIS MATHIEU
AND HIS OPULENT
Adoor
AT THE ZURKHANEH SCULPTURES OF LIGHT P5
@HINDU_MAGAZINE
HTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THEHINDUSUNDAYMAGAZINE

The sound and the fury VISVAK

Devastation never smelt

Being in the eye of the storm, and life in the aftermath of Vardah as sweet as when the
winds of Vardah ripped
the trees of Chennai
asunder. As cars and
bikes rolled over
generations of trees on
Tuesday, the air was
thick with the aroma of

cover
crushed leaves. The city
is slowly getting back to
its feet, but it is hard to
see it ever returning to
normal.
What could have been a gentle pitter-patter turned into a violent assault with 100 kmph winds last Monday. PHOTO: M. PRABHU Continued on page 2

CM ND-X
YK
sundaymagazine
As we despondently manoeuvre around the damage and destruction, picking up the thread of our lives, the
task remains of adjusting to the new normal. Fallen trees in Besant Nagar a day after the cylone. (Below)
Kasimedu fishing harbour, and an inundated Radhakrishnan Salai, last Monday. PHOTOS: S.R. RAGHUNATHAN & M. PRABHU
The sound and the fury
Continued from page 1
On Monday morning, Chennai woke up to
rain. It wasnt much of a surprise, of course.
Wed been told to expect Cyclone Vardah,
named after the Urdu word for a red rose.
Schools and colleges were shut, just as they
had been for the previous weeks Nada,
whose effects had been as mild as its name
indicated.
If youve lived in the city long enough, you
know cyclones are a regular occurrence, es-
pecially this time of year. They bring pleas-
ant weather for a few days, briefly lash the
city with rain and usually end in rain holi-
days, waterlogging and power cuts. Then the
sun comes out and you forget what a cool
breeze feels like until next year.
But this Monday morning was different.
The government had advised private com-
panies to shut shop as well, and most of
them had complied. The cult weatherman
on Facebook, Pradeep John, said he was
speechless; wind speeds were hitting levels
he hadnt seen in decades. The news said the
Navy was on standby, along with the Na-
tional Disaster Relief Force and the Army.
Precariously perched a few hundred
yards off the east coast, my house offered
front row seats to the storm as it swept in
from the sea. My windows were beginning
to spring a few leaks. So I decided to go down
to the beach; partly to avoid dealing with the
leaks, partly to see just how bad it was.
Despite all the ominous warnings, years
of conditioning made me unafraid of cyc-
lones. Last year was an aberration, I told
myself. This looks more like a very noisy
drizzle. And besides, the TV was still work-
ing. Always a good sign, considering the
satellite signal is usually the first to give up
the ghost when nature declares war.
By the time I made it out of my lane, the
gravity of the situation had slapped me in
the face repeatedly. The 100 kilometre an
hour winds had turned what could have
been a gentle pitter-patter into a violent
assault. At the beach, the earliest signs of the
frenzy to follow were visible: the layer of
accumulated plastic that usually adorns the
sands was conspicuously missing. Giant
waves lapped the shore, threatening to
reach the disused boats that had become
part of the furniture of the beach. The
shanties of the fishing village nearby were
still clinging on, but already the air was full
of tiny bits of swirling debris.
I sanely decided to return home, only to
discover that the TV had died. Not peace-
fully, with an error message, as it usually
does, but with the satellite dish blown over
the side of the house and into the empty plot
next door. Electricity swiftly followed suit,
the leaks multiplied. The storm had begun
in earnest. Irish folklore speaks of banshees,
female spirits whose wails warn of impend-
ing death: a hazy, faraway concept I had
picked up from books and matched with
sounds from animated films. As Vardah
swept in from the sea, the idea came alive as
the winds whipped themselves into a frenzy.
A high-pitched shrieking filled the house
and my mind: a constant reminder that in its
destructive potential, Vardah was likely to
match or even outdo the unnamed depres-
sion from a year ago.
There was precious little to do but sit and
watch it unfold. The telephone networks
were still up and news of ripped advertising
CM
YK
hoardings, uprooted trees and flying cows
filtered in the latter, a timely reminder to
take news received over WhatsApp with a
generous helping of salt.
By late afternoon, an eerie calm had des-
cended over the city, bringing with it bright,
clear skies and chirping birds. The respite
was to be short-lived. The eye of the storm
soon passed and took with it cellular recep-
tion and the last dribs and drabs of news
from the outside world. As we mopped up
the water flooding in from our seemingly
porous walls and windows, the banshees
returned with a vengeance, once again as-
suming their brutal sway over the city.
citys roads resembling obstacle courses
As I strode through the city the next day,
familiar lanes were filled with unfamiliar
buildings and the earth was littered with the
trees that had once hidden these buildings
from view. The citys long-suffering army of
conservancy workers poured out on the
streets, beginning the long and arduous task
of clearing an estimated 10,000 fallen trees.
An inheritance of 400-odd years had be-
come many thousand tonnes of garbage and
firewood.
The usual post-mortem circus that fol-
lows a catastrophe of this sort has begun:
environmentalists blame the state govern-
ment, the state wants funds from the centre,
much better today.
slice of life
and the centre is monitoring the situation.
The newsrooms up in Delhi that dictate that
nations agenda have already lost interest;
after all, the death toll barely crossed the
single-digit mark.
Meanwhile, as I write this, a bath has
become a luxury for many citizens of Chen-
nai with the battered electricity grid unable
to power the pumps that fill overhead water
tanks. We line up in bank queues again for
elusive currency notes, even as notices in
shops and restaurants that proudly heral-
ded the cashless future are hastily papered
over with apologies about network issues
delaying the revolution. With many of the
that buses and cabs are struggling to navig-
ate, the iconic auto with its perennially dys-
functional meter has emerged as the only
reliable means of public transport.
And as we despondently manoeuvre
around or under fallen trees and stacks of
chopped branches, picking up the thread of
our lives, the task remains of adjusting to
the new normal. The cool breeze has already
died out and the leafy fragrance in the air
will soon fade. The petrol fumes and the
fierce heat will return, worse than before,
and there will be fewer trees offering shade.
visvaksen.p@thehindu.co.in
THE HINDU. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016
A NEW BREW
Reading
the leaves
A cooperative society run by a tribal
community takes the tea and tourism route
K. PRADEEP
remember those
days of struggle. It
was a fight against
poverty, hardships
and wild animals.
On our small piece
of land, in Wayanad,
we tried growing ba-
nanas, a little bit of
coffee. They were often destroyed by ele-
phants or wild boars. The only way we could
survive was by working for others. My par-
ents used to work in the paddy fields and we
lived in small thatched huts with walls that
were plastered with clay. I stopped going to
school after Class IX, says Baby, a member
of the Paniya tribe that once lived mostly as
gatherers and farmers in the deep forests.
One is not sure who gave the tribe its name.
They say it was given by the settlers who
encroached on their lands and made them
slaves or workers, a rough translation of
Paniya.
In the 1980s the condition of the tribal
communities in Wayanad a district that
has the highest tribal population in Kerala
had reached a flashpoint, threatening to turn
into a humanitarian crisis. Lured by small
sums of money, liquor and tobacco, many
tribal communities gave up their fertile
lands to migrants and were forced to the
fringes of the forest and the mountain
slopes.
But soon, an innovative rehabilitation
programme by the Kerala government began
transforming the lives of tribal communities
including Babys through tea and tour-
ism. One such initiative was the Man-
anthavady Tribal Plantation Co-operative
Ltd. (MTPC), a cooperative society set up to
rehabilitate the Adiya and Paniya com-
munities, the most backward among the
tribes. Formed with the Sub-Collector as
Managing Director and an elected body of
directors, the cooperative diligently de-
veloped tea plantations in five of its seven
units.
Baby, now in his 50s, works as a super-
visor in the Priyadarshini tea estate in Man-
anthavady. My father had died by then but
my mother began working in the estate. I
also joined her. While she worked as a tea
plucker, my job was to dig holes, clear the
weeds and shrubs. We have been here since
then. We earn a regular salary, our children
are better off. My daughter is married and
my son is completing his B.Com. Life is so
When the programme began, around 400
tribal people found refuge and work at Priy-
adarshini tea estate. Things seemed fine for a
while, but soon the society witnessed
strikes, tea factory lockouts, and workers
went hungry. By 2005, Priyadarshini, like
many tea estates in Kerala, was hit severely.
The difference was that Priyadarshini did
not take it lying down. The members worked
hard under Balkar Singh, the then Sub-Col-
lector, to get the society back on track. The
four-room Managers Bungalow was re-
christened Wayanad Tea County and
opened to tourists. Singhs successor N.
Prasanth started a mid-day meal pro-
gramme for workers with the income gener-
ated from tourism.
With the concerted efforts of the district collector and the tribal
community, Priyadarshini Tea Estate has transformed itself from
a dead loss into a profitable business. PHOTOS: M. SATHYAMOORTHY & SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
NOIDA/DELHI 02
I noticed that the workers medical bills
were huge. Enquiries revealed that it was
due to malnutrition. We decided to provide
them nutritious food. To generate funds for
this, we thought of opening the estate and
the bungalow to tourists. The bungalow, the
beautiful 395 acre estate, some vantage
viewpoints, and trekking routes became
tourist attractions. The move was a success,
recalls Prasanth, now the Collector of
Kozhikode.
MTPC is now ready with a responsible
tourism initiative called Priyadarshini Tea
Environs, with the support of the Depart-
ment of Tourism and District Tourism Pro-
motion Council, to improve livelihood
opportunities in this tribal belt. The tea fact-
ory has been upgraded and now produces a
branded tea called Vishwas Gold, another
income-generating initiative.
In a little over two years, the estate has
transformed from a dead loss into a profit-
able tea and tourism business. The changes
are visible beginning at the entrance. There
is the office and new buildings for security
and an information centre. A 12-foot deep
natural pond set amid green slopes has
turned into an attractive swimming pool. A
young tribal boy comes pushing a new sports
bicycle. He is one of 20 tribal youth from
families of tea workers we trained in hospit-
ality management. This is part of our en-
deavour to expand benefits to the next
generation. We have our own bicycle track
and a couple of new bicycles that tourists can
rent, says Sub-Collector Seeram Sambasiva
Rao, shifting gears as his cycle ambles up a
slope. The estate was the venue for an inter-
national mountain biking event in 2013, he
adds. There is also a tea museum and a tea-
tasting session, besides a recreational park,
amphitheatre, and night camping facilities.
The crisis in the tea market and other
factors have been challenging for MTPC .
The society recently renovated a factory that
was shut down in an attempt to stay afloat.
Rao is realistic about the future of the soci-
ety. Priyadarshini is about the members
and their empowerment. It will be a success
only when they can take on the responsibil-
ity of planning and decision making. Though
the society is successful in providing a steady
income and comfortable living conditions
for its members, it has fallen short of em-
powering them, inculcating in them a sense
of ownership. Our focus has been to address
this issue, says Rao.
The future of the tribal people, however,
needs immediate attention. Being margin-
alised, excluded from development projects,
alienated, they are victims of their own his-
tory. The socio-political and cultural exclu-
sion is ingrained in their consciousness. We
are making attempts to empower them, talk
to them, make them believe that they are
owners and not dependent on others. There
are tangible changes in their approach, but it
is very slow, Rao adds.
The societys long-term plans hinge on
tourism. The tea industry is going through a
rough phase and we need to diversify to
survive. Our branded tea and the tourism
initiative can help. Its a now or never mo-
ment for Priyadarshini, but it is a unique
tribal initiative that deserves to succeed.
pradeep.k@thehindu.co.in
ND-X
sundaymagazine THE HINDU. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016
NOIDA/DELHI 03
PIT STOP HAMMER HOME

Drawing deep
from India
Following an unprecedented success last year,
classical Indian art makes a comeback at
Christies annual India sale

Men exercise as the Master recites verses from the Shahnameh, and Rumi and Hafez, in the background to the
accompaniment of drums and bells. PHOTO: CLARE ARNI

Crucible of a nation
Ratnagiri seascape (2002) by Bhupen Khakhar, estimated between
Rs. 70 lakh and Rs. 90 lakh.

ROSALYN DMELLO premised on its unprecedented success at

last years sale when it was first introduced,
The zurkhaneh is an example of the syncretism that brings together A rt auction house Christies fourth annual
sale in India may have inadvertently coin-
where a 10th century granite figure of a
Dvarapala realised over Rs. 1.7 crore, and 99
Irans Persian past and its Islamic present cided with an economy accommodating
cashless compromises, thanks to demonet-
per cent of lots were sold. The results for the
95 per cent lots sold from the modern and
isation, but Sonal Singh, the London-based contemporary art section, totalling over Rs.
ABHIMANYU ARNI call in response to the salutations of the A crucible of sorts for the modern Iranian companys specialist head for Indias clas- 97 crore, proved record-breaking for the
Morshed , blowing into his flute, beating his identity, the zurkhaneh enjoyed promin- sical, modern and contemporary division, is auction house, and a world record for auc-
n Isfahan, that par- drum, and striking bells. ence under the Shahs of the Qajar and Pah- unperturbed. tions held in India.
agon of Iranian cit- The zurkhaneh relies on donations, lavi dynasties. The current clerical regime is Weve always been a very transparent The top lot was an untitled 1995 oil paint-
ies, there is a and carries out its social work largely ambivalent; its chants invoke pre-Islamic platform, she says in an interview at New ing by Vasudeo Gaitonde, which sold for over
zurkhaneh . This is a through fund-raising matches. It accepts glory; but it is also a symbol of a resurgent Delhis Taj Mansingh, where the two-day Rs. 29 crore, well above its pre-sale estimate,
ritual gymnasium, athletes from all sections of society and is nationalism. The combination of physical preview was held earlier this month. Any- breaking the previous record for the cat-
where a ring of men more like a brotherhood than a gymnasium experience and spirituality is reminiscent of one bidding at Christies usually pays via egory set by Christies in September 2015,
and boys of all ages, characterised by ritualised mutual recog- Sufism. Indeed, Morshed is the word used credit card, bank transfers or cheque, so our and for the artist himself set by Christies at
shapes and sizes, nition, patience for younger members and for the head of a Sufic order. buyers wont be affected. Fluency of trans- their inaugural India sale in 2013.
exercise with great absolute deference to the Master. There is a The zurkhaneh is a physical representa- action aside, the lure of the upcoming India A prized work among the 41 lots on offer
wooden truncheons, bow-shaped weights rhythm inside unlike a conventional gym- tion of two contrary longings that fold to- auction is a strong 70-lot selection of clas- now is a 1975 painting by Tyeb Mehta from
and chunky shields, culminating in a mo- nasium, exercise here is a team sport. The gether to form Iranian selfhood the love sical Indian art, most of them from the col- his diagonal series that the Poddars bought
ment of throw-wrestling, a moment of styl- octagonal pit is small so the pahlevani are for Alis family and the glory of Persia. This lection of Colonel R.K. Tandon and a from Gallery Chemould. Estimated between
ised violence. Above the exertions sits the always alert to each other, getting out of the place is a cult to both, a sacred stage for an modern and contemporary art offering of 41 Rs. 10 crore and Rs. 15 crore, the work is one
Morshed , or Master on his raised platform. way, changing places, each taking turns to invocation of the bravery of Husayn, but also lots from the Abhishek and Radhika Poddar of 41 lots from the Poddar collection, the
Throughout the session, he recites verses lead the group as they move through the the feats of Rostam, Persias legendary hero. collection. result of over three decades of acquisitions
from the great Persian Book of Kings, the cycles of exercise. The ring of men in the domed arena embody The discovery is always the most exciting that includes Manjit Bawa, Jehangir
Shahnameh , from the poetry of Rumi and Zurkhaneh traditions date to Parthian this ambiguity in their invocation of both Ali part, also the chase, Singh says, speaking of Sabavala and Akbar Padamsee.
Hafez and intones Shia hymns to Mo- times, and may still carry Zoroastrian inflec- and Rostam, Islam and Persia, glorying Shia her strong involvement with the classical In 1987, Abhishek arrived on the door-
hammed, Imam Ali and his martyred sons. tions into the age of Islam. After the Arab Imams through Sufi practices. It is the ambi- end of the sale that brought her the greatest step of Bawas studio in Delhis Garhi com-
Images of the great Imam surmount conquest of the 7th century, the zurkhaneh guity that gives this martial dance its power, joy. I discovered Basholi painting, she says, plex after reading about him in Nandys
pictures of improbably muscled champions, became secret societies, preserving Persian tension and pathos. a reference to the 40 court paintings from column, much to the artists surprise, reads
benefactors, hanging swordfish bills, and traditions and identity in the face of occupa- Colonel Tandons collection. The Colonel the anonymous note in the Christies cata-
strings of leather shorts, which hang over a tion and conversion. The ritual chants are a Abhimanyu Arni read history and began collecting art soon after joining the logue. The visit apparently culminated in a
shallow octagonal pit. Here, the pahlevani type of oral history, a way of passing down politics at the University of Oxford and Army around 1944, and intensified his pur- lifelong friendship until the artists death in
spin, leap, juggle, wrestle, throw weights and the legends and lore of Persia. now teaches and writes in Bengaluru. suit of miniatures after he was allowed an 2008. Many of the works in their larger col-
early retirement in 1968. lection have been the result of commissions,
It was a very good time to collect. The most notably a series based on the zodiac
political turmoil of the years after the war signs by Arpita Singh, and a bouquet of 25
SCREENING ROOM meant that very substantial old collections flower paintings, each by a different artist,
were being dispersed; Colonel Tandon trav- meant as a gift for Abhisheks parents on
elled around the princely states and else- their 25th wedding anniversary.

Such a song and dance
La La Land makes you think about musicals again, that grand old staple of
Hollywood, but now jazzed up with technology, psychology and more
BARADWAJ RANGAN
heres a stunning stretch in Damien
T Chazelles La La Land which I caught at
the 13th Dubai International Film Festival,
on a gorgeous big screen, in a theatre that
looked like la la land itself with a million tiny
golden lights that transformed the ceiling
into a constellation thats unlike anything
Ive seen in another musical. Without re-
vealing too much, lets just say its the
closest a musical has come to sci-fi, an al-
ternate what-if reality, except that the shift
in the space-time continuum doesnt come
about due to a time machine.
It happens due to the music itself due to
ones creation of it, ones submission to it,
ones immersion in it. This stretch made my
heart swell, which is what the best musicals
do. Had the rest of La La Land matched it,
wed have had an instant modern classic
but this isnt to say the film is dismissible. If
nothing else, La La Land is a genre film that
operates within the genre (in terms of its
tropes), but also steps out of the velvet-rope
boundary and clinically relooks at and refig-
ures these tropes. Its a musical that makes
us think about musicals.
Some of these thoughts come about
through explicit references. When Se-
bastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma
of the whole, wide world. The camera be-
comes an invisible third dancer, executing
its own choreography around the choreo-
graphy of the stars.
Meanwhile, the old waltzes with the new.
As the broad narrative conventions and
sunny optimism of the 1940s and 50s gave
way to more cynicism, as audiences exposed
to foreign art-house cinema got used to a
certain rough-grained texture in relation-
ships, filmmakers like Martin Scorsese
(with New York, New York ) and Peter Bog-
danovich (At Long Last Love ) attempted to
update the studio-backlot musical with the
cinematic conventions of a more realistic
age. Thats what Chazelle does too.
On the one hand, he replicates the eye-
songs another looks towards the relatively
minimalistic French arthouse musicals
Jacques Demy made ( The Umbrellas of
Cherbourg , The Young Girls of Rochefort ),
where the numbers arent premeditated an-
thems so much as speech that lost its way
and is now surprised that its become a song.
As a result, there is a bit of the dissonance we
sensed in those films by Scorsese and Bog-
danovich. We sense the strain of trying to
transcend and out-think the material, as
though making a mere musical wasnt
enough, and you also have to make a com-
ment on the musical.
Can a modern filmmaker make a great
musical in the traditional sense without be-
ing embarrassed by the inherent directness
of the genre? Spike Lee came closest with
the spectacular Chi-Raq , which combined
overt political statement with overt song
and dance. The film exploded in your face
like a glitter ball that concealed a bomb.
Another example that comes to mind is
Everyone Says I Love You . Its not a great
movie, let alone a great musical, but it
worked because Woody Allen did not strive
for anything more than a comedy that incor-
porated a string of great songs. It didnt
matter that the cast was made of actors
rather than singer-dancers.
Yes. Theres a difference. Gene Kelly and
spotlight
where in India searching out old collections
and antique shops from where he hoped to
enrich his collection, writes William Robin-
son in the Christies catalogue for the up-
coming auction.
His eye was not an untrained one. The
Colonel had grown up in Allahabad surroun-
ded by art his father R.C. Tandon was a
renowned art critic and commentator, and
frequent visitors to their home included the
likes of painter Amrita Sher-Gil, poet
Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Russian artist
Nicholas Roerich.
Around the time the Colonel was collect-
ing, miniatures were easily available and
prices were low enough for a military officer
with no inheritance, allowing him to amass
at least 1,000 historically significant objects
from 2 B.C. to 19 A.D.
He collected sculptures in stone, terra-
cotta, wood and bronze, together with decor-
ative items in a number of different
mediums. But his greatest interest was al-
ways the miniature or court paintings, and it
is this area for which his collection is best
known, writes Robinson.
Christies decision to continue with a sep-
arate section on classical Indian art was
The most eye-catching in the modern lot
is a 2002 Bhupen Khakhar Ratnagiri sea-
scape (estimated between Rs. 70 lakh and
Rs. 90 lakh), the moody blue of the sea only a
few shades lighter than the sky, the horizon
stretching far into the distance. The peculiar
red-bordered frame with gold sketches adds
a quintessentially Khakharesque touch of
wry commentary on the kitschy nature of
the landscape painting genre.
Another worthy contender is a large 1973
canvas by Akbar Padamsee featuring a deep
crimson horizon, one of his earliest metas-
capes and estimated between Rs. 1.5 crore
and Rs. 2 crore.)
An early Raza landscape from 1956 using
gouache, ink and pencil on paper and featur-
ing a white palette is another masterpiece on
offer.
A 1974 painting with cipher-like symbols
by Gaitonde claims an enviable provenance,
having been acquired from the reclusive ab-
stractionist by his contemporary Krishen
Khanna, who sold it to the present, anonym-
ous owner in the 70s.
Rosalyn DMello is the author of
A Handbook For My Lover.
This years
India auction
features a

Stone) hes a pianist, shes a barista who
dreams of becoming an actress break into
song and dance after a stroll, we are re-
minded of You Were Meant For Me
(Singin In The Rain ) and Dancing in the
Dark (The Band Wagon ). In a later number,
when Mia rises in the air, untethered by
gravity, we recall Goldie Hawns levitation
along the banks of the Seine in Everyone
Says I Love You .
But the way Chazelle stages these num-
bers, we also think about technology. The
old Hollywood musicals used long takes to
showcase the stars dancing prowess, but the
camera was mostly stationary (i.e. fixed on a
tripod) and the scene was mostly static (i.e.
the dancers moved but their spatial relation
with the backdrop stayed the same). Todays
amazingly mobile cameras pack a lot more
into these long takes, so we dont just see
two people dancing continuously, without
an editors cut, but also zoom in and out of
their surroundings, which arent controlled
and contained studio backlots but the chaos
poppingly bright monochrome costumes of
the 50s Technicolor musical. On the other,
his scenes seethe with the psychological
realism of the post-Marlon Brando era. A
long close-up look at Mias audition (Stone
is spectacular here) is what an older musical
would have staged as a show-stopping num-
ber. Here, it is a scene. The emotions rise
through acting instead of singing, through
the tremulousness of speech rather than the
brassy belting out of song.
This mix is the most fascinating aspect of
La La Land , this fusion of the happy musical
(Singin In The Rain , The Band Wagon ), the
wistful musical (Funny Girl , Oliver! ), the
showbiz musical (Singin In the Rain , A
Chorus Line ), and the sad/ dark musical like
Chicago and A Star is Born (the title song
from the former and The Man that Got Away
from the latter are both reincarnated in a
marvellously confessional number sung by
Mia). And while one part of Chazelles film
genuflects before the rhythms of these older
films big narrative beats and equally big
Fred Astaire werent called on to essay many
dramatic roles, and Brando wasnt asked to
star in many musicals. The skill sets are
strong
different. Look at Brando perform Luck Be
a Lady Tonight in Guys and Dolls or Richard 70-lot
Burton in Camelot and you see an actor first,
a singer-dancer only later. Actors can sur-
prise us sometimes, the way Antonio
selection of
Banderas did in Evita , the way Catherine
Zeta-Jones did in Chicago but there arent classical
many who can straddle both worlds, both
kinds of acting. Gosling and Stone are dra-
matic actors thinking out a musical rather
Indian art, and
than performers instinctively grooving to
their inner beats. You sense a holding back, a modern and
some hesitation. And yes, that is part of the
point in La La Land , to show that the mu-
sical should not belong only to people who
contemporary
can sing like Liza Minnelli and dance like
Fred Astaire. I like the idea. Im not so sure art offering
about the film.
A 1975 Tyeb Mehta from his diagonal
Baradwaj Rangan is series, estimated between Rs. 10 crore and of 41 lots
The Hindus cinema critic. Rs. 15 crore. PHOTOS: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

CM ND-X
YK
sundaymagazine
literaryreview
fineprint
the
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
To commemorate the rich picture-book
legacy of Llama Llama series creator
Anna Dewdney, Penguin Young
Readers, Childrens Book Council, and Every
Child a Reader have partnered to establish a
prize in honour of the late author and
illustrator, who died of cancer in September
at the age of 50. The Anna Dewdney Read
Together Award will be given annually to a
picture book, published in the U.S. between
2011 and 2016. The award honours
Dewdneys life and work as a book creator
and literacy advocate, and
celebrates her
commitment to reading
with young children and
getting books into the
hands of as many
toddlers as possible.
Author Nikesh Shukla has been
named as one of Foreign Policy magazines
100 Global Thinkers for 2016 for his efforts at
tackling the unbearable whiteness of
publishing. Shukla has been named for
shaking up the inequitable scene of
publishing, which according to a 2015 report
by Spread the Word is seen by 97 per cent of
British literary agents as only a little diverse
or not diverse at all. This year, Shukla co-
founded the Jhalak Prize for writers of colour
and edited The Good Immigrant (Unbound), an
essay collection exploring what it means to
live as a minority in the U.K.,
which won the inaugural
BAMB readers award last
month. Shukla joins
names including Hillary
Clinton, Angela Merkel
and London mayor Sadiq
Khan on the list.
Matt
Canongate has revealed the title for
Haig and Chris Moulds third childrens
Christmas book: Father Christmas and Me .
The childrens book, illustrated by Mould, is
slated for publication on October 12, 2017. It
was first announced in October, when world
rights were acquired by publishing director
Francis Bickmore from Clare Conville at
Conville & Walsh. Rights have since been
sold in Canada to HarperCollins and in
France to Helium. Canongate has sold A Boy
Called Christmas in 22 territories and The
Girl Who Saved Christmas in 17, including to
HarperCollins in Canada and Knopf in the
U.S.. Andrea Joyce, rights
director at Canongate,
said, Matt Haigs
Christmas books are an
international
phenomenon. We are
beyond thrilled at how
brilliantly these books
are travelling.
Nicholas
Author and illustrator
Allan, whose books include Father
Christmas Needs a Wee and The Queens
Knickers (Red Fox), is donating his entire
archive to Seven Stories, the National Centre
for Childrens Books.
The donation includes final artwork for 21
titles and sketches and dummy books. Allan
also donated artwork from Hilltop Hospital,
an animated TV show, and 36 pieces of
finished artwork from Father
Christmas Needs a Wee .
Allans gift marks the
first time a living artist
has donated their entire
work through the Arts
Councils Cultural Gift
Scheme.
Crime writer Peter James
has
revealed he will publish two new books next
year a who-dunnit Roy Grace novel and a
new stand-alone novel, asking what would
happen if someone had absolute proof God
exists. Need You Dead, a new novel featuring
Brighton-based Detective Superintendent
Roy Grace, is scheduled for May 2017. It will
be the series 13th book and
its first who-dunnit,
described as a little bit
different in format to
others that have gone
before it. The series has
sold over 18m copies
worldwide, according to
Pan Macmillan.
The organisers of the
Prize for historical fiction have launched
an academy to help find future winners. The
academy will be made up of people at the
centre of literary life in the U.K. and in
Commonwealth countries, who will
recommend the authors to the prizes
longlist. The 25,000 Walter Scott Prize is
for any title set at least 60 years ago and
published in the U.K., Ireland or the
Commonwealth. The longlist for
next years award will be
announced in February
2017 and the shortlist
in March. The winner
will receive the prize at
the Borders Book
Festival in Melrose in
Scotland in June.
CM
YK
THE HINDU. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016
NOIDA/DELHI 04
FICTION
Drought as metaphor
Bara, with prophetic insight and astonishing vivacity, resonates in contemporary India
K. SATCHIDANANDAN appreciate its narrative ally trading in rice. Satisha hoarders and the SP, but they are soon di-
power and political gravity, wants the government to vided on communal lines as a rumour
here are some and to delve into its nu- declare the district spreads that a Muslim merchant had shot
writers who will be anced multi-layeredness. drought-affected; it has had people trying to enter his shop. Despite Sat-
remembered as The word bara means no rain for three months. ishas initial reluctance, he is forced to per-
great masters of the drought in Kannada, but its He gives orders to search mit the SP to fire at the angry crowd
word, while others metaphoric potential ex- the godown of Gangadhara advancing towards him, knowing he had
will be hailed as lit- tends far beyond, suggesting Swamy who is rumoured to supported Rudrappa who had won with the
erary personalities sterility, shortage and bar- have hoarded grain. Muslim votes from the area. The incident
and public intellec- renness, ideas the author At this point, Satisha leads to Rudrappas resignation. Satisha also
tuals whose impact loves to play with. In the meets Bhimoji, a lawyer resigns, and chooses to become a lecturer.
will be felt across generations and dis- short authors note, URA and a farmers association Only someone with an acute understand-
courses: language, culture, education, even reveals the factual core of leader who had fought the ing of the political situation in India could
politics. U.R. Ananthamurthy belongs to the the long tale: During the election against the Minis- have conceived a story like this. As the trans-
latter tribe. He was a rooted cosmopolitan Emergency, I happened to ter Rudrappa. Bhimoji tells lator notes in the afterword, Bara presents
who never forgot his roots even while travel-
ling the globe.
stay in the house of an IAS
officer. I was struck by the
Satisha that Swamy is
backed by Rudrappa and
an allegory of political modernity in India.
The gaps in a leftist ideology too rigid to
But Ananthamurthy was first a great house because it was built the Superintendent of Po- accommodate the heterogeneous reality of
storyteller. His six novels and eight collec- during the medieval times. lice (SP) and that all his India including the persistent caste system;
tions of short stories testify to his narrative It was circled by a fort. The progressive idealism is not the dangerous insularity of the Hindutva
skill and his conceptual strength. He knew bureaucrat was not like Bara; U. R. Ananthamurthy, trs going to work. Rudrappa ideology whose fascist tendencies are very
his milieu intimately its myths, legends, other bureaucrats. He had Chandan Gowda, Oxford University will not allow the district to much on display in contemporary India; the
customs and conventions and through some idealism. He was influ- Press, Rs. 253. be declared drought-af- opportunistic, monstrous cunning of politi-
that he could gauge society. He always iden- enced by the Communist ...... ........ ....... ........ ........ ........ ....... ........ ........ ....... . fected because that would cians who would exploit even the most tragic
tified himself with the gullible, the fallen, the Party of India (CPI) while he make Bhimoji, his political of human situations to gain political
outcaste. Ananthamurthy was neither a was a student at Jawaharlal Nehru Univer- rival, popular. Satisha is conscious of his mileage; the unholy alliance between politi-
blind traditionalist nor an unthinking mod- sity in New Delhi. He tries to implement privileged position that allows him to pity cians, criminals and the rich; the power of
ernist, and this distinguishes the Navya lit- progressive laws. He had made a survey of the starving people. It is his instinct for the Indian state that could turn against the
erary movement in Kannada that he the drought conditions and wanted to con- adventure and his wife Rekhas love of very people whose power it has appropriated
spearheaded with Gopalakrishna Adiga and vince the Chief Minister that he should de- beauty that had persuaded him to seek a all these play out in Bara with prophetic
others. They discovered the tools to critique clare the district drought-affected. The transfer to this district with its great history. insight and astonishing vivacity.
tradition within the tradition call it Chief Minister, who had an enemy in the Rekha, attracted to her husband by his sin- The idea of barrenness is all-pervading
counter-tradition if you will as Indian areas Member of the Legislative Assembly, cerity and sensitivity, supports his idealism. in the novel: even Satishas idealism ulti-
thinkers like Gandhi did. Ananthmurthys who was also a minister, wanted to postpone The local people admire the Commission- mately proves barren as he is overpowered
stories like Sooryana Kudure (Literally, the doing so. The officer was caught in a di- ers humanism although some of them by the irresistible, if invisible, forces at work
suns horse, a Kannada term for grasshop- lemma. Ananthamurthy not only adds a gradually begin to turn sceptical about in real society. Even his beautiful relation-
per) and Mouni and the short novel Bara wealth of imagined details and characters to whether his efficiency matches his honesty. ship with Rekha seems to lose its initial
(Drought) work at different levels. the core of this real context, he turns the real Bhimoji tells Satisha that he cannot be a warmth and his hidden elitism surfaces in
Bara was published in Kannada in into the metaphorical (just as he does in bureaucrat and a revolutionary at the same the critical context of confrontation with the
1976, made into a Kannada film in 1980 and a Samskara) to point to the demise of idealism time. And Bhimoji is proved true: Rudrappa people. Politics has lost its vision and direc-
Hindi film (Sookha) in 1983, directed by M.S.
Sathyu. Its first English translation was in-
and the political reality of India where any does not declare the district drought-af-
kind of idealism is met with stiff resistance fected, and he telephones Satisha to say
tion as it thrives on short-term gains and
becomes a devilish power-game. The novel
cluded in a collection of Ananthamurthys by the rich and the powerful. Swamy is innocent. The minister wants to best exemplifies Ananthamurthys concept
short fiction titled The Sky and the Cat pub- The novel opens with the protagonist, take advantage of the situation, inaugurate of artist as witness, of creator as doubter, of
lished the same year. This is the first time Satisha, the District Commissioner, being more gruel centres, and declare that Swamy thinker as interrogator.
that it has been published as a separate book, refused water by an old woman. He soon will donate land for the poor.
as the author had always wanted. This book, discovers that she does not have a drop of There are interesting episodes that are K. Satchidanandan is an eminent
with a thoughtful afterword by the trans- water in her hut and finds it odd that rather topical even today, like the argument about Malayalam poet, translator and
lator Chandan Gowda, who has done an ex- than saying she had no water she would beef-eating by Govindappa, and the Cow bilingual critic.
cellent job, and an insightful interview with refuse it to him. He then learns that she has Protection Group that cares more for
URA, also by Gowda, provides an opportun- herself refused food and water for three days starving cows than famished people. Mean-
ity to non-Kannada readers and critics to as her grandson has been arrested for illeg- while, people rise in revolt against the
EPISTOLARY FICTION
Write me a letter Run off the Sparks mill
Playwright Habib Tanvirs love affair with Jill, A well-padded Mills & Boonish offering you
an English girl many years his junior, as told through can read with no effort whatsoever
letters from her to their grandson SHEILA KUMAR parenting: the juggling of time, the schlep-
ping of the child to various extra-cur-
JAYANTHI MADHUKAR Tanvirs place in posterity. Tanvirs life in
India included a wife and a daughter born
T wo by Two is the 20th novel by best- ricular activities, the challenge of feeding
selling author Nicholas Sparks, and her daily if not exactly healthy meals,
thats no mean feat. As everyone on the the soothing of an occasional tantrum, the
I magine finding a bunch of old love letters the same year as Anna.
while cleaning your mothers cupboard. The book works on several levels. There
The serendipitous joy of reading gentle en- are interesting glimpses of life in the 50s, in
planet knows, Sparks made his name and constant entertaining involved, and the
fame with the romantic tearjerker The relentless routine.
Notebook , and followed that up with many It has to be said, the book bears more
dearments and promises on yellowing fra- Europe and India. References to subjects international bestsellers in the same than a passing resemblance to the 1979
gile paper would be what Anna Tanvir must and events like the release of a new stamp in
genre, playing to his strengths, as it were. Academy Award-winning film Kramer vs
have experienced as she read letters from Britain on the occasion of the World Scout Many of his books became movies, and Kramer starring Dustin Hoffman and
her father Habib Tanvir to her mother Jill Jubilee Jamboree, the quality of plays then
many of those huge box-office hits. Meryl Streep. Many of the films themes
MacDonald. The letters gave Anna an in- produced in India which Tanvir mostly So, what lies at the heart of the Nicholas find an echo here. A father in advertising, a
sight into the life of a father who was absent deemed impotent literature and an in-
Sparks phenomenon? That is an easy one mother who leaves her only child but re-
for most of her childhood and reiterated her teraction with a dashing young Ravi Shankar to parse. His books invariably have simple, turns, and even the plot point of an acci-
mothers life story. before he took the world by storm all these
romantic plots adequately spiced with just dent the child has for which the father is
The correspondence tells a one-sided will delight observant readers. enough drama, stock characters, and are held unfairly responsible.
story, since Jills letters to Tanvir did not As far as relationships go, a reader can
written in the most reader- The seminal film, however, re-
survive. It is nevertheless an extraordinary choose to be moved by Jills forgiveness and friendly style; more a well-pad- flected an important change in
tale a love story, set in the 50s, between a her understanding of the complex nature of
ded Mills & Boon offering than a the way both motherhood and
struggling Indian poet and a creative mind. She accepts a thought-provoking Richard fatherhood were viewed in the
playwright who travelled long absence of over two years Ford. Not that Sparks fans are 70s. Sparks has no such inten-
across Europe, and a young when Tanvir travels across complaining. tion and this book does not lead
English girl who gave her heart Europe to eke a living, accepts Two by Two faithfully checks the reader into any sort of intro-
to a man divided from her by
culture, geography and age.
his occasional letters, casual
references to a loveless rela-
many of these boxes. An earnest, spection. It is fashioned as an
caring, well-meaning hero: easy read.
The highly unlikely relation- tionship in Raipur, and his no- check. An unpleasant, selfish Occasionally though, Sparks
ship resulted in the birth of show for Annas birth. But wife: check. An almost perfect, does make some thought-pro-
Anna, remarkable by the fact what is surprising to note is syrupy-sweet child: check. A voking points. When Russell is
that Jill, then in her 20s, set Annas forgiveness and accept- warm and lovely ex-girlfriend: complaining about the juggling
aside the conventions of the ance of her absentee father check. A supportive family: Two by two; Nicholas that single-parenting entails,
time to have a child out of who once omitted to tell his check. And the mainstay of Sparks, Hachette India, Vivian says astutely: Its not like
wedlock. friends, whom she was meet- many a Sparks bestseller a Rs. 399. Im asking you to do something I
And now, thanks to Anna ing for dinner, that she was his bittersweet conclusion: check. .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . havent been doing for years.
and the rest of her family, a daughter. At that time, Anna
bibliophile
Oh, in case you were wonder- Again, at another point, Russell
book based on the old letters is was 16, the same age as Jill ing, the title refers to a story read by the ponders the wisdom of involving his
out for public consumption. A when she met Tanvir, and was hero Russell Green to his daughter about daughter in non-stop activity art, tennis,
Story for Mukti takes the form A Story for Mukti; Jill Mac on a visit to India to know her Noahs Ark and the animals arriving there dancing all of which he realises makes
of a long letter by Jill to her Donald, HarperCollins India, father. The gentle tone of the in pairs. him work for London instead of enjoying
oldest grandson Mukti, with Rs. 399. book suits the placid mood of The story revolves around Russell, time with her. He wonders whether its
whom she shares a close rela- . .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. .. ... .. ... the narrator. Never once does devoted husband to Vivian and loving peer pressure, a parents need for vicarious
tionship. For the 17-year-old it express indignation, bitter- father to London. Russell, who makes a living, or building a college resume that is
boy, used to emails and texts, it is a revela- ness or melancholy. living in advertising, decides to strike out responsible for this state of affairs.
tion of a stylish grandfather wearing a black The narration begins to drag in the middle on his own, triggering off a chain of events. For the most part though, the story pro-
beret like a Frenchmen whom he met at the of the book, but in Jills defence, her life
Walter Scott Heathrow airport in 2007. He remembers moved at a gentle pace, from one letter to the
Soon after, Vivian returns to the workforce ceeds on its predictable path. The plot-
after having been a stay-at-home mom, points are trite, banal and can be spotted a
happily pushing his grandfathers wheel- other.
chair around the airport and the twinge of A Story for Mukti is a story of unfettered
starts an affair with her boss, and promptly mile off. Its no spoiler to reveal that this
becomes an absentee mother. Russell has weak people pleaser of a hero will come
disappointment that the first thing Tanvir love in the truest sense love that doesnt to become primary parent and caregiver to into his own in the end. Or even that he
saidto him after eight years was about not expect anything in return. Still, it is a pity his five-year-old daughter. In the process, will conveniently and swiftly get over the
having smoked for ten hours on the flight. that very little is written of the time Tanvir he learns to handle all the challenges life split from his wife and start afresh with
Tanvir was a public figure. Even after and Jill spent together. The passion and (or Sparks) throws at him, like single par- Emily.
his death in 2009, he remains firmly en- agony that Jill must have surely felt are not enting, setting up a new company and Throughout the book, Sparks delivers
trenched as one of Indias finest playwrights expressed strongly enough. It could be be- dealing with an impending divorce. In all homilies at regular intervals. Happiness
in Urdu and Hindi. He was also a poet, actor cause she was narrating the story to her this, Russell is not entirely alone; Marge, isnt something someone can deliver. It
and the founder of Naya Theatre (1959), a grandson. It could also be because she had his older sister, may make many a droll comes from within, is one such. Another
pioneering troupe created with Chattisgarhi moved on by the time she actually narrated comment at his expense but definitely has gem goes thusly: Remember that family,
folk artistes that is still running in Bhopal. In the story. But she never regrets her love for his back. Liz, Marges partner, is also a unlike most of the people you might meet
his lifetime, Tanvir won the Padma Shri, was him, and as she writes: So much of Habib was well-balanced, sensible friend to Russell. in life, will always be around. This is stuff
nominated as a Rajya Sabha member, and lost to me, but through him, so much gained . And finally there is Emily, the ex-girl- Karan Johar could use as tag lines.
left behind a rich legacy of work, notably the friend, cast here as Earth Mother and
iconic play Charandas Chor . The play, con- Jayanthi Madhukar is a freelance writer artist rolled into one. Sheila Kumar is an independent writer,
structed around contradictions and com- who believes that everything has a story The book gets interesting when it deals manuscript editor and author
plex existential paradoxes, indelibly marked waiting to be told. with the various pushes and pulls of single based in Bengaluru.
ND-X
sundaymagazine
literaryreview
IN CONVERSATION
NAMRATA JOSHI
enowned filmmaker
Adoor Gopalakrish-
nan is best known
for his cinema of
minimalism and
austerity but one
that is also replete
with an overarching
political perspective
and grounded in recent history. Women
have held a key place in his films. He talks
here about how that has happened. Excerpts
from an email interview :
Be it Swayamvaram back in 1972 or Pinneyum
recently, women have held a key place in your
films. How would you look back at the portrayal of
women in your enviable body of work?
In hindsight I realise that women simply
take over the key positions in my films. This
happens naturally, not by force. Swayam-
varam starts off as the story of a couple who
decide to get away to an unfamiliar town and
start life together far from their families. In
the face of stark unemployment, they en-
counter some harsh realities. Eventually,
the man dies and the woman is left alone.
She takes on the pivotal role, with a child to
bring up and an uncertain future. I was
really worried about her. That is why I kept
her vacant look in a freeze at the end of the
film.
Who are the women in your life personally, or in
the public sphere, who have been the inspiration
for your characters/ stories?
My mother has been a great influence. My
parents relationship was quite strained
when we were young. Eventually, my par-
ents chose to live separately, my mother in
our family house and father in his places of
work. It was like our father had abandoned
us. My mother was left to fend for herself.
Though she belonged to a well-to-do family
and managed things on her own, it was not
an easy task to look after four of us, giving
education and care. My mother was not the
complaining type. She was very gentle but
had a strong will. In the midst of crises (we
had very many) she kept her calm and we
children used to wonder how she could be so
bold and determined.
With father absent most of the time, we
enjoyed extra freedom at home. But none of
us ever misused her trust. She had a very
refined taste in classical music and theatre
forms like Kathakali and literature. She ap-
pears in the form of two characters in Kath-
apurushan as the sickly mother of
Kunjunni, the protagonist, and as his strong
and regal grandmother.
Is there any actress you have kept going back to wall. For someone who has had no contact any. So, I focussed on his short stories, al-
in your films?
One actress who has appeared most in my to relish a feminine voice. He is being taken and titled the project Four Women . These
films is Lalita. She is a great actor. Of course to a cell close to the womens ward, he is told. four stories were unrelated in period, char-
there are others like Sarada (in Swayam- The exchange of dialogue between the two is acters or status in society. The first was
varam and Elippathayam ). Kavya Madhavan filled with desire and longing. It is an ex- about a sex worker in the pre-Independence
is another great artiste, much younger than change of raw feelings from man to woman, days. The second was about an independent
these two. I was very impressed by her ded- woman to man. A love relationship is estab- farmhand who supports the family on her
ication and sincerity in bringing a difficult lished and they plan to meet in the dispens- daily wages. The third was a childless house-
INTERVIEW
Cinema affects you subliminally
Trying to decipher Girish Kasaravallis process of filmmaking
is as difficult today as it has always been
ARCHANA NATHAN
ver the years, the copious analytical pieces
O on his films, the detailed interviews, and the
many retrospectives would have one think
that Girish Kasaravallis process as an artist
is more accessible today.
But when you talk to Kasaravalli, who will
be at The Hindu Lit for Life 2017, you realise
that you cannot be so sure of this hypothesis
after all. Kasaravalli often leaves you per-
plexed. Depending on how he is disposed on
a given day, he can swing from expressing
disdain for intellectualising his every move
to assigning deeply complex explanations to
those moves. Kasaravalli can be both re-
served and articulate ; shy and forthright in
equal measure. Excerpts from a conversation:
All your films have been based on published
works. How do you choose a text?
Though my films are based on published
works, I make a lot of changes. Actually... if I
explain the process, youll realise a lot of it is
coincidental. I would have read a story at
some point but it may or may not have
caught my fancy then. Over a period of time,
that story grows in my mind. At some point,
perhaps much later, if I feel that a particular
story has some relevance to a contemporary
or social situation, I revisit it.
Why do you choose a published work always?
Because I cannot write. That said, I devi-
ate a lot from the texts I choose. A lot of
people have asked me why I acknowledged
Vaidehis text as a contribution in Gulabi
Talkies ; that the film had little to do with her
text. But for me the film is an off-shoot, a
response to the text. And this is true of Thayi
Saheba, Dweepa, Kraurya, Koormavatara .
The good thing about Kannada literature
and littrateurs is that nobody has faulted
me for deviating from the text. Barring
Ghatashraddha , all my films bear no resemb-
lance to the original work.
You do obviously do your own writing then...
(Laughs) I would say I respond to a text.
This is a different kind of filmmaking
wherein my audience responds to my re-
sponse to a text.
CM
YK
THE HINDU. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016
Women
take over
Delve into myriad
forms of writing at
The Hindu Lit for Life,
the sharpest literature
my ilms
festival in India.
Three days of readings,
panel discussions, lectures
and more. Interact with
some of the most brilliant minds
from across the globe.
Dates:
January 14, 15 & 16, 2017
Venue:
Adoor Sir Mutha Concert Hall, Chennai
For more, go to
Gopalakrishnan www.facebook.com/
on his mothers TheHinduLitForLife/
Register at
powerful www.thehindulfl.com/
influence on
him and how wife from a lower-middle-class family, and
the fourth was an educated, unmarried girl
the female from a well-to-do family. Together, these
independent stories, when seen together,
roles in communicate the idea of a slow but steady
rise of awareness and assertion in the wo-
his films men. I do not think it is a feminist film. Such
categorisations are problematic, I believe.
shaped up And I cannot choose a favourite from them.
They are all dear to me. I enjoyed making
PHOTO: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM each film and invested my best in them.
role to life with her impeccable performance ary. But before the rendezvous takes place, Any characters and actresses from other
in Pinneyum . Aranmula Ponnamma, who Basheer is released. He doesnt want to leave cinema who you think have been significant in
acted as the grandmother in Kathapur- but cannot stay back. The challenge was to giving voice to womens concerns?
ushan, is the oldest among my favourites. find a voice that was expressive, enchanting, I think Jabbar Patels Umbartha does.
loving and coquettish. It took months of And Smita Patil in the protagonists role in
A lot of your films hinge on the man-woman voice tests before I settled on Lalita. Many Umbartha . Satyajit Rays Aparajita is a great
relationship. In Mathilukal, the womans voice is people have appreciated the sensuous im- example and the role is played by Karuna
the character and the driving force for the man... pact of those long dialogues between two Banerjee. Yet another is A Climate for Crime
Mathilukal is based on a short story by the people separated by a high wall. (Oru Pennum Randaanum ). The role is
celebrated author Vaikom Muhammad played by Praveena.
Basheer. The story is marvellous in its in- Would you call Naalu Pennungal your most
ventiveness, humour and humanity. It was gender-oriented/ feminist work so far? Or would Do you think mainstream cinema is evolving
quite a challenging subject to handle. It is you resist the label? Which is your own personal towards breaking the stereotypes surrounding wo-
centred around Basheer, who had been favourite woman and film from your body of work? men in films or is it still stuck in a warp?
jailed for treason. Having already spent I was to make a film based on Gyanpeeth I think there are welcome departures in
years in lock-ups, his promotion to the cent- Awardee Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillais commercial cinema, but they are few and far
ral jail was in some way a relief as he can get work. I went about it earnestly, going between.
the treatment of a regular prisoner. While through his large body of work at one
being led to his cell, he hears the muffled stretch. Practically all his novels had been Are women filmmakers better equipped to deal
laughter of a woman from across the huge made into films and I did not want to remake with womens issues? or can men deal with them
just as well? Do these gender divides have any
with women for long, it is a pleasant surprise most 400 of them. I chose four I liked best point?
Gender divides hardly matter in cinema.
What is needed is a certain degree of sensit-
ivity and faith in the equality of the sexes.
namrata.joshi@thehindu.co.in
thought it gave me an opportunity to study
the kind of images he creates and the politics
that comes across through them. I was not
interested in his career graph or his personal
life. Im deeply fond of his filmmaking style,
which is minimalist and which is the oppos-
ite of my style. I make films that pack in a lot
of details whereas Adoor goes on deleting
things to arrive at a core.
What also binds you both is a larger preoccupa-
tion with social issues...
Films, or for that matter any art, affects
one at a very subliminal level and never
directly. When you read a novel, it often
offers a perspective that is different from
books & beyond
yours and one which draws you to it. Beyond
this, I dont think a film directly leads you to
the street. Emotional speeches and good
orators ensure you get carried away, which is
quite dangerous. You are subscribing to
someone elses perspective a sure sign of a
fascist endeavour. I would like to make films
that ensure that the viewers critical sensib-
ilities are intact. I want to tell my audience
this is what I think; do you think so too?
Was it better to make films in the 70s and 80s
than it is now?
It was always swimming against the tide.
Even now.
Girish Kasaravalli PHOTO: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH
Have you looked back at your own career and
What are the motivations for the changes you The aspect of rebellion features in more ways assessed it?
make? Why does Lily bai become Gulabi for than one in your other films as well... I feel I have been experimenting a lot with
instance? I guess. Barring Ghatashraddha , many of my form and narration. But people say Im
It is difficult to pinpoint. When one starts the female characters in my films have a repeating myself. I dont agree. My commit-
writing a script, one works on it for months similar transformation towards the end of ment remains the same but the expression
together. At different points, a number of the narrative. It is not a formula but a keeps changing. In terms of ideology, my
elements get added or eliminated. The com- gradual development. Narmada Thayi, des- focus has always been on examining the rela-
pulsions to do so are plenty. It is difficult to pite not understanding any of the political tionship between man and the establish-
say why Lily Bai became Gulabi or theatre manoeuvres of her husband, responds to ment, whether it is society or government
became television in Gulabi Talkies . situations from her heart. Interestingly, about how the moment it becomes institu-
whatever Appasaheb believes in, he is not tionalised, it loses all focus and becomes
The strong women characters in your films, able to bring it into action, but Narmada oppressive.
especially in the later films, have been discussed Thayi does so without realising any of the
widely. Was this a conscious decision? political implications. Did this commitment take birth in FTII?
I dont think my films focus on women No. A lot of my understanding of life
issues or that women are the central focus of So a gendered reading of your films is not around me and my approach to art has been
my films. That the narrative sometimes entirely unjustified then? greatly influenced by Kannada literature, es-
centres on a woman is coincidental accord- If I say I didnt have the idea at all, Id be pecially the works of Shivaram Karanth and
ing to me. When I chose Naayi Neralu , I lying. But if I say I was aware of the idea, U.R. Ananthamurthy. FTII made me realise
wanted to explore how the marginalised sec- then too I would be lying. These things de- the importance of cinema. Ive said this be-
tions of society view aspects of ritual and velop organically. Will you ask Bresson why fore: if Im ever asked to relive any part of my
superstition. Often, the way a community or he makes films that centre on men? life, it would be my FTII days. It was an art
a person reacts to a ritual is itself a kind of school that was a springboard for ideas;
protest, where rebelling against a dominant What drew you to Adoors films? He was clear where it was not just the craft that was the
mode of thought and using it to ones ad- that if a biopic was to be made, it had to be made by focus but the philosophy and aesthetics of
vantage becomes a kind of a rebellion. Ven- you... filmmaking.
katalakshmi does that and it appealed to me. Adoor knew that I liked his films a lot.
When he said I should make his biopic, I archana.n@thehindu.co.in
NOIDA/DELHI 05
Thirty Years of
SAARC - Society,
Culture and
Development; Rajiv
Kumar & Omita
Goyal, Sage,
Rs. 695.
. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .
This well-researched collection provides a
comprehensive assessment of SAARC. The
book points out the issues and constraints that
have hindered regional cooperation in South
Asia. It establishes that despite being demo-
cracies, there has been little effort by member
nations to promote regional cooperation in the
public domain.
These Circuses That
Sweep Through the
Landscape; Tejaswini
Apte-Rahm, Aleph,
Rs. 299.
. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .
A fanatical collector of beetles finds out too
late where his passion has led him. A woman
out on a shopping spree in a glitzy mall finds
she cant go home again. A servant girl experi-
ences cruel loss of innocence when she eats
something that wasnt meant for her. This
book is a debut collection of such stories.
The Lobbyists -
Untold Story of Oil,
Gas and Energy
Sector; Rajeev
Jayaswal,
Bloomsbury, Rs.
499.
. .. . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . .. . ..
Was Indias energy security a victim of import
lobbyists? What happened between 2004 and
2014 that killed the sector, and made us more
dependable consumer for global oil produ-
cers? This book revisits a series of events that
took place in those ten years to find an answer.
Love in Chakiwara
and Other
Misadventures;
Muhammad Khalid
Akhtar, trs Bilal
Tanweer, Picador
India, Rs. 499.
.. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . ..
Chakiwara, a small Karachi neighbourhood, is
unspectacular to all appearances. But inside its
shops and at the street corners, there is curi-
ous business afoot. Chronicling the drama that
unfolds daily, is Iqbal Hussain Changezi, bakery
owner.
The Four Legendary
Kingdoms; Matthew
Reilly, hachette,
Rs. 499.
.. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . .. .
Jack West Jr is back. The last thing he remem-
bers is arriving for a meeting at a top-secret
military base with his family in tow. He now
awakens to find himself in a hellish scenario.
Jack has been selected to take part in the
Games, a series of deadly challenges designed
to fulfil an ancient ritual.
Cinema and Society
- Film and Social
Change in Pakistan;
Ali Khan & Ali
Nobil Ahmad;
Oxford University
Press, Rs. 4,500.
. .. . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. .
The book presents a selection of research, es-
says, memoirs and journalistic writings related
to film and cinephilia in Pakistan. Much of the
content is historically significant and includes
annotated abridgements of rare and out-of-
print publications on the film industrys early
years in Lahore, Karachi and Dhaka.
ND-X
sundaymagazine THE HINDU. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016
NOIDA/DELHI 06
MAGIC LANTERNS

Love, light and inspiration The Sunday Crossword

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

He makes and 8

repairs chandeliers. 9 10

Meet Regis Mathieu, 11

craftsman of 12

extravagant
illumination 13 14 15 16

ELIZABETH MATHEW
17 18 19
ost outsiders are en-
amoured by Paris,
but Regis Mathieu
20 21 22
cannot spend more
than a few days here.
The man heading
French chandelier 23 24
brand Mathieu
Lustrerie is itching
to go home by Day 3, he says, as we wait at
Gare de Lyon for the train to Avignon. I, on 25 26

the other hand, am still taking in the citys

beauty, clichd as it may sound. But when we
alight at Avignon after three hours, I am Regis Mathieu PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Across 6 Beginning in sound way (5)

the good life

greeted by azure skies and fresh air, some-
thing I hadnt realised I had missed in cold,
grey Paris.
Avignon is a lovely place, says Mathieu,
pointing towards the horizon. Theres the
Palace of the Popes, and lavender fields but,
we must go now. And as abruptly as that
were packed into cars for another hours ride
further south. Were headed to the little-
known town of Gargas, once home to a thriv-
ing ochre industry, with a few quarries still
operating today. The ochre mineral mines of
Broux, in Gargas, have been turned into a
little monument that offers guided tours and
trivia of the history of mining in the region
and thats the only activity youll find here.
But Mathieu, who calls Gargas home, is hop-
ing to change that. He hopes to put his home
on the map by bringing his collection of an-
tique chandeliers into the public eye with
Mathieu Museum.
Just across the road from his old home,
where his atelier is built into the annexe, is
the building Regis calls his museum. The
walls are stained ochre, a tribute to his ho-
metown. It is sunset when we walk in, and
Regis and his wife switch on the lights. Across
a large wood-panelled wall run glass win-
dows, and from here the rest of Gargas is
visible red-roofed houses and green hil-
locks. And then there is light. First, a stiff,
dress-shaped chandelier, the LM Robe, made
of crushed quartz lights up, behind it is a
traditional Russian chandelier, pyramid-
shaped with delicately worked, upright brass
candle-holders. Next to it is an unusual chan-
delier made of crystals and shaped like a ship,
sourced from, of all places, Chor Bazaar in
Mumbai. I saw this one in Chor Bazaar and
the person refused to sell it to me. But me,
when I see something, I want it! I went back
three times before he sold it to me, Mathieu
says. He has many stories like these, for each
of the 250 pieces on display at the museum.
The family business was started in 1948
by Henri Mathieu to restore and design chan-
deliers. After his untimely death, Regis Math-
ieus mother ran the company while he
finished business school. Having never form-
ally studied design or architecture, Mathieu
is mostly self-taught, and he believes that
thanks to business school, he managed to
revive a flagging company. Today, Mathieu
Lustrerie has some of the biggest names on its
client list. From the chandeliers at the famed
Galerie de Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) at the
Chteau de Versailles, to the Opera Garnier
in Paris, to the Laxmi Vilas Palace in Baroda,
the chandeliers sparkling in all these beauti-
ful places owe their glow to Mathieu
Lustrerie. But its not just restoration and
replication that Mathieu wants to do after
growing up with historic chandeliers, he
quite naturally took to designing his own, and
thats where all his creativity is channelled.
If traditional and antique chandeliers were
all about symmetry and shine, Mathieus
later works are all about subverting that light
into unusual creations. Like the Jellyfish,
where bronze is worked to look like exotic sea
creatures and semi-precious stones diffuse
the light, or the obviously titled Cube, where
thousands of little pieces of hewn rock crystal
are put together to create a five foot tall cubic
chandelier that hangs from the ceiling. In-
spiration for his original creations are varied
and far removed from the traditional antique
ones. While antiques are made with bronze,
metal and crystal things that would amplify
the shine and make it brighter Regis now
works with rock crystals, metal, and electric
candles for a subtle, subdued effect. Accord-
ing to him, chandeliers used to be a symbol of
wealth, a way to show off that you could
afford to spend precious wax on extravagant
lighting, which is why they were always
placed in front of mirrors, to double the light,
and in front of a window, so that others could
see. Today, while it may not be needed for
light, chandeliers are still an extravagance, a
piece of jewellery for your home. While his
restored chandeliers lie in hallowed places,
his modern creations have suitably modern
meccas to call home the Cartier boutique
on Champs Elyse, the Herms store in New
York, the Shangri-La in Paris, Tarun
Tahilianis store in Delhi, and many more.
One of Mathieus most popular creations is
Love, where the four letters are spelled out
with 118 electric candles set in a silver-plated
bronze frame. If youve ever wondered what
to gift someone who has it all, one of these
fantastically extravagant chandeliers could
be the answer.
elizabeth.mathew@thehindu.co.in
1 Good article following treatment of 7 Disc covered by crest designed to be
blue whale (6) symbol of sovereignty (7)
4 Ratings for hosts (6) 8 Surface in time and supply account (6)
9 Irregular amendment of moral ban (8) 11 Rodent, hot and bothered rat, moves
with purpose (7,5)
10 Tip by university relating to experience (6)
14 Dog dry enough after a shake (9)
12 Guy in memo creating unusually
close control (15) 16 Soldier perhaps on boat occupied by journal
13 Stick fish next to chips initially (5) with collection of poems (9)
15 Handle contest, entertaining one with 17 Ran away after great upset, confused (7)
type of diagram (5,4) 19 Carry on with venture without pawn (6)
17 Unconvincing in praise? Not guilty (9) 21 Absolute state (5)
22 Broach reforms, ignoring cold hate (5)
18 Check odd elements of diet theory (5)
20 Park in New York, driving with difficulty
in street (8,7)
23 Settled problem about dye (6) LAST WEEKS SOLUTION
24 Increase in sentimentality, resistance
turning low (8)
25 Ridicule some wilder ideas (6)
26 Reveal stake and beam (6)
Down
1 Porcelain, once cracked, ending in rubbish in
bin area (4,5)
2 Slow learner on legendary ship (5)
3 Writer in terrible rage about meat,
unseasoned (6,6)
5 Criticised trick with tips for magician
in action (9)
Guardian News and Media Ltd., 2015

CM ND-X
YK