“What people are looking for is someone to explain life to them. But there is no explanation and nothing to explain.” Marty Rubin 03 EXPLAINER 1 NEXT WITH BEAR GRYLLS IS... 2 3 Nearly 2 million people have signed an online petition to use Kobe Bryant's image as the new logo for the National Basketball Association following the death of the Los Angeles Lakers great on Sunday. Bryant, one of NBA's all-time greatest players, and his 13- year-old daughter were among the nine people who died last week when the helicopter carrying them crashed into a hillside outside the town of Calabasas, California. BRYANT, THE LEGEND Kobe Bryant, who made the leap directly from high school to a glittering 20-year ca- reer with the Los Angeles Lakers that estab- lished him as one of basketball's all-time greats, was among nine people killed in a helicopter crash north of Los Angeles. Bryant was 41. ❚ The son of former NBA player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, Kobe was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets on behalf of the Lakers and did not try to hide his ambition to sur- pass the accomplishments of the legendary Michael Jor- dan. Charlotte had agreed going into the draft to trade Bryant's draft rights to Los Angeles in exchange for veter- an center Vlade Divac. ❚ During the next 20 seasons, Kobe earned 18 All-Star selections, MVP award in 2008 and two NBA Finals awards to go with his five championship rings. Kobe will be remembered most for inspir- ing people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability. He was generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as his mission to share it with future generations of players, taking delight in passing down his love of the game to Gianna, who also died in the crash. Kobe won five NBA championships for the Lakers and amassed a number of accolades. He was NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2007-08, a 15-time All-NBA selection, 18-time All-Star and 12-time All-Defensive team member. He was twice named MVP of the NBA Finals and was the All-Star Game MVP four times. Kobe is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and three daughters. Kobe played in 1,346 career games and retired as the third-leading scorer in NBA history with 33,643 points. Kobe had been a vocal booster of women's sports since his retirement, coaching and mentoring basketball players around the world while also backing women's soccer and other endeavours. PETITION TO MAKE KOBE BRYANT THE NEW NBA LOGO GETS 2 MN VOTES 1 The festival that colours everything in hues of yel- low, Basant Panchami, was marked last week across the coun- try. On the festival, which is cele- brated every year on the fifth day of the bright half of the ‘Magha’ lunar month, people flock to mar- quees and temples, dressed in yel- low attire, offering prayers to the Goddess of knowledge, art and music, Saraswati. 2 Besides marking the onset of the Spring season, the occasion also highlights how people from different communities have co-evolved through the course of time. 3 While Basant Panchami is a Hindu festival, celebrated by offering special prayers to Goddess Saraswati, it is also known to hold eminence in some Muslim shrines of New Delhi. 4 Renowned historian Rana Safvi, who is known for her popular blog, 'Hazrat e Dilli' says Sufi Basant is celebrated in five major dargahs of Delhi since the 18th century. “We have accounts from the 18th century that say Basant was celebrated in New Delhi, all the way from Paharganj's Dargah Qadam Sharif to Mehrauli's Dargah Hazrat Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki RA”. 5 Celebration of the festival in one of the greatest Sufi shrines — Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah — revolves around a tale, the histori- an said. According to her, Delhi's Chishti Saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, after the death of his young nephew, Taqiuddin Nooh, was stricken by grief. "He was very upset and was grieving him for a long time. He wasn't smiling or doing anything,” said Safvi. One day, the saint's disciple Amir Khusrow saw some women wearing yellow clothes, carrying mustard flowers, walking and singing. He asked them where they were going; they said they were going to offer flowers on Basant Panchami to the God and after that, he also got dressed in a yellow saree and carried the mustard flowers and went to Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia which brought a smile to the Saint's face," said Safvi. 6 Qawwals in yellow outfits carry mustard, flowers and offer yellow chaadar at the shrine. Another interesting detail that Safvi shared is that the Basant festival is the only time of the year when singing is allowed inside the shrine which is otherwise done outside in the courtyard. Dear Basketball, From the moment I started rolling my dad's tube socks And shooting imaginary Game-winning shots In the Great Western Forum I knew one thing was real: I fell in love with you. A love so deep I gave you my all – From my mind & body To my spirit & soul. As a six-year-old boy Deeply in love with you I never saw the end of the tunnel. I only saw myself Running out of one. And so I ran. I ran up and down every court After every loose ball for you. You asked for my hustle I gave you my heart Because it came with so much more. I played through the sweat and hurt Not because chal- lenge called me But because YOU called me. I did everything for YOU Because that's what you do When someone makes you feel as Alive as you've made me feel. You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream And I'll always love you for it. But I can't love you obses- sively for much longer. This season is all I have left to give. My heart can take the pounding My mind can handle the grind But my body knows it's time to say goodbye. And that's OK. I'm ready to let you go. I want you to know now So we both can savor every moment we have left together. The good and the bad. We have given each other All that we have. And we both know, no mat- ter what I do next I'll always be that kid With the rolled up socks Garbage can in the corner :05 seconds on the clock Ball in my hands. 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 Love you always, Kobe S uperstar RAJINIKANTH RE- CENTLY SHOT WITH BEAR GRYLLS for an episode of the new television show ‘Into The Wild’. Sharing a photo of himself and Rajinikanth, host Grylls wrote on Twitter, “After our episode with Prime Minister @NarendraModi of India helped create a bit of TV history, (3.6 billion impressions), superstar @Rajinikanth joins me next, as he makes his TV debut on our new show #IntoTheWildWith- BearGrylls on @DiscoveryIN. #ThalaivaOnDiscovery" Discovery Channel also shared the tweet with the caption, “Con- tinuing our tradition to host Icon- ic Indians, after @NarendraModi, we are delighted that @Ra- jinikanth, debuts on TV, joining @BearGrylls for #IntoTheWild- WithBearGrylls and spread the message of water conservation. #ThalaivaOnDiscovery.” THE EPISODE The episode, featuring Rajinikanth, will focus on water conservation. Talking about the need to conserve water, Thalaivar said, "Every Indian will need to come forward and contribute in con- serving water. This war has to be led at all levels including government, com- munity as well as on the individual front. I believe this show on Discovery is a perfect platform to take the message of conserving water to every home across the country." Into The Wild with Bear Grylls is a new format which is inspired by Grylls' popular show Man Vs Wild. BEAR GRYLLS He is a British former SAS serviceman, survival instructor, and honorary lieutenant-colonel, and, outside his military career, an adventurer, writer, TV presenter and businessman. He is widely known for his TV series Man vs. Wild (2006- 2011), originally titled Born Survivor: 1 On May 16, 1998, Grylls achieved his childhood dream of climbing to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal. At 23, he was at that time among the youngest people to have achieved this feat. 2 In 2000, Grylls led the team to circumnavi- gate the British Isles on jet skis, taking about 30 days, to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). 3 In 2007, Grylls embarked on a record-setting Parajet paramotor in Himalayas near Mount Everest. 4 In 2008, Grylls led a team of four to climb one of the most remote unclimbed peaks in the world in Antarctica. NAMES, PLACES & TERMS You know the news, but did some terms puzzle you? On this page, we explain the terms used in news or by our newsmakers. Figure out why the names, places and terms became the actual newsmakers this week. RIP KOBE... HOW BASANT PANCHAMI BRINGS TOGETHER CULTURES A POEM WRITTEN BY KOBE WHEN HE RETIRED IN 2016