Focus shifts to relief as waters recede in Kerala

monday, august 20, 2018 Delhi

City Edition

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After fi��ve days of extremelyheavy rain and fl��oods thatravaged several parts of Kerala, Sunday brought respitefollowing a gradual decreasein rainfall and receding water levels in the fl��oodaff��ected areas, particularly Chengannur and Chalakudy.

With 13 persons killed inrainrelated incidents onSunday, the toll since August8 stood at 210.

Five killed in fl��ash fl��oodsFive persons were reporteddead in fl��ash fl��oods in southwestern Thrissur when Karivannur river, which servicesChemmeni Dam and Manaliriver, breached a temporaryembankment. Around 42 villages in and around the paddy fi��elds were inundated.

Two bodies were recovered near St. Xavier’sChurch, Kuthiathodu, near

north Paravoor, where a portion of a wall around a reliefcamp collapsed on Thursday, reportedly trapping sixpersons. Local MLA V. D.Satheesan said fi��ve personswere still missing.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who said rescue operations were in the fi��nalround, said priority wouldnow be given to providingsafe drinking water and restoring electricity and water

supply. A total of 7,24,649displaced persons have beenhoused in 5,645 reliefcamps, he told reporters.

Focus shifts to relief aswaters recede in KeralaDeath toll rises to 210; over seven lakh people take shelter in relief camps

Special Correspondent

Thiruvananthapuram

Under water: Chengannur in Alappuzha district of Kerala on Sunday. * S. GOPAKUMAR

HELP FROM THE SKIES A PAGE 7

3,500 RESCUED A PAGE 5

REPORTS ON PAGE 15

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh onSunday said it was “wrong”on the part of Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu to hugPakistan Army chief QamarJaved Bajwa during theswearingin ceremony ofPrime Minister Imran Khan.

“Mr. Sidhu had gone to attend the swearingin in hispersonal capacity. It has

nothing to do with us. Butwhat I think was wrong isthat given the fact that everyday our soldiers are gettingmartyred on the borders...to hug their [Pakistan] Armychief General Bajwa is something I do not favour,”Capt. Singh told journalistshere.

Capt. Singh dismissed thedemand of the Oppositionparties for Mr. Sidhu’s resignation from the Cabinet, say

ing “they can demand whatever they want, that’s not anissue.”

“Mr. Sidhu should haveavoided indulging in such agesture when Indian soldiersare getting killed every dayon the borders. After all, it isthe Army chief who gives theorders to kill, with the soldiers merely following thesame,” he said.

Wrong of Sidhu to hug Pak. Army chief, says Amarinder Questions gesture when soldiers are dying every day

VIKAS VASUDEVA

CHANDIGARH

Wrong place? Prime Minister Imran Khan with members of the1992 world cup team and Navjot Singh Sidhu. * AFPCONTINUED ON A PAGE 10

CMYK

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Printed at . Chennai . Coimbatore . Bengaluru . Hyderabad . Madurai . Noida . Visakhapatnam . Thiruvananthapuram . Kochi . Vijayawada . Mangaluru . Tiruchirapalli . Kolkata . Hubballi . Mohali . Malappuram . Mumbai . Tirupati . lucknow . cuttack . patna

A key aide of Dawood Ibrahim, India’s most wantedterrorist, was arrested bythe British police at London’s Hilton Hotel on Friday. Jabir Siddiq, aka JabirMoti, is believed to be therighthand man of Dawood,managing his investmentsin the U.K., the UAE andaround the world.

The Pakistani national is

suspected to have been heldon drugsrelated charges.

Finance manager“We are unable to releaseany details now,” a spokesperson for London’s Metropolitan Police said.

Jabir Moti, 51, is believedto be close to Dawood andhis wife Mehjabeen as theirfi��nance manager.

Dawood’s key aideheld in London Press Trust of India

London

CONTINUED ON A PAGE 10

Attacks via social mediastill on, says UmarNEW DELHI

Student activist Umar Khalid

took to Twitter on Sunday to

express how attacks on him

via social media are still on

and that the police were yet

to provide security a week

after he was attacked here.

DELHI METRO A PAGE 1

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NEARBY

Students thrashed forobjecting to lewd remarksNEW DELHI

Three students were

allegedly thrashed after they

objected to indecent remarks

made by four men that were

directed at Delhi University

president of the All India

Students’ Association

Kawalpreet Kaur in north

west Delhi’s Vijay Nagar in

the small hours of Sunday.


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IITs need to hire foreignfaculty: IIT-D directorNEW DELHI

The Indian Institutes of

Technology need to hire

regular foreign faculty to

break into top global

rankings, said IIT Delhi

Director V. Ramgopal Rao in

an interview with The Hindu.

He also underlined the need

for the brightest minds to

pursue research rather than

land a fi��nance job.


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https://t.me/Material_For_Exam https://t.me/TheHindu_Zone_official

CMYK

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THE HINDU NOIDA/DELHI

MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2018 3EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Published by N. Ravi at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 and Printed by S. Ramanujam at HT M

Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08 ● RNI No. TNENG/2012/49940 ● ISSN 0971 - 751X ● Vol. 8 ● No. 198

DELHI Timings

Monday, Aug. 20

RISE 05:53 SET 18:56

RISE 14:31 SET 00:37

Tuesday, Aug. 21

RISE 05:54 SET 18:55

RISE 15:23 SET 01:21

Wednesday, Aug. 22

RISE 05:54 SET 18:54

RISE 16:11 SET 02:07

An FIR was registeredagainst Bihar’s former SocialWelfare Minister Manju Verma and her husband underthe Arms Act following recovery of 50 cartridges fromher inlaw’s house during aCBI raid in connection withthe Muzaff��arpur shelterhome sex scandal, the police said.

The CBI had on Fridayraided nearly 12 places infour districts of Bihar, including the residences of

Ms. Verma in Patna and herinlaw’s place in Begusarai.

The FIR was registered onFriday against Ms. Vermaand her husband Chandrashekhar for recovery of

50 live cartridges from herinlaw’s house at Arjun Tolavillage during a raid, CheriaBariarpur police station SHORanjit Kumar Rajak said.

Diff��erent fi��rearmsThe police said the live cartridges were of diff��erentfi��rearms.

The FIR was registeredagainst the couple by a CBIoffi��cial, Mr. Rajak said, butdeclined to name him.

Ms. Verma had resignedas Social Welfare Ministerlast week following a disclo

sure that her husband Chandrashekhar had spoken tothe prime accused in thescandal, Brajesh Thakur, 17times between January andJune this year.

The scandal came to lighttwo months ago when anFIR was lodged by the SocialWelfare Department following a social audit report submitted by Mumbaibased Tata Institute of SocialSciences which mentionedsexual abuse of girls lodgedat the Muzaff��arpur shelterhome.

Bihar exMinister, husbandbooked under Arms Act 50 cartridges were recovered from her inlaw’s house during a CBI raid

Press Trust of India

Begusarai

Manju Verma. * FILE PHOTO

Senior Congress leader andCWC member RandeepSingh Surjewala on Sundayaccused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and HaryanaChief Minister Manohar LalKhattar of backstabbing thepeople of the Ahirwal regionwho had paved the Bharatiya Janata Party’s way to power at the State and theCentre.

He was addressing a “Parivartan Rally” at the RamLila Ground in Pataudi.

The meeting was organised by Rao Arjun Singh, thegrandson of former HaryanaChief Minister Rao BirenderSingh.

‘Insulted party MPs’Touching a chord with theaudience, Mr. Surjewala saidthe people of the Ahirwal region voted for the BJP inlarge numbers to elect theparty’s MLAs from all the 11Assembly constituencies.The BJP formed its government in the State only because of their support asthey believed that the BJPwould bring ‘Chaudhar’ (leadership), ‘taqat’ (power),‘water’ and ‘employment’,but they got cheated on all

counts, he added.Mr. Surjewala said the

Prime Minister had insultedthe people of the region,Bhiwani and Sonipat, by notmeeting the three BJP MPsfor the last two months.They wanted to meet him regarding the Sutlej YamunaLink canal issue.

Though the BJP MPs wokeup to the people’s concernsafter fourandahalf years oftheir government, but thePM was not giving appointment to his own party MPs,he said, adding that it wasthe height of arrogance.

Mr. Surjewala also criticised the BJP for cancellingthe Jaipur Express corridorand the NorthSouth corridor projects and puttingprestigious projects like De

fence University, DelhiMumbai Industrial Corridorand AIIMS Cancer Instituteon the backburner.

He also highlighted various local problems such aswater scarcity and lack ofdevelopment, educationalfacilities and basic amenitiesin the Pataudi region.

Mr. Surjewala blamed theCentral and the State BJP governments for the skyrocketing prices of petrol and diesel. He also lashed out at thegovernments, claiming thatthey have failed on all frontsand no section of societywas happy with them.

The brave people of theState would teach a befi��ttinglesson to the BJP for the treachery in the next polls, heclaimed.

Surjewala fl��ays Modi, Khattar‘Backstabbed those who brought the BJP to power’ Staff Reporter

GURUGRAM

Randeep Singh Surjewala addressing a rally in Pataudi onSunday. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A 36yearold Bengalurubased biker who had cometo participate in DesertStorm Rally here, wasfound dead, the police saidon Sunday. The body ofbiker Ashfaq Mohammedwas found in Nayatala village on Friday night afterhis fellow bikers lodged acomplaint with the police,SHO Sam police station Karan Singh said.

Prima facie it appearsthat Mohammed strayed inthe desert area and eventually died of thirst andhunger. However, thecause of death will be clearonly after the postmortem, the SHO said.

Bike racerfound deadin Jaisalmer


Jaisalmer

Ola and Uber operators inGuwahati have sought helpfrom the police in checkingyoung people who hire cabsto have drinks or sex andturn aggressive if asked notto.

The AllAssam Cab Operators’ Association said atleast 40 members have hadtheir accounts blocked after“aggressive lovers” complained to the taxi aggregators when told not to turnthe back seat into “somekind of bar” or “bed forobscenities”.

Some young people havealso roughed up driverswhile others off��ered moremoney than the actual fareto let them be, the Association said.

“This has been going onfor some time now. As perthe rules of the companies,we cannot refuse clients onany ground. But someyoung people, many ofthem teenagers, take advantage and do the unthinkablein the cabs,” Ismail Ali, theAssociation’s president, toldThe Hindu.

He said most of the incidents have happened after

10 p.m. and the couples orgroups of young people whohire the cabs often do not goto the destinations selected.

“They leave used condoms, beer and whiskeybottles in the cars, besidesstains. And when we object,they assault us and complain to our companies.Some of us have had theiraccounts blocked temporarily for up to three months,”he said.

“Most of us are educatedand drive cabs because wehave no jobs and have families to maintain. Our president is a graduate, as I amwith English as a major,” Debojyoti Deka, a member,said.

He added that the policehave assured them assistance to check harassmentof cab operators by unrulyyoung clients. “The incidents happening inside Ola,Uber cabs have beenbrought to my notice. Wehave asked the drivers tolodge a complaint, withoutfear, mentioning the mobilephone number of the passenger so that we can takeup the matter,” Hiren Chandra Nath, Guwahati Commissioner of Police, said.

Drivers of cab aggregators

seek help from police

‘Unruly clients use cabs for obscenities’

RAHUL KARMAKAR

GUWAHATI

A senior leader of the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB),who was a Minister in theLeft Front government, hasjoined the Trinamool Congress. After joining the TMC,Paresh Adhikari said that hehas joined the party “being

infl��uenced by Mamata Banerjee’s movement againstthe NRC”.

Mr. Adhikari, a four timesMLA from the Mekhliganjconstituency in Cooch Behardistrict, was the Food Minister in the Left Front Cabinet.While he lost to the TMC’sArghya Roy Pradhan in the

2016 Assembly elections, hehas a strong vote base inMekhliganj subdivision ofCooch Behar district.

However, the AIFB’s Stateleadership claimed that Mr.Adhikary’s joining the TMCwill have no impact on theparty. Claiming Mr. Adhikaryto be a “political opportu

nist,” AIFB State secretaryNaren Chatterjee said: “Hisactions have exposed him asa political opportunist. Hewill get a fi��tting reply fromthe people of Bengal.”

Local TMC leaders saidthat Ms. Banerjee’s plan is to“groom Mr. Adhikary for the2019 Lok Sabha polls”.

Former Left Front Minister joins TMC Paresh Adhikari is a ‘political opportunist’, says Forward Bloc offi��cebearer

Staff Reporter

Kolkata

Four people were injured ina fi��ght between some lawstudents and a family outside a restaurant here, thepolice said on Sunday as theAkali Dal and the local BarAssociation took sides overthe clash.

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badalcondemned the alleged attack on the Sikh family andurged Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar tointervene in the matter.

The District Bar Association has demanded actionagainst the family members.

The two groups allegedlyfought after coming out ofthe restaurant on Thursdaynight, leading to injuries toboth sides.

According to a complaintfi��led by the family, the lawstudents misbehaved withthem and hurt their religious sentiments. But thefour students accused thefamily of attacking themwith sharpedged weapons.Counter FIRs were registered in the case, the policesaid.

On a complaint fi��led byAkash, who is also a lawyer’sson, the police registered acase under the Indian PenalCode sections relating to attempt to murder and voluntarily causing hurt againstJoginder Singh, TarnpreetSingh and two others.

On the family’s complaint, the police registereda case under sections relating to promoting enmitybetween diff��erent groups,voluntarily causing hurt andassault with the intent tooutrage the modesty of awoman.

Both sides met the Superintendent of Police and demanded action.

The District Bar Association held a meeting on Sunday and demanded immediate arrests in the case.

Sikh representatives fromHisar, Chandigarh and Delhimet here in a gurdwara, demanding cancellation of theattempt to murder caseagainst the family. They alsowanted the SHO of the localpolice station sacked.

Mr. Badal issued a statement and asked Mr. Khattarto take appropriate action.

Four injured in clashoutside Hisar eatery Akali Dal, lawyers’ association take sides


Hisar

Three of four picnickerswere found dead on Sunday near the Gangulparawaterfall in Balaghat district, a day after they wentmissing from the spot, thepolice said. The police arelooking for another member of the group who remained untraced, an offi��cer said.

“The deceased were residents of Katangi village inGondia district of Maharashtra. They had gone tothe waterfall for a picnic onSaturday,” said City Superintendent of Police Monika Tiwari. She said the police were informed onSunday about the missingpicnickers.

3 missingpicnickersfound dead


Balaghat (M.P.)


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SOUTH

Former MP P. ManikReddy passes away DAKOOR

Former member of the Lok

Sabha Patlolla Manik Reddy

passed away at Hyderabad on

Sunday. He was 88. He

represented the Telugu

Desam Party (TDP) in the Lok

Sabha, winning from Medak in

the 1984 election. Mr. Manik

Reddy entered politics in

1980 as sarpanch of Dakur in

Andol constituency and

joined the Youth Congress

1981. In 1984, he joined the

TDP. He joined the Telangana

Rashtra Samithi in 2013. Chief

Minister K. Chandrasekhar

Rao and others paid floral

tributes to the departed

leader here.

Man kills wife’s‘boyfriend’ for chattingVIJAYAWADA

Four persons, including the

husband of a woman, were

taken into custody for

allegedly killing a person,

who was reportedly chatting

with the woman on a social

media app. The deceased,

Ramalingeswara Sharma, 36,

was missing for the last two

days. Following a complaint

lodged by his wife, the police

registered a ‘man missing’

case. Sharma’s body was

found on Sunday.

Over 3,500 people havebeen rescued in Kodagu sofar, Karnataka Chief MinisterH.D. Kumaraswamy said onSunday.

Briefi��ng Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind, whohad called him to enquireabout the situation in Kodagu, Mr. Kumaraswamy saidthe Army, the Navy, the National Disaster ResponseForce (NDRF) and otherteams were involved in theoperations. Mr. Modi alsotweeted that he spoke to Mr.Kumaraswamy on the situation in Karnataka.

The Chief Minister, whocancelled his scheduled visitto Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga, conducted an aerial survey of Kodagu for thesecond consecutive day onSunday, taking stock of thesituation in Somwarpet, Suntikoppa, Madapura, Mukkodlu, Harangi backwaters,Siddapura, Kushalnagar andsurrounding areas. He laterlanded at Periyapatna andwent to Madikeri by road.

En route, Mr. Kumaraswamy met victims in Avarthi,Sai Extension and Kuvempunagar Extension in Kushalnagar and assured them of government aid.

200 houses submergedFlood waters had submergedabout 150 to 200 houses inSai Extension and another400 houses had been aff��ected in Kuvempunagar Extension.

After reaching Madikeri,Mr. Kumaraswamy met thedistrict administration offi��cials and discussed rescueand relief operations.

Meanwhile, BJP leaderB.S. Yeddyurappa too visitedKodagu and spoke to fl��oodvictims. He was accompanied by BJP MPs, Shobha Karandlaje and Pratap Simha.

3,500 rescued in KodaguKarnataka CM Kumaraswamy briefs Prime Minister, President on fl��ood situation


MYSURU

Ground situation: Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy inspecting a damaged roadduring his visit to Kodagu on Sunday. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Residents staging a protest to save Puttenahalli lake from pollution in Bengaluru on Sunday. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

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Against pollution

Soon after winning the Boeing HorizonX India Innovation Challenge (BHIIC), thecitybased startups, Merxiusand ZestIOT, are busy working on their collaborationwith the aviation giant.While the former is engagedin harnessing the potentialof extended reality (XR),which encapsulates virtual,augmented and mixed realities, the latter is busy usingInternet of Things (IOT), anetwork which comprisesdevices connected to oneanother by means of the Internet, to bring about an increase in airline effi��ciency.

Founded by Vaishali Neotia and Hasan Ali Khan in2011, the startup will nowoff��er its XR platform RED forcreating training programmes for experts atBoeing.

“Let’s say that one has tobe trained to perform certain procedures in an aircraft. At times, it’s not possible to have the actualequipment there. It can alsobe expensive. The idea is tosimulate an environmentclose to reality for training,”says Mr. Khan.

So how does the REDwork? According to Mr.

Khan, RED is a draganddrop platform which willcreate the required environment. “We will provide theplatform to Boeing teamsand engineers,” he says. Thethrust, Ms. Neotia adds, is tominimise human error andmaximise productivity.

But while Merxius is excited to work with Boeing, Ms.Neotia opines that the adop

tion of new technologies, including XR, in India seemssluggish for a variety of reasons, including high electronic hardware costs andduties. She explains thatMerxius had taken on loantwo Hololens, Microsoft’sholographic computer, froma client, but are unable touse them on account of exorbitant customs duties.

Expensive device “We couldn’t buy the Hololens as they’re expensive.Later, a company agreed tolend their devices to us. Butthe customs is asking for ₹��1.5lakh to clear them. We explained to them that it is forresearch and would be returned after three moths,but they are refusing to listento us. According to them, noexemption is possible,” Ms.Neotia says.

A THub incubated start

up, ZestIOT leveraged its experience of working withleading airlines to make itspitch at the BHIIC.

“Imagine how simplethings would be for both airlines and passengers if theaircraft, ground operationssuch as baggage loading andunloading, terminal operations and passenger boarding were connected. This iswhat we are doing throughIOT. The idea is to predictand avoid operation delaysand have a quicker turnaroundtime,” ZestIOT founder Amit Sukhija says.

While the company wasfounded in Gurugram, Mr.Sukhija says it was in December 2016 that it was identifi��ed by the THub for incubation. Mr. Sukhija says thecompany will work withTapestry Solutions, a Boeingsubsidiary, which will assistit to grow.

Hyderabad startups soar with BoeingWhile one is working on harnessing potential of extended reality, the other is using Internet of Things

Hasan Ali Khan, right, cofounder of Merxius, working on hisproject with his teammates in Hyderabad. * NAGARA GOPAL

Syed Mohammed

HYDERABAD

Rejected claims of forestrights are set to become thenext bone of contention between the claimants and theForest Department.

With regard to a SupremeCourt’s directive asking details of action taken againstthe forest rights claimantswhose claims have been rejected, the Telangana ForestDepartment has written tothe government that therewas no provision in theScheduled Tribes and OtherTraditional Forest Dwellers(Recognition of ForestRights) Act, 2006 (commonly known as Forest RightsAct or ROFR Act), to penalise such claimants.

Eight States fi��nedTelangana was, incidentally,among the eight Statespulled up and fi��ned by theApex Court in April this yearfor not furnishing the detailson time.

Along with Karnataka,Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh,the Telangana State government was asked to pay costsof ₹��50,000 to be depositedwith the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee forutilisation in juvenile justiceissues.

“We are imposing costssince the matter pertains torights of tribals, and therefore the State should takethe matter somewhat moreseriously than what theyhave been doing,” the ordersaid, with regard to a publicinterest litigation (PIL) petion fi��led by an NGO WildlifeFirst against the Ministry ofEnvironment and Forests.

Details soughtDuring the previous hearingin March, the SC had askedfor details such as the number of claims for forestrights, categorised between

tribals and traditional forestdwellers, number of rejected claims, extent of land over which claims were madeand rejected in the two categories, action taken againstthe rejected claimants, thestatus of their eviction, andthe extent of area in respectof which eviction has not yettaken place.

The time given was fourweeks, but no State couldcome up with the detailswithin the duration, exceptJharkhand, which had furnished only partial details.

As per the informationavailable on the website ofthe Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in Telangana, individual forest rights were accorded to 93,639 claimantsfor more than three lakhacres of forest land.

Close to 90,000 claimswere rejected over threelakh more acres, which entitles the government to evict them under the ForestAct, sources informed.

No action takenHowever, no action hasbeen taken so far, and thosewithout rights are still in occupation of the forest land.

Managing Trustee of theWildlife First Praveen Bhargav said that of a total of 44lakh claims nationwide, 22.5lakh have been rejected andno attempt has been madeto evict those claimants.

Dismissing the excuse ofthe Forest Department thatthe ROFR Act had no penalprovisions, Mr. Bhargav cited an earlier observation bythe Supreme Court in 2016,that such claimants were tobe evicted.

Telangana yet to acton ‘illegal’ occupantsof forest land‘No provisions in Forest Rights Act’

Swathi Vadlamudi

HYDERABAD <> In Telangana,

individual forest

rights were given

to 93,639

claimants to over

three lakh acres of

forest land.

Providing a respite to theresidents of low lying areas,there was a steady drop inthe infl��ows of fl��oodwater atthe Dowleswaram barrageon Sunday evening.

With the level falling to12.3 feet and 10.6 lakh cusecs being discharged fromthe Godavari into the Bay ofBengal, the irrigation offi��cials might withdraw thefi��rst fl��ood alert by the midnight.

Situation upstream, including the rainfall and theinfl��ows from the Sabari, however, was being closelymonitored.

Villages in the agencymandal of Devipatnam andthat of the Konaseema region have been under waterfor the last couple of daysand relief camps have beenset up on a war footing.Paddy fi��elds and fi��sh tanksin hundreds of acres are under water in the ricerichKonaseema region, where

the agriculture and the horticulture crops are partiallydamaged due to the fl��oodand the incessant rain.

Body retrievedThe body of Deepati VamsiPrasad, 27, of Podalada,who fell into the river following a sudden landslide,was retrieved.

At Devipatnam, Collector Kartikeya Misra alongwith local MLA Vantala Rajeswari and the ITDA offi��cials, toured the tribal hamlets.

Expressing satisfactionover the relief and rehabilitation operations, he saidthe entire administrationwas on the job of minimising the impact of the nature’s fury and shifting theresidents of the lowlyingareas to the rescue camps.

In all, 44 villages in 19mandals were aff��ected inEast and West Godavari districts and the offi��cials arranged 14 relief camps for2,521 evacuees.

Drop in dischargefrom Godavari44 villages in 19 mandals aff��ected

Staff Reporter

KAKINADA

Feeling safe: People returning to their homes after fl��oodwater receded at Devipatnam on Sunday. * S. RAMBABU

The Rythu Bima group lifeinsurance scheme introduced by the Telangana government for all the landholding (pattadar) farmersin the age group of 1859from August 14, is proving tobe an instant succour totheir families in case ofdeath of the enrolled farmer, irrespective of the cause— either natural orotherwise.

With information technology being used for theimplementation of one ofthe fl��agship schemes of theState government, the settlement of claims hasproved to be the fastest under any life insurancescheme available in thecountry. “Settlement of 52claims out of deaths of 78benefi��ciary farmers in the

fi��rst fi��ve days of implementation of the scheme is ample proof that it is the fastestlife insurance claims settlement in the country,” Principal Secretary (Agriculture)C. Parthasarathi told The

Hindu on Saturday.

Sevenday timeframeThe Rythu Bima insurance isbeing touted as the most unique of life insuranceschemes wherein the deathof farmers on any reason iscompensated within a maximum period of seven days.

On the fi��rst day of RythuBima on August 14, death ofthree farmers was reportedand claims were fi��led immediately. These were settledon the next working day,through NEFT transactionby crediting the amount of₹��5 lakh each into the nominees’ accounts.

Rythu Bima providinginstant succour Claims settlement proves to be fastest

B. Chandrashekhar

HYDERABAD

Will abolish ContributoryPension Scheme: JaganVISAKHAPATNAM

“The Contributory Pension

Scheme (CPS) will be

abolished the day I become

Chief Minister,” YSR Congress

Party president Y.S. Jagan

Mohan Reddy has said. The

Leader of the Opposition was

addressing people at various

places in Visakhapatnam

district as part of his Praja

Sankalpa Yatra on Sunday.

Braving intermittent rain, Mr.

Jagan covered the two

mandals of Narsipatnam and

Makavarapalem in the

district.

IN BRIEF

A 21yearold woman allegedly committed suicide inCubbon Park on Saturdaynight.

The incident came tolight on Sunday morningwhen a security guard noticed her body hangingfrom a tree. Soon, the police were alerted.

The police identifi��ed thedeceased as Santhoshi N.of Nepal who used to workin a spa in UB City. She wasliving in a rented housealong with her father atD’Souza Layout, near VittalMallya Road.

The police said Santhoshi was in a relationshipwith Naresh, a private company employee.

On Saturday evening,Naresh’s parents objectedto their plan to getmarried.

Womanfoundhanging


Bengaluru

The devastation across Kodagu has spawned a number of voluntary initiativesto supplement the government’s relief eff��orts to copewith the disaster. There arethree relief camps in Suntikoppa town, about 16 kmfrom Kushalnagar — at Srirama Temple, St. Anthony’sSchool and the local madrasa, and nearly 1,000 peopleare being provided temporary succour and this is all avoluntary initiative.

Rendered homeless“Most people who havebeen rendered homelessare from Mukkodlu, Mak

kandur, Tanthipala, Hattihole and Kandanakolli. Wehave enough provisions tolast for another 10 days, andthis is all private contribution,” said Shantharam Kamath, one of the coordinators of the relief eff��ort.

He said that when thenews of landslips fi��rst camein on August 16, local youthrushed in jeeps to rescue villagers. “Some risked theirlives and trekked into the interior areas to rescue thosestranded,” said Mr. Kamath.

Bopanna, a residentcoordinating a relief campclose to Iggodlu near Madapura, said: “We hadabout 500 people on thefi��rst two days, but some

have left to join their relatives. Thanks to the publicthere is no problem regarding food or drinking water.What matters most is permanent rehabilitation andthat is the real challenge,”he added, coordinating relief while handling phonecalls from people desperateto track their missing relatives.

Besides, there is no countof the private homestays offering lodging to victims asevident by messages on social media.

“We ran for our life andthere is nothing left in ourvillages to return to,” saidParvathi at the camp nearIggodlu.

1,000 people housed in relief camps run by volunteers

R. Krishna Kumar

Suntikoppa

Good Samaritans to the fore

The Supreme Court hasheld that a man’s extramarital aff��air had abettedhis wife's suicide.

It held that the husband’s illicit relationshiphad tipped his wife’spsychological balance andpushed her to take the extreme step just fourmonths after their marriage in May 2002.

The accused, Siddaling,had moved the apex courtafter the Karnataka HighCourt upheld hisconviction.

A Bench of Justices R.Banumathi and Vineet Saran said that the man didnot deserve any leniencyas his continuation of theaff��air, disregarding the agony it cost his wife, was a direct act leading to herdeath. The apex courtagreed with the High Courtfi��nding that the man’s conduct amounted to crueltyand harassment.

Advocate Joseph Aristotle, for the State, arguedthat abetment involves amental process of instigating or inducing a person totake his or her own life.

Psychological imbalance“The appellant’s illicit relation with another womanwould have defi��nitelycreated the psychologicalimbalance to the deceased,which led her to take theextreme step of committing suicide... It cannot besaid that the appellant’s actof having illicit relationshipwith another womanwould not have aff��ected tonegate the ingredients ofSections 306 IPC (abetment of suicide),” JusticeBanumathi, who authoredthe judgment for theBench, observed.

‘Husband’sillicit aff��airabettedwife’s suicide’

Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI



NOIDA/DELHI THE HINDU

MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 20186EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

CMYK

A ND-NDE

NATION

A village too far: People board a boat along with their motorbikes to cross the Gobari river to reach Jamboo island. There is nobridge connecting their village panchayat to the Kendrapara district headquarters in Odisha. * BISWARANJAN ROUT


Long wait for a bridge

Dhiraj Prajapati wants hisfather Dinesh Prajapati toperform the last rites of hisgrandmother Chhotki Deviwho died 25 minutes pastthe midnight of August 15.

But that depends on thecourt granting bail to hisfather, in a detention campfor foreigners after beingmarked a doubtful or Dvoter three months ago.

Dhiraj, 17, is scheduledto appear in the GauhatiHigh Court on Monday. “Iknow the judges go by thebook. But I hope they arehumane enough to let myfather out to perform theshraddh of our grandmother, who died at 70 becauseshe stopped eating after myparents were taken to detention camps,” he said.

Court hearingThe eldest of fi��ve siblings,Dhiraj and a cousin lefttheir village – No. 6 Pakhorijan in eastern Assam’sTinsukia district – by trainon Sunday to be in time forthe hearing in his father’scase.

A Foreigners’ Tribunal(FT) in Tinsukia town haddeclared Dinesh, 42, andhis wife Sarita Dvoters earlier this year. While Dineshwas lodged in the Dibrugarh detention camp, hiswife was taken to the Jorhatdetention camp forwomen.

Assam has six such detention camps.

“We are a joint family of17 members. Because myuncle and aunt weremarked Dvoters, we wereexcluded from the NRC (National Register of Citizens).This is ridiculous since wehave lived here for threegenerations,” Jeot Prajapati, Dinesh’s nephew, said.

Son seeksrelease offather forgrandma’slast rites

RAHUL KARMAKAR

GUWAHATI

148 pilgrims leave forAmarnath Yatra JAMMU

A group of 148 pilgrims on

Sunday left for the Amarnath

cave shrine from the base

camp here, officials said. The

pilgrims, including 49

women, boarded eight

vehicles and left the

Bhagwati Nagar base camp in

the early hours under tight

security, they said. PTI

IN BRIEF

A recent map published bythe Central Pollution ControlBoard (CPCB) has revealedthat water in nearly a dozenmajor stretches of the Gangain West Bengal is so pollutedthat it is even unfi��t for bathing. The development comesat a time when the Centrehas claimed that the NamamiGange project, with a budgetof ₹��20,000 crore, hasachieved considerablesuccess.

The graphic map whichmarks the areas where thewater of the Ganga is unfi��tfor bathing with red dotsshows that the pollution level in 11 major stretches ofthe Ganga spread across fi��vedistricts and Kolkata is sohigh that it is even unfi��t forbathing. Apart from Kolkata

(Garden Reach), the other affected stretches of the Gangaare located in the districts ofHowrah (Uluberia, Shibpur),Hooghly (Tribeni, Serampore), North 24 Paraganas(Palta, Dakhineswar), Nadia(Nabadwip) and Murshidabad (Gorabazar, Behampore,Khagra).

Dissolved oxygen The CPCB guidelines, uponwhich the map is based,states that water is fi��t forbathing when the amount offecal coliform bacteria,found mainly in human faeces, is not more than 2,500most probable number(MPN) per 100 ml, dissolvedoxygen is not more than 5mg per litre, bio chemical oxygen demand is less than 3mg per litre and the pH levelmeasurement of how acidic

the water is, is between 6.5to 8.5.

Apart from West Bengal,the water of the Ganga is alsounfi��t for bathing in Statessuch as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The map further revealsthat Uttrakhand remains theonly exception with 11stretches of the Ganga beingfi��t for bathing along with Aratown in Bihar.

The map was publishedafter the National Green Tribunal (NGT) asked the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) authorities to setup display board along thebanks of the Ganga at a gapof 100 km to indicate whether the water was fi��t for bathing or drinking.

West Bengal PollutionControl Board (WBPCB)chairman Kalyan Rudra toldThe Hindu that “West Bengal

is located at the downstreamof the Ganga it receives allthe pollutants which accumulates in the river from Statesin the upstream.”

Mr. Rudra, a renownedriver expert, also pointed outthat coliform bacteria, mainly found in sewage, is a majorcause for concern due to itslarge presence in the Ganga.He said making intensive useof sewage treatment plantswas the most eff��ective way todeal with the issue.

“No proper mechanism”Sources in WBPCB revealedthat most of the sewagetreatment plants in Bengalwere not being utilised properly as “no proper mechanism” has been developed tobring sewage to the treatment plants.

State Irrigation Minister

Somen Mahapatra said thathe was not aware of the mappublished by the CPCB.

Anil Gautam, facultymember the People'sScience Institute in Dehradun, said that “with rainfallthe pollution level in theGanga seems to be a littlelower due to increase in fl��owof water. Once the monsooncomes to an end the quantityof pollutants will be evenhigher.”

Former member of theNational Ganga River BasinAuthority Ravi Chopra argued that it was not only theGanga, but almost all the rivers of the country were in a“terrible condition.” He refuted the Centre’s claim thatconsiderable progress hasbeen made in cleaning therivers under the NamamiGange project.

‘Ganga stretches in Bengal unfi��t for bathing’While the Centre claims that its Namami Gange project has achieved considerable success

Staff Reporter

Kolkata

Weather WatchRainfall, temperature & air quality in select metros yesterday

Temperature Data: IMD, Pollution Data: CPCB, Map: INSAT/IMD (Taken at 17.00 Hrs)

Forecast for Monday: Heavy/very heavy rain likely at isolatedplaces over Odisha, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telan-gana, Uttarakhand, west Uttar Pradesh, east Rajasthan and Mad-hya Pradesh, central Maharashtra, Marathawada, Konkan,coastal Andhra Pradesh and coastal and north interior Karnataka

city rain max min city rain max min

Agartala...............0.6.... 33.6.... 27.0 Kozhikode ...........11.8.... 27.8.... 23.4

Ahmedabad..........0.7.... 28.1.... 24.7 Kurnool .................8.9.... 33.0.... 24.7

Aizwal ................... —.... 30.1.... 13.1 Lucknow.................. —.... 35.3.... 28.3

Allahabad ............0.4.... 36.2.... 28.4 Madurai................... —.... 37.1.... 26.7

Bengaluru .............. —.... 27.3.... 20.7 Mangaluru...........34.5.... 28.5.... 23.0

Bhopal.................0.1.... 27.4.... 23.8 Mumbai.................8.2.... 30.3.... 25.0

Bhubaneswar .......1.1.... 31.5.... 25.2 Mysuru..................1.2.... 26.9.... 19.4

Chandigarh ............ —.... 34.0.... 26.4 New Delhi .............5.2.... 33.0.... 27.4

Chennai ................. —.... 34.6.... 27.1 Patna ....................3.9.... 37.8.... 26.1

Coimbatore............ —.... 31.0.... 21.9 Port Blair ............55.7.... 29.7.... 22.7

Dehradun...........25.3.... 34.0.... 22.8 Puducherry.............. —.... 35.4.... 24.7

Gangtok................. —.... 26.4.... 18.2 Pune .....................2.1.... 27.0.... 21.8

Goa .....................0.9.... 29.9.... 24.0 Raipur ...................4.3.... 31.0.... 25.9

Guwahati ............... —.... 37.0.... 27.0 Ranchi...................1.4.... 32.4.... 24.7

Hubballi................. —.... 25.0.... 21.0 Shillong................... —.... 28.2.... 18.6

Hyderabad ...........0.7.... 27.2.... 22.1 Shimla..................... —.... 23.5.... 15.6

Imphal................... —.... 27.6.... 22.1 Srinagar .................. —.... 32.5.... 18.1

Jaipur ................24.6.... 33.9.... 25.1 Trivandrum ..............2.... 29.7.... 23.0

Kochi.................23.6.... 29.4.... 23.0 Tiruchi .................... —.... 34.8.... 26.4

Kohima.................. —.... 29.3.... 19.8 Vijayawada .............61.... 26.6.... 24.5

Kolkata.................. —.... 30.6.... 28.5 Visakhapatnam ......... —.... 32.0.... 27.0

(Rainfall data in mm; temperature in Celsius)

Pollutants in the air you are breathing Yesterday

CITIES SO2 NO2 CO PM2.5 PM10 CODE

In observation made at4.00 p.m., Jorapokhar,Jharkhand recorded anoverall air quality index(AQI) score of 169indicating a moderatelevel of pollution. Incontrast, Amritsar, Punjabrecorded a healthy AQIscore of 34

Ahmedabad ...... 125 .81 11 ... 58 .....— ....*

Bengaluru......... ...8 .38 69 ... 43 .116 ....*

Chennai ............ .34 .25 46 . 130 .....— ....*

Delhi ................ .12 .36 21 . 147 .....— ....*

Hyderabad ........ ...5 .89 19 ... 11 ...25 ....*

Kolkata............. ...2 .52 70 ... 46 ...56 ....*

Lucknow........... .14 .34 29 . 177 .....— ....*

Mumbai ............ .15 .25 50 ... 36 ...75 ....*

Pune................. .34 .13 50 ... 30 ...21 ....*

Vishakhapatnam ...— ..— .— .....— .....— ....—

Air Quality Code: * Poor * Moderate * Good (Readings indicate average AQI)

SO2: Sulphur Dioxide. Short-term exposure can harm the respiratory system,

making breathing difficult. It can affect visibility by reacting with other air

particles to form haze and stain culturally important objects such as statues

and monuments.

NO2: Nitrogen Dioxide. Aggravates respiratory illness, causes haze to form by

reacting with other air particles, causes acid rain, pollutes coastal waters.

CO: Carbon monoxide. High concentration in air reduces oxygen supply to

critical organs like the heart and brain. At very high levels, it can cause

dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness and even death.

PM2.5 & PM10: Particulate matter pollution can cause irritation of the eyes,

nose and throat, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, reduced

lung function, irregular heartbeat, asthma attacks, heart attacks and

premature death in people with heart or lung disease

Malaysian woman dies on way to MunsiyariPITHORAGARH

A 27-year-old Malaysian

woman died allegedly after

she complained of breathing

problem while on her way to

Munsiari village, a major

tourist attraction in

Uttarakhand. Naveena Vadival

was part of a group of four

women travellers from

Malaysia. PTI





CMYK

A ND-NDE

NATION

Going scarce: A man waiting for drinking water to be supplied in Alappuzha district on Sunday and, right, volunteers arranging relief material at a collection centre at the Government Women’s College in Thiruvananthapuram. * H. VIBHU & S. MAHINSHA

Air Marshal B. Suresh’s primary concern as he airdropped relief supplies overfl��oodhit Chengannur onSunday was to ensure that hedid not accidentally injure citizens marooned on roofs.

The Air Offi��cer CommandinginChief, Southern AirCommand, had made a midday sortie into the swampedlocality on board an MI17 B,mediumlift helicopter, fromthe IAF’s station at Shangumugham here.

“People isolated by thefl��ood waters stood close toeach other on rooftops. Myheart skipped when a packetdropped from the air justmissed a senior citizen. Wehad reduced the weight ofsupply packets and wrappedthem in fl��exible syntheticcovers to cushion the landing,” he told The Hindu,

shortly after completing thetwohour mission.

The MI17 B of the 109 Helicopter Unit, nicknamed‘The Knights’, from Sulur inTamil Nadu, is one of the 24IAF choppers involved in the

massive air relief and rescuecampaign codenamed ‘Operation Karuna’ that commenced on August 9.

The unit has fl��own over288 missions till Sunday,making a diff��erence betweensustenance and starvationfor thousands stranded bythe fl��oods.

The choppers also rescued 2,324 persons and delivered or airdropped 380tonnes of food, water, medi

cines and other aid supplies.

Diffi��cult circumstancesThe Air Marshal said his pilots braved adverse weatherand pushed the limits oftheir machines and themselves to carry out rescueand relief operations.

Describing the operationsso far, Air Marshal Sureshsaid the machines had maderisky and impromptu touchdowns on uncharted landing

zones while bringing in marooned persons to safety.The pilots risked fl��ying below the minimum operational altitude and without fl��ightplans to hoist up peoplefrom densely packed urbanlocalities. All through,ground crews worked nonstop to keep the choppersairworthy.

The Air Marshal said withKochi and Kozhikode airports hobbled by the fl��oods,

Thiruvananthapuram operated as a transit air base forthe forward supply of menand material.

The IAF’s C17 Globe Master fl��ew 11 sorties, bringing indisaster teams and amphibious troops. The C130s,AN32s and IL76s, the standard transport workhorsesof the IAF, played a signifi��cant role in the operation,which has now shifted gearfrom rescue to relief.

When help dropped from the skiesWith 288 sorties, ‘Operation Karuna’ by IAF’s 24 choppers has transported aid and rescued thousands

G. Anand

Thiruvananthapuram

To safety: Air Force personnel moving an elderly woman from her marooned house. * TWITTER/ PTI

The India MeteorologicalDepartment’s forecast onSunday of a gradual decrease in rainfall during thenext fi��ve days has brought asense of relief to Kerala,which continued to grapplewith rescue and relief operations in the fl��ood aff��ectedareas.

According to the Met Department’s offi��cial statement here, a fresh low pressure area had formed overnorthwest Bay of Bengal onSunday morning, but itwould not have any signifi��cant impact over Kerala.

Exceptionally high Rainfall over Kerala hasbeen exceptionally highduring the current southwest monsoon season ( June1 to August 18), with theState receiving 2,346.6 mmagainst the normal of 1649.5mm (42% above normal).The spatial distribution ofdistrictwise seasonal rainfall showed that Idukki dis

trict recorded the highestexcess rainfall (92% abovenormal) followed by Palakkad (72% above normal).

The statement said therainfall over Kerala for June,July and August (till Sunday)was 15%, 18% and 164%above normal respectively.Rainfall during August so farhas been exceptionally high.

Two consecutive activespells with above normalrainfall peaked around June14 and 20 respectively.Another peak rainfall activity was experienced aroundJuly 20.

It was 164% above normal for August


Thiruvananthapuram

A partially submerged housein Chengannur. * AP

Rainfall will abate,says Met Dept.

The United Arab Emirateshas formed an emergencycommittee under the leadership of the Emirates RedCrescent to help victims ofthe fl��oods in Kerala.

Prime Minister NarendraModi has praised the support extended by the UAEamid reports that similar initiatives are being taken bySaudi Arabia, Oman andprivate individuals in theGulf region.

“President His HighnessSheikh Khalifa bin Zayed AlNahyan has instructed theformation of a nationalemergency committee toprovide relief assistance topeople of Kerala,” a statement from the Embassy ofUAE declared.

UAE’s response followeda message of condolence toMr. Modi from the ruler ofDubai Sheikh Mohammed

bin Rashid Al Maktoum andCrown Prince of Abu Dhabiand Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE ArmedForces Sheikh Mohammedbin Zayed Al Nahyan.

There are reports that similar support is under wayfrom Saudi Arabia. “On behalf of ourselves as well asthe people and governmentof Saudi Arabia, we expressour deepest sorrow and off��er condolences to you aswell as to the families of thedeceased and to the peopleof India,” King Salman ofSaudi was quoted by theSaudi News Agency.

Oman is also expected tosend special fl��ights carryingessential commodities andmedical supplies to Kerala.Sultan of Oman Qaboos binSaid Al Said has instructedthe Royal Oman Air Force tofl��y special fl��ights from Muscat to Thiruvananthapuramto provide relief.

Gulf countries reachout to fl��ooded KeralaKallol Bhattacherjee

NEW DELHI

President Ram Nath Kovindon Sunday called Kerala Governor P. Sathasivam andenquired about the progressof the rescue and relief operations in the fl��oodaff��ected areas of the State.

The Raj Bhavan later issued a press release statingthat the President had acknowledged the grit and resilience of the people of theState at the time of crisis.

Working in synergyThe President, while assuring the Governor that theentire nation was with thepeople of Kerala, expressedsatisfaction that the Unionand State Governmentswere working in synergy,

and lauded relief agenciessuch as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF),and the State and Central offi��cials for their response andcommitment.

The Governor informedthe President that the Stategovernment was closelymonitoring the relief workand made special mentionof the role of the Armedforces, the NDRF and otheragencies, people’s representatives and the youth, in relief work.

President lauds grit,resilience of peopleAssures KeralaGovernor of all possible help


Thiruvananthapuram

Ram Nath Kovind

Pope calls for ‘concretesupport’ to fl��ood victimsVATICAN CITY

Pope Francis on Sunday called

on the international

community to provide

“concrete support” to the

victims in floodbattered

Kerala. Pope Francis prayed

for the victims of the flooding

at St Peter’s Square, the

Vatican News reported. He

voiced his hopes that the

inhabitants of Kerala would

be supported by “our

solidarity, and by concrete

support from the

international community”. PTI

Andhra IAS officersdonate a day’s salaryAMARAVATI

The IAS Officers Association

of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday

decided to contribute one

day’s salary of its members to

support the victims. “As a

token of our shared pain with

the flood ravaged people of

Kerala and as a mark of our

heartfelt wish for their quick

recovery, the IAS Officers

Association of AP resolves to

contribute one day salary of

its members to the CM Relief

Fund of Kerala,” a statement

said. ANI

Football club East Bengalraises funds on match dayKOLKATA

Football giant East Bengal

raised funds for the flood

victims of Kerala during their

local league match on

Saturday. Manofthematch

Laldanmawia Ralte donated

his entire prize money

following the the 30 win

over Aryan Club in the

ongoing Premier Division

match of the Calcutta

Football League. The Kerala

players in the team C.K.

Ubaid, Mirshad and Joby

Justin collected donations

from the audience after the

match. PTI

Every penny matters in therescue, relief andrehabilitation eff��orts forKerala. Anupriya, 8, a Class2 student in Villupuram,proved this by donating herpiggy bank savings.

She had been saving herpocket money for the pastfour years to get herself abicycle, putting in ₹��5 coinsinto fi��ve piggy banks, whichhad added up to ₹��9,000. Butthe grim situation in Keralamotivated her to breakthem. “When I saw how

people are suff��ering inKerala, I wanted to helpthem, too, with my savings,”Anupriya said.

Her father, K.C.Shanmuganathan, who runsa private tutorial enterprise,said when he introduced hisdaughter to the idea of

savings, Anupriya begancollecting ₹��5 coins dailyfrom him and her mother.

The young girl’s parentsimmediately backed herdecision and handed over aDemand Draft made for₹��9,000 in favour of the ChiefMinister’s Relief Fund.

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

8-year-old donates small savings


Villupuram

Class 2 girl fromT.N. had collected₹��9,000 for a bicycle

Anupriya with her piggy banks. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Sundaythat six health offi��cers wouldbe deployed in each panchayat to ensure that therewas no outbreak of communicable diseases.

The State governmentwould also distribute 36 lakhtextbooks free of cost toschool children who losttheir books in the fl��oods.

Trains partially restoredTransport and train serviceswere partially restored onthe ThiruvananthapuramKottayamErnakulamstretch, with the KSRTC plying services to Pathanamthitaa for the fi��rst time after water engulfed several parts ofthe district. Trains werepacked with fl��oodaff��ectedpeople moving to the housesof friends and relatives.

According to an offi��cialstatement, 156 lorry loads ofessential goods were sentfrom the State capital to Alapuzha, Pathanamthitta, andThrissur districts. The materials were collected at various collection centres inthe capital district.

Over 12,000 tonnes of essential commodities wereairlifted to Chengannur,Alapzuha and Pathanmthittaby 10 helicopters. The airlifting operations were concentrated on areas which continued to be inaccessible.

Control roomThe Health Departmentopened a control room inthe offi��ce of the Director ofHealth Services to coordinate the functioning of various medical camps andprepare for the possible outbreak of contagious diseases. Health Minister K.K. Shylaja said the control roomwould be the nodal point foraddressing issues related tomedicine supply and deployment of personnel.

She said temporary primary health centres would beopened in Thiruvalla andPathanamthitta.

Govt. to set up health camps,distribute 36 lakh textbooksSpecial Correspondent

Thiruvananthapuram

The Railways have decidedto allow governmentorganisations to transportrelief material to fl��oodravaged Kerala for free. TheRailways have also givenpermission to DivisionalRailway Managers to allowtransportation of reliefmaterials by otherorganisations without anycharges, if they deem it fi��t.

Aid to becarried free

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI

Braving inclement weatherand risky conditions, ayoung Air Force offi��cer dramatically winched a toddlerto safety from a maroonedhouse in Kerala.

Wing Commander Prashanth slid down a rope to theterrace of the twostoreyhouse which seemed fromabove like a toy fl��oating onmurky, redbrown water.

Television visuals showedthe offi��cer airlifting the twoyearold boy with care,pressing him to his body andwinching him to safety, before handing him over to his

anxious mother waiting inside the chopper.

Tears of joyThe woman, in tears with anxiety a few minutes ago,broke into smiles of gratitude as she received thechild.

Commander Prashanth isamong the many unsung heroes who have broughtsmiles to the faces of panicstricken fl��ood victims.

In another instance, television cameras showed girls,trapped in their hostel roomfor days without food andwater, being rescued byanother IAF helicopter. After

the agony of being stranded,they cried and hugged eachother as the last one waspulled up to safety in the helicopter on Saturday.

Commander Vijay Varma,who saved a woman in earlystages of labour earlier thisweek by winching her to a

helicopter from a strandedbuilding, was happy to hearthat she had successfully delivered a boy.

Social media messageshave been full of praise forthe exceptional courage ofIndian Navy Captain P. Rajkumar, who airlifted over 25persons in challengingconditions.

Kneeling to helpThe dramatic picture of aman kneeling down in muddy waters to help womenstep on to him to get into rescue boats went viral on Sunday. Fishermen Jaisal K.P. ina blue shirt was seen kneeling, with his face hardly afew inches above the fl��oodwaters as women steppedonto his back to climb into a

boat.The act of IAS offi��cers

M.G. Rajamanikyam and N.S.Umesh who unloaded ricesacks at the Wayanad Collectorate for distribution at relief camps was also celebrated by netizens.

As news of the devastatingfl��oods and stranded peoplecame in around 600 fi��shermen immediately volunteered with their countryand mechanised boats forrescue operations.

Away from the televisioncamera, several women, college students and even children have been working atcollections centres to gather,sort and package essentialmaterials, including food,medicines and clothes forpeople in relief camps.

Tireless work of unsung heroes amid the deluge From children sorting relief material to defence personnel risking their lives


Thiruvananthapuram

A person being winched tosafety from a fl��oodaff��ectedregion. * TWITTER/PTI

Kashmir extends a helping hand SRINAGAR

With memories of the 2014

floods still fresh in their minds,

scores of volunteers and

groups in the Kashmir Valley

have launched relief exercises

for the marooned population in

Kerala. Sehar Iqbal, a volunteer

with the Srinagarbased Sajid

Iqbal Foundation, said that her

group is working with a local

volunteers’ network in

Mananthavady in Kerala to

reach out to the affected

population of Wayanad and

Kodagu.





CMYK

A ND-NDE

EDITORIAL

Sriram V.

The emergence of a ragingcontroversy around a Carnatic singer who recently an

nounced a concert dedicated toChristian songs is an issue to ponder over. He was hounded — subjected to abuse on the phone andon social media — till he cancelledthe programme. Another group ofeminent artistes was accused ofhelping proselytisers in their taskwhen they sang Christian songs setto Carnatic tunes.

Falsehood and abuseIt soon gave rise to fake news. Itwas said that the songs of poet andcomposer Tyagaraja had been plagiarised, with the word ‘Rama’changed to ‘Jesus’. Nothing couldbe more false than this. The similarity of lyrics in just one songdoes not make for concrete proof;all the artistes accused of this falsehood have denied such a charge.The propagators of the false claimhave not been able to back their allegations with any evidence either.

There was more to come. Oldphotographs that showed a prominent Carnatic artiste in the company of a wellknown Christian priest

made an appearance whichfuelled demands that the performer ought to be stripped of allawards and titles for having committed such a heinous off��ence.The artistes concerned were subject to vile abuse. Some Sabhasupped the ante — based on hearsay — by deciding to boycott these‘tainted’ musicians. What theychose to conveniently ignore wasthat these performances had beenrecorded fi��ve years ago and wereall along on YouTube. Nobodycared to take note of this.

A rich associationWhat is the threat they have posedto Hinduism? How can this music,which is predominantly Hindu, beused this way is a prominent question in many minds. Forgotten inthe midst of all this is the fact thatthere has been a longstandingCarnatic tradition in the churchand which goes back to the time ofTyagaraja himself. The composer’s contemporary, VedanayagamSastriar, created songs and operasin the Carnatic style. Some of thetunes are very closely modelled onTyagaraja’s songs. ‘Sujana Jivana’(Harikamboji) has a parallel in ‘Parama Pavana’. At this point in timeit is impossible to state who borrowed whose tune and made it hisown.

The works of Sastriar, such asthe ‘Bethlehem Kuravanji’, continue to be performed by his descendants as ‘Kathakalakshepams’

in various churches. Since thetime of Sastriar, there have beenseveral Carnatic music exponentsin the Christian community, andwho propagate the art in thechurch.

The interest of Christians in theart form was encouraged and nurtured by many traditional artistes.The 19th century composer, Samuel Vedanayagam Pillai, had allhis songs vetted by GopalakrishnaBharati, the author of ‘NandanCharittiram’. Tamil scholar Meenakshisundaram Pillai and thepontiff�� of the ThiruvavaduturaiMutt, Melagaram Subramania Desikar, were Pillai’s close friends. Inthe late 19th century, the lineagesof Tyagaraja and Dikshitar saw merit in A.M. Chinaswami Mudaliar, aRoman Catholic, and taught himwhat they knew. When Rao SahebAbraham Pandithar convened thefi��rst ever Carnatic Music conference, in Thanjavur in 1912, helping him was Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar.

In the 1930s, Pandithar’s son,A.J. Pandian, set about composingChristmas carols in Carnatic style.Muthiah Bhagavatar, who wouldlater compose many songs inpraise of Devi and Shiva, helped intheir tuning. The work waspraised by Kalki Krishnamurthy,and Pandian was asked to presenthis music in the form of an orchestra at the Music Academy’s December festivals in Chennai, in 1935and 1937.

In 1918, Rev. H.A. Popley begana Summer School of Music to teachChristian men and women; P.Sambamoorthy became a lecturerhere, in 1924. A year later, he became its vice principal, eventuallyrising to become its principal. Nobody saw anything amiss in an orthodox panchakacchamclad scholar teaching his art to Christians.D.K. Pattammal did not feel out ofplace in joining this school tofurther her knowledge of music.For that matter, the prima donnaof our art, Veena Dhanammal, sawmerit in Calcutta’s Gauhar Jan andAbdul Karim Khan and taughtthem some songs of Tyagaraja.These were even released as gramophone discs.

More examplesNot many know that the Tamil IsaiSangam began life in the parishhall of St. Mary’s CoCathedral inChennai. In the 1950s, K. Narayanaswami Iyer, grandson of PatnamSubramanya Iyer, turned composer. His works, compiled as NewWorld Songs, include pieces in

praise of Christ. In the world of fi��lms too, there

were productions set to Christianthemes. Papanasam Sivan composed the music for a song in Gna-nasoundari (Citadel Pictures). P.Leela (to many, the voice of the Narayaneeyam), sang ‘Enai AalumMary Matha’ in Missiamma. M.L.Vasanthakumari sang a similarpiece, in chaste Carnatic style, forthe fi��lm, Punyavati. If anything,the impact of fi��lm songs wouldhave been more widespread thanany Carnatic concert featuringChristian songs. Ten years ago, Sister Margaret Bastin, a nun, made afantastic presentation on the life ofKaraikkal Ammaiyar at the MusicAcademy.

Times were diff��erent and nobody saw the need to raise a hue andcry, which is why the present outcry does not make sense. Startedby fringe elements and milked forwhat it is worth by publicityhounds, the controversy now hasonly obscured the facts. It is hightime that those who perceivethreats to Hinduism from thesesongs pondered over the facts andinitiated course correction. And ifthey thought that Carnatic music isthe means by which other religions can attract people, they aregrossly overestimating the reach ofthis niche art.

Sriram V. is a historian of Carnatic music

and Madras. He is the Secretary of the

Music Academy, Chennai

A chronicle of collaborationThere has been a long-standing Carnatic tradition in the church which goes back to the time of Tyagaraja himself

GE

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AG

ES

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www.hindu.com/opinion/letters/

corrections & clarifications:

Editing error: The Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s partyname is TehreekeInsaf and not TehreekeTaliban as mentionedin a report, “15member Cabinet in Pak.” (‘World’ page, August 19,2018).

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Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Pakistan policy was an openbook. He wanted improved

relations with Pakistan without sacrifi��cing India’s interest. He wanted the people of the two countriesto live in amity and friendship asgood neighbours. Vajpayee hadbeen pragmatic in respect of hisPakistan policy. On a visit to Pakistan as Foreign Minister in February 1978, he was asked how he reconciled his commitment to theShimla Agreement to his earlierposition that it was a stab in the nation’s back. He said amidst laughter, “I am trying to forget my pastand I urge you to do the same.”Earlier, immediately after takingover as foreign minister in March1977, he assured the Pakistan Ambassador that there was not goingto be any change in policy towardsPakistan as the existing foreignpolicy “was based on more or lessnational consensus”. This refl��ected both pragmatism andstatesmanship.

A domestic consensusIt can be considered as a masterstroke for both the then Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao, and thethen Leader of the Opposition,Vajpayee, when in the 1990s theformer persuaded the latter tolead the Indian delegation to theUN Human Right Commissionmeeting in Geneva, which was

then discussing issues related toIndia and Pakistan. By this singleact alone, they both showed to Pakistan and the rest of the international community that India spokein one voice on its relations withPakistan. It resulted in a profoundvictory for India. It was satisfyingas the High Commissioner to Pakistan to watch this development.

Years later, as Prime Minister,Vajpayee made two visits to Pakistan. The much publicised visit bybus to Lahore on February 19,1999 was overshadowed by theKargil attack a few months later.The Lahore visit, however, had apositive impact on public opinionin both countries at that time. Thebus service between New Delhiand Lahore inaugurated duringhis visit was to facilitate cheapertravel for the people of the twocountries. As the then Foreign Minister, Jaswant Singh, informedParliament, “The bus journey captured the imagination of the people of India, of Pakistan, indeed, ofthe world.”

The Kargil war, however, didnot prevent Vajpayee from invitingGeneral Pervez Musharraf to India, resulting in the Agra Summitof July 2001. Earlier, in his January1, 2001 message — the famous“musings from Kumarakom” —Vajpayee had stated that it wastime to resolve the Kashmir problem of the past and that “India iswilling and ready to seek a lastingsolution of the Kashmir problem”.People in Kashmir still emotionally remember his musings.

Vajpayee made his second visit,as Prime Minister, to Pakistan in January 2004 to attend the SouthAsian Association for RegionalCooperation (SAARC) Summit. Af

ter strenuous negotiations, in thebilateral joint communiqué issuedat the end of the visit, PresidentMusharraf gave the assurance thathe would not permit any territoryunder Pakistan’s control to beused to support terrorism in anymanner. This was an importantcommitment by Pakistan whichwas made possible because of Vajpayee’s resolve to improve relations, despite the setback in relations as a result of Kargil and thefailed Agra Summit. This commitment paved the way for bilateralnegotiations to be resumed between the two countries.

Vajpayee’s visits to Pakistanhave to be viewed in the context ofsimilar visits by other Prime Ministers. Interestingly, nine out of 14Prime Ministers of India never visited Pakistan during their tenures. Most visits by Indian PrimeMinisters to Pakistan took placewhen the Prime Minister’s partyenjoyed an absolute majority inthe Lok Sabha — for example, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi andNarendra Modi. Even Shastri had amajority in Parliament when heundertook the visit to Tashkentand had earlier made a transit haltin Karachi to meet Ayub Khan. Theexception to this is Vajpayee who,

even though he led a coalition government, visited Pakistan twice.

No sign of weaknessSeveral reminiscences of meetingswith former Prime Minister AtalBihari Vajpayee resonate. Duringmy tenure as High Commissionerin Pakistan, while on a visit to Delhi, Prime Minister Narasimha Raoasked me to brief the Leader of theOpposition. As always, Vajpayeewas warm. Supportive of improving relations with Pakistan, he toldme to go ahead with the suggestions. His sane advice was thatwhenever a proposal was made, itmust be ensured that the otherside did not mistake it as a sign ofweakness. He added that as Foreign Minister he had encouragedtravel and trade between the twocountries — to those, he said, youcould now add tourism.

Later in July 2001, when I wasAmbassador in Moscow, I wascalled to Delhi when preparationswere being made for meeting General Musharraf in Agra. I attendedpreparatory meetings at the PrimeMinister’s Race Course Road (nowrenamed Lok Kalyan Marg) offi��ce.Vajpayee calmly listened to allview points and was in favour of aconsensus decision to move forward. The deliberations in Agra,however, did not succeed.

Attentive, graciousWhen he appointed me as SpecialEnvoy for Afghanistan, just aftermy retirement from the Indian Foreign Service, in the aftermath of9/11, his directive was to fi��nd a solution to the Afghanistan issue andsee if it could also help Pakistan tochange its attitude towards India.

Prior to Vajpayee’s departure

for Islamabad in 2004 for theSAARC summit, I was asked tomeet him. On inquiring from hissecretary as to how much time hadbeen earmarked for the briefi��ng, Iwas informed that there was plenty of time as Mr. Vajpayee had adentist’s appointment only in theevening as offi��ces and shopswould be closed by then. He chosethis time as he did not wish to inconvenience the public with traffi��carrangements. His entire emphasis during the conversation wasthat we should work towards making Pakistan realise that it needs tocease help to terrorists so that discussions on bilateral relationscould move ahead. I made a fewsuggestions, and he thanked me aswas his gracious nature. Twohours later I received a call to theeff��ect that I had made seven pointswhich I should send in writing. Heremembered the number.

My last meeting with Vajpayeewas on June 10, 2006, when Ibriefed him on the backchanneldiscussions with Pakistan. Thereafter, I continued briefi��ng Brijesh Mishra, who had been Principal Secretary in the Vajpayee PMOand who was in regular touch withhim. His policy towards Pakistan,based on pragmatism and realism,was to move ahead keeping inview our interests. There had beena consistency in his attitude towards Pakistan as Member of Parliament, Foreign Minister, Leaderof the Opposition and later asPrime Minister. This goes to showhis sincerity and commitment.

Satinder K. Lambah was a Special Envoy

of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He is

currently chairman, Ananta Aspen

Centre, Delhi

Always a peacemakerAs Foreign Minister, Leader of the Opposition and Prime Minister, Vajpayee tried to repair ties with Pakistan

Satinder K. Lambah

AP

/PT

I

Calamity and responseIf the inundation and largescale destruction in Keralais not an emergency, then Iwonder what kind of havocshould occur for theCentral government todeclare it a nationalemergency (Page 1, “PMModi announces ₹��500crore aid”, August 19). Isthere some reason why ithas not been declared anemergency that the generalpublic cannot fathom or isit sheer callousness?H.J. Mohamed,

Chennai

■ If the Central governmenthas decided that thequantum of relief to be givento Kerala is to be just ₹��500crore, so be it. It may have itsreasons as no less than thePrime Minister himself was aparty to this. Rather than usethis as a reason to becomeupset and attack the Centre,we should move on,especially as support and aidare pouring in from otherquarters. The people ofKerala should not forget thatthe rest of India is alive toand aware of their plight and

will ensure that they do notcome to grief. Largenumbers of people from theState and who have settledabroad, especially in WestAsia and in the West, areresponding to their distress.Relief and aid will fl��ow insoon. There have beenmagnifi��cent gestures ofsupport and aid bygovernments in the UnitedArab Emirates and Qatar.The UN Secretary Generaland the Pope have alsoexpressed support. The factthat the UAE released astatement that said, “Thepeople of Kerala have alwaysbeen and are still part of oursuccess story in the UAE. Wehave a special responsibilityto help and support thoseaff��ected”, conveys much. Weshould be patient and calm.Arun Mathew,

Dublin, Ireland

■ It is immaterial whether itis offi��cially declared as anational calamity becausethe rest of the nation isresponding in anoverwhelming manner, withfi��nancial and materialassistance pouring in. More

than sensational monikers,the State needs all the help itcan get to rehabilitateaff��ected people and assistthem in rebuilding theirlives. Postdisaster relief andrehabilitation demandenormous resources whichthe State cannot raise on itsown. Tourism, one of themajor revenueearners, willtake a hit for some time. TheState, on its part, has toreexamine its land andwater management policiesas extreme weather eventsmight become frequent inthe days to come. There haveto be ready and effi��cientrescue protocols. Avoluntary and trainedcivilian force that can handledisaster management andwhich will assist the armedforces in rescue operationsmust also be put in place.V.N. Mukundarajan,

Thiruvananthapuram

■ Loss estimates following ahuge natural calamity are toocomplex a job to be termedaccurate and realistic. Aerialsurveys by nonspecialists donot help one to guess whatthe damages are. Disasters

are not occasions to drawmileage. What is important isthat contractors who will beallotted reliefrelatedprojects should also bewarned not to exploit thesituation and remember thespirit of their mission. Sivamani Vasudevan,

Chennai

■ Once the fl��ood watersrecede, the people shouldnot simply go back to theirnormal lives (‘Ground Zero’page – “Trial by water”,August 18). There appears tohave been no study ofenvironmental engineeringespecially when it comes topeople and ecosystems.There should be discussionabout the desilting of damsand the impact ofdeforestation. Studies haveto be carried out to fi��ndmodels in all districts thatcan handle fl��oods as well asensure the conservation ofwater resources. B. Venkatasubbarao,

Madurai

Joy of fountain pensThe photofeature, “IndelibleInk” (‘Framed’ page, August

No mobilesThe move by the Directorateof Collegiate Education inTamil Nadu to ban the use ofcellphones by students in allarts, science and othercolleges is welcome (“T.N.bans cellphones in colleges”,August 19). Of course the aimis to prevent unnecessarydistractions but theauthorities concerned mayconsider modifying the orderto permit the use of basicmobile phones (without acamera and data storagefacilities). This would takecare of the concerns of theauthorities as well as those ofparents and guardians whowish to communicate withtheir wards.Robert B. Grubh,

Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu

19), of a penmaking legacyof preIndependence vintagein Rajamundry, nowRajamahendravaram, inAndhra Pradesh, was rivetingespecially when childrentoday think of only tablets,computers, smartphonesand ball pens. I remember reading a reportof an eminent school inKerala switching back to thegood old “fountain pen”.What is even moreinteresting is that anotherestablished school inHyderabad has still notallowed its students to useball pens. Fountain penmanufacture should bethought of under the “MakeIn India” programme. It isheartening that the good oldink pen still survives.N. Nagarajan,

Secunderabad

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters emailed to [email protected] must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.

With Indonesian President Joko Widodo and

his main challenger Prabowo Subianto an

nouncing their running mates for the April

2019 election, the stage is set for an extended cam

paign. These will be the fourth direct presidential elec

tions since the end in 1998 of the threedecadelong mil

itarybacked dictatorship of Suharto. Both candidates

are expected to unveil their road maps to give a boost to

jobcreation and reduce inequality in the largest econo

my in Southeast Asia. Equally, in a country with the lar

gest Muslim population and also one whose population

is extremely diverse, the two campaigns are shining a

light on the larger struggle for pluralism. Mr. Widodo,

from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, is

seeking a second term, and his choice of Ma’ruf Amin, a

conservative Islamic cleric, as running mate appears to

be aimed at averting the alienation of the more ortho

dox sections. A Muslim of Javanese descent, Mr. Wido

do, referred to as Jokowi, was the target of a social me

dia smear campaign in the 2014 elections, suggesting

that he was an ethnic Chinese Christian and a member

of the banned communist party. This attempt to tap in

to the resentment against the small but infl��uential mi

nority community is believed to have narrowed his vic

tory margin. Four years ago, too, his rival was Mr.

Prabowo, of Gerindra. An economic nationalist, he has

denied the accusations against him of human rights vio

lations while heading Indonesia’s special forces —

charges that led to a ban on his entry into the U.S.

The electoral faceoff�� between Mr. Widodo and Mr.

Prabowo comes also against the backdrop of a highly

charged gubernatorial race in Jakarta in 2017. The in

cumbent at that time, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, had suc

ceeded Mr. Widodo when he became President in 2014

and was considered his protégé. Mr. Purnama, a Chris

tian, narrowly lost the election after a hardfought cam

paign in which hardline groups accused him of blasphe

my. He was subsequently imprisoned on the charge.

Mr. Prabowo and his running mate, Sandiaga Uno, had

campaigned for Mr. Purnama’s rival at the time — but

Mr. Widodo’s running mate, Mr. Amin, was a witness in

the blasphemy trial. Diff��erences between the moderate

and hardline sections could get exacerbated ahead of

the 2019 elections, particularly given the polarisation in

a twoway contest. The onus is clearly on President Wi

dodo and Mr. Prabowo to ensure that the airing of con

trary political opinion does not cross the limits of civil

ity and decency in this fl��edgling democracy. But

Jokowi, as the candidate whose victory in 2014 inspired

optimism about a break from politicsasusual, perhaps

has the greater responsibility to resist a tilt to appease

hardline and intolerant opinion.

A long campaignIndonesian President Widodo raises

eyebrows with his choice of running mate

Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat’s view

that it is not possible to hold simultaneous elec

tions to the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies

soon is a realistic assessment of the humongous task

ahead of the Election Commission before it can embark

on such an ambitious venture. Mr. Rawat has, in partic

ular, ruled out the possibility of holding elections to the

Lok Sabha this December along with polls to the Assem

blies of four States. In addition to the basic requirement

of a legal framework under which the extension or cur

tailment of the term of any Assembly is constitutionally

permissible, simultaneous elections would demand a

massive increase in the number of electronic voting ma

chines (EVMs) and voterverifi��able paper audit trail

(VVPAT) units. Mr. Rawat has pointed out that altering

the term of an Assembly needs an amendment to the

Constitution. Moreover, ensuring the availability of

VVPATs everywhere poses a logistical challenge. Mizo

ram is due for elections in December, as the term of the

Assembly ends on December 15. This will be followed

by Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, with

the terms of their Assemblies ending on January 5, 7

and 20, respectively. A new batch of VVPAT units is ex

pected only by the end of November, and it takes a

month for fi��rstlevel checking, rendering the possibility

of using them in the next round of elections remote.

The logistics are bracing, too. Simultaneous elections

will require the use of 24 lakh EVMs, needing the pro

curement of 12 lakh EVMs and an equal number of

VVPAT units, according to its estimate. These fi��gures

ought to give pause to the clamour to hold simultane

ous Assembly elections with the next Lok Sabha polls.

It goes without saying that a wide political consen

sus, as well as legislative cooperation from various par

ties at the Centre and in the States, is required for hold

ing simultaneous elections. It is natural that parties that

control legislatures constituted in recent months or

years would resist any curtailment of their tenures,

while those in the Opposition may prefer simultaneous

polls if it means Assembly elections being advanced.

Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah has written

to the Law Commission favouring simultaneous polls,

giving a fi��llip to the idea. The crux of the argument in fa

vour of the concept is that the country is perpetually in

election mode, resulting in a lack of adequate focus on

governance. The second contention is that scattered

polling results in extra expenditure. The question be

fore India is, in order to address these two issues, can

legislature terms be curtailed without undermining re

presentative democracy and federalism? Given the pro

cedural and logistical challenges that holding of simul

taneous elections pose, it would be far more productive

for political parties to focus on basic electoral reforms

and fi��nd ways to curb excessive election expenditure.

Reality checkSimultaneous polls pose too big a legal and

logistical challenge to be implemented now





CMYK

A ND-NDE

OPED

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DATA POINT

The LokSabha today [August 19, New Dellhi] rejected by anoverwhelming majority, of 193 to 57 votes Mr. Madhu Limaye’smotion seeking to disapprove the conduct of the DeputyPrime Minister for “certain false statements made in theHouse” by him as well as the conduct of the Prime Minister isnot asking him to resign. The Prime Minister, who replied tothe fourhour debate which was held in a tense atmosphere,dismissed the motion as “misconceived” and, therefore, deserving to be rejected. She said, amidst cheers, that the opposition had made no case to impel her to oblige them by askingthe Deputy Prime Minister to resign and thus part with her colleague. The House rejected earlier a motion suggesting the appointment of 18 members of the House to investigate thewhole matter.

FIFTY YEARS AGO AUGUST 20, 1968

P.M. dismisses charge against Desai

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FROM ARCHIVES

Mr. A.H. Calyton, Commissioner, Chittagong division, disposed of a case in which one Keijai Thakur, a Buddhist priest,aged 84, of the Sonaichari Monastery stood charged with murdering a Buddhist student aged 10 years, residing in the saidMonastery. The accused when arrested stated before the headman that he being old and of dim sight could not recognise theboy who he thought to be a dog and struck him with a dac. Theprosecution has not been able to assign any motive for thecrime, but four other boys of the Monastery had deposed thatwhile the boy had been writing, the accused approached himfrom behind and murdered him. One of the assessors foundthe accused not guilty while the other assessors found himguilty of murder. The Commissioner found the accused guiltyof murder and sentenced him to transportation for life.

A HUNDRED YEARS AGO AUGUST 20, 1918.

A Priest Convicted of Murder.

Safety stockBusiness

This refers to the additional stock of goods that isheld as inventory by a business in order to deal withunexpected fl��uctuations indemand and disruptionsin the supply of goods. Thesafety stock can help businesses avoid the problemof stockouts which couldlead to the loss of potentialsales due to the inability tofully satisfy customer demand. It can also helpthem avoid losing customers who might prefer toswitch to a diff��erent vendor when their orders arenot fulfi��lled. A large safetystock, however, can causethe capital of a business,which could be employedelsewhere, to be unnecessarily tied up in its inventory.

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CONCEPTUAL

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events medal tally here

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THE WEB 3

In the larger scheme of things, highway markers — the refl��ective stickerson railings that guide traffi��c on Bhutan’s steep mountain roads — shouldnot be a big issue. But when the Border Roads Organisation, which helpsbuild Bhutanese roads under ProjectDantak, decided in July to makethose markers in shades of the Indiantricolour, it raised red fl��ags amongthe Bhutanese on social media. Citizens were worried that this was anattempt by India to impose its fl��ag ontheir countryside. This wasn’t a fi��rst.In April last year, the Department ofRoads had to remove a board whichread “Dantak welcomes you to Bhutan” at the Paro international airport. And on the ThimphuPhuentsholing arterial highway, anotherboard that credited the “Governmentof India” had to be painted over.Eventually, in the recent case, whichwas covered by the national weeklyThe Bhutanese, the Minister for Public Works stepped in, and the stickers were changed to blue and white.

The incident was a blip in IndiaBhutan relations, but it is a clear indicator of heightened sensitivities inthe Himalayan kingdom as it heads toits third general election. The National Assembly of Bhutan was dissolvedand an interim government was appointed this month ahead of the election, which will be completed by Octoberend, marking 10 years ofdemocracy in Bhutan.

Sovereignty and selfsuffi��ciencyThe People’s Democratic Party, ledby imcumbent Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, enters the elections witha visible edge, even if it may not beable to better its landslide victory in2013, when it won 32 of the 47 seats.At his party’s fi��rst rally on August 4,Mr. Tobgay touted the 8% GDPgrowth in favour of his party, whichhas been fuelled by a constructionand tourist boom in Bhutan. He canalso take credit for stabilising the rupeengultrum crisis that he had inherited, as well as for economic reforms including lifting the importban on cars. However, Mr. Tobgay

has been unable to curb the nationaldebt, owed mostly to India for hydropower loans, as he had promised todo in his last campaign.

Attacking Mr. Tobgay over a perceived “proIndia” stance will be partof the Opposition’s messaging. At itsfi��rst rally, on July 29, the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) party president,Pema Gyamtsho, said that “sovereignty, security and selfsuffi��ciency”were the DPT’s top priorities. Crucially, this election comes after the73day IndiaChina standoff�� in 2017in the Bhutanclaimed area of Doklam. Even though public commentary on the tensions has beenfrowned upon, Mr. Gyamtsho’s statement advocates a Bhutanese foreignpolicy that is less dependent on India. Another party in the fray, theBhutan KuenNyam Party, which hasdrawn large crowds at its meetingsand derives some backing from a respected religious fi��gure in easternBhutan, has a similarly worded campaign manifesto title: “For a selfreliant Bhutan: our concern, our responsibility”. Clearly, though Mr.Tobgay has called the raising of “sovereignty” issues by the Oppositionas scaremongering, the concerns over India’s or any other country’s presence in Bhutan’s domestic and foreign policy are not being dismissed.

Given this, India must step lightlyand thoughtfully around the upcoming election. The Manmohan Singhled United Progressive Alliance government’s decision to cut cookinggas subsidy just before the 2013 elections in Bhutan has often been

shown as proof of Indian interference, especially by the DPT partythat lost that election. Since then, theNarendra Modi government’s actions, indicating a preference for oneparty (for example, Sheikh Hasina’sAwami League in Bangladesh) or antipathy for another (such as for Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party), have been noted closelyin Bhutan. The government would bebest advised to keep highprofi��le visits at an arms length from the election process, especially given thatthere will be several such visits afterthe National Assembly is chosen. Mr.Modi is expected to visit Thimphuonce a new government is in place,and Bhutan’s King Jigme KhesarNamgyel Wangchuck is expected fora state visit this year too.

Revisiting policies and issuesThe ensuing months may also be auseful interlude to revise India’s Bhutan policy and address several issuesthat have come up in the past fewyears — for example, the hydropowerprojects where delays in constructing and commissioning in Bhutan byIndian companies have led to thecountry’s burgeoning national debt.Although the government agreed toraise tariff��s for the original hydropower plant in Chukha (by about 30paisa per unit) in February this year,other tariff��s will need to be renegotiated too. In addition, India’s powersurplus status and the advent of other renewable energies like wind andsolar power will make it more diffi��cult for Bhutan to ensure that its hy

dropower sector becomes profi��table.And unless India fi��nds ways to help,it will be accused of the same sort of“debttrapping” that China is accused of today. India also needs to focus on policing crossborder tradebetter. The goods and services taxstill hurts Bhutanese exporters, anddemonetisation has left lasting scarson the banking system.

The China questionThe biggest issue between India andBhutan will remain how to deal withChina. The Doklam crisis hasbrought home many realities for theBhutanese establishment. The fi��rst isthat Doklam, which has long beendiscussed as part of a possible “package solution” to the BhutanChinaborder dispute, could become apoint of IndiaChina confl��agration,with Bhutan becoming a haplessspectator in the middle — again. Experts point out that China’s actionssince last June, to build a permanentmilitary presence above the standoff��point, mean that Bhutan has a muchreduced advantage in any forthcoming negotiations on the issue. “Wewill continue to discuss Doklam dejure, but the situation has changeddrastically de facto,” said one Bhutanese expert. After Mr. Modi’s Wuhanoutreach and several meetings withChinese President Xi Jinping, Bhutantoo has decided that there is littlepoint in avoiding engagement withChina. China’s Vice Foreign MinisterKong Xuanyou’s July visit to Thimphu was an outcome of this stance.

Interestingly, these issues are reminiscent of the situation in September 1958 when Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru undertook the arduousthreeweek journey by yak across theChumbi Valley to meet Bhutan’s second king, Jigme Wangchuck. Thetrip took place amidst rising tensionswith China, even as it gave specialclearance for the delegation to crossinto Doklam. As former Foreign Secretary Jagat S. Mehta wrote in hisbook, Negotiating for India: Resolv-ing Problems Through Diplomacy:“The running anxiety during the1960s for Bhutan was to steer its external relations with China by givingneither provocation nor the impression of getting into a bear hug of dependence with India. Both could jeopardise [Bhutan’s] autonomy.”

[email protected]

Given concerns over Indian infl��uence, New Delhi must exercise caution in the runup to Bhutan’s elections

“Attacking outgoing PM Tshering Tobgay over a perceived ‘pro-India’ stancewill be part of the Opposition’s messaging in Bhutan.” Mr. Tobgay with PMNarendra Modi during a meeting in New Delhi last month. * R.V. MOORTHY

Sovereignty and sensitivity

Suhasini Haidar

There is a wellthoughtout reason for naming the community, faith, or gender of a victim for certain stories in The Hindu. Somereaders, especially students, have written tous asking why some headlines mention thewords “Dalit”, “Muslim”, and “Dalit woman”in the case of violent acts, while others donot. For instance, Prashant Kumar from Patna took objection to the headline “15yearold Dalit girl raped in moving car in Haryana” (August 1). He asked if the newspaperwould have said, “General caste girl raped”,if the girl had happened to be from anothercaste. Kratin Shastri, a class 12 student fromIndore, asked a similar question.

On reports on the lynching of Muslims,another student, P.V. Ramana, from Visakhapatnam, invoked the national pledge “all Indians are my brothers and sisters”, and saidthat caste and religious identities in news reports should be avoided asthey are fundamentally divisive in nature. There wereemails from readers questioning another headline,“Temple purifi��ed in U.P. after visit by Dalit womanMLA” (August 1), on the basis that the story was essentially about gender discrimination rather than castediscrimination, and somentioning the caste of thewoman in the headline was inappropriate. Inmost of these letters, readers said that mentioning the identity of the victim undermined uniformity in the reports becausenewspaper reports generally refrain frompointing out the identity of victims if they arecaste Hindus.

Equality and uniformityI would like to point out to these readers thata newspaper which scrupulously follows itsvalues and is committed to an egalitarianworld makes a distinction between equalityand uniformity. The idea of uniformity doesnot take into account the widespread inequalities in society. In the case of caste, B.R.Ambedkar had explained how caste is a formof graded inequality, where the fi��ght for dignity gets more diffi��cult as one goes down thecaste pyramid. The Hindu would be failing in

its journalistic duty if it does not point out ahate crime where the motive of the perpetrator is either caste or communal prejudice.

It is important to understand the complexrelationship between those wielding powerfl��owing from privilege — privilege that can bebased on caste, class, clan, gender or faith —and those who are subjugated and humiliated by them for not having that privilege. Academic Sanjay Palshikar, in an insightful essayin the Economic and Political Weekly, “Understanding humiliation” (December 17,2005), talked about the corrosive power ofhumiliation. He wrote: “Humiliation is a critical point in a power relationship, the cuspregion as it were, something that bringssharpness to the exercise of power and helpsreproduce those relations of power.” He hadeff��ectively argued that the vocabulary of humiliation demands a certain clarity.

Kinds of crimesFor a responsible journalist, any aff��ront tohuman dignity is a story worth telling because the bedrock of journalism is the beliefthat it can reduce harm. In the cases of excesses — be it lynching or expulsion from apublic space — the journalistic team, which

comprises the reporter andthe desk, gives due consideration to human dignity inreporting, editing and providing headlines. Identitiesof victims are mentionedonly when the victim’s dignity is trampled upon be-cause of her identity. Theteam makes a fundamentaldiff��erence between a crimeand a crime that is driven byhate and bigotry.

Which brings us to the question, what isnews? It is a combination of truth, accuracy,balance and context. It would be a dereliction of duty if a crime based on hate and prejudice is not diff��erentiated from othercrimes. If someone pays a huge price for herbirth and identity by being subjected to violence or being killed, this violates the law.This is the context which needs to be mentioned in reports and, as far as possible, inheadlines too.

It would be inhuman to indulge in whataboutery by confl��ating any other crime with ahate crime. By erasing the crucial distinction, we would not only be divisive butcreate an environment that is conducive foridentitybased violence that corrodes our social fabric.

[email protected]

Why context matters It would be inhuman to indulge in whataboutery byconfl��ating any other crime with a hate crime

A.S. Panneerselvan

FROM THE READERS’ EDITOR

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India’s rapid urbanisation has beenproceeding apace for decades, but policy solutions have been shots in thedark. For the thousands who come tothe cities every day, cheap housing inslums is often the springboard to better lives. However, studies show that

these migrants often get stuck in a vicious cycle of debt andsocioeconomic stagnation.

First, India must get its numbers right as there are no concrete fi��gures on these temporary and semipermanent settlements. Slums have a fl��uid defi��nition and legal pedanticism leads to exclusion of people. The 2011 Censusestimated 65 million people in slums, a marked shortfallfrom the UNHABITAT’s 2014 estimation of 104 million.

Current slum policies primarily focus on housing, relocation or insitu development of multistorey complexes,which free up swathes of prime real estate. But in doing so,they miss out on the brewing socioeconomic distress inslums. This was revealed in two projects conducted in Bengaluru and which could apply to other Indian cities too.

A longterm, multiinstitutional survey by researchersfrom the Netherlands, the U.S. and a local NGO, Fields ofView, reveals that over 70% of families in slums live in debt.The diff��erence between their monthly earnings and expenses is less than ₹��1,000 leaving them vulnerable in case of educational, vocational, social or health emergencies. Moreover, with no access to formal fi��nancial systems, anyborrowing comes from private money lenders at high interest rates. For many, even water and electricity are disproportionately more expensive as they are forced to rely onthe grey market rather than on formal, subsidised channels.

The cumulative eff��ect is that residents end up staying inthe same slums for an average of 21 years, according to a sevenyear exploratory study helmed by Duke University, U.S.Seven out of 10 households have stayed in slums for at leastfour generations. These families earned only marginallymore than “newer” migrants. When families did move outof their slums, it was towards “cheaper,” worseoff�� slums.This is in contrast to the rapid upward mobility among otherurban sections. Disturbingly, both studies show that there islittle upliftment despite better education levels. This is perhaps due to the rapidly changing profi��le of entry level jobs.Undergraduate or technical certifi��cates can only providelowpaying jobs. Much like their parents, the youth earn lessthan their moreeducated peers who don’t live in slums.

A case can be made for a nuanced slum policy, ratherthan a onesizefi��tsall approach. In many established slums,political patronage has produced concrete houses, titledeeds, piped water and regularised electricity. Here, economic opportunities and employment are key. On the otherend, slums resembling tented refugee camps need housingand basic amenities. Until these nuances are considered,ambitious but slowtoimplement housing schemes will dolittle for the welfare of slum dwellers.

The writer is a Principal Correspondent at The Hindu’s Bengaluru bureau

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For better slum policies Studies show that socioeconomicdistress is brewing in slums

Mohit M. Rao

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India. He picks up thethread of argument from aseminal book documenting the twists and turns ofpolitical economy duringthe years of rule of M.G.Ramachandran of theAIADMK, The Image Trap(1992, M.S.S. Pandian),wherein it was noted thata major factor that made itpossible for both Dravidian majors to splash outon mass welfare schemeswas the fi��nancing of thoseschemes by taxing thepoor through liquor excise duties.

Popular, accessiblebooks have been relativelyrare in the fi��eld of TamilNadu political economy,even if scholars such asJohn Harriss, NarendraSubramanian, Arun Swamy and Atul Kohli havewritten defi��nitive academic accounts in this area.

A recent volume onDravidian politics touchedupon the transformationof the policymaking process after 1967, the yearwhen the Congress lost

The death of M. Karunanidhi, DMK supremo andfi��vetime Chief Minister ofTamil Nadu, prompted awave of speculation onwhat the vacuum left byhis passing will herald forthe State’s future. Thequestion is additionally salient given that theAIADMK faced a similarloss of charismatic leadership when its chief, Jayalalithaa, passed away in December 2016. The enigmaof Tamil politics can be deciphered not in terms ofextant political strugglesbetween these two Dravidian parties, but in thehistory of Dravidianism.

The landscape of politicalanalytical literaturelinking the latest turns ofTamil Nadu politics to thepast is sparse. Certainly,some notable works havesought to fi��ll that gap, including parts of N. Ram’s2017 book, Why Scams areHere to Stay: Understand-ing Political Corruption in

power decisively and theDMK seized control ofState politics: S. Narayan’sThe Dravidian Years. Thisbook off��ers valuable insights into how the antiBrahmin, antielite dimensions of Dravidian politicsimpacted the institutionsof the state, orienting it towards the delivery of thewelfare agenda that wehave come to know well.

Biographies of Tamilpoliticians tend to focus,as expected, on their personas, their rise to power,and the strength of theirlasting appeal, and this applies to Vaasanthi’s redoubtable 2016 book onJayalalithaa, Amma: Jaya-lalithaa's Journey fromMovie Star to PoliticalQueen, and her 2008 classic, Cut-outs, Caste andCine Stars.

Yet, even these off��er asmattering of analysis onpolicy and governance issues, for it is impossible toseparate the motifs andsymbols of Dravidianismfrom welfarism.

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SHELF HELP

Documenting a living movementA reading list on the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu

Narayan Lakshman


CMYK

A ND-NDE




NEWS

FROM PAGE ONE

the PoK president). “Whenyou go somewhere on an invitation, you sit according toarrangements,” he said.

Sidhu’s defenceResponding to a question onhis hugging Gen. Bajwa, hesaid, “If someone [Gen. Bajwa] comes to me and saysthat he wants to share goodnews. And then says thatthey [Pakistan] are contemplating throwing open theKartarpur border on GuruNanak Dev’s 550th PrakashParv. If somebody takes thename of Guru Nanak thenwhat else could have Idone.”

Gen. Bajwa is ‘responsiblefor the deaths of our soldiers’ and Mr. Sidhu shouldnot have shown such niceties to him, said Capt. Singhsaid.

As for Mr. Sidhu sittingnext to the PoK ‘president’,he said the Minister possiblydid not know who he wasand in any case the seatingarrangement was not in hishands.

Meanwhile, Mr. Sidhu returned to India via the AttariWagah border. Interactingwith journalists, he said hehad gone as a guest to theswearingin and sat wherehe was asked to sit (next to

‘Wrong of Sidhu tohug Pak. Army chief ’

Back home: Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu speaking tothe media upon his return from Pakistan on Sunday. * AFP

‘Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in theUK’ updated on Thursday.

Passport revokedThe fugitive gangster’s placeof birth is recorded as Kher,Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, andhis nationality is listed as“Indian” with a recorded Indian passport, which wassubsequently revoked bythe government of India andthen goes on to list a stringof Indian and Pakistani passports acquired by him andmisused.

Meanwhile, a newlyupdated list of fi��nancial sanctionsreleased by the U.K. government earlier this week notesthree known addresses inPakistan for Dawood: HouseNo 37, 30th Street, DefenceHousing Authority, Karachi;palatial bungalow in the hilly area in Noorabad, Karachi; and white house, nearSaudi Mosque, Clifton, Karachi. Dawood, the mastermind of the Mumbai blastsin 1993, remains the only“Indian national” on theU.K. Treasury department’s

Dawood’s key aideheld in London

A day after Sachin Andure,alleged to be one of the shooters of rationalist NarendraDabholkar, was arrested, aspecial court on Sunday remanded him in CBI custodytill August 26.

Late on Sunday, the Mahashtra AntiTerrorismSquad placed Shrikant Pangarkar, a former member ofthe Jalna municipal council,under arrest for allegedlyplanning disruptive activities in the State.

Pangarkar was detainedon Saturday night by the CBIafter Andure was questioned. His home at Jalnawas searched. Offi��cials saidAndure told interrogatorsthat Pangarkar was with himduring Dabholkar’s murder.

Earlier in the day, the CBI

produced Andure, a residentof Kuwarphalli in Aurangabad, in the court of JudicialMagistrate First Class A.S.Mujumdar.

Arguing for a 14day custody, Special Public ProsecutorVijaykumar Dhakane saidthat as Andure was the mainshooter, the CBI would needmore time to determine howand from whom he had ob

tained instruction in fi��rearms and what became ofthe weapon and the motorbike used in the crime. Mr.Dhakane said VirendraTawde, an ENT specialistand radical Hindutva activist, had masterminded thecrime, and besides Andureand Sharad Kalaskar, twoothers were involved in themurder. Prakash Salsingikar,

counsel for the defence, argued that Andure’s arrestwas under political pressure.

Arrest questioned “The CBI, in its September2016 chargesheet againstTawde, named SanatanSanstha activists Vinay Pawar and Sarang Akolkar asthe assailants. So, wheredoes the possibility of SachinAndure being the principalshooter arise,” he asked.

Andure’s name croppedup when the MaharashtraAntiTerrorism Squad (ATS)questioned Sharad Kalaskar.The ATS arrested Kalaskar,along with rightwing activistVaibhav Raut, at Nallasoparain Mumbai, and SudhanwaGondhalekar in Pune on August 10, for allegedly planning disruptive activities.The ATS said Kalaskar and

Andure admitted to beingthe motorcycleborne assailants who had gunned downDabholkar on August 20,2013, during his morningstroll on the OmkareshwarBridge in Pune.

“Even if it is late, it is stillin the right direction. Hadthe probe agencies and thepolice factored in our suspicion that Dabholkar’s murder was part of a premeditated conspiracy, the killing ofCommunist leader GovindPansare, scholar M.M. Kalburgi and journalistactivistGauri Lankesh could havebeen averted,” Hamid Dabholkar, the rationalist’s son,told The Hindu.

Andure’s brother Pravinsaid he is innocent and wasbeing made a scapegoat afterthe Bombay HC ticked off�� theCBI for its tardy probe.

One more arrested in Dabholkar caseFormer member of Jalna municipal council in police net after the interrogation of Sachin Andure

Dabholkar case suspect Sachin Andure’s brother PravinAndure speaking to the media in Pune. * MANDAR TANNU

Shoumojit Banerjee

Pune

More than 6,000 candidates have shown interestin 10 posts of Joint Secretaries in the Central government, off��ered to private sector specialists aspart of the Modi government’s bid to bring in freshtalent in bureaucracy, offi��cials said on Sunday.

The Personnel Ministryhad recently announcedrecruitment of 10 Joint Secretaries in select government departments through“lateral entry” mode, thusallowing private sector talents to join the government on contractual basis.

A total of 6,077 applications have been receivedfor the posts, the offi��cialssaid.

The posts are in revenue, fi��nancial services,economic aff��airs, agriculture and farmers’ welfare,road transport and highways, shipping, environment, forest and climatechange, new and renewable energy, civil aviationand commerce departments. The deadline to apply for the posts was July30.

There are a maximum of1,100 applicants againstone post, depending onthe department concerned. The minimum applications for a post is 290.

“The Central government has started the process of shortlisting thecandidates,” a senior Ministry offi��cial said.

Usually, the posts ofJoint Secretaries aremanned by the IAS, IPS,IFS and IRS offi��cers recruited through the civil services examination conductedby the Union Public Service Commission.

Over 6,000apply for lateral entry


New Delhi

The government on Sundayclarifi��ed that the backseriesGDP data purportedly released by it was just a draftusing one of the several possible calculation methods,and the Ministry of Statisticsand Programme Implementation would announce theresults when it settled on a fi��nal method.

“It is clarifi��ed through thispress note that the methodology for backcasting GDPseries has not yet been fi��nalised and various alternativemethods are being explored,” the Ministry said ina release. “The methodologyas also the series using the

methodology will be workedout using the suggestionsmade by the Committee onReal Sector Statistics andother suggestions that emanate during the consultancyprocess.”

This exercise will then beconsidered in the AdvisoryCommittee on National Accounts Statistics and subsequently by the National Statistical Commission.

Following this, the Ministrywill decide about releasingthe offi��cial estimates on thebackseries GDP data.

Big confusionThe confusion arose becausethe Ministry recently uploaded a report prepared by aCommittee on Real SectorStatistics that contained achapter presenting variousapproaches to reconcilingthe new series of GDP datawith the old. Sections of themedia as well as some economists believed that the data so presented was the Ministry’s offi��cial calculation ofthe backseries GDP data.

“Chapter V of the reportdiscusses alternative ap

proaches for converting theold GDP series to the newbase year 201112,” the release added.

“It presents estimates ofthe old series of GDP andother macroeconomic aggregates converted to the newbase year 201112 for the period 199394 to 201314 basedon one of these approaches.”

“As the report of the Committee on Real Sector Statistics is in the public domain,there seems to be some confusion in a section of the media as also amongst a feweconomists and academicians that backseries data ofGDP has been offi��cially released by the MoSPI,” the release said.

‘Old GDP data only a draft’Ministry says it will announce the results after settling on a fi��nal method

TCA Sharad Raghavan

NEW DELHI <> The methodology

as also the series

using it will be

worked out using

the suggestions

made by a

committee

Mohammed Abdullah Basith (24), one of the two suspects held by the NationalInvestigation Agency (NIA)in Hyderabad last week forallegedly “conspiring tofurther the activities of theIslamic State (IS) in India”,was missing for 10 days before his arrest.

It was Basith’s motherwho informed the Telangana police that her son hadgone incommunicado.

Basith has been on the radar of the intelligence agencies since 2014 as he hadtwice attempted to travel toSyria to join the IS. On bothoccasions, he was caught,counselled and let off��.

“When he went missingthis time, his mother immediately went to the policeand informed them. He, however, came back on hisown, but was arrested bythe NIA a few days later,”said a family member of Basith who did not wish to beidentifi��ed.

A senior NIA offi��cial confi��rmed that Basith was away

from home for a few days.The offi��cial said that duringthe period he went missing,he had travelled to Delhiand other places and hadbeen planning to revive hisgroup for activities in Indiabut had no plans to leavethe country. Basith waslooking after the family business and had got marriedin May.

Under watch“He has been under constant watch since 2014.When he returned to hisHyderabad house, we calledhim for questioning and arrested him subsequently.The interrogation is still on,and we cannot reveal theexact conspiracy rightnow,” the offi��cial said.

In May 2017, a news channel, Republic TV, aired asting operation featuringBasith in which he pledgedallegiance to the IS. The Telangana police registered acase, but closed the investigations as the channel failedto provide them with theunedited footage.

Basith fi��rst came on the

radar of the agencies whenhe was caught by the Telangana police on August 29,2014 along with his associates in Malda in West Bengal. Basith planned to go toDhaka and from there to Afghanistan to participate in awar to help Islam. He wasbrought back and counselled by the police.

He was caught again atthe Nagpur airport in December 2015 when he wasabout to board a fl��ight to Srinagar with two of his cousins. Basith planned to crossover to PakistanoccupiedKashmir (PoK) and travel toSyria to fi��ght alongside theIS.

On January 28, 2016, the

NIA registered a caseagainst Sheikh Azhar ul Islam, Mohammed FarhanShaikh and Adnan Hassanon the charge that the trioand their other unknownassociates were members ofthe IS and were involved ina conspiracy to identify,motivate, radicalise, recruitand train Indian Muslim

youth on behalf of the proscribed outfi��t to carry outterror activities.

The three accused werearrested after they were deported from the UAE on India’s request. It was revealed during investigationthat Basith was in touchwith one of the accused, Adnan Hassan, who reportedlyarranged the money for himto travel to Afghanistan viaBangladesh in 2014.

A chargesheet fi��led by theNIA in the case said Abu Zakariya, a Syria operative ofthe IS, was guiding andhelping Basith.

“He [Zakariya] used tohave group discussions andpropagate ideology of the ISand had created Jihadi matrimony to arrange marriage of the IS operativesand guide them to travel toSyria,” a chargesheet fi��ledby the NIA in 2016 said.

On August 12, the NIA arrested Basith and Mohammed Abdul Qhadeer(19), after questioning for almost a week. The accusedare in NIA custody till August 24.

Mother alerted police to missing son, an IS suspectBasith had travelled to Delhi and other places and was planning to revive his group for activities in India

An outside view of Mohammed Abdullah Basith’s house in Hyderabad. * G. RAMAKRISHNA

Vijaita Singh

New Delhi

Former Finance Minister P.Chidambaram on Sundaytook a dig at the Modi government’s handling of theeconomy, saying thatthough three Finance Ministers — one de facto, one dejure and one invisible — handled the economy, the management was not in verycompetent hands.

At a press conference atthe Congress offi��ce in Delhi,he said that despite inheriting an economy on theupswing in May 2014, theModi government had let itlose momentum because of“tax terrorism, demonetisation and a fl��awed GST”.

Exit of expertsEvery worldrenowned economist who came to workunder this government hasleft, Mr. Chidambaram said.“None with a worldwidereputation is willing to serveunder this government.”

Using the backseries dataon gross domestic product(GDP) released by the Statistics and Programme Implementation Ministry, Mr. Chidambaram said the “mainand undeniable conclusionis that UPA 1 and UPA 2 delivered the highest decadalgrowth (8.13% at factor cost)since Independence. It is also a matter of record thatduring this period, 140 million people were lifted outof poverty.”

According to the back seriesdata, the former Finance Minister said, UPA 1had an average GDP growthrate of 8.87% at factor costas against NDA 1’s 5.69%.

Similarly, the GDP growthat market prices clocked7.68% for UPA 2 as against

7.33% for the fi��rst four yearsof the Modi government.“The backseries data is nowavailable. The numbersprove the dictum that truthcannot be suppressed forever and truth has a way ofemerging amidst a torrent oflies and distortions,” hesaid.

Elaborating on the chargeof “tax terrorism”, Mr. Chidambaram said that despitea majority in the Lok Sabha,the Modi government didnot amend the retrospectiveclause in the Income TaxAct (also known as the Vodafone amendment). “Firstly,extraordinary powers havebeen given to the various offi��cials and humongous notices are sent out …one lakhnotices, two lakh notices. Ifthese one lakh notices, twolakh notices are sent, it onlycreates fear in the minds ofthe individual businessman,” he said. The complicated procedure of returnsfi��lings under GST was another example of “tax terrorism”, he added. “The Congress is a passionateadvocate of high growthwith equity and social justice. All three have suff��eredunder the government ofShri Narendra Modi,” hesaid.

BJP claimResponding to the Congress’s claim, BJP spokesperson, Sambit Patra, pointed out that the backseriesdata on GDP growth was notyet offi��cial data as it was yetto be accepted by the government. “During Narendra Modi's regime, the country has transformed fromthe Fragile Five Economiesto fabulous few destinations,” he said.

Congress, BJP sparover economyChidambaram cites backseries data

War of words: Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaramspeaking at a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday. * PTI

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI

The Army on Sunday killeda militant on the Line ofControl (LoC) in Baramulla, just a day after threemilitants were killed nearthe LoC in Kupwara. TheSrinagarbased defencespokesperson Lt. Col. Rajesh Kalia said the infi��ltration bid was foiled at Kasturi Naar in Baramulla.

The police on Saturdaynight arrested around 10youth at Sopore in Baramulla. “The arrested wereinvolved in protests andstonethrowing incidents,”the police said. The arrestswere made during a searchoperation.

One militantkilled on LoCin Baramulla


Srinagar

The Central InformationCommission has directedthe Union Ministry of HomeAff��airs to provide copies ofall orders passed by the Union Government from January 1, 2010 to December 31,2015, granting remission tovarious prisoners across thecountry to A.G. Perarivalan,one of the convicts undergoing life imprisonment in theformer Prime Minister RajivGandhi’s assassination case.

Perarivalan had sought toknow whether any set ofrules governing the provisions of Article 72 & 73 of theConstitution of India as wellas those under Section 432

435 Cr.PC were framed bythe Central government incompliance with the decision of the Supreme Court inUnion of India Vs. V. Sriha-ran alias Murugan and others. Directing the MHA tofurnish an ‘unambiguousreply’, Central Information

Commissioner (CIC) Yashovardhan Azad said the petitioner was entitled to accessthe information.

“The Commission hastensto clarify that the right of appellant to know the rules governing him has no impacton any judicial verdict. Rather, it is in the larger public interest that such rules, if inexistence, may be widely circulated,” he said.

‘Bad in law’Referring to the denial of theinformation, the CIC said thePubic Information Offi��cer(PIO) had failed to apply hismind and sought a blanketrefuge under the guise of thematter being sub judice. “It

is well settled that mere pendency of a matter before acourt of law does not renderall information espousingthe matter as exempted under the RTI Act. There wasno specifi��c direction fromthe court to that eff��ect.Hence, the decision of PIOwas bad in law.”

Mr. Azad said all that theappellant sought to knowwas the documented policy,rules governing the remission of convicts in the light ofa judicial pronouncement.

The CIC directed the PIOto upload on the MHA website all orders, granting ordenying remission to variouslife convicts, passed fromthe year 2000 onwards.

‘Give Perarivalan remission data’Right of appellant to know the rules has no impact on any judicial verdict: CIC

S. Vijay Kumar

CHENNAI

A.G. Perarivalan


CMYK

A ND-NDE




NEWS

More than half the agricultural households in the country have outstanding debt,and their average outstanding debt is almost as high asthe average annual income ofall agricultural households,according to a recent surveyby the National Bank forAgriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

The NABARD All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey 201617 covered a sampleof 1.88 lakh people from40,327 rural households. Only 48% of these are defi��ned asagricultural households,which have at least onemember selfemployed inagriculture and which received more than ₹��5,000 asvalue of produce from agricultural activities over thepast year, whether they possessed any land or not.

NABARD found that 52.5%of the agricultural households had an outstandingloan on the date of the survey, and thus were considered indebted. For nonagricultural households inrural India, that fi��gure was 10percentage points lower, atonly 42.8%.

Higher liabilityAgricultural households reporting any outstanding debtalso had a higher debt liability compared with nonagricultural ones.

The average debt of an indebted agricultural household stood at ₹��1,04,602 incomparison to ₹��76,731 for indebted nonagriculturalhouseholds.

According to the survey,the average annual income ofan agricultural household is₹��1.07 lakh. That is barely₹��2,500 more than the aver

age outstanding debt of indebted farm households.

The survey found that only 10.5% of agricultural households were found to have avalid Kisan Credit Card at thetime of the survey. The

scheme aims to give farmerscredit from the banks with asimplifi��ed and fl��exible singlewindow procedure. Households who had the card utilised 66% of the sanctionedcredit limit, the report said.

The biggest reason for taking loans among agriculturalhouseholds was capital expenditure for agriculturalpurposes, with a quarter ofall loans taken for this purpose.

While 19% of loans weretaken for meeting runningexpenses for agriculturalpurposes, another 19% weretaken for sundry domesticneeds. Loans for housingand medical expenses stoodat 11% and 12%, respectively.

While all classes of farmers had debt, the highest incidence of indebtednesscame from those owningmore than two hectares ofland. In that category, 60% ofhouseholds are in debt.

Among small and marginal farmers owning less than0.4 hectares, slightly lessthan 50% of the householdswere in debt. Those withmore land were more likelyto have multiple loans.

“This may be attributed tothe fact that these economically betteroff�� householdsare more eligible for takingloans as they have enough assets to serve as security

against the loans taken,” thesurvey report said.

State fi��guresThe southern States of Telangana (79%), Andhra Pradesh(77%), and Karnataka (74%)showed the highest levels ofindebtedness among agricultural households, followedby Arunachal Pradesh (69%),Manipur (61%), Tamil Nadu(60%), Kerala (56%), and Odisha (54%).

Looking at loans takenbetween July 2015 and June2016, the survey found thatfarm households took lessthan half their loans fromcommercial banks. While46% of the loans were takenfrom commercial banks, andanother 10% from selfhelpgroups, almost 40% were taken from noninstitutionalsources such as relatives,friends, moneylenders andlandlords.

Half of farm households indebted: NABARD studyTheir annual income may just be enough to repay what they borrowed; Telangana, A.P., Karnataka top the list with over 70% indebted families


NEW DELHI

Rajan called to brief panel on mounting NPAs NEW DELHI

A parliamentary committee

looking into the issue of

mounting nonperforming

assets (NPAs) has asked

former RBI Governor

Raghuram Rajan to appear

before it and brief on the

matter. Mr. Rajan was invited

after former Chief Economic

Adviser Arvind Subramanian

commended him before the

Parliamentary Committee on

Estimates, headed by veteran

BJP leader Murli Manohar

Joshi, for identifying the NPA

crisis and trying to resolve the

problem. PTI

The Advanced MediumCombat Aircraft (AMCA), India’s next indigenous fi��ghter,is expected to make its fi��rstfl��ight by 2032. Developmentwork on the jet is under way.

“The AMCA will featuregeometric stealth and will initially fl��y with two GE414 engines. Once we develop ourown engine, it can be replaced with that. We expectthe fi��rst fl��ight in 2032,” a defence source said.

“There are two majorways of making a militaryplatform stealthier. One isgeometric stealth and otheris material stealth. In geometric stealth, the shape ofthe aircraft is designed atsuch angles so as to defl��ectaway maximum radar waves

thereby minimising its radarcross section. In materialstealth, radarabsorbing materials are used in makingthe aircraft which will absorb the radio waves thus reducing the radar footprint.The AMCA will initially bebased on geometric stealth,

we can look at materialstealth at a later stage,” thesource said.

The Indian Air Force hasgiven land to the Defence Research and Development Organisation to set up facilitiesfor the project.

The plan is to build on the

capabilities and expertisedeveloped during the development of the light combataircraft (LCA) and produce amedium fi��fth generationfi��ghter aircraft.

“Apart from the technologies developed from the LCAproject, the new fi��ghter programme is important astechnologies coming inthrough that will fl��ow intothe AMCA project,” anotheroffi��cial source said.

The aircraft will be powered by the same GE414engine on the LCA Mk2 variant which is in the designphase.

This is India’s only fi��fthgeneration aircraft programme following the decision not to go ahead with thefi��fth generation project withRussia.

India building new fi��ghter jetFirst fl��ight of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft expected in 2032

A fi��le photo of LCA Tejas practising for an air show. The newjet and the LCA Mk2 variant will share the GE414 engine.

Dinakar Peri

NEW DELHI

Proper procedure was followed for allowing the halfbrother of 26/11attack accused David Headley, to visitIndia as part of the Pakistanidelegation to the funeral offormer Prime Minister AtalBihari Vajpayee, offi��cialsources said on Sunday.

Political stormThe offi��cial response cameafter a political controversybroke out over Danyal Gilani’s presence in Delhi wherehe was part of the delegationof Law and Information Minister of Pakistan Syed AliZafar.

“How did the governmentallow Headley’s brother tocome into India? They haveto answer,” Congress spokesperson Meem Afzal said,questioning the decision ofthe Ministry of External Affairs to allow Mr. Gilani toland in Delhi.

But sources said that Mr.Gilani’s name was not in theblacklist of Pakistani citizenswho are generally not allowed to visit India.

“He does not fi��gure in our

blacklist. There are no reports of his links to terrorism,” said an offi��cial, explaining India’s permission.

Mr. Gilani’s father SyedSalim Gilani, a famous Pakistani broadcaster fatheredDavid Headley during hisstint in the United States.

He subsequently returnedto Pakistan where he had anew family including son Danyal Gilani.

Offi��cials indicated that India was aware of the familyties between the two halfbrothers but said that connecting both was a bit of a“stretch” as Mr. Gilani hadpublicly disowned Headley.

He is a director in the offi��ce of the Law Minister.

Headley’s halfbrother

not blacklisted: offi��cialsHe was part of Pakistani delegation at Vajpayee’s funeral

Kallol Bhattacherjee

Suhasini Haidar

NEW DELHI

<> He does not fi��gure

in our list. There

are no reports of

his links to

terrorism

External Affairs Ministry official

Vajpayee’s ashesimmersed in Haridwar HARIDWAR

The ashes of former Prime

Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee

were immersed by his foster

daughter, Namita, in the

Ganga at HarKiPauri here in

Uttarakhand on Sunday.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh,

BJP president Amit Shah, and

Yogi Adityanath and

Trivendra Singh Rawat, Uttar

Pradesh and Uttarakhand

Chief Ministers, respectively,

were present. The ashes

will be immersed in 100

other rivers. IANS

IN BRIEF

Hardik Patel, leader of thePatidar Anamat AndolanSamiti (PAAS), and morethan 100 of his supporterswere detained here and inother parts of Gujarat onSunday before he could goon a hunger strike.

Violence erupted in Surat late in the night over thedetention. Mr. Patel allegedthat “anti social elements”were behind the violence.

Mr. Patel had announced a daylong fast inprotest against the denialof permission to hold a rally on August 25 to mark thethird anniversary of the Patidar agitation for reservation.

The police detained himwhile he and his supporters were on their way toNikol for the protest.

Police breakHardik’s planto protest


AHMEDABAD

The Supreme Court has decided to examine the plea ofa man who converted to Hinduism from Islam to marry,to be reunited with his 23yearold wife.

Ibrahim Siddhiqui, 33,aka Aryan Arya, has challenged a Chhattisgarh HighCourt order to separate himfrom his wife, Anjali Jain,and send her to her parentsor to a hostel. Ms. Jain is nowin a hostel, Mr. Arya said.

A Bench of Chief JusticeDipak Misra and Justice D.Y.Chandrachud decided tospeak to Ms. Jain to knowwhat she wants. Since thecouple hails from Dhamtari

district in Chhattisgarh, theBench has directed the Superintendent of Police toproduce Ms. Jain before it onAugust 27.

Mr. Arya, who convertedto Hinduism two days beforehis wedding with Ms. Jain,said the High Court wasswayed by the emotionalscenes in the courtroom

when Ms. Jain’s tearfulmother slapped her andthreatened to die by suicide.

Mr. Arya, represented byadvocates Nikhil Nayyar andAmbuj Agrawal, contendedthat the High Court orderwas a violation of the Supreme Court’s judgment inthe Hadiya case. The apexcourt had set aside a KeralaHigh Court decision to senda 24yearold Hindu woman— who converted to Islam tomarry a Muslim man — backto her parents. The apexcourt, respecting Ms. Hadiya’s wish, had reunited herwith her husband sayingneither the State nor parentscan “encroach into marriage” between two adults.

Man separated from wife on an order by High Court

Krishnadas Rajagopal

NEW DELHI

SC hears Hadiyalike case from Chhattisgarh

Two indigenous weapon systems tested HYDERABAD

The Defence Ministry said on

Sunday night that the

indigenously designed SAAW

(Smart AntiAirfield Weapon)

guided bombs were flight

tested from a Jaguar jet in the

Chandan range in Rajasthan.

In Pokhran, another

indigenously developed

helicopterlaunched antitank

guided missile, Helina, was

tested. The DRDO Research

Centre Imarat here had been

involved in their

development. Defence

sources said the targets were

hit with high precision.

Here’s some food forthought served in a pocketfriendly manner. The TamilNadu Hotels Association hasannounced a 5% discount onthe bill if customers bringtheir own utensils and bagsfor food parcels.

The association, with over10,000 members, haspassed a resolution to thiseff��ect. “On an average, eachfood parcel costs us around3% to 4% of the bill amount.If customers bring their ownutensils, they can benefi��t.We have asked members toput up boards at theirrestaurants informing thecustomers about the off��er,”said M. Ravi, president,Chennai Hotels Association.

There are around twolakh hotels with restaurants,standalone restaurants and

eateries in the State. “People in places like

Vellore, Chidambaram andMadurai have already startedrequesting customers tobring their own utensils. Itwill bring back the era of the‘carrier meal’ that oldtimerscan fondly recall. Some 40years ago, every home had abrass or stainless steel

carrier, and it was a travelcompanion. But after theadvent of plastics, thehumble carrier was given afarewell,” said R. Srinivasan,association secretary.

The discount movefollows a Tamil Nadugovernment order banningsingleuse plastics fromJanuary 1, 2019. Takeawaysmake up a big portion offood sales, and theassociation says its decisionwill reduce the use ofplastics substantially.

But some restaurants arealso pushing the envelope intheir fi��ght against plastics.They are now packing foodin banana leaves and thaiyalilai. “We are looking atalternatives like aluminiumfoil and cardboard boxes,”said Vishnu Shankar ofAdyar Ananda Bhavan inChennai.

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

A ‘takeaway’ with a social message

Deepa H. ramakrishnan

CHENNAI

Bring utensils, get discount at Tamil Nadu hotels

Return of steel: Tiffi��n boxes could make a ‘green’ comeback.

The Maratha Kranti Morcha and Sakal Maratha Samaj, that have been agitating for reservations in jobsand educational institutions for the community,have decided to hold an indefi��nite protest from August 20 in Pune.

In a meeting held on Saturday, the two groups saidthat the protest, whichwould be held at the PuneDivisional Commissioner’soffi��ce, was to demand thewithdrawal of police casesagainst agitators and jobsfor the kin of those whohad committed suicide inconnection with the stir,coordinators said. A codeof conduct has been prepared for the protesters,they added.

Maratha stir:indefi��niteprotest fromAug. 20


Mumbai


CMYK




WORLD

Ariana Grande recallsManchester attackNEW YORK

Singer Ariana Grande cried

during an interview on Friday

with Ebro for Beats 1 on

Apple Music as she shared

thoughts on the 2017 concert

in Manchester, England,

when a suicide bomber killed

22 people. She said that

terrorists “want you to be

afraid”. She said the

challenge for her was just to

“live in the moment” and not

be overwhelmed by fear. AP

ELSEWHERE

Iraq Supreme Courtratifi��es election resultsBAGHDAD

Iraq’s Supreme Court has

ratifi��ed the results of the May

12 parliamentary election, its

spokesman said on Sunday,

setting in motion a 90day

constitutional deadline for

the winning parties to form a

government. Prime Minister

Haider alAbadi’s

government, now serving in a

caretaker capacity, welcomed

the announcement. Reuters

The White House’s top lawyer has cooperated extensively with the special counsel investigating Russianinterference in the 2016 U.S.election, sharing detailed accounts about the episodes atthe heart of the inquiry intowhether President DonaldTrump obstructed justice,The New York Times reported on Saturday.

Citing a dozen current andformer White House offi��cialsand others briefed on thematter, the paper said WhiteHouse Counsel DonaldMcGahn had shared information, some of which the investigators would not haveknown about.

‘Instructed to cooperate’On Saturday evening, Mr.McGahn’s lawyer confi��rmedthat the White House counsel had cooperated with Robert Mueller’s team. “Mr.McGahn answered the Special Counsel team’s questions fulsomely and honestly,” William Burck said,explaining that the Presidentdid not ask Mr. McGahn to

refrain from discussing anymatters.

Also on Saturday, Mr.Trump tweeted that he hadencouraged Mr. McGahn andWhite House staff�� to cooperate with investigators.

According to The New

York Times, Mr. McGahn inat least three voluntary interviews with investigators thattotalled 30 hours over thepast nine months, describedMr. Trump’s furore towardthe Russia investigation andthe ways in which the President urged Mr. McGahn to

respond to it.The newspaper reported

Mr. McGahn’s motivation tospeak with the special counsel as an unusual move thatwas in response to a decisionby Mr. Trump’s fi��rst team oflawyers to cooperate fully.But it said another motivation was Mr. McGahn’s fearthat he could be placed in legal jeopardy because of decisions made in the WhiteHouse that could be construed as obstruction ofjustice.

Mr. McGahn, the new

spaper said, shared information on Mr. Trump’s comments and actions duringthe fi��ring of the FBI Director,James Comey, and the President’s obsession with putting a loyalist in charge of theinquiry.

Attempts to fi��re MuellerThe newspaper said Mr.McGahn was also centrallyinvolved in Mr. Trump’s attempts to fi��re the specialcounsel, Robert Mueller,which investigators mightnot have discovered withouthim. Mr. McGahn cautionedto investigators that he neversaw Mr. Trump go beyondhis legal authorities.

A source close to the President told Reuters on Saturday that the extent of Mr.McGahn’s cooperation was“a tactical or strategic mistake” instigated by Mr.Trump’s fi��rst legal team andit should not have been allowed to happen becauseMr. McGahn should havebeen covered by executiveprivilege.

One lawyer familiar withthe matter said Mr. McGahncould have been subpoenaed

to testify to the grand jury ifhe did not cooperate withMr. Mueller voluntarily andmight have lost legal battlesif he tried to invoke executive privilege.

Mr. Trump’s former personal lawyer, John Dowd,told Reuters on Saturday thathe was aware Mr. McGahnhad spoken extensively withMr. Mueller’s team.

“Lot to cover,” Mr. Dowdsaid in text message. “Did agreat job. McGahn was astrong witness for the President according to Burck anddebriefs of DM (DonaldMcGahn). Not aware of anyof the alleged apprehensionsmanufactured by the NYT.”

After the story was published on Saturday, Mr.Trump tweeted that he hadtold White House staff�� tocooperate.

Rudy Giuliani, part of Mr.Trump’s legal team, said onSaturday that Mr. McGahn’scooperation with Mr. Mueller was part of a legal strategy. As an offi��cer of the court,he added, Mr. McGahnwould have had to resign ifhe thought the President didanything illegal.

Counsel quizzed by Team MuellerWhite House lawyer McGahn spoke of Comey’s fi��ring and Trump’s furore towards the probe: report

Reuters

Washington

Legal strategy? Don McGahn, left, and National EconomicCouncil Director Larry Kudlow at a Cabinet meeting. * AFP

China’s military must resistthe ”corrosion” of corruption and ensure the fi��ghtagainst graft is deepened,President Xi Jinping told senior offi��cers, state mediasaid on Sunday, off��ering arenewed warning against adeepseated problem.

China’s military, theworld’s largest and currently undergoing an ambitiousmodernisation programme,has been an important focusof Mr. Xi’s campaign againstcorruption since he tookpower six years ago.

Speaking at a three daymeeting of the Central Military Commission, whichended on Sunday, Mr. Xisaid the fi��ght against graftmust remain “always on theroad” and be deepened, theoffi��cial Xinhua news agencyreported.

“Go in hot pursuit of andstrike hard against hedonism and extravagance,”Xinhua cited Mr. Xi as saying. “The anticorruptionfi��ght must be unswervinglygrasped, and will not

change direction or form.”There must be no ‘nogo’

areas and a zero toleranceattitude must be maintained, with a full and comprehensive supervision system put in place to tacklethe problem, he added.

China’s military must ensure they and their familiesare upright and clean, andthat they can “resist the corrosion of unhealthy tendencies”, Mr. Xi said. He alsosaid eff��orts were needed tostrengthen the leadership ofthe ruling Communist Partyover the military “to ensurea solid political guaranteefor the building of a strongmilitary.”

Xi calls for deepeningof anticorruption drive‘Military must resist corrosion of graft’

Reuters

Beijing

Chinese President XiJinping. * AP

Sri Lanka’s former PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa, whoserved two consecutiveterms in offi��ce from 2005 to2015, appears keen on athird, despite legislationbarring him from contesting.

“There is an opinion thatI can contest again, we needto fi��nd out if I am eligible,”he told reporters, on the sidelines of an event at a Colombo suburb on Saturday.

19th AmendmentAmong other things, the19th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution, passedthree months after Mr. Rajapaksa was unseated in January 2015, revived a clause inthe 1978 Constitution thatsaid: “No person who hasbeen twice elected to the offi��ce of President by the People, shall be qualifi��ed thereafter to be elected to suchoffi��ce by the People.” In effect, the provision reverseda Rajapaksaera legislation,the 18th Amendment.

Until recently, the Rajapaksa camp seemed reconciled to his inability to contest presidential polls. Hissupporters, part of an informal parliamentary coalitioncalled the ‘Joint Opposition’, have for months beenmulling diff��erent names, including that of former Defence Secretary GotabayaRajapaksa, as their candidate for the presidentialcontest expected to be heldend of 2019.

However, in an apparent

shift in the last fortnight, Mr.Rajapaksa’s supporters — including former Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris, a professor of law — have decided toseek the Supreme Court’sopinion, arguing that the2015 legislation is not retrospective.

Some legal experts haverejected the view, citing the“unambiguous” legislation,but the move is likely toraise the political game inthe run up to the polls. Mr.Rajapaksa’s former colleague and current politicalrival, President MaithripalaSirisena, and Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe areother likely contestants.

Mr. Rajapaksa and someof his family members arecurrently under investigation for alleged murder andlargescale corruption. Theyhave denied any wrongdoing. Last week, the CIDquestioned Mr. Rajapaksa inconnection with the 2008abduction of journalistKeith Noyahr. The formerPresident denied involvement and accused the government of pursuing a political witchhunt.

Rajapaksa keen on a third termThere currently exists a twoterm limitMeera Srinivasan

Colombo

Sri Lanka’s former PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa. * REUTERS

Afghan President AshrafGhani declared a provisional threemonth ceasefi��rewith the Taliban in a televised broadcast on Sunday,but said the truce wouldhold only if the insurgentsreciprocated.

The announcement followed a bloody week offi��ghting across Afghanistanwhich saw the Talibanlaunch a massive assaultagainst the provincial capital Ghazni.

Truce till Nov. 21Anticipation had beenmounting ahead of Mr. Ghani’s speech. “I once againannounce a ceasefi��re fromtomorrow until the Prophet’s birthday providedthat the Taliban reciprocate,” said Mr. Ghani, referring to the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday which

Afghanistan celebrates onNovember 21. The announcement was immediatelywelcomed in Pakistan,which has long been accused of fostering links withthe Taliban’s leadership.

An earlier, threeday ceasefi��re over the Id holiday inJune spurred hopes that anew path was opening forpossible peace talks, butviolence has surged in theweeks since.

Ghani off��ers Talibana new ceasefi��re‘It will hold only if the group reciprocates’

Agence France-Presse

Ghazni

Afghan President AshrafGhani. * REUTERS

The search operation forthose missing after a motorway bridge collapsed inthe Italian port city of Genoa ended overnight afterthe last three bodies werefound, bringing the offi��cialdeath toll to 43.

A 200metre section ofthe Morandi bridge gaveway in busy traffi��c on Tuesday, plunging vehicles andchunks of concrete andtwisted metal to theground. After three bodieswere recovered from a carcrushed under slabs ofconcrete, the Genoa prefecture raised its offi��cialdeath toll. Nine people arestill in hospital, four in acritical condition, it said.

Autostrade pledged halfa billion euros on Saturdayto rebuild the bridge andset up funds to assist the families of the victims andthose displaced.

Italy bridgecollapse: tollreaches 43

Reuters

Milan

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said onSunday that Europe had notyet shown it was willing to“pay the price” of defyingWashington in order to savethe nuclear deal.

Mr. Zarif said Europeangovernments had put forward proposals to maintainoil and banking ties withIran after the second phase

of U.S. sanctions return inNovember.

But he told Iran’s YoungJournalist Club website thatthese measures were more“a statement of their position than practicalmeasures”.

‘Pay the price’“Although they have movedforward, we believe that Europe is not yet ready to paythe price (of truly defying

the U.S.),” said Mr. Zarif. “Iran can respond to Eu

rope’s political will when itis accompanied by practicalmeasures,” said Mr. Zarif.

“Europeans say theJCPOA (nuclear deal) is a security achievement forthem. Naturally each country must invest and pay theprice for its security. Wemust see them paying thisprice in the comingmonths,” he said.


Tehran

Europe’s political will on Iran deal shouldbe accompanied by practical steps: Zarif

Russian President VladimirPutin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussedthe confl��icts in Ukraine andSyria, as well as Iran and agas pipeline project that hasdrawn U.S. ire during talksoutside Berlin that endedwith no clearcut progress.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters noagreements were reached,but the meeting had simplybeen intended to “check thewatches” after Ms. Merkel’smeeting with Mr. Putin in theBlack Sea resort of Sochi inMay. Ties between the twocountries have been strainedsince Russia’s annexation ofthe Crimea region of Ukrainein 2014.

Nord Stream 2 pipelineThe two leaders both viewedthe Nord Stream 2 pipelineproject as a purely commercial venture, despite persis

tent fi��re by the U.S. and Ukrainian governments, Mr.Peskov said.

“That’s why it is necessaryto take measures againstpossible noncompetitiveand illegal attacks from thethird countries in order tocomplete this project eventually,” he told reporters

shortly before Mr. Putin fl��ewback to Russia. It was not immediately clear what such“measures” could entail.

At the start of the talks,Ms. Merkel underscored herexpectation that Ukraineshould continue to have arole in gas transit to Europe,and welcomed the start of

discussions among the European Union (EU), Ukraineand Russia on that issue.

Mr. Putin, speaking at theGerman government’s Meseburg castle, said such a movehad to make sense from a business perspective.

Energy dealThe U.S. is pressing Berlin tohalt the pipeline that willcarry gas from Russia underthe Baltic Sea, arguing that itwill increase Germany’s dependence on Russia for energy. Ukraine fears the pipeline will allow Russia to cut itoff�� from the gas transit business, while Germany’s Eastern European neighboursworry about Russianencroachment.

Standing beside Mr. Putinbefore the talks, Ms. Merkelsaid both countries — but especially Russia as a permanent member of the UN Security Council — had aresponsibility to try to solve

the ongoing fi��ghting in Ukraine and Syria.

Both leaders raised concerns about Syria and theplight of the many refugeescreated by the sevenyearold war there. Ms. Merkelsaid it was important to averta humanitarian crisis inIdlib, Syria and the surrounding region, and saidshe and Mr. Putin had already discussed the issue ofconstitutional reforms andpossible elections when theylast met in Sochi in May.

Mr. Putin told reportersthat everything must bedone to help Syrian refugeesto return to their countryand that Syria needed assistance to rebuild.

On Ukraine, Ms. Merkelsaid she hoped fresh eff��ortscould be undertaken at thebeginning of the new schoolyear to disentangle Ukrainian military forces and separatists on the front lines inthe Donbass region.

PutinMerkel meet sees tough talk but no dealThe leaders discussed Ukraine and Syria confl��icts as well as a gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea

Strained ties: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and RussianPresident Vladimir Putin in Meseberg on Saturday. * AFP

Reuters

Meseberg

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday lashedout at the previous government for the current debt level, which has risen to Rs.28trillion, saying that the country has not been as indebtedin its entire history as it wasin the last ten years.

In his maiden address tothe nation a day after beingsworn in, Mr. Khan identifi��ed Pakistan’s economicchallenges and outlined thedefi��ciencies in the healthcare sector.

Poor HDI ranking“On one hand we are so indebted, and on the otherhand our Human Development Index (HDI) ranking isvery poor,” he said.

He pointed out that thatPakistan is among the fi��veworst countries in terms of

Infant Mortality Rate and also that nearly 45% of thecountry’s children suff��eredfrom stunting.

“They are not gettingproper nutrition... They areautomatically left behind.What must their parents gothrough seeing their children in such a state?” heasked.

Mr. Khan also pointed outthe diff��erence between thelifestyles of the rich and thepoor, and hinted that hewould adopt an austere styleof living.

Imran blames previous govt. for Pakistan’s high debt burdenNew PM stresses need for better health care in maiden speech


Islamabad

Pakistan Prime MinisterImran Khan.

U.S. Secretary of State MikePompeo is likely to visit Pakistan in the fi��rst week ofSeptember to hold talkswith Prime Minister ImranKhan, a media report saidon Sunday.

Mr. Pompeo, who is expected to be in Islamabadon September 5, would bethe fi��rst foreign dignitaryto meet Prime MinisterKhan, Dawn reported, quoting diplomatic and offi��cial sources.

The paper said Mr. Pompeo may focus on the fl��agging bilateral ties and theAfghan peace process.

‘Pompeo tovisit Pak. onSeptember 5’


Islamabad


CMYK

BUSINESSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE



IN BRIEF

ONGC repays a third ofloan taken to buy HPCL NEW DELHI

Oil and Natural Gas Corp.

(ONGC) will not sell its stake

in IOC and GAIL in the near

future as it has used internal

resources to repay close to a

third of the ₹��24,881 crore

loan it had taken to buy

Hindustan Petroleum Corp

Ltd. (HPCL), sources said.

ONGC, in January, received

Centre’s approval to sell

13.77% stake in IOC and

4.86% stake in GAIL India to

help fund the ₹��36,915 crore

acquisition of HPCL. PTI

FPIs pump in more than₹��7,500 crore in August NEW DELHI

Foreign portfolio investors

(FPIs) have pumped in more

than ₹��7,500 crore into the

Indian capital markets so far

this month on better

corporate earnings coupled

with an improvement in

crude oil prices. The latest

infl��ow comes following a net

infusion of over ₹��2,300 crore

in the capital markets, both

equity and debt, last month.

Prior to that, overseas

investors had pulled out

more than ₹��61,000 crore

during AprilJune. PTI

Jubilant Life plans ₹��550cr. capex in FY19 MUMBAI

Pharma company Jubilant

Life Sciences has earmarked

₹��550 crore for capital

expenditure (capex) in the

current fi��nancial year,

chairman Shyam S Bhartia

said. The fi��rm is also planning

to invest ₹��300 crore in

research and development

(R&D) in FY19. “The company

would continue its eff��orts o

strengthen its balance sheet

by reducing debt and

improving fi��nancial ratios,”

Mr. Bhartia said at a recent

conference call. PTI

India’s economic growthseems to be back on a recovery path and the country willbe on a fi��rm 7.5%plusgrowth track this fi��scal,former Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) Arvind Virmanisaid on Sunday.

He further said the U.S.China tariff�� war provides anopportunity to increase India’s exports to the U.S.

‘Growth recovering’“Economic growth, whichhas been subject to manyups and downs over the pastseven years, seems to beback on a recovery path.

“Domestically, the mainrisk to macro stability is pol

iticallydriven governmentconsumption spending atthe cost of investment andfi��scal prudence. If this temptation is resisted, the country will be back on a fi��rm7.5%plus growth track this

year (fi��scal),” Mr. Virmanitold PTI in an interview. Henoted that the rise in oil prices due to geopolitical factorslike sanctions on Iran by theU.S. is, however, a concern.

Replying to a query on the

U.S.China tariff�� war, theeconomist said it will havesome short term disruptiveeff��ects on the global economy. “The U.S.China tariff��war, however, provides anopportunity to increase India’s exports to the U.S. andto attract labourintensiveelements of the global supply chain unsettled by higher ‘China risk’ to India,” Mr.Virmani observed.

He said that every government pushes up what are referred to as populist expenditure in the year leading upto the election. “The test is ifthey keep it modest anddon’t disturb the trend in fi��scal responsibility. There is,therefore, always a risk of fi��scal slippage,” he said

‘India will be back on 7.5%plusgrowth track this fi��scal’Tariff�� war is an opportunity to increase exports to U.S., says former CEA Virmani

Risk factor: Rise in oil prices due to geopolitical factors likesanctions on Iran is a concern, says Virmani. * VIJAY SONEJI


New Delhi

India’s current account defi��cit (CAD) will widen to 2.5%of the GDP in the current fi��scal due to the higher oil prices that has been accentuatedby rupee depreciation, Moody’s and other experts said.

The rupee last week slidto a record low of 70.32 to aU.S. dollar as political turmoil in Turkey and concernsabout China’s economichealth continued to supportsafehaven assets andweighed on emerging market currencies.

Joy Rankothge, Vice President Senior Analyst, Moody’s Investors Service saidwhile the weaker rupee willbenefi��t exports at the margins, it is unlikely to reversethe trade defi��cit, which hit afi��veyear high of $18.02 billion in July.

Non-oil import demand“India’s current account deficit is likely to widen to 2.5%in FY 201819, up from 1.5%in fi��scal 2017 due to higheroil prices and strong nonoilimport demand as domesticdemand accelerates,” hesaid.

“Net oil imports accounted for 2.6% of GDP in FY201718 and will increasefurther in fi��scal 2019.”

Rajiv Biswas, APAC ChiefEconomist, IHS Markit, saidthe signifi��cant depreciationof the rupee against the dollar since the beginning of2018 refl��ects a number offactors.

“A key driver has beengradual U.S. Fed monetarypolicy tightening, which hasresulted in dollar appreciation against many other currencies globally. However,the rupee weakness also refl��ects India’s widening current account defi��cit as higher world oil prices have

pushed up oil import costs.“A further negative for the

the rupee is that a number ofeconomic crises in largeemerging markets includingArgentina, Venezuela andTurkey have made global investors more cautious aboutemerging markets’ currencies and equities,” he said.

Sunil Sinha, PrincipalEconomist, India Ratingsand Research, said the rupee’s depreciation will haveboth a positive and a negative impact on the economy.

‘Seep into the economy’“On the negative side it willincrease the oil import billleading to higher current account defi��cit. Also, costly oilimport would seep into theeconomy via higher infl��ation, make infra and otherprojects, which have a largeimport content, expensiveand will even make criticalimported defence itemsmore expensive,” Mr. Sinhasaid.

On the positive side, hesaid as an overvalued rupeewas hurting export competitiveness, it will improve export competitiveness of Indian goods and services.

Also, it will improve thetop line/bottom line of thecompanies especially export

oriented IT/IT services companies. “Netnet it may infl��ict some pain in the shortrun, but would lead to gainin the medium to long term,”he said.

‘Pre-election spending’Mr. Rankothge said Moody’sexpects the ongoing cyclicalrecovery in growth to continue with GDP growth averaging about 7.4% this yearand next driven by the underlying growth momentumin the economy, preelectionspending and a pickup in rural demand to largely off��setthe impacts of a weaker rupee and rising oil prices.

“From a sovereign riskperspective, low foreign currency debt and long averagedebt maturity minimize exposures to rising rates andcurrency weakness,” hesaid.

Mr. Sinha said the tradeposition may worsen in theshort term because of theoil/other items import billrising immediately, whilethe benefi��t of export competitiveness benefi��ting theeconomy would largely be inthe medium to long term.

“CAD to come under pressure this fi��scal. India Ratingsexpects CAD to touch 2.6%of GDP in FY19,” he said.

Rupee’s depreciation to accentuate impact of high oil prices


New Delhi

Currency currents: A weaker rupee will benefi��t exports but isunlikely to reverse trade defi��cit, says Moody’s * REUTERS

CAD to widen to 2.5% ofGDP: Moody’s, economists

The ‘clean banking’ drivehas started showing resultswith public sector banks(PSBs) increasingly adoptingprudent business approach,replacing aggressive lendingpractices, said Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar.

“The NPA crisis broughtan opportunity for the introduction of responsible andresponsive banking. All thePSBs, which [collectively]have about 75% marketshare, decided last year toadopt EASE (Enhanced Access & Service Excellence),ushering in paradigm shift intheir approach,” he said.

“Gradually, Indian banking system is moving towards new normal that isclean banking,” he said.

To deal with the twin balance sheet challenge, he

said, the four Rs — Recognition, Recapitalisation, Resolution, and Reform — wereput in place.

Decline in NPAsIt yielded rich dividend assisted greatly by the implementation of Asset QualityReview and Insolvency andBankruptcy Code, he said,adding the resolution process brought down nonperforming assets (NPAs) by

more than ₹��one lakh crore inthe last one year.

Banks in the fi��rst quarterof 201819 have made a recovery of ₹��36,551 crore, registering a 49% growth overthe yearearlier period.

Highlighting other measures by the Centre, he said:“Bank accounts of about2.29 lakh shell fi��rms havebeen frozen. Banks are already checking for fraud in allbad loans of more than ₹��50crore. Passport details havebeen sought. Another impact is that defaulters havestarted approaching bankson their own as they havethreat of losing control oftheir business.”

The government also decided to provide ₹��2.11 lakhcrore capital support to thebanks to maintain regulatory capital requirement asper risk norms, he said.

NPA crisis, an opportunity for responsible banking: Kumar

PRESS Trust of India

New Delhi

Rajiv Kumar

‘Clean banking is new normal’

Pension Fund and Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA) has set up astanding committee to suggest steps to deal with cybersecurity challenges toprotect the interest of subscribers.

“As a regulator of thepension sector and to safeguard the interest of pension subscribers, it is essential to keep an eye onthe technological changesand cybersecurity challenges,” the regulator saidwhile announcing its decision to set up the panel.The committee on ‘Information Systems and Technology and Cyber Security’will suggest steps to alignPFRDA’s technology withbest industry practices.

PFRDA setsup panel oncyber safety


New Delhi

Indiabulls Housing Finance(IBHFL) the country’s secondlargest housing fi��nance company, appointedMr. S.S. Mundra, former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, as an independent director on theboard of the company.

“Mr. Mundra’s appointment is for a period of threeyears, until August 2021,”the company said in astatement. “Mr. Mundra’sextensive experience will bevaluable for shaping thenext phase of IBHFL’sgrowth, and his appointment will further strengthen the company’s corporate governance,” it added.

Mr. Mundra is a veteranbanker with a distinguishedcareer spanning over fourdecades during which he

held various highlevel positions — including Chairmanand Managing Director ofBank of Baroda, ExecutiveDirector of Union Bank ofIndia and Chief Executive ofBank of Baroda (EuropeanOperations) — culminatingin his appointment as Deputy Governor of the ReserveBank of India, from wherehe fi��nally demitted offi��ce inJuly 2017, IBHFL added.

Indiabulls HF appointsMundra as a director Former RBI offi��cial to have 3year term


MUMBAI

S.S. Mundra

India is still not power surplus as envisaged becausepeak power defi��cit in AprilJuly was 0.9%, while overallelectricity defi��cit stood at0.6% during the fourmonthperiod this fi��scal.

As much as 170.76 GWwas supplied during peakhours against the demand of172.38 GW in AprilJuly thisfi��scal, resulting in a defi��cit of0.9%, the Central ElectricityAuthority’s (CEA) latestpower supply data showed.

Overall 433.48 Billion Units (BU) of electricity weresupplied against the demand of 436.14 BU duringthe fourmonth period,which indicated a defi��cit of0.6%. The CEA has peggedenergy and peak power surplus at 4.6% and 2.5%, respectively, in 201819 in its

load generation balance report (LGBR), which indicates that India will be apower surplus country in201819.

Last year, the CEA had also projected that Indiawould become a power surplus nation in its LGBR. “AllIndia power supply positionindicates that the country islikely to have a peak surplusof 6.8% and energy (electricity) surplus of 8.8% (in 201718),” the report had said.

‘Peak AprilJulypower defi��cit at 0.9%’Overall defi��cit at 0.6%: power authority


New Delhi

While the rupee is Asia’sworst performing currencyso far this year, the depreciation is largely owing to thedollar strengthening ratherthan any inherent weaknessin the domestic unit, a senioroffi��cial at HSBC Global AssetManagement said.

The rupee ended past the70mark against the U.S. dollar for the fi��rst time ever onAugust 16 on strong demandfor the greenback amid theongoing Turkish crisis.

According to Tushar Pradhan, Chief Investment Offi��cer, HSBC Global Asset Management, India, the rupeecompares well against currencies of other emergingmarkets such as Russia, Brazil, Argentina and Turkey.

“While the Indian rupee isthe worst performing in theregion [down about 8.5%]this year, it compares wellagainst other emerging markets such as Russia [down13.7%], Brazil [down 14.8%],Argentina [down 37.8%] and

Turkey [down 42%] for theyear,” Mr. Pradhan told PTI.

The rupee has been on adowntrend amid global uncertainties and concerns over infl��ation.

Mr. Pradhan said “thisweakness is more from the

dollar strengthening thanany inherent weakness.”

Lifetime-high marketsMeanwhile, Indian marketsare at lifetime highs and haveperformed better than otheremerging markets.

“Bellwether indices suchas the Nifty and the Sensexare indeed trading at alltimehighs and the same is an indication of expectation of robust earnings growth,” Mr.Pradhan said.

On oil prices, Mr. Pradhansaid “We feel, given the supply and demand situation,crude oil prices may remainin a trading range, only driven in the short term bynews of supply disruption ofany kind. Global demand sofar remains well aligned toavailable supply as of now.”

‘Rupee depreciation due to dollar’sgains rather than inherent weakness’ Indian currency compares well against other emerging market peers: HSBC arm

Harder hit: Other EM currencies have fared worse with Russia(down 13.7%), Brazil (down 14.8%). * GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCK


New Delhi





CMYK

A ND-NDE

BUSINESS REVIEW

Better known for his formerrole as the programme director and chief designer of India’s indigenous light combataircraft (LCA), 75yearold Kota Harinarayana is the founderchairman of General Aeronautics, an Indian Instituteof Science (IISc) incubatedstartup. The startup designsand makes unmanned aerialvehicles or drones focused onsecurity and civilian applications. One application is touse these drones to transportorgans faster than ambulances for organ transplant procedures to save lives.

“For organs, especially theheart, the life is very limitedafter it is harvested from thedonor,” says Dr. Harinarayana. “But the road transporttakes a long time as a result ofwhich quite often when theorgan reaches to the recipient, it is in unusablecondition.”

General Aeronautics isamong a growing number ofstartups incubated by the Society for Innovation and Deve

lopment (SID) housed on theIISc campus in Bengaluru,which aim to commercialiseinnovations that can have a direct impact on society.

MoonshotsMost of the startups arebased on moonshot ideas.These include drones to transport organs, satellites thatprovide Internet connectivity

in rural areas and devices thathelp doctors to detect anddiagnose diseases like cancer.

“The risk is high. Whenthey come to us with a proposal, our job is to make surethat while it may look like amoonshot idea, it is actuallydoable,” says C.S. Murali,chairman, STEM Cell, SID,IISc. “Our vision is to reallyhelp commercialise science

and technology for the societal benefi��t through startups,”says Mr. Murali, who bringsbusiness expertise from hislong years in the tech and venture capital industries.

The incubator, tucked awayin a discreet corner of IISc’sverdant campus, connectsthese deep science startupswith customers and investorsand even helps in writing the

business plans. What diff��erentiates the SID facility, says Mr.Murali, is that it also supportsthe young ventures with business and technical mentorships from the institute’s faculty and provides access toits sophisticated equipment.

“We proved that we canbring academia, research anddevelopment [organisations]and industry together andachieve a worldclass product,” says Dr. Harinarayanaof General Aeronautics. Thecompany is also working withIISc to develop ‘Life Box’ adevice which can keep theheart harvested from the donor in good condition and increase its preservation timeby maintaining various parameters such as temperature. The box would be transported to the recipient fortransplant using a drone.

SpaceX challenger“Our whole concept was onlyon the paper... IISc believed init and incubated us,” says Neha Satak, who along with Prasad HL Bhat cofounded Astrome, a space technology

company which could potentially compete globally withtech entrepreneur ElonMusk’s SpaceX. Astrome’sgoal too is to solve the problem of connectivity by beaming high bandwidth Internetfrom space.

Astrome is developing atechnology that it says wouldcut the cost of Internet accessthrough satellites by 12 times.It plans to launch 200 satellites in the next few years tolowearthorbit to beam reliable Internet to people living insmall towns and villages. Thefi��rm says its Internet would beavailable in all developingcountries and along major seaand air routes.

Reliable Internet connectivity, says Astrome, has the potential to bridge the ruralurban economic divide andrevolutionise healthcare andeducation.

But there are challenges,points out Mr. Murali of SID.Not every company may succeed given the high risks. “Butthe impact that they cancreate if successful is tremendous,” he avers.

Drones to space Internet, IISc incubates startupsMost of the startups are based on moonshot ideas, including drones to transport organs and devices for diagnosing diseases

Peerzada Abrar

BENGALURU

Taking off��: Society for Innovation and Development (SID), IISc, makes sure that the start-ups’proposals are actually doable, says C. S. Murali. * K. MURALI KUMAR

For 53yearold Lakshmanan,a former banana farmer nearModakurichi in western TamilNadu, switching over to Moringa has opened up a world ofopportunities.

Forced to explore optionsby regular periods of low rainfall, which hurt yield at his sixacre farm, he found the answer when he participated in atraining programme in Madurai on Moringa cultivation andvalue addition.

Three years after he planted the fi��rst Moringa tree, Mr.Lakshmanan now grows theplant on fi��ve acres. And it iscompletely organic.

“I cultivate Moringa forleaves,” he says. “It can growwith relatively less water andhence is an advantage.”

Value additionAfter initially selling Moringaleaves to domestic buyers insmall quantities and at low

cost, he decided to add machinery for value addition. Heinvested ₹��1.5 lakh and makesMoringa leaf powder, tea, andcapsules.

And having exported 550kg of Moringa powder to Africa and Malaysia last year, he islooking at shipping almost atonne this year, if all goes well.

The economics too appearfavourable for Moringa. Whilebanana annually fetched him₹��1.7 lakh an acre, Mr. Lakshmanan estimates he can make

about ₹��4 lakh a year for everyacre under Moringa.

So much so, he has prepared a project to investanother ₹��25 lakh. He alsoplans to encourage his friendsto opt for Moringa.

The Tamil Nadu OrganicCertifi��cation Department saysthat Moringa is one of the major crops it has certifi��ed so far.The leaf and the seedpod,commonly known as drumstick, fi��nd widespread culinary use.

T. Arumugam, Head of theDepartment of VegetableCrops at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, says MoringaOleifera is a hardy plant common in the State. It has manycommercial uses, including inwater purifi��cation, healthcare, and cosmetics. The market for Moringa has grown inthe last 1015 years and globaldemand too has risen over thelast 57 years. “A sizeablequantity is exported,” says Mr.Arumugam.

Moringa farmer beats thedrum for growing drumstickSwitching from thirsty banana, he now plans to invest ₹��25 lakh

M. Soundariya Preetha

COIMBATORE

A street vendor sellsdrumstick.

Jia Li is very passionate about artifi��cial intelligence (AI) and how it can improve healthcare.When one of her close family members suff��eredfrom a skin condition, she worked on developing an image recognition technology to helpclassify such diseases and diagnose them better. Now, as the head of R&D for Cloud AI, Google Cloud and an adjunct professor at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, Dr. Li andher team at Google focus on research and innovation to solve realworld problems. Editedexcerpts:

What is the future of AI?

■ At Google, there are thousands of projects,supported by machine learning. They are impacting so many products from Gmail, SmartReply, autonomous driving, Google Assistantto cloud AI functions. Google has been pushing forward a few core aspects related to AI.The fi��rst is data, it is so important to AI development. Google’s mission [has been] to organise the world’s knowledge. So, we havelearned a lot of experience from data, butwe’re also sharing a lot with the communityand the researchers. Google Cloud has a publicbeta programme where we are sharing a verylarge scale of data, including YouTube withmillions of datasets, videos shared free withthe AI community. Also, there is Genomics Public Datasets, as well as Open Images Dataset.So, we’re not only keeping it to ourselves.

How is Google using AI to save lives?

■ I am very passionate about healthcare andhow AI could improve the outcomes of hospitals as well as the patients…[like helping in]disease diagnosis. How do we assist our doctors to make the best decision with AI technology and also how do we take care of our patients and seniors?

Right now, doctors and nurses in the hospital have to make runs every day in order totake care of the patients. But AI technologyand machines don’t sleep. Also, how do wemake the healthcare system more effi��cient?For example, genomic analysis, disease prediction, as well as pharmaceutical drug discovery, takes years.

How do we leverage AI technology to accelerate that? Recently, we have been collaborating [with an organisation] to improve their genomics prediction approach from weeks toone day.

The AI debate is raising questions about

Google’s role with regard to the military...

■ AI ethics, including biases and controversial use... have been big topics recently in theAI fi��eld, not only at Google, but we have seen alot has been happening in the Silicon Valley orin the tech world.

[Like in] autonomous driving how do wemake a decision to protect a human, a dog oryour own property? Google has been takingserious steps.

We published the Google AI principles andbest practices and these have been refl��ected inour product as well. In the principles, we haveclearly listed out there are projects that wedon’t do and how do we [bring] fairness andavoid bias.

How is Google’s AI unique from Microsoft and

Amazon’s technologies?

■ I can see that many of the companies [have]realised that AI is a big opportunity and AI andcloud can impact so many diff��erent industries.At Google, we really want to bring our best toour customers and we want to work togetherwith them to understand their problems…through this process we also try to develop aset of products... where they [customers] canleverage the insights and Google’s AI expertise. Googlehas a unique advantage in AI, [which includes] many yearsof practice... ourexpertise, data,hardware computation andalgorithms(The writer wasin San Francisco at theinvitationof Google)

INTERVIEW | JIA LI

‘At Google, we listAI projects wedon’t do’ AI ethics are big topics inSilicon Valley, says R&D headfor Cloud AI, Google Cloud

Peerzada Abrar

With the rupee recently weakening past ₹��70 to a dollarand hovering about that levelsince, concerns over the impact of the devaluation oneconomic indicators are intensifying. Here is what happens when the rupee falls:

What happens to infl��ation?

One of the fi��rst visible eff��ectsof currency depreciation isthe country’s imports become more expensive and exports cheaper. The reason issimple. It takes more rupeesto pay for the same quantumof imports and fewer dollarsfor a buyer to pay for thesame quantity of exports.

More expensive importsare likely to drive infl��ationupward, especially in Indiawhere input products constitute a large part of our imports. In addition, a depreciating rupee also impacts

the oil import bill since itcosts more rupees per barrelof oil, which plays its ownpart in pushing infl��ation up.

What happens to GDP

growth?

This is a more complex question given the number of factors that aff��ect GDP growth.On the one hand, costlier inputs and the subsequent increase in the prices of fi��nished goods should have apositive impact on GDP. Butthe consequent decrease indemand due to higher pricescould nullify this.

This is best explained using the textbook formula ofaggregate demand equallingthe sum of household consumption of goods and ser

vices, investment, government expenditure on goodsand services, and exports minus imports.

A depreciating rupee certainly aff��ects the exports andimports, since exports arelikely to receive a boost whileimports could fl��ag somewhat.It remains to be seen whatimpact a reduction in household consumption wouldhave on demand, especiallywhen the festive season isnearing.

What does this mean for you?

A depreciating rupee meanshigher prices of goods andservices, costlier petrol andtrips abroad turning more expensive. On the fl��ip side, thedomestic tourism could growas more tourists visit Indiasince their currency nowbuys more here. In the medium term, exportoriented industries may also createmore jobs.

Exports may receive a boost while imports could fl��ag

TCA Sharad Raghavan

NEW DELHI

What does the falling rupeemean for you and economy?

EXPLAINER

<> A depreciating rupee

also impacts the oil

bill since it costs

more rupees per

barrel

U.S. technology giants plan tointensify lobbying eff��ortsagainst stringent Indian datalocalisation requirements,which they say will undermine their growth ambitionsin India, sources told Reuters.

U.S. trade groups, representing companies such asAmazon, American Expressand Microsoft, have opposedIndia’s push to store data locally. That push comes amidrising global eff��orts to protectuser data but is one that couldhit planned investments bythe fi��rms in the Indian market, where the companies currently have limited datastorage.

The issue could further undermine already strained eco

nomic relations between India and the United States.

Technology executives andtrade groups have discussedapproaching Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s offi��ce to appraise him of their worries.Separately, the industry isconsidering pitching the issueas a trade concern, includingat the IndiaU.S. talks in September in New Delhi, according to two sources familiarwith the matter.

Tariff�� disputeThough a fi��nal decision hasn’tbeen made, the deliberationscome while the United Statesand India are locked in a dispute over U.S. tariff�� increasesand on the Indian policy ofcapping prices of medical devices, which hurts American

pharmaceutical companies.“This issue is important

enough to be discussed at theIndiaU.S. trade level,” said

Amba Kak, a global public policy adviser at the Internetcompany Mozilla Corp.

“Data localisation is not just

a business concern, it potentially makes government surveillance easier, which is aworry.”

Stricter localisation normswould help India get easier access to data when conductinginvestigations, but critics sayit could lead to increased government demands for dataaccess.

Technology fi��rms worry themandate would hurt theirplanned investments by raising costs related to setting upnew local data centres.

Rising data breachesGreater use of digital platforms in India for shopping orsocial networking have madeit a lucrative market for technology companies, but a rising number of data breaches

have pushed New Delhi to develop strong data protectionrules.

Shamika Ravi, a member ofMr. Modi’s economic advisorycouncil, said data localisationwas a global phenomena andIndia wasn’t an outlier.

“It’s in the long term strategic and economic interest,”said Ravi, who is also a research director at BrookingsIndia.

The main government committee on data privacy lastmonth proposed a draft law,recommending restrictionson data fl��ows and proposingthat all “critical personal data” should be processed onlywithin the country.

It would be left to the government to defi��ne what qualifi��es as such data.

U.S. tech giants plan to fi��ght India’s data localisation plans The fi��rms fear the norms may raise costs, increase scrutiny; Industry ramping up lobbying eff��orts, IndiaU.S. row possible

Reuters

NEW DELHI

On the edge: U.S. industry groups plan to approach Indianlawmakers on the issue, according to sources. * REUTERS


CMYK

A ND-NDE




SPORT

Sun wins first gold of Asian Games JAKARTA

Chinese wushu athlete Sun

Peiyuan won the first gold

medal of the Asian Games as

the Olympic heavyweight

made a fast start in its quest

to top the medals table on

Monday. Sun, 28, scored 9.75

to win the men’s changquan

category of the Chinese

martial art, denying host

Indonesia the Games’

opening title as he edged

Edgar Xavier Marvelo into

second place. AFP

IN BRIEF

For the fi��rst 76 seconds, Bajrang Punia made it look ridiculously easy. The fi��nal of the65kg freestyle wrestling competition on the opening dayof the Asian Games herelooked like being yet another

walk in the park for the 24year old, who had won all hisprevious bouts on the day ontechnical superiority.

It didn’t exactly pan outthat way but at the completion of his grudge matchagainst Japan’s Daichi Takatani, Punia was the proud winner of India’s 140th Asiadgold with a 118 scoreline, thefi��rst in this edition and reiterated his credentials as thebrightest spark in the nextgeneration of Indian wrestling and an able successor tothe mantle of Yogeshwar Dutt— his guru, idol and mentor.Six months ago, Punia hadgone down to Takatani in thesemifi��nals of Asian Championships, the only one inlast seven tournamentswhere he failed to make thefi��nal.

On Sunday, Punia ensuredthere would be no repeat of

the heartbreak at Bishkek,holding his nerve to the ecstasy of vociferous Indiansupporters.

“After Yogi bhai and Rejender Pehelwan, I am only thethird wrestler to win theCommonwealth Games andAsiad gold in the same year,so it is a great feeling. Also,we have had only nine Asiadgolds in wrestling in so manyyears. When Yogi bhai won itin 2014, it came after a long28year gap. I did not wantanother long wait for it, I amhappy I am continuing whathe started,” Punia said afterthe bout.

Sole torch-bearer

He refuted any pressure inthe title bout but on a daywhen double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar crashed outin the opening round, pawanKumar Saroha lost his bronzemedal match and two others— Mausam Khatri (97kg) andSandeep Tomar (57kg) — faltered, Punia was the soletorchbearer of Indian wrestling.

“If I start worrying aboutcomebacks from the opponent, it will only be the end ofmy bout with no chance of awin. All I think about is mytraining and my plan,” he asserted when asked about Takatani’s repeatedly successfullegholds.

Up 60 in 1.16 minutes, thebout appeared to be headingto a onesided result but Takatani switched his plan,went repeatedly for Punia’slegs while maintaining hisown defence, allowing thelatter little space to get a fi��rmgrip and avoiding a defeat byfall.

Best decision

It soon became 66 and Puniaappeared to be running outof ideas but there is a reasonhis training with GeorgianShako Bentinidis has beenhailed as the best decision inhis career.

With the increasedstrength in his upper bodyand stamina, he managed toescape the Japanese to edgeahead 108. A lastsecond

challenge from the opposition was rejected to give Punia a deserved gold.

“Achha lag raha hai maineAsian Championship ki haarka badla le liya aur ye jeet maiVajpayee ji ko samarpit karunga (It feels good to avengemy defeat from Asian Championships and I would like todedicate this win to formerPM Atal Bihari Vajpayee),”

Punia added.But there would be no ce

lebrations, not yet. Punia hashis sights fi��rmly on bigger targets, the fi��rst of which wouldbe the World Championshipsin October, with an Olympicquota at stake.

“I am gunning for Olympics and so immediately afterthis, training for the WorldChampionships will start,” he

said before being whisked off��.Results: 65kg: Final: BajrangPunia bt Takatani Daichi (Jap);57kg 1/8: Nazarov Rustem(Turkmesitan) bt Sandeep Tomar 128.

74kg: Sushil Kumar lost toAdam Batirov (Bah); 97kg:Quarterfi��nals: Ibragimov Magomed (Uzbekistan) bt MausamKhatri 80; 86kg: Quarterfi��nals: Yazdanicharati Hasssan(Iran) bt Pawan Kumar 110.

Bajrang Punia opens India’s gold accountIn a revenge bout, tames Takatani in the 65kg freestyle fi��nal

UTHRA GANESAN

JAKARTA

Splendid show: Bajrang Punia held his nerve to overcome Japan’s Daichi Takatani. * PTI

WRESTLING

Seventhseeded KarmanKaur Thandi and Divij Sharan of India defeated theFilipino pair of Marian JaneCapadocia and Alberto JrLim in a testing mixed doubles opener on Sunday.

Kamran and Divij ekedout a 64, 64 win in aroundof32 match thatlasted 81 minutes at the Jakabaring Tennis Center.

The other Indians in thefi��ve categories too had afi��rst round bye and theywill be on court on Monday.

DivijKamranduo entersround two


Palembang

TENNIS

India opened its account inthe 18th Asian Games with abronze medal after ApurviChandela and Ravi Kumarcracked under pressure tofi��nish third in the rifl��e mixedteam shooting event here onSunday.

The Indians aggregated429.9 after 42 shots in the48shot fi��nal and were in second spot for major part ofthe 48shot fi��nals before China overtook them to take thesilver. The strong Chinesepairing of Ruozhu Zhao andHaoran Yang ended with ascore of 492.5. Chinese Taipei’s Yingshin Lin and Shaochuan Lu claimed the gold,scoring 494.1.

Korea and Mongolia fi��nished fourth and fi��fth respectively in the event held

for the fi��rst time at theGames.

There was disappointment in store for pistolmixed team of teen sensation Manu Bhaker and Abhishek Verma, who failed toqualify for the fi��nals after being tied with Kazakhstan.

Both teams were tied at759 points after 80 shots butthe Kazakh sealed the fi��fthand fi��nal qualifying spotwith more inners 10s thanIndia (25 to India’s 14).

“Manu did not shoot toher potential,” said coachJaspal Rana.

Manu Bhaker and Abhishek Verma fail to qualify for fi��nals


Palembang

Close call: Apurvi Chandela and Ravi Kumar were second formajor part but fi��nished third in the 10m air rifl��e event. * PTI

Apurvi & Ravi clinch bronze

SHOOTING

As K. Srikanth toyed withMaldives’ Shahid Zaki inthe men’s team opener, theIndian had enough time tohave a quick look at thenext court where Indonesia’s Marsika Gregoriaauthored a great comebackto shut out Hong Kong’s YiCheung Ngan in a women’sencounter.

Monday will be a makeorbreak day for India willalso take on Uber Cupchampion Japan in the women’s quarterfi��nal.

Three months ago, Japan blanked India 50 inthe Uber Cup, while Indonesia took the third andfourth spots in the ThomasCup.

“Both the matches willbe tough,” said GopiChand.

Indians haveit easy

Stan Rayan

JAKARTA

BADMINTON

He is known to create a fl��utter wherever he goes. SunYang once slammed afriend’s Porsche into a busand was jailed since he didnot have a license. The Chinese Olympic championearns big money and has aparty boy image.

And when it came to thepool, there was none tomatch him. Sun, who is eyinga fourgold freestyle sweephere collected his fi��rst with acomfortable 200m freestyletriumph at the GBK AquaticCentre here on Sundayevening.

Meanwhile, Kerala’s SajanPrakash and Karnataka’s verypromising Srihari Natarajbroke National records in themen’s 200m butterfl��y and100m backstroke but failedto fi��nish among the medals.

Meanwhile Sajan, who wasthe third fastest swimmer inthe heats, had a bad start andthe turns were not executedcleanly. Still, the Keralaswimmer bettered his own

National record, from 1:58.08to 1:57.75s, as he fi��nishedfi��fth. Winning the gold in1:54.53 was Japan’s Seto Daiya who had won the 400mindividual medley bronze atthe last Olympics.

“I was expecting 1:56 but Imessed it up in the third 50. Ithink I began to choke,” saidthe 25yearold Sajan.

“Sajan is normally a greatstarter but today, if you notice, even at the start he wasback. And he messed up allthe three turns,” said nation

breaststroke clocking1:06.40s (old 1:06.67) whileChina’s Xu Jiayu equalled theGames record clocking52.34s in the men’s 100mbackstroke.

this level — but the latter wasfar below his personal bestand could manage just 58.09.

Earlier, Japan’s Suzuki Satomi shattered the Games record in the women’s 100m

al coach Pradeep Kumar.While Sajan gave his all in

the fi��nal, the 17yearold Srihari — probably the country’smost exciting talent —regained the National recordhe had recently surrenderedto Arvind Mani after clocking55.86s (old national record56.38) in the heats but couldnot match the eff��ort in the fi��nal where he fi��nished seventh in 56.19.

Srihari and Mani came upwith a onetwo in the morning’s heats — a rare thing at

Sajan, Srihari shatter National marks but fail to win medals Sun Yang clinches the 200m freestyle gold, eyes four more

Stan Rayan

JAKARTA

Making a mark: Srihari Nataraj regained the National record hehad recently surrendered to Arvind Mani. * AP

SWIMMING

His relatives live veryclose to the Idukki dam,one of the worstaff��ectedareas in the fl��oods inKerala. But Shantymolgave very little of thenews to her son Sajan asshe felt it would aff��ect hisperformance here.

“Many of my mother’srelatives live there, closeto the dam, but she triedto keep me out of this asmuch as she could so thatit didn’t upset me,” saidSajan after breaking hisown 200m nationalrecord in the 200mbutterfl��y here. “I think

they are okay now, I hopethey are.”

Sajan felt that the bestof facilities should begiven to swimmers tomatch them. “There aremany Olympicchampions here, if youwant to race with them,you need to give ussimilar facilities like theyhave,” he said.

“I’ve been funded byTOPS (Target OlympicPodium Scheme), I’mthankful to thegovernment for that, butthen travelling aloneeverywhere (for trainingand competitions) doesnot help much.”

Mother kept outfl��ood’s fury from SajanStan Rayan

JAKARTA

India’s men’s and women’skabaddi teams started theircampaigns on a positivenote on Sunday.

Indian men outmuscledBangladesh 5021 and thenoverpowered Sri Lanka 4428 in the second match.

The Indian womencrushed Japan 4312.The results:

Badminton: Team: Men: Indiabt Maldives 30; Basketball:Women: Chinese Taipei bt India8461.

Handball: Women: China bt India 3621. Hockey: Women: In

dia bt Indonesia 80; Kabaddi:Men: Indian bt Bangladesh 5021; India bt Sri Lanka 4428,Women: India bt Japan 4312;Rowing: Men’s doubles sculls:Om Prakash and Sawarn Singh fi��rst (Heat 2); Singles sculls:Dattu Bhokanal second (Heat1); Sepak takraw: Women:Team Regu: Korea bt India 30.

Shooting: 10m air rifl��e mixedteam: Bronze: Apurvi Chandela& Ravi Kumar.

Volleyball : Women: Korea btIndia 30 (2517, 2511, 2513).

Tennis: Mixed Doubles: Karman Kaur Thandi & Divij SharanMarian Jane Capadocia & Alberto Jr Lim (Philippines) 64, 64.

Swimming: 200m butterfl��y:Sajan Prakash 5th (1:57.75s);100m backstroke: Srihari Nataraj 7th (56.19s).

Kabaddi teams cruise


Jakarta

Trapped: The Indian players tackle a Japanese raider duringtheir Group A match. * AFP

INDIA ROUND-UP

North Korea is looking toget the Asian Gamesweightlifting competitionoff�� to a glorious golden starton Monday led by its veryown Ant Man — Om YunChol.

The 56kg class clean andjerk world record holderstands just 4ft 11in (1.51metres) tall but possessesalmost superhumanstrength — he is one of onlysix men in the history ofweightlifting to raise morethan three times his ownbodyweight.

His clean and jerk of170kg to win Asian Gamesgold in Incheon four yearsago broke his own world record in that discipline and ayear later he upped it to171kg as he won a third con

secutive WorldChampionships.

He fi��rst burst on to thescene with gold at London2012, becoming a fan favourite with his exuberant celebrations, and Om seemedunbeatable until Rio 2016.

Weightlifting is North Ko

rea’s strongest Olympicsport and it will look to topthe event’s medals table inJakarta after its four goldsleft it second, behind China’s seven, in Incheon 2014.

The reclusive communiststate takes pride in excelling in sports of strength.

The 4ft 11in weightlifter carries North Korea’s hopes


Jakarta

Exuberant: Om Yun Chol, known for his signaturecelebrations, will be keen to win gold. * AP

Ant Man all set to star

Artistic gymnastics. Men’squalifi��ers subdivision 3 (Gaurav Kumar, Yogeshwar Singh,Ashish Kumar, Sidharth Verma, Rakesh Patra, 5 p.m.Badminton (quarterfi��nals):Women: India vs Japan (8a.m.); Men: India vs Indonesia(1 p.m.).Basketball (5x5): Women’spreliminary round match: India vs Unifi��ed Korea (9 a.m.)Handball: Men’s main roundGroup 3: India vs Malaysia (10a.m.).Hockey: Men: Pool A: India vsIndonesia (7 p.m.).Kabaddi: Women: Group A:India vs Thailand (9.40 a.m.);Men: Group A: India vs Korea(3 p.m.).Rowing: Heats: Men: Lightweight single sculls (8 a.m.) –Dushyant; Double sculls(8.30 a.m.) – Rohit Kumar andBhagwan Singh; Quadraplesculls (9 a.m.) – Dattu Bhokanal, Sawarn Singh, Om Prakash, Sukhmeet Singh.

Women’s four (9.20 a.m.) Sanjukta Dung Dung, Annu,Navneet Kaur, Yamini Singh.

Men’s eight Heat 2 (9.40a.m.) – Akshat, Jegan Singh,Hardeep Singh, Sumit, BhopalSingh, Jagvir Singh, TejashShinde, Pranay Naurarkar,Lakshman Maradapa.Sepak takraw: Men’s regu: India vs Iran (8 a.m.), India vsIndonesia (2 p.m.); Women’sregu: India vs Laos (11 a.m.).Shooting (7 a.m. start): Trapwomen qualifi��cation (Shreyasi Singh, Seema Tomar); 10mair rifl��e men qualifi��cation (Ravi Kumar, Deepak Kumar);Trap men qualifi��cation (Manavjit Singh Sandhu); 10m airpistol men qualifi��cation (Abhishek Verma, SaurabhChaudhary).Swimming (7.30 a.m. start).Men: 800m freestyle Heat 1(Advait Page); 50m backstroke heat 1 (Arvind Mani,Srihari Nataraj (7.52 a.m.);200m IM Heat 3 (Neel Roy,8.23 a.m.); 4x200m freestylerelay Heat 1 (8.43 a.m.).Taekwondo: Women 53kground of 16 (Latika Bhandari),9 a.m.Tennis (9 a.m. start): Men:Singles: Round of 32 (Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Ramkumar Ramanathan); Doubles:Round of 32 (Rohan Bopanna& Divij Sharan, and RamkumarRamanathan & Sumit Nagal).

Women: Singles: Round of32 (Ankita Raina, KarmanKaur Thandi); Mixed doubles:Round of 32 (Rohan Bopanna& Prarthana Thombare).

Women’s doubles: Roundof 32 (Ankita Raina & Prarthana Thombare, and RutujaBhosale & Y. Pranjala).Volleyball: Men: India vsHong Kong, 2.30 p.m. Wrestling (12.30 p.m.): PoojaDhandha (women’s 57kg),Sakshi Malik (women’s 62kg),Naveen (men’s 125kg).Weightlifting (12.30 p.m.start): 48kg (Mirabai ChanuSaikhom).

INDIANS IN ACITON

Pinnacles can be frighteningly lonely. Those whoreach there are mostscared of losing their preeminence and being reminded of their mortality.To not only accept defeatbut smile through it is thetoughest job for achampion.

Sushil Kumar is not justa champion, he is one ofthe greatest Indian sportspersons ever. Sunday, atthe Asian Games however,saw the legend being reduced to just another wrestler on the mat, crashingout in the opening round ofhis 74kg bout against Bahrain’s Adam Baritov andthen failing to qualify forthe repechage rounds.None of it stopped himfrom sitting among thecrowd, cheering the rest ofthe Indians in action.

It did take a while. Sitting alone in the wrestlers’resting room in stony silence, his head down witha passive face. Sushil waslike the hermit he often refers to himself as.

Once that period was over, he walked out, the headthis time high and thesmile in place. “The wrestler sitting next to me inthere was from Japan, thereigning world champion,who had lost his fi��rst bout.I told him, ‘don’t worry, Ihave also lost’. Thesethings happen in sports,”he shrugged.

“I was returning to toplevel competition after fouryears. I made the mistakeof attacking him in the second round when I shouldhave forced him to makehis move,” he admitted .

Sushil sayshe’s notfi��nished yet

UTHRA GANESAN

JAKARTA


Hardik Pandya is yet to convince the world that he is atrue allrounder but he doesnot really care. The comparisons, the labels, the criticism— they do not seem to dull hisenjoyment.

Pandya instead plays hiscricket — however well (orpoorly) — with a blithe cockiness. On Sunday, he was having fun again, and he swungthe third Test fi��rmly in India’s favour.

Pandya took fi��ve for 28 asEngland was bowled out for161 on the second day atTrent Bridge. That spellcame during an afternoon ofcomplete Indian superiorityas all 10 English wickets fellin the second session.

Transformed bunchHaving been off�� target in themorning, the touring seamers were a transformedbunch after lunch, IshantSharma and Jasprit Bumrahclaiming two wickets eachwhile Mohammed Shami fi��nished with one.

Then out came India’sopeners who, havingstitched together a halfcentury stand in the fi��rst innings, proceeded to do soagain. When stumps weredrawn, the visitor was 124 fortwo, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara at the crease.

India's lead is now 292; thehighest successful fourthinnings chase at Trent Bridge is284.

The drama began third ov

er after lunch. Ishantsquared Alastair Cook upand had the lefthander edgebehind — his tenth successagainst the batsman. The very next ball — the fi��rst of anew over — Bumrah struck atthe other end, as Keaton Jennings hung his bat out andpaid the price.

Ollie Pope essayed oneconfi��dent coverdrive forfour but he was soon gonefor 10, tickling Ishant downthe legside as Pant claimed agood, diving catch. The wicketkeeper had begun nervously but he quickly settleddown, and would fi��nish withfi��ve dismissals on the day, including an acrobatic, onehanded grab to send ChrisWoakes back.

Pandya came on afterdrinks and struck with hisfi��rst ball, drawing an edgefrom Joe Root. There was ahint of controversy here asK.L. Rahul plucked a lowcatch at second slip. Rootheld his ground, not convinced that the eff��ort hadbeen a clean one, while Marais Erasmus referred thematter upstairs.

The umpire’s ‘soft signal’was ‘out’ and replays suggested that the ball hadbounced only after Rahulhad got his fi��ngers underneath it. Root was rightly declared out, but he walked off��shaking his head while boosrang out.

Rahul was in the thick ofthings again a little later asBen Stokes prodded at Shamiand the edge fl��ew to secondslip. The Karnataka manswallowed the chance andcupped his ear: there was noquestioning this catch.

CollapseStokes’s exit triggered a collapse of fi��ve for 20 in 22 balls.Four of these wickets went toPandya, the Baroda manbowling full and getting theball to move just enough.

A beauty of a late, swinging delivery accounted forJonny Bairstow; the ball thatgot Stuart Broad was a fi��neone too. Jos Buttler threw hisbat around later on, scoring a32ball39 to eat into the lead.But India still went into teafi��rmly in control of the Testmatch.

In the morning, after alight drizzle had delayed thestart of play, India’s last fourfi��rstinnings wickets tumbledfor 22 runs inside eight overs.Shami and Bumrah thenshared the new ball, with Ishant surprisingly held back.

India ought to have madelife miserable for England’sopeners, both of whom hadbeen struggling for confi��dence. Instead, Bumrah andShami were either short orstrayed down the pads, asCook and Jennings got away,fi��nding the boundary sixtimes in total.

The home side made swiftprogress, scoring at morethan fi��ve an over to get to 46without loss at lunch. Therest of the day, though,would belong to India.

Pandya’s fi��vefor in six overs swings it in India’s favour Pant has a memorable debut as a wicketkeeper with fi��ve dismissals; India extends lead to 292 with eight second innings wickets remaining

INDIA IN ENGLAND

Shreedutta Chidananda

Nottingham

Successful ploy: Hardik Pandya bowled a fuller length and moved the ball just enough to rattlethe English lineup. * GARETH COPLEY/GETTY IMAGES

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

B The highest successfulfourthinnings chase atTrent Bridge is 284

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

CMYK

A ND-NDE




SPORT

SUDOKU

Solution to puzzle 12399 Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

While Vedanta Desika’s Paduka Sahasram praises the Lord’ssandals, it also shows us Goddess Lakshmi’s greatness, saidC. Raghavan in a lecture. In the fi��rst verse in the Sanchaarapaddhati, we fi��nd Desika off��ering his salutations to theLord’s padukas, and he says that he pays obeisance to thepadukas, which did what Sita wanted to do. When Rama isasked to go to the forest, Sita immediately says She too willgo with Him. In fact, She says She will go ahead of Rama sothat She can remove thorns and grass which are likely tohurt His feet. The Padukas, of course, crush thorns whenRama treads on them. So, in this verse, Desika is saying thatthe padukas do what Sita wanted to do. Desika, thus, showsus the greatness of the Lord’s padukas.

In a verse in the Dvandva Paddhati, Desika says that withSri Devi on one side of Him, Bhu Devi on the other, and withtwo padukas, one for each foot, how can the Lord not beconsiderate towards sinners? Sri Devi will ask Him to look favourably upon His bhaktas. If He turns to the other side,there is Bhuma Devi who will always advice patience andforgiveness towards those who approach Him. If He were tolook down, there are the two padukas pleading for the sinners, just as the two Consorts on either side of Him do.Thus, here again Desika shows us the elevated status of theLord’s padukas, for they are seen as equal to His Consorts.

In Prakirnaka Paddhati, Lord Ranganatha is picturedholding the hand of His Consort and entering the water, buthere His sandals are the water. So, the Lord putting on Hispadukas is compared to the Lord and His Consort steppinginto the river. That He holds the hand of the Goddess is signifi��cant, for She will keep Him from being harsh with sinners.

FAITH

Lakshmi’s greatness3 Result is I toil with my arm (9)

4 However, fret over green — I'd

be hamhanded (14)

6 A man, perhaps? (5)

7 Instrument doesn't have a

tone (8)

8 Flashy and small, outside

market (8)

9 Free Internet — has to rely on

being mutually supportive

(14)

15 Puzzled by new addition in

done deal (9)

16 She is sailable at sea (8)

17 Monicker about to rise,

Menon’s off (8)

19 John's ascent in low state (6)

20 Old lechers stay, disrupt Rajya

Sabha (6)

22 Cat has power to jump (5)

12 Countryman regularly misread

quip (5)

13 Choose on the way, say a

terminal (9)

14 Finance it with old dirty secret

(12)

18 Carol's drinking wine, it's rose

colour (8,4)

21 Musical group with one playing

a concertina (9)

23 A dolt returns the brush (5)

24 Plates for a meal in mess (7)

25 Duck soup keeps Catholic saint

in delirium (7)

26 Refuse to stop copy — a

complaint (6)

27 Perhaps MGM America is

meticulous... (8)

■ DOWN

1 ... although part of the habit is

collaboration (6)

2 Artifi��cial neural network? (6)

(set by Arden)

■ ACROSS

1 The enlightened one came in

halfheartedly — a bit

constrained in the city (3,5)

5 It's pain to separate split ends

— get a bag (6)

10 Perhaps Simpson assumed

one's noble (7)

11 Turn one into passive stuff (7)

THE HINDU CROSSWORD 12400

India — 1st innings: ShikharDhawan c Buttler b Woakes 35(65b, 7x4), K.L. Rahul lbw bWoakes 23 (53b, 4x4), Cheteshwar Pujara c Rashid b Woakes 14(31b, 2x4), Virat Kohli c Stokes bRashid 97 (152b, 11x4), AjinkyaRahane c Cook b Broad 81 (131b,

12x4), Hardik Pandya c Buttler bAnderson 18 (58b, 4x4), Rishabh Pant b Broad 24 (51b, 2x4,

1x6), R. Ashwin b Broad 14 (17b,

3x4), Ishant Sharma (not out) 1(5b), Mohammed Shami c Broadb Anderson 3 (5b), Jasprit Bumrah b Anderson 0 (1b); Extras(b12, lb6, w1): 19; Total (in94.5 overs): 329.

Fall of wickets: 160 (Dhawan,18.4 overs), 265 (Rahul, 20.6),382 (Pujara, 26.4), 4241 (Rahane, 66.6), 5279 (Kohli, 75.6),6307 (Pandya, 86.6), 7323(Pant, 91.4), 8326 (Ashwin93.4), 9329 (Shami, 94.4).

England bowling: Anderson25.58643, Broad 258723,Stokes 151540, Woakes 202753, Rashid 90461.

England — 1st innings: AlastairCook c Pant b Ishant 29 (42b,

5x4), Keaton Jennings c Pant bBumrah 20 (32b, 3x4), Joe Rootc Rahul b Pandya 16 (29b, 2x4),Ollie Pope c Pant b Ishant 10(22b, 1x4), Jonny Bairstow c

Rahul b Pandya 15 (41b, 3x4),Ben Stokes c Rahul b Shami 10(13b, 2x4), Jos Buttler c sub bBumrah 39 (32b, 3x4, 2x6),Chris Woakes c Pant b Pandya 8(5b, 2x4), Adil Rashid c Pant bPandya 5 (5b, 1x4), Stuart Broadlbw b Pandya 0 (4b), James Anderson (not out) 1 (7b); Extras(b4, lb1, nb2, w1): 8; Total(in 38.2 overs): 161.

Fall of wickets: 154 (Cook,11.6), 254 (Jennings, 12.1), 375(Pope, 19.1), 486 (Root, 24.1),5108 (Stokes, 29.2), 6110(Bairstow, 30.1), 7118 (Woakes,30.6), 8128 (Rashid, 32.1), 9128 (Broad, 32.5).

India bowling: Shami 102561,Bumrah 12.22372, Ashwin 1030, Ishant 92322, Pandya61285.

India — 2nd innings: ShikharDhawan st. Bairstow b Rashid44 (63b, 6x4), K.L. Rahul bStokes 36 (33b, 7x4), Cheteshwar Pujara (batting) 33 (67b,

5x4), Virat Kohli (batting) 8(23b); Extras (lb3): 3; Total (fortwo wkts. in 31 overs): 124.

Fall of wickets: 160 (Rahul,11.2), 2111 (Dhawan, 23.2).

England bowling: Anderson 72240, Broad 40250,Woakes 81190, Stokes 71301, Rashid 50231.

SCOREBOARD ENGLAND VS INDIA, 3RD TEST, 2ND DAY

fi��gures of fi��ve for 28 againstAustralia in 1981.

Pandya was not pleased.“The problem is this... whathappens is they compare,fi��ne. But all of a suddenwhen something goes wrongthey say, ‘He is not that’. Inever wanted to be KapilDev. Let me be Hardik Pandya, I’m good at being Hardik Pandya. I’ve come so far— playing 40 ODIs and 10Tests — being Hardik and notKapil Dev. He was great in hisera. Let me be Hardik Pandya. Stop comparing mewith anyone. I’ll be happy ifyou don’t.”

Ishant Sharma was seentalking to Pandya a greatdeal during the latter’s spellon Sunday afternoon. “[Heplayed a] big role. He told meto talk about it in the pressconference as well.”

Hardik Pandya was a delighted man after his maiden fi��vewicket haul in Test cricket.

“I’m happier taking a fi��vewicket haul than scoring ahundred. Because I’ve hardly done this. This is probablythe second fi��vefor of my life.It’s come in an important situation and so I’m happy,” hesaid after the second day’splay at Trent Bridge.

Pandya’s selection as anallrounder in Test crickethas not always seemed justifi��ed, but the 24yearold insisted he was not bothered.

“First of all, I don’t playfor them (his critics). Theyare getting paid for sayingthings which I don’t want toknow about and I don’t evencare what they say. I play formy country. I don’t carewhat they say. It’s their job tosay it and it’s my job to playfor my country. I’m doingthe right thing. My team ishappy with me. Nothing elsematters,” he said.

Pandya was asked aboutcomparisons with Kapil Dev,and it was pointed out to himthat the latter had returned

‘Let me be Hardik Pandya’The allrounder not amused by comparisons with Kapil Dev

Manchester City deliveredyet another reminder that itis the team to beat in the Premier League this season. OnSunday’s evidence, winningthe league title looks beyondManchester United.

A few hours after Citythrashed Huddersfi��eld 61mainly thanks to a hat trickby Sergio Aguero, Unitedslumped to a 32 loss atBrighton after concedingthree goals in a 20minutespan in the fi��rst half.

City has already rackedup eight goals in the fi��rst twogames of its title defence.Aguero looks in peak form,fi��tagain Benjamin Mendy isin rampaging mood downthe left, while coach PepGuardiola had the luxury ofstarting Raheem Sterling,Leroy Sane and Riyad Mahrez on the bench againstHuddersfi��eld.

On Saturday in the London derby, Chelsea recovered from the shock ofblowing a twogoal leadagainst Arsenal as Marcos

Alonso’s late strike sealed a32 win in the PremierLeague on Saturday.

Maurizio Sarri’s sideraced into a 20 lead beforeArsenal drew level in a thrilling fi��rst half at StamfordBridge.The results: Sunday: PremierLeague: Burnley 1 (Tarkowski6) lost to Watford 3 (Gray 3,Deeney 48, Hughes 51); Manchester City 6 (Aguero 25, 35,75, Jesus 31, D. Silva 48, Kongolo 84og) bt Huddersfi��eld 1(Stankovic 43); Brighton 3(Murray 25, Duff��y 27, Gross 44pen) bt Manchester United 2(Lukaku 34, Pogba 90pen).

Serie A: Torino 0 lost to Roma 1

(Dzeko 89).

La Liga: Eibar 1 (Escalante 69)lost to Huesca 2 (Gallar 5, 40).

Saturday: Premier League:Chelsea 3 (Pedro 9, Morata 20,Alonso 81) bt Arsenal 2 (Mkhitaryan 37, Iwobi 41).

La Liga: Celta Vigo 1 (David Lopez 52og) drew with Espanyol1 (Hermoso 45); Villarreal 1(Gerard 16) lost to Real Sociedad 2 (Willian Jose 40, Juanmi71); Barcelona 3 (Messi 64,90+3, Coutinho 83) bt Alaves0.

Serie A: Chievo 2 (Stepinski 38,Giaccherini 56pen) lost to Juventus 3 (Khedira 3, Bani 75og, Bernardeschi 90+3); Lazio 1(Immobile 25) lost to Napoli 2(Milik 45+2, Insigne 59).

City cruises, United stumbles

Chelsea edges fi��vegoal thriller over Arsenal

EURO LEAGUES

Shock result: Shane Duff��y celebrates scoring Brighton’ssecond goal against Manchester United. * REUTERS


MilanMuch like the shots hemostly plays, Rishabh Pantcould not have timed hisTest debut better, feelsBhaskar Pillai.

As someone who hasworked with him for thelast couple of seasons asthe Delhi coach, he is delighted that Pant got thebreak while still veryyoung.

“It was great to watchhim bat on Saturday night;I got back to my hotel roomat Madurai just in time,”Bhaskar, who is coachingIndia Green at the DuleepTrophy here, told The Hin-

du here on Sunday. “I am glad that Pant

played his natural game.To hit the second ever ballyou face in a Test for a six issomething not manywould even consider.

“The only thing I haveasked him to do is to bemore selective in shot selection,” he said.

“I think he could be anideal understudy to M.S.Dhoni.”

‘Pant idealunderstudyto Dhoni’

p.k. Ajith kumar

DINDIGUL


Nottingham

Great outing: Rishabh Pant gave a good account of himselfbehind the stumps. * AFP

<> India are the No. 1

ranked side and

they’re there for a

reason. Just because

they were 2-0 down

I don’t think we

could have taken

anything lightly

Jos Buttler


CMYK




SPORT

Federer hopes new DavisCup lives up to promises CINCINNATI

While unsure of the wisdom

of this week’s sweeping

David Cup reform, Roger

Federer has called on tennis

officials to make good on

promises regarding the

newlook competition. “I feel

sad about it, you know, not to

have the Davis Cup as it used

to be. It will never be the

same for the next

generation,” the 20time

Grand Slam winner said on

Saturday. AFP

IN BRIEF

Johnson hangs up hisboots SYDNEY

Australian fast bowler

Mitchell Johnson said on

Sunday he was retiring from

all forms of cricket as his

body was “starting to shut

down”, almost three years

after he stepped down from

the international game. The

36yearold quit T20 Big Bash

League (BBL) team the Perth

Scorchers last month, but had

not ruled out playing in the

Indian Premier League or

other domestic T20

competitions. PTI

Ozil needed moresupport: German FA bossBERLIN

The underfire president of

the German Football

Association (DFB), admitted

on Sunday that he should

have given Mesut Ozil more

support when the midfielder

was the target of “racist

attacks“. “I should have

positioned myself more

clearly given the racist

attacks from some corners

and should have put myself in

front of Mesut Ozil,” Reinhard

Grindel told German daily Bild

on Sunday. AFP

Messi is a genius:ValverdeBarcelona coach Ernesto

Valverde has heaped praise

on Lionel Messi’s start to the

Liga season after the

Argentine bounced back from

a disappointing World Cup

with two goals against

Alaves. “He sees things that

others don’t see on the pitch.

He’s a genius and we’re lucky

to be able to see him play

every day.” AFP

East Bengal ropes inNigerian striker GamboKOLKATA

City football giant East

Bengal on Sunday announced

the signing of Nigerian striker

Mohammed Gambo for the

201819 season. Gambo, who

moved from Nigerian Premier

Football League (NPFL) club

Kano Pillars, is one of the

highest goal scorers for the

outfit. The 30yearold made

his international debut in

2012 and has been capped

seven times for Nigeria. IANS

Asian Games: Sony Ten 1, 2& Sony ESPN (SD & HD), 7a.m. & 1.30 p.m.England vs India: ThirdTest, day three, Sony Six,Sony Ten 3 (SD & HD), 3.30p.m.Premier League: SS Select1, 2 (SD & HD), 12.15 a.m(Tuesday). KPL: Star Sports 2 (SD & HD),6.30 p.m.

TV PICKS

Indian girls crownedSAFF U15 championTHIMPHU

Indian girls, on Sunday,

clinched the SAFF Under15

title after defeating

defending champion

Bangladesh by a solitary goal

in the final played at the

Changlimithang Stadium

here. In the previous edition

last year, India had finished

runnersup. Sunita Munda’s

strike in the 67th minute

made all the difference

between the two teams. PTI

The twists and turns thatmake cricket such a fascinating game were on full viewunder a half moon at theNPR College ground onSunday.

Chasing India Red’s 337, itneeded something out of theordinary to deny India Greenthe crucial fi��rst innings lead.That’s exactly what RajneeshGurbani produced, bowlingIndia Red out for 309.

From 283 for fi��ve, Gurbaniengineered a spectacularcollapse.

The Vidarbha pacer cameup with a splendid spell —with the second new ball inthe fi��nal session — that sawhim take fi��ve for 37 from 13overs. He fi��nished with seven for 81 off�� 27 overs toopen the new domestic season the way he had ended itover seven months ago.

Gurbani had taken eightwickets, including a hat

trick, to help Vidarbha winits maiden Ranji Trophy titlelast season. With 39 wickets,he ended up as the secondhighest wickettaker.

India Red ended the thirdday at 38 without loss — alead of 66 — when play hadto be called off�� with 15 minutes left as the bowling arearunup needed to berepaired.

Among the more disappointed men in the IndiaGreen team must be B. Indrajith, who scored a fi��nehundred that was easy onthe eye.

The Tamil Nadu batsman,who had hammered a double hundred a year ago inthis competition, playedsome pleasing drives andused his feet well against thespinners to make 109 (228b,15x4). He fell, attempting todrive Gurbani and edging toSanjay Ramaswamy at slip.

Sudip on songAnother batsman to impresswas Sudip Chatterjee (82,205b, 6x4, 1x6), who put on

123 for the third wicket withIndrajith. The scores:

India Red — 1st innings: 337.

India Green — 1st innings: Priyank Panchal c Nadeem b Gurbani 8, Prashant Chopra b Gurbani 19, Sudip Chatterjee runout 82, B. Indrajith c Sanjay bGurbani 109, Parthiv Patel cWadkar b Porel 11, GurkeeratMann c Sanjay b Gurbani 35, Jalaj Saxena c & b Gurbani 27, K.Vignesh b Wadkar 6, Vikas Mishra (not out) 2, Ashoke Dindac&b Gurbani 0, Ankit Rajpoot cPrithviraj b Nadeem 5; Extras(lb1, nb2, w1): 5; Total (in111.3 overs): 309.

Fall of wickets: 112, 235, 3158, 4201, 5257, 6283, 7301, 8302, 9302.

India Red bowling: Gurbani 275817, Prithviraj 146460,Nadeem 34.35771, Porel 165331, Mihir 161670, Writtick Chatterjee 3030, Aparajith 1010.

India Red — 2nd innings: SanjayRamaswamy (batting) 16, Abhinav Mukund (batting) 21; Extras (w1): 1; Total (for no wkt.in 6.3 overs): 38.

India Green bowling: Rajpoot3.30200, Dinda 30180.

Gurbani casts a spellafter Indrajith show The former scalps seven, the latter scores a century

DULEEP TROPHYP.K. Ajith KumarDINDIGUL

In full fl��ow: B. Indrajith struck 15 boundaries en route to his hundred. * B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM

HYDERABAD: Lady In Lace, whomaintains form, may score an encore in the Nizam’s Gold Cup(2,000m), the chief event of theraces to be held here on Monday(August 20). There will be no false rails.

1 DECCAN QUEEN PLATE(1,600m), (Cat. II), maiden 3yo

only (Terms), 130 p.m.: 1. Alexanderthegreat (1) P. Trevor 56, 2.Lockhart (2) Arshad Alam 56, 3.London Bridge () () 56, 4. NathuLa (4) Akshay Kumar 56, 5. SuperAct (3) Md. Ismail 56 and 6. JoMalone (5) Nakhat Singh 54.5.1. ALEXANDERTHEGREAT, 2. LOCK-HART.

2 ASTRONOMIC PLATE (Div. II),(1,100m), 3yo & over, rated 26

to 46 (Cat. III), 200: 1. LightningFin (3) Deepak Singh 60, 2. ManApart (10) P. Trevor 58.5, 3. Excellent Hope (8) Suraj Narredu 58, 4.Happy Together (7) Nakhat Singh58, 5. Proud Warrior (11) KunalBunde 57.5, 6. La Mer (4) AkshayKumar 57, 7. Soaring Sensex (9)Gopal Singh 57, 8. Money Time (6)Gaddam 55.5, 9. Rose Petal (5) G.Naresh 55, 10. Penthesilea (1)Rafique Sk. 54 and 11. Bahagar (2)Arshad Alam 51.5. 1. EXCELLENT HOPE, 2. LIGHTNINGFIN, 3. MAN APART.

3 ASTRONOMIC PLATE (Div. I),(1,100m), 3yo & over, rated 26

to 46 (Cat. III), 235: 1. Rahil (6)Gopal Singh 60, 2. Moon Walker(2) C.P. Bopanna 59.5, 3. Shaquille(9) Suraj Narredu 57.5, 4. TrumpGirl (3) Akshay Kumar 57.5, 5.Agilis (8) Harinder Singh 57, 6.Great Glory (5) G. Naresh 55.5, 7.Proud N Arrogant (4) Kiran Naidu55.5, 8. Cash For Rank (11) P.Ajeeth Kumar 55, 9. Reach TheHeights (10) Kunal Bunde 54.5, 10.King David (7) Sai Kumar 54 and11. Dean’s Gal (1) A. A. Vikrant 53. 1. RAHIL, 2. SHAQUILLE, 3. TRUMPGIRL.

4 CHARMINAR CUP (1,400m), 3yo & over, rated 42 to 62 (Cat.

II), 310: 1. Limitation (6) Aneel 60,2. Magna Carta (3) A.A. Vikrant58.5, 3. Texas Rodeo (9) B.R. Kumar 55.5, 4. Turf Legend (1) AjeetKumar 55.5, 5. Bayrd (7) SurajNarredu 54.5, 6. Barnabas (4) Akshay Kumar 54, 7. City Of Sails (2)G. Naresh 54, 8. Lord Gift (5) R.Ajay Kumar 54, 9. San Vinto (10)Ajit Singh 53 and 10. SouthernLegacy (8) Tanwar 52.5. 1. SOUTHERN LEGACY, 2. BAYRD, 3.BARNABAS.

5 XISCA PLATE (1,400m), 3yo &over (winner of not more than

two races), rated 26 to 46 (Cat.III), 345: 1. Blue Empress (4)Kuldeep Singh 60, 2. GuidingForce (3) N. Rawal 60, 3. Mr. Bruss(7) Ashhad Asbar 58.5, 4.

Vashishta (8) Arshad Alam 58.5, 5.Dancing Doll (5) R. Ajay Kumar57.5, 6. The Special One (6) Aneel57.5, 7. Kohinoor Legend (2)Deepak Singh 55 and 8. Silver Dollar (1) A.A. Vikrant 54.5.

1. BLUE EMPRESS, 2. THE SPECIALONE, 3. GUIDING FORCE.

6 NIZAM’S GOLD CUP (2,000m),4yo & over (Terms), 415: 1.

Lady In Lace (4) P. Trevor 60.5, 2.Kangra (1) A. Sandesh 58.5, 3. Captain Morgan (3) Akshay Kumar 58and 4. Like Wise (2) Nakhat Singh50.5.

1. LADY IN LACE, 2. KANGRA.

7 MANCHIRYALA PLATE(1,600m), 5yo & over, rated

upto 30 (Cat. III), 450: 1. DhoolKa Phool (2) Md. Ismail 62, 2. Carnival Express (3) Koushik 61.5, 3.Invasion (8) R. Ajay Kumar 61, 4.My Windfall (4) C.P. Bopanna60.5, 5. Ultimate Risk (9) A.A.Vikrant 58.5, 6. Chemical Daddy(5) Kiran Naidu 57, 7. GoldenAdara (1) Deep Shanker 56, 8.Hammer (7) Ashhad Asbar 52 and9. Amaravathi (6) G. Naresh 50.

1. MY WINDFALL, 2. HAMMER, 3.CARNIVAL EXPRESS.

DAY’S BEST: LADY IN LACE

DOUBLE: SOUTHERN LEGACY BLUE EMPRESS

JKT: 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7; Tr (i): 2, 3 & 4;(ii): 5, 6 & 7; Tla: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 7.

Lady In Lace may score an encore

Mohun Bagan posted aconvincing 30 win overTollygunge Agragami togarner 13 points from fi��vematches and return to thetop of table of the CalcuttaFootball League here onSunday.

Dipanda Dicka, who utilised Arijit Bagui’s passfrom left, drew fi��rst bloodin the 28th minute.

Six minutes later, Azharuddin Mallick’s header extended Bagan’s lead. William Fela completed thetally in the 82nd minute toearn Bagan its fourth win.

Bagan on top

Special CorrespondentKOLKATA

Roger Federer and NovakDjokovic will be fi��ghting forrecords when the allstarpair clash in Sunday’s fi��nal atthe Cincinnati Masters.

Federer, a seventimechampion here, will be bidding to increase his tournament leading total, whileDjokovic is keen to win theonly Masters 1000 tournament missing from his trophy collection.

Second seed Federer wasleading 76(3), 11 when David Goffi��n retired with an injury from their semifi��nal

match after 62 minutes onSaturday. The Belgian needed treatment for a shoulderproblem after losing theopening set. Djokovic beat2016 winner Marin Cilic 64,36, 63 to earn his place.

Djokovic leads a rivalry,which dates to 2006, by athin 2322 margin with theSerb winning three of theirlast four meetings. Federerwon their only previous fi��nalhere in 2015 in straight sets.

On the women’s side,World No. 1 Simona Halep ishoping it will be third timelucky in Cincinnati afterbooking her fi��nal berth witha 63, 64 victory over ArynaSabalenka.

She’ll try again againstDutch outsider Kiki Bertens,who will be playing her thirdfi��nal of the season afterwearing down a tiring PetraKvitova 36, 64, 62.The results (semifi��nals):

Men: Novak Djokovic bt MarinCilic 64, 36, 63; Roger Federer bt David Goffi��n 76(3), 11(retd.).

Women: Simona Halep bt ArynaSabalenka 63, 64; Kiki Bertens bt Petra Kvitova 36, 64,62.

Federer to fi��ght it out with Djokovic Halep hopes to win her fi��rst Cincinnati title against Bertens

MASTERS TENNIS

Agence France-PresseCincinnati

The elusive one: Novak Djokovic will go all out to win the only Masters tournament missing from his collection. * AFP

Yash Aradhya (17) of Bengaluru marked his fi��rst seasonin the MRF F1600 class witha maiden win in the fourthround of the MRF MMSCFMSCI Indian National Racing Championship (INRC) atthe MMRT here on Sunday.

Aradhya started Race3from the third position onthe grid, but got past polesitter Goutham Parekh andSandeep Kumar within twolaps and defended his position throughout. The results (Provisional, all 8laps unless mentioned): MRFF1600: Race2 (7 laps): 1.Goutham Parekh 11:55.958s; 2.Sandeep Kumar 11:59.036; 3.Arya Singh 11:59.807; Race3: 1.Yash Aradhya 13:38.672; 2. Parekh 13:39.045; 3. Raghul Rangasamy 13:39.335.Indian Touring Cars: Race2: 1.Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports) 15:18.697; 2. Arjun Balu(Race Concepts) 15:18.972; 3.Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports) 15:27.011.Turbo: Race2: 1. Karthik Thara

ni (VW Motorsport) 15:26.584;2. Rayomand Banajee (VW Motorsport) 15:40.368; 3. IshaanDodhiwala (VW Motorsport)15:48.720.

Super Stock: Race2: 1. VarunAnekar (Race Concepts)15:47.827; 2. Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing) 16:25.497; 3.R.P. Rajarajan (PerformanceRacing) 16:25.743.

Indian Junior Touring Cars:Race2: 1. Nikunj Vagh (TeamN1) 16:46.717; 2. Chris Desouza(Unimek Racing) 16:59.674; 3.A.S. Prabu (Arka Motorsports)

17:22.050.

Esteem Cup: Race2: 1. BirenPithawala (Team N1)16:45.958; 2. Raghul (Performance Racing) 16:56.231; 3. R.Shyam (Prime Racing)17:22.349.

Volkswagen Ameo Cup:Race2: 1. Shubhomoy Ball15:40.496; 2. Aff��an Sadat Safwan Islam (Bangladesh)15:41.536; 3. Dhruv Mohite15:41.784. Race3: 1. Mohite15:38.206; 2. Saurav Bandyopadhyay 15:45.963; 3. Ball15:48.007.

Schoolboy Aradhya’s day out Holds off�� polesitter Parekh to win his maiden F1600 race

MOTORSPORTS

Sports ReporterChennai

Teen winner: Yash Aradhya is fl��anked by second placedGoutham Parekh, left, and third placed Raghul Rangasamyafter Race 3. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

BENGALURU: India Redwhipped India Green bynine wickets in the women’s senior ChallengerTrophy here on Sunday.With this victory, Redsealed a fi��nal berth, againstIndia Blue on Tuesday.The scores: India Green 51 in18.4 overs (Reemalaxmi Ekkathree for six) lost to India Red52 for one in 9.2 overs (Punam Raut 26 n.o.).

Red swampsGreen

The Quadrangular Seriesoneday cricket championship, featuring IndiaA andB, AustraliaA and SouthAfricaA and scheduled to beheld at the Mulapadu CricketComplex here, has beenshifted to Bengaluru, according to a senior offi��cial of the

Andhra Cricket Association.The event never really got

off�� because of inclementweather followed by heavyrains in the last two days.

The conditions forcedpostponement of the matches on the fi��rst two days.

The match offi��cials, afteran inspection on Sundaymorning, called off�� the two

matches scheduled for theday.

Later, the ACA offi��cialscommunicated to all theteam managements that heavy rains have been predictedfor the next couple of days.

Consequently, the BCCItook a decision to shift thematches to Bengaluru.

Quadrangular shifted to Bengaluru V.V. SUBRAHMANYAMVIJAYAWADA

Fivetime World championViswanathan Anand got off��to a good start holding USA’sHikaru Nakmura to an easydraw in the fi��rst round of theSinquefi��eld Cup, a part ofthe Grand Chess tour here.

After a rather forgettableouting in the rapid and blitzevent where he fi��nished last,Anand did not give anychance to Nakamura out of a

Queen’s gambit declined.

The pieces changedhands at regular intervals asAnand equalised with a typical central breakthrough inthe middle game.

And the players arrived ata drawn queen and pawnsendgame in quick timewhere the peace was a justresult.

Shakhriyar Mamedyarovof Azerbaijan cruised pastWesley So of the US.

Another decisive game

In the other decisive game of

the day, Levon Aronian ofArmenia came up with abrilliant endgame show tobeat Sergey Karjakin ofRussia.

The results (fi��rst round): Hikaru Nakamura (USA) drew withViswanathan Anand.

Maxime VachierLagrave(Fra) drew with MagnusCarlsen.

Fabiano Caruana (USA) drewwith Alexander Grischuk (Rus).

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov(Aze) bt Wesley So (USA).

Levon Aronian (Arm) beatSergey Karjakin (Rus).

Anand holds NakamuraCHESS

Press Trust or IndiaSt. Louis (USA)


CM

YKA ND-NDE

Delhi

Monday • August 20, 2018

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www.thehindu.com/education

www.facebook.com/thehinduedge

www.twitter.com/thehinduedge<>Expect the unexpected, andwhenever possible, be theunexpected. Lynda Barry

Breathe in. Breathe out. We dothis all the time, but most of usare not aware of air moving in andout of our respiratory tracts. Perhaps, we focused on our breathsduring a mandatory yoga class atschool or when a swimming instructor taught us how to blowbubbles while putting our headsunder water. But for the mostpart, most of us pay scant attention to our breathing. Yet, mounting evidence suggests that mindfulness, which actually has itsroots in yogic and Buddhist practices, has immense benefi��ts forour minds and bodies. Moreover,mindfulness is not an esotericpractice meant only for wise andwizened sages in forests, but canbe practised by anyone irrespective of their age, gender, religiousbeliefs or affi��liations.

But what exactly is mindfulness? Like most philosophicaland psychological constructs,mindfulness is hard to defi��ne, andthereby engenders multiple defi��nitions. Professor Jon KabatZinn,who has popularised the term,provides a fairly straightforwarddefi��nition, saying, “Mindfulnessmeans paying attention in a par

Collating the fi��ndings of multiple research studies, psychologists Daphne Davis and Jeff��reyHayes list a number of benefi��ts ofmindfulness training. First, mindfulness meditation alleviatesstress in people and reduces theirtendency to ruminate on negativethoughts. In addition, it enhancespeople’s working memory andtheir ability to focus (studentstake notice). People who meditate are also less emotionally volatile and have more satisfyingrelationships.

Meditation also has salubriouseff��ects on our bodies as well. Researchers have found that practis

ing mindfulness daily can improve our immune system,boost the quality of our sleep,lower our blood pressure,help us manage chronicpain better and reduce theseverity and frequency ofmigraine headaches.

As you continue to practice, you will realise that the

purposeful awareness thatyou bring to meditation can be

extended to other activities aswell. Whether you are eatingbreakfast, going for a run, chatting with a friend or studying for atest, you will realise that each ofthese activities can be more fulfi��lling and enjoyable if we approachthem with the same nonjudgemental focus that we cultivateduring meditation. As Jon KabatZinn says in an interview in TheHuffi��ngton Post, “The real meditation practice is how we live ourlives from moment to moment.”

The author is Director, PRAYATNA.

Email: [email protected]

dote to today’s fastpaced lifewhere digital distractions continually crowd our mindspace. Asyou continue to practice mindfulness daily, you may start noticinggradual and subtle shifts in yourlife. Ironically, mindfulness iswhat enables you to notice microchanges that take place in yourbody or mind.

mode so that it doesn’t ping whileyou are trying to focus. Try to mediate at the same time every dayso that it becomes a habit. Startwith fi��ve minutes and graduallyincrease the duration by a coupleof minutes at a time.

Slow downMindfulness is an eff��ective anti

assignment pass and return to observing your breathing. Again,within two breaths, you remember that you have to call your cousin. Similar to last time, just watchthe thought and then return toyour breathing. Continue in thismanner till your timer beeps. Ifyou are using your phone as atimer, you may put it on airplane

us are ruled by the automaticthoughts that pop into our heads.But by consciously practising selfawareness, you will be less of aslave to your thoughts, knowingthat you always have a choice onhow you respond to them.

In order to attain a greater degree of clarity and calmness, youmay also try mindfulness meditation. Find a quiet, peaceful location where you can sit comfortably without getting disturbed. Seta timer for fi��veminutes. Take afew deep breaths and try to followthe air as it enters and leaves yournostrils. As you get accustomed tothis, try to focus on the air as itfl��ows through your airways intoyour lungs and out again. Gradually, you may lengthen anddeepen your breaths as deepbreathing is relaxing for the mindand body. Just focusing on yourbreaths is meditation. But, ofcourse, this is easier said thendone. Before you know it, the incessant chitchat in your mindstarts playing out and your focusshifts from your breath to thenext assignment that is due tomorrow. At this point, take heartthat this is entirely natural anddoes not in anyway mean thatmeditation is not for you.

Just let the thought about the

ticular way: on purpose, in thepresent moment, and nonjudgmentally.” Most of us, at leastmost of the time, live our lives onautopilot. While this does notmean we are robots or zombies,we are ruled during our wakingmoments by a continuous streamof thoughts and emotions thatseem to rise automatically in ourminds. Hopes, dreams, worries,wishes, regrets, lists, plans, arguments and counterargumentscrowd our mindspace with onethought leading to another andthen jumping to yet another.

Juggle wellSo, one of the fi��rst steps to cultivate mindfulness is to becomeaware of the endless chitterchatter of our own minds. Forgot tophotocopy my Aadhaar card. WillI get my visa? I should have goneto the gym this morning. Why didSindhu not return my call? Whydoes this city have so many traffi��clights? I can’t wait to go on the Ladakh trek. As thoughts continually rise and fade, take a step backand observe your own mind.Don’t pass judgement or respondor react to the thoughts. Just observe. Doing this exercise for evenfi��ve minutes a day will help youbecome more selfaware. Most of

Making everymoment count In today’s fast paced life where we hardly notice things and where our minds arerunning faster, we need to meditate to relax and improve our lives.

b Aruna

Sankaranarayanan

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Mindfulness is an eff��ectiveantidote to today’s fastpaced life where digitaldistractions continuallycrowd our mindspace.


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YKA ND-NDE

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MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 20182EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

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EAR SHOT

ASHOK RAJAGOPALAN

Living simply

In “Try Living with Lucie”, a series of fiveday challenges,Lucie Fink — video producer and lifestyle host at Refinery29 —explores topics that she knows little to nothing about anddocuments her unique social experiments. In this episode,Lucie dives deeply into living life simply.

When was the last time you took a break? In the constantwhirlwind of the daily routine, we often forget we are part ofsomething bigger. Lucie observes that as the world around usgrows more and more complicated, we have to learn toappreciate real and simple moments. Though our moderndaysociety rewards doers and gogetters, there’s also something tobe said about stopping and taking some time off.

From going back to her roots to indulging in selfcare, fromspending quality time with her fiancé to reconnecting withcoworkers, Lucie undertakes five tasks to help her get back tothe basics and focus on the simple things in life.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/b8gOzoL9UW0

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

VIDEO CAFE

Q1.

Ponnar Shankar is a 2011Tamil film starring Prashanthand Prabhu. It’s a fictional-ised account of the Ponnar

Shankar epic, adapted from a novel of thesame name. This film is the last screen-play written by a prolific writer, who wasdubbed ‘artiste’ in his local language byhis peers. He passed away recently at 94.Name the writer?

Q2.

The flag of Cyprus featuresa map of the entirety of theisland, with two olivebranches below the map.

The olive branches signify peacebetween the Turks and Greeks. The or-ange colour of the map was chosen tosymbolise something which is found inabundance in Cyprus and is a source ofmajor revenue to the country. What is it?

Q3.

Cheggis anAmer-ican

online textbookrental company. Thename is based on the founders’ experience after graduatingfrom college; they could not land a job without experience, butcould not get experience without a job — a ________ or the ____type of quandary. Fill in theblanks.

Q4.

This car was firstproduced underthe Eo4A model(pictured), and

was the smallest car in the UKrange of that company. How-ever, its most popular model,the 105E was introduced in1959. This car became popularafter a light blue version of itwas included in a famous book and movie franchise of the late90s and early 2000s. Which car and which book/movie?

Q5.

A loom usually contains aparticular componentwhich constantly movesback and forth, when it is

being used to weave clothes. This mo-tion, caused this part to lend its name toa sports equipment as it too moved backand forth like the loom component.

Identify the component or the sportsequipment.

Q6.

The Greeks describedmost foreign languagesusing the phrase ‘bar barbar’, as that is what they

seemed to hear. This gave rise to a wordused to describe any foreigner whomight be a brute or be uncivilised. A sim-ilar word also exists in Sanskrit, whichmeans ‘stammering’, to describe unintel-ligible sounds/languages.

What is the English word which is derived from this?

COURTESY: WALNUT KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS

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Answers

A1. M. KarunanidhiA2. CopperA3. Chicken and eggA4. Ford AngliaA5. ShuttleA6. Barbarian

b AALIA AHAMED

I am a 23yearold mathgraduate. I joined a reputed institution for amaster’s degree. Unfortunately, I got many arrears and couldn’t complete the course. I havealways wanted to become a teacher, but Idon’t want to spend twomore years studying forB.Ed. So, though I amnot interested, I havejoined a bank coachingclass thinking that I willget a job soon. Whatshould I do? Arathi

Hi Arathi,There are unfortunately

no short cuts to being successful in life. If you alwayswanted to be a teacher whydon’t you invest the nexttwo years in completingyour B.Ed. instead of attempting bank exams? It isa small price to pay for theoverall satisfaction you willreceive, for the next fourdecades. A bank role willget you a job for sure, but Iam not sure if it will be yourcareer choice, one that isdriven by passion.

I am 22 and am preparing for the UPSC exam this year. However,as this is my fi��st attempt, I am not confi��dent. When I spokeabout this at home, myparents suggested Iwrite other exams asbackup. They told methat if I got any otherjob, I could work and simultaneously preparefor the UPSC. There aresome fi��nancial issues inmy house and my parents are worried aboutmy future. But, I want tofocus only on the UPSCand am not interested inany other job. I don’tknow what to do and Iam confused with mydecisions. Bhagya KS

I understand that youmight need to start earningimmediately due to your family’s fi��nancial constraints.Also, you clearly say thatyou are not confi��dent ofcracking the exam this time— maybe the practice andstudying has not been suffi��cient? We still don’t knowfor certain what the scoreswill read, post the exam.Luck plays a very signifi��cant role in these commonentrance exams as well.Give it your best shot. Incase you don’t, maybe itwould be a good idea tostart looking for a job in thefi��eld of your interest, to getsome fi��nancial stability tothe family. Be careful to nottake on something thattakes all your time andenergy, so that you have thetime and space with it, tokeep preparing for theUPSC.

I am 19, and am pur

suing my B.A in Englishliterature. I wanted topursue a B.A in visualarts, but since thecourse wasn’t availableanywhere nearby, andsince my parents weren’t ready to send meaway from home, I opted for literature. But,I’m not happy with thiscourse. The main problem I face is that I’m interested in photographyand that is the reason Iwanted to pursue a B.Ain visual communication. Now, at times, Ifeel I am not cut out forit, and nothing in literature interests me. Iwrite poems but I amnot confi��dent aboutthem. I want to discovermy hidden talent andpursue it as a career. Shahnaz Majeed

Dear Shahnaz,I feel you compromised

with your choice of academic subjects and nowyou feel trapped. I guess,with your parents havingmade the decision of yourcourse, you now have noother option but to complete your B.A in English.Why don’t you enrol in aphotography course eitheras a hobby, a certifi��cate or adiploma course? I am notsure where you are basedand so I am not able to provide you with specifi��c information, but there are manyreputed courses available,if you check online. If youstill feel overwhelmed, upset and uncertain, pleasemeet a career counsellorand get your career profi��ling done. It will identifyspecifi��c core areas of yourinterest and aptitude foryou.

I am 15 and have juststarted class X. l aspireto become a graphic designer, but I don’t haveany basic knowledgeabout this career andam confused aboutwhich group to opt forin class XI, to pursue acareer as a graphic designer. SruthiVenugopal

Dear Sruthi,What do you like about

being a graphic designer?Where is the interest andpassion coming from?Please speak to more people who are in the fi��eld whocan tell you more aboutwhat it exactly entails. Ihope you love and enjoydesigning. Opting for puresciences with computerscience (computer graphics, web designing, language programming) andart (drawing skills, painting, photography, printing)will provide you with astrong foundation. Research online and read thegraphic designing coursesyllabus across colleges anduniversities so that you geta fair idea of what to expectfrom this course.

The author is a practising

counsellor and a trainer. She

will answer questions sent to

[email protected].

OFF THE EDGE )NANDINI RAMAN

Catch-22 situations

“Wow! Looks like you’ve beenreally busy. This room looks sodiff��erent.”

“My sister is arriving tomorrow morning. So, I decided tospruce the place up.”

“Spruce up? Does it mean tomake the place clean and tidy?”

“Exactly! When you spruce something up, you’re making itsappearance much better thanwhat it was. We’re planning tospruce up the building with afresh coat of paint.”

“My mother wants to spruceup the garden by planting someroses. Tell me, can the expression be used with people?”

“Yes, of course! For example,

Vijith always spruces himself upwhenever he goes out withKavitha.”

“What about Sujatha? Do youspruce yourself up when youhave to meet her?”

“Not really. While we’re onthe subject of Sujatha, how waslunch with her? Did you guyshave a good time?”

“I certainly didn’t. She mademe so angry that I walked outwhile we were eating the Frenchfries.”

“Leaving her to pay the bill, Isuppose? That wasn’t very niceof you.”

A hog“Calling me a pig wasn’t verynice of her.”

“Sujatha called you a pig? Idon’t believe it.”

“You’d better believe it. Shecalled me pig! A male pig, infact. She said that I was a hog.”

“That was probably becauseyou were eating her share of thefries.”

“Really? Tell me, how do youknow that we were sharing aplate of French fries?”

“Sujatha called you a ‘hog’ because in informal contexts, theword is usually used to refer tosomeone who is greedy. Someone who takes more than hisshare of something.”

“So, when Sujatha said ‘Don’tbe a hog’, she meant don’t begreedy. She wanted me to leavesome fries for her.”

“Exactly! ‘Hog’ can be used asa verb as well. Like the noun, it’smostly used to show disapproval.Whenever my dad is at home, healways hogs the TV remote.”

“In other words, he’s alwayswatching something, and prevents others from watching whatthey want to. How about this example? I didn’t enjoy the party

because Mukund and Sanjaywere hogging the conversation.”

“That’s a good example. People who hog the conversation areoften referred to as ‘conversationhogs’. I’m told that my new bossis a conversation hog.”

“I don’t like people who wantto hog the limelight all the time.”

Do away with ‘back’“I don’t think anyone does.When are you leaving forKolkata?”

“Tomorrow. I’ll be returningback on Saturday.”

“That’s a pretty long trip. Bythe way, you don’t have to say‘return back’ — ‘return’ will do.The word ‘back’ is unnecessary.I’ll be returning on Saturday. Oryou could say, ‘I’ll be back onSaturday’.”

“I see. The children are expected to return from the parkaround 2:30.”

“That’s a good example. Thesame is true of ‘replied back’ aswell. The word ‘back’ is unnecessary here as well. The companyhasn’t replied to my earlierletters.”

“It took Shyamala severalweeks to return the money she’dborrowed.”

“At least, she returned it. Mostof my friends never return themoney.”

“That’s not unusual. You’d better spruce up before picking upyour sister at the stationtomorrow.”

****************Always remember, a cat looks

down on man, a dog looks up toman, but pig will look man rightin the eye and see his equal.Winston Churchill

The author teaches at the English

and Foreign Languages University,

Hyderabad. [email protected]

Stop hogging the limelight!

know your english)S. upendran

In my last column, I had discussed theimportance of asking questions andlisted a few we could all ask ourselves.One was, ‘what distinguishes the human from the animal’. Today, I ask,what makes us human?

These are the days of technologyand humans working together. Theage of intelligent machines, artifi��cialand natural intelligence, algorithmsand analytics. A present which foretells a future that will not have manyoccupations of today. Not only are wecompeting and coexisting with fellowhumans, but we are also working withmachines. As machines are becomingmore human, we must ensure the reverse doesn’t happen.

Value humanityIn such times, being acutely aware ofthe nuances of technology and howthey will infl��uence life becomes an indispensable skill. But perhaps morepertinent is our ability to be human itself. There is no better time to valueour humanity and nourish whatevermakes us human.

Now, what if a machine were to assess us and tell us we are indeed human, and not machines? This is the intriguing — and even comical — irony ofthe ‘CAPTCHA’. This ‘Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tellComputers and Humans Apart’ is atest to determine whether someoneusing a computer is human. Most of ushave taken this test, at some point or

the other, to ‘prove’ to a website thatwe are humans.

The test, administered by computers, often contains distorted letters orimages, which we are expected toidentify. The current assumption isthat only humans have this skill. But ina world where algorithms are ‘writing’sonnets, it is only a matter of time before machines can easily get through aCAPTCHA. Surely, our humanity is acondition that surpasses such mundane literal skills.

Though highly philosophical, thisquestion provokes us to seek thosequalities within us, which help our humanity. What purpose drives us on adaily basis? What do we accomplishevery day? How happy are the peoplewe interact with? Does interacting orworking with us make them happier?

AttributesEmpathy, sensitivity, creativity, loveand imagination are far more complexattributes, which make us human andbetter humans at that. Each of these

infl��uences our behaviour considerably, wherever we play a social role. Aslong as we live in a world that requiresus to interact with other people, wewill need to be empathetic and kind.Recently, I was part of a discussion andwe observed how ‘human resources’ isa term that made no sense. Yet, we alluse it. Some of us may even be HR professionals. People are not resources.Objects are. We can and need to be resourceful. And for that, we need to demonstrate human qualities.

These are the qualities that will bein demand in the workplace of the future. We may even need to learn themas skills. Hope we will not be requiredto have certifi��cations in imagination,empathy or kindness. We can begin today, if we haven’t started already. Wecan ask ourselves, what makes us human. And be just that, every day.

The author is a writer and literary

journalist. She also heads Corporate

Communications at UST Global. Twitter:

@anupamaraju

What makes us human? As long as we live in a world that requires us to interact with other people, wewill need to be empathetic and kind

Blurring boundaries: Working with technology

Ps & Qs)Anupama Raju

FR

EE

PIK

In the early 1990’s, a good number ofcollege and even school students usedto learn typewriting and shorthand.Stenography was a respectable profession in those dark days when jobswere hard to come by. But slowly atfi��rst and then very fast, the bottomdropped out of the typewriting andshorthand training institutes. Thetraining institutes did not see it coming. Neither did the parents who sent

their children to these classes. The lastones to get the message were the students who had spent several hours oftheir life working hard to get the typewriting and shorthand credentials.With the advent of personal computers and word processors, suddenlythere was no need for stenographers.

ChangeToday, we are having another “stenography” moment. It is not really apparent, but change is in the air. Earlierthis month, Telangana announced theformation of India’s fi��rst blockchaindistrict in partnership with Tech Mahindra. But, what is this blockchainand why should you care? Blockchainis the technology underpinning thebitcoin and other crypto currencies.But, bitcoin and crypto currencies arenow banned in India, right? In fact,one of the largest scams in recenttimes is the Bitcoin scam that is worthover Rs 1,500 crores, perpetrated byAmit Bharadwaj. So, the block chainshould also be banned, right? Wrong.

You see, the bitcoin was the number one killer app of the blockchaintechnology. The bitcoin blockchainwas the world’s fi��rst blockchain. However, there has been a Cambrian explosion in terms of organisations trying to solve serious real worldproblems using this new technology.

Much of this is built around the Ethereum blockchain, a general purposeblockchain that is more powerful thanthe bitcoin blockchain. No less a government body than NITI Aayog, the

government think tank, is fi��rmly behind the blockchain technology in India.

To start with there are numerousareas in India where the blockchaincan add signifi��cant value. To name afew, tamperproof land records, verifi��able higher education certifi��cates,trade fi��nance and so on. As we areaware, a lot of us are plagued by bogusland records which makes holdingland as an investment a risky proposition. Likewise, the job market is fl��ooded with candidates with fake degrees.Now, if educational institutions canhave the degrees that they confer onthe blockchain, the authenticity canbe verifi��ed easily by anyone. This willincrease the market value of genuinedegree holders.

OpeningsThe most important thing for youngpeople like you is that, as the blockchain disrupts and makes obsoleteseveral conventional industries, newand exciting opportunities open upfor those of you who become profi��cient in this technology.

There is a dearth of good blockchain developers and strategists. Inthe next decade or so, several thousand high paying jobs will be createdaround the blockchain, even as severalthousand conventional jobs disappear. Join the bandwagon and prosper.

The writer is an alumnus of IIM Bangalore

and co-founder, Money Wizards.

[email protected]

The blockchain challengeAs the world changes, so does technology and careers. Stay ahead of thecurve and explore opportunities

Disruption: Unconventionalopportunities

MONEY MATTERS )VENKATESH VARADACHARI

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Olympiads are opportunities for studentsto prepare themselves for other challenging competitive exams. They help not only in building confi��dence but also in challenging one’s ability and allowingselfevaluation. To crack any competitiveor scholastic exam, you need to have theright strategy, a methodical approach,dedication and attitude. Here is a list ofpointers that will help you prepare for anolympiad.

Be an early starterStarting your preparation early is the keyto excellence. It's all about peaking at theright moment and avoiding burnout.Give yourself plenty of time, track yourprogress and keep your eyes on your destination. Give yourself enough time todelve into every concept.

Get the right attitudeAcquire a positive attitude — it will impactyour work performance and everythingaround you. An optimistic approach towards your goal will help you go on yourpath with the right zeal and passion.

Know your syllabusBe thorough in your class notes andNCERT textbooks. Strengthen your basics. If you know your concepts well, youcan answer any question, no matter howtricky. It is important to have a strongfoundation in subjects such as scienceand mathematics. Understand the syllabus and pattern of the exam thoroughly.There are a number of reliable websitesand online resources from where you candownload sample question papers. Taking mock tests will help you identify yourweak areas and work upon them.

Find the right mentorIt is essential to have a mentor whoguides you and monitors your learningwhile steering you towards success. Agood mentor will help you develop specifi��c skills and knowledge. Find a tutorwho can identify the gap between yourpresent level of preparation and the desired level.

Monitor your preparationPrepare a schedule for yourself and stickto it. Stay resolute and go by your schedule to ensure you deliver on the examday. Once you start your preparation, donot forget to monitor your progress. Testyourself regularly.

Keep a watch on your healthIn your pursuit of excellence, your healthshould not take a back seat. Do not letyour rigid schedule take a toll on yourhealth. A routine of good exercise,healthy food and short breaks will notonly motivate you to stay fi��t but will alsohelp you concentrate and focus better.

Quick tipsTake the smartest approach to learning.Refer to the prescribed books and masterall the areas thoroughly in a phasedmanner.

Avoid spending too much time on online forums or chats as they may be sometimes be irrelevant.

Never underestimate the importanceof taking up practice and sample papers.Practise them regularly with a focus onimproving your scores every time.

Percentile scores help you ascertainwhere you stand in relation to others.Therefore, take them seriously.

PatternThe Olympiad follows a set pattern andcomprises a fi��xed number of questions asdeclared beforehand. Based on your performance in the fi��rst level exam, you aregiven a rank. This rank determineswhether you qualify for the second levelexam. A specifi��ed top percentage of students who appear for the fi��rst level examand statewise rank holders qualify forthe next level.

Stay calm and confi��dent and you willbe all set to crack the Olympiad. It is allabout practice and smart work alongwith a focused approach. Don’t overstress yourself — just put your eff��orts inthe right direction and you are certain tosucceed.

The author is Director, FIITJEE.

Emerge victorious

b R L Trikha

Cracking an Olympiad is all about practice and smartwork along with a focused approach

EXAM PREP)

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MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2018 3EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Professor, author, and activist Venkatesh Athreya is a renowned fi��gurein the world of academia. Chemicalengineer turned economist, he hasbeen tenaciously spearheading social movements and participating inpolicymaking in hopes of making adiff��erence in the lives of the ordinary Indian people. An avid readerand captivating orator, ProfessorAthreya refl��ects on a few memoriesfrom his time.

Lessons learnedAthreya obtained his degree inchemical engineering from IIT Madras after fi��nishing a fi��ve yearcourse which included subjects thatwere not restricted to the fi��eld ofscience. “We had compulsory courses in history, economics, and so on.In fact, I had this one professorcalled Anantaraman who was a major contributing factor in my decision to switch from engineering toeconomics. We had some reallygood teachers,” he says. He alsotalks about the active student life oncampus. “We had access to clubsand societies which were great exposure. You discovered skills thatyou didn’t know you had. I remember winning some prizes for thingslike essay writing which surprisedme more than anyone,” he laughs.

He mentions that college is wherehe truly began to develop a sense ofcommunity. “You learn to live as aperson in society. You learn to livewith people from across the country; people of diff��erent cultures whospeak diff��erent languages. Surprisingly, there wasn’t much friction.”

Memorable moments“Campus was pretty cut off�� from thecity back then. We had a lot ofsnakes, they’d get caught in our cycles. I remember once there weresnakes all over the place in theexam hall when we werewriting our exams.It’s a fun story tolaugh aboutnow,” hechuckles. “Ispent my

free time listening to music. I wasvery into classical music then, Iused to listen to it on an LP recordplayer. We were not a wired generation. We didn’t have headphonesbut we did have a lot more humaninteraction,” he says.

InspirationWhen asked about who his mentorwas, Athreya said he couldn’t narrow it down to just one person. “Ilearned a lot from many people. Iwas blessed with good teachers andmy family was a great support too.All my brothers and sisters contri

buted to my survival, quite literally.I learned a sense of giving and sharing from them. It was always therewithin the clan; I went beyond thatlater on when I became politicallyconscious but the seeds were sownthere.”

His time in the U.S., where hepursued economics at the University of Wisconsin, also played a vitalrole in shaping his consciousness.“IIT never taught me to ask questions; in those times it was alwaysabout answering questions. Thingswere diff��erent in U.S.. Radicalisationwas rampant in the student community, it helped widen my perspectives. I was becoming a politicalanimal, not just a consumer of education. I understood what it was tobecome a citizen in every sense ofthe word. It also strengthened myresolve to come back and work towards an India diff��erent from theone that I left behind.”

Words of wisdom“Choose what you enjoy doing anddo your best. Marks are not everything but they do create opportunitiesand give you options, they are notto be dismissed. Excel, do not compete. And ultimately put your education, at least in parts, in service ofthe people. Experience the joy ofgiving back,” he advices.

Deeply fascinated by Marxistphilosophies, Athreya recollects a

quote by Karl Marx that capturesthe essence of what he’s tryingto convey— “If we have chosenthe position in life in which wecan most of all work for man

kind, no burdens can bow usdown, because they are sacrifi��ces

for the benefi��t of all; then we shallexperience no petty, limited, selfi��shjoy, but our happiness will belong tomillions, our deeds will live onquietly but perpetually at work,

and over our ashes will beshed the hot tears of

noble people.”

My college years)

Other side of theclassroom“Life on campus was enlightening. It developed in us a senseof community,” recalls activist and author Venkatesh Athreya

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I understood what it was tobecome a citizen in everysense of the word. It alsostrengthened my resolve tocome back and work towardsan India diff��erent from theone that I left behind.

b Swatantra Balamurugan

Shruti Suresh, PG Diploma in Televi-sion Journalism, Asian College ofJournalism, Chennai

The HECI Bill may not allow theCentre to monopolise control, but itwill defi��nitely allow it to exercisemore power. With the Centre monitoring such activities, one does notknow if the body can function autonomously. If the aim was to ensuretransparency and improve the globalrating of Indian universities, the Union government could have mademodifi��cations to the functioning ofthe University Grants Commission.An attempt to restrict state powerwill weaken federalism.

Jerly Leah Thomas, I, MA English,Delhi University

The proposed UGC replacement —the HECI bill — will defi��nitely have repercussions on the academic systemof the country.

Once established, the HECI wouldjust be the regulator, while the HRDwould be in control of funding, increasing the danger of political infl��uence on academics. The Centrewould release funds, thus having theuniversities at its disposal. Any benefi��t it proposes in autonomy would beundercut by political interferencewhich would restrict free thinking ofthe students.

Prachi Behrani, I, MA English, Am-bedkar University, Delhi, New Delhi

While the UGC as an autonomousstatutory body restricts the role ofthe government despite being appointed by it, the HECI would handover a lot of power to the Central government, increasing its role in thefunctioning of academic life. The HECI bill would largely threaten the autonomy of the Indian institutes ofhigher education and allow the Central government to monopolise control.

Such a reform feels opaque, lacking transparency, andantidemocratic.

Nakul Shinde, II, BSc Economicsand Finance, Indian School of Busi-ness and Finance, New Delhi

The HECI allows the Central government to monopolise control over the academic life of the country intwo ways. Firstly, the carrot and stickapproach of rendering institutionsnot meeting standards would makethem fi��nancially paralysed, as grantswould be directly taken care of bythe MHRD. And then, the autonomywhich the MHRD will have within theHECI and its decisionmaking process will further strengthen the government's objective of monopolising control over academic life.

Monopoly on higher education? The Higher Education Commission of India Bill (HECI) 2018, that aims to repeal the University Grants Commission Act and replace theUGC with the Higher Education Commission of India, poses the question of autonomy and transparency in the country’s educationsystem. Some views.

b Neha Rupeja

First Cut

» A unique fi��lm and media academy —

First Cut was launched by Hiranandani

Institute of Learning and ND (Nitin

Desai) Studio in Kajrat, Mumbai

Metropolitan Region. The academy

aims to explore and create compelling

fi��lms.

It is conceptualised to be prepared for

new challenges and futuristic

requirements of the dynamic industry.

Courses currently off��ered are

Cinematography, Event Management,

Production Design, Script Writing and

more. Theory aspects will be taught

with reallife stories and situations for

a holistic learning.

Blackboard

» The Hindu EDGE invites teachers to

send in their contributions on issues and

challenges they face. The article should

be about 500 words. Please email it to

[email protected]


Food processing is a modern practice that developsdistributional effi��ciencyand improves the marketing of food products. It is regarded as a branch of foodscience, where a set ofmethods and practices areused to transform raw elements into food for safeconsumption by humans oranimals.

The food processing industry in India has beengaining momentum. Thereare now about 300 millionupper and middle class consumers of processed andpackaged food in the country. Another 200 million areexpected to come into thisfold. To further increase thegrowth and expansion offood processing industries,a total of 500 food parks areplanned to be set up all overthe country, a move whichwill generate enormous employment opportunities.

Food is processed, conserved, packaged andstored according to the stipulations of the industry andthe government. The FoodCorporation of India, whichdeals with the purchase,storage, transport and delivery of foodgrains and other food items, also providesemployment to a largenumber of people.

Job prospectsThe food processing industry in India generates anumber of direct and indirect employment opportunities as it connects agriculture and manufacturing. Inthe coming years, there willbe good demand forhealthy and modern foodproducts. India is also thesecond largest manufactur

er of food next to China.It is estimated that in a

few years, the total foodproduction in India coulddouble, and this is an opportunity for food processing graduates. Some common areas of employmentare dairy and food processing, packaging, canning,frozen food/refrigerationand thermoprocessing.Some subsectors of thefood processing industryare fi��sheries, meat andpoultry, fruits and vegetables processing, milk andmilk products, alcoholicbeverages and soft drinks,and grain processing. Acandidate can also get theopportunity to work in consumer product groups suchas confectionery, choco

lates and cocoa products,soyabased products, mineral water, high proteinfoods, soft beverages, andalcoholic and nonalcoholicfruit beverages.

Skills requiredThose looking to pursue acareer in food processingshould be assiduous, meticulous, prudent and hardworking, with organisational abilities and an eye forcleanliness and hygiene.

The growing segment off��ers exceptionally attractiveemployment opportunitiesfor those who have technical qualifi��cations in foodprocessing. Here are a fewtips to secure jobs in topnotch food processingfi��rms.

• Start early. Preparefor entrance exams thatyou can take soon afterClass XII. • Develop soft skills. Being careful, meticulous,organised, sensible andhardworking, with a focus on cleanliness andhygiene, can give you anedge over others.• There is no match forpractical judgment inthis area of work. Candidates possessing outstanding domain knowledge always have higheremployability.

Conditions of work Most productionrelatedjobs involve physically demanding work. To deal withtough working conditions

and to comply with safetyregulations, companieshave started ergonomicprogrammes to cut downon workrelated accidentsand injuries.

EligibilityYou can take up diploma,certifi��cate, degree and doctoral courses in this fi��eld.Some programmes are Diploma in Food Processing,Diploma in Food Preservation, Diploma in Food Processing and Technology,B.Sc in Home Science/FoodTechnology/Food Science,B.Tech in Food Processingand Technology, and HotelManagement/ InternationalHotel Management.

RemunerationSalaries depend on the educational qualifi��cation, skills,work experience and contribution of the person tothe production process. Location of the unit is also animportant factor; professionals working in units inmetro cities earn attractivesalaries. An entrylevel expert can earn ₹��15,000 to₹��20,000. Those with a fewyears of work experiencecan earn ₹��40,000 to₹��50,000. Senior management professionals withyears of knowledge behindthem can pocket high salaries.

The author is Chief Marketing

Offi��cer and CoDirector of

CEDP Skill Institute, Mumbai.

offbeat... food processing)

Food for thoughtA rapidly growing industry, food processing off��erspromising career avenues for those with soft skills andan eye for details and hygiene

b Vasim Shaikh

Gaining momentum: Generating employment

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The food processingindustry in Indiagenerates a numberof direct and indirectemploymentopportunitiesas it connectsagriculture and manufacturing.

Malavika Varadan is a radio presenter onthe Breakfast show on City 1016, a Bollywood station in Dubai. With over 12.5 million views on her candid TEDx talk, thissocial media infl��uencer and fi��tness afi��cionado gives us insights on her idea worthsharing. Excerpts from an interview

How did you come up with theidea for your TEDx talk?

I knew my TEDx had to be about a subject that I was an expert at and something people were genuinely interested in.Having a conversation is a skill that everyone needs to have. It doesn’t matterif you are an academic, a banker or arock star. If you want to impact others, if you want to learn, you mustknow how to converse.

Being an RJ, how has ithelped you master the craft?

On a fourhour show, radio presenterstalk to at least sixeight new people everyday — that is a bare minimum. Often inless than 90 seconds, we have to make anpersonal, engaging conversation with acaller that makes them feel comfortableand simultaneously entertain the passivelistening audience. Now multiply that into fi��ve shows a week for over a decadeand that’s a lot of conversation. I thinkthat makes any radio presenter an expertat making conversations.

Why do people hesitate to speakto a stranger?

It’s because you are afraid of how theywill react to you and the things you say.All of us have this fear of being judged,and as the years go by we seem to bequicker to pass judgement. Instead ofsaying anything, we just swallow thatfeeling and go on with our days.

A conversation is going downhill,how do we deal with it?

The key is to steer away from deadends. If I know that you will say no to something and I bring it up, that’s a deadend. If I can start with what we do agreewith and keep that conversation going,we will be able to address what we don’thave in common with the vocabulary ofwhat we do have in common.

Do you recall the most interestingconversation that you have had?

It was a Friday morning in Dubai, wegot chatting and the taxi driver reachedinto his dashboard and carefully retrieved his paper cut out, the story of ataxi driver who had returned 100,000dirhams (almost ₹�� 18 lakh) to the police. Iwas intrigued. I wanted to know who thepassenger was, what reward he got andhow he found the cash — but most importantly, I wanted to know why. Whatprompted this Pakistani expat who livedover a decade away from his family to return what was at least 20 times hismonthly salary and that conversationwas one of the most memorable one Ihave ever had.

Is there anything else you’d likethe readers to know?

I used to write for The Hindu manyyears ago. Thirteen years later, it’s incredible to be interviewed by the samepaper.

Watch her TEDx talk on YouTube –How to Start a Conversation withAnyone.

tete-a-tete)

Talk ofthe town “It doesn’t matter if you arean academic, a banker or arock star — to impact others,you must know how toconverse”

b Aalia Ahamed

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Innovation ignitesSeed funding of 3.5 crores was recentlyoffered to 10 winning teams in the GrandFinale of Texas Instruments India InnovationChallenge Design Contest 2017 recently. Thetop teams qualify for the funding fromDepartment of Science and Technology andan opportunity to be incubated by NSRCEL atIIMB Bangalore’s innovation hub.

in brief)

Student of the YearTalented highschool students who arepotential changemakers in their communityhave been awarded ‘Student of the Year’award by Global SOTY Foundation inassociation with USA UnivQuest. More than50,000 students from 22 cities hadparticipated. Global SOTY Foundationencourages the pupils to pursue their passion,than blindly be drawn into the rat race.

Design forwardThe Indian Institute of Art and Designconducted the Orientation Day for its fourthbatch of design students recently. AuthorDevdutt Pattanaik addressed the gathering onthe need and scope of design. IIAD’s founderdirector, Jitin Chadha, enlightened on theinstitution’s essence to be entrepreneurialdesigners and problem solvers.

Entrepreneurship is on therise worldwide as technological disruption has completelytransformed many industries. The world is ablaze withnew opportunities to solvehistorically intractable problems in novel ways, brilliantly, quickly, and cheaply! As aresult, the demand and industry need for professionals— both in the “for profi��t” and“not for profi��t” sectors — whohave specialised in entrepreneurship is seeing a noticeable rise.

Academia has respondedto this need by launching programmes focused on entrepreneurship and this iswhere the debate can sometimes get heated. Many are ofthe view that entrepreneurship cannot be taught, and asexamples, they cite the caseof those millionaires whomade successful careers forthemselves without everstepping foot into a management school.

Learningentrepreneurship The case studies of successfulentrepreneurs without formal business education aretrue but misleading. Multiplestudies suggest that only 4%of all entrepreneurial ventures make it to the secondyear of their business. Andthose remarkable entrepreneurs who do achieve exceptional success are genuine exceptions and only a few innumber despite being highlyvisible and aspirational formany. The equivalent is thatevery young footballer todayinitially aspires to be a Messior Neymar but very few comeeven somewhat close to

reaching that pinnacle.Hence, the very existence

of exceptional entrepreneursstrengthens — not weakens —the case for business schoolprogrammes centred on catalysing entrepreneurshipamong their students.

While exceptional energy,focus, deep motivation, andresourcefulness cannot betaught, they can be sharpened, systematised, andcomplemented with otherforms of necessary knowledge and experience. Specialisation in entrepreneurship can develop and fuel thiscore spark with exposure tomany types of business challenges and provide opportunities to both apply this knowledge and more importantly,to succeed and fail in simulated environments. This is thecritical learning that can otherwise become diffi��cult foryoung and aspiring entrepreneurs to obtain in a safe andlowrisk environment.

Even for those students going to work for corporate organisations, hiring managersshow a preference for youngleaders who can be agile andthink innovatively and not bejust another cog in the wheel,who can only follow welldefi��ned processes. The businessleaders and managers of to

MBA)

Dare to prepare for successWhile it is debatable whether entrepreneurship can betaught, studying it can help hone existing skills

b Shubro Sen

day must become agile learners, be comfortable in volatile and uncertaincompetitive situations, andrapidly update their strategies and business approacheson the fl��y.

The youngsters of todayhave opportunities that werepreviously unimaginable andthey need to be encouragedto ‘dare to dream’ and as critically, ‘dare to prepare’ themselves for success in theirventures or in life. They needto be curious and braveenough to always questionthe status quo and raise critical doubts about the waythings may be done currently. They need to be encouraged to ask “What if” or“Why not” and enter MBAprogrammes in entrepreneurship with the beginningsof possible solutions. In turn,this enables the programmesto fi��ne tune their capabilitiesin a comprehensive way andgreatly enhance the probability of future entrepreneurialsuccess.

The writer is Director of School

of Extended Education and

Professional Development

(SEEPD) and School of

Management and

Entrepreneurship (SME) at Shiv

Nadar University.

AP

A unique fi��lm and media academy — First Cut — was recently launched by Hiranandani Institute of Learningand ND Studio in Kajrat. Theacademy aims to exploreand create compelling fi��lms.It is conceptualised to beprepared for new challengesand futuristic requirementsof the dynamic industry.Courses currently off��eredare Cinematography, eventmanagement, productiondesign, script writing andmore.

First cut

Youngsters always hear thiscommon sentence, ‘work towards your goal’ and oftenwonder how it works. Firstand foremost one should havea goal, so that it serves as an inspiration to look forward andmove towards it.

Having a ‘super goal’ in lifeis very good but one could getdisillusioned by the nonapproachability of the goal andleave the idea mid way; toavoid this there are manysteps one could follow.

Keep the larger goal as theaim in life but allot yourselfsimpler, easier goals thatwould help you reach thatlarger one. This is to keep targets that are easier to reach.You may keep short term oneswhich one could achieve within six months or so.

Break down the goalSwetha decided to fi��nish herdouble master’s before she gotmarried; she had just fi��nishedher fi��rst master’s and hadlanded a lucrative but hecticjob in the IT industry; to thinkof doing another master’s andalso saving money for that wasa herculean task for hershe divided her time schedule andstarted focusing on studies toofor her second master’s .

She also kept a target ofloan payment and started aseparate bank account for this

purpose; also, set herself on ashorter schedule for writingexam papers for submissionsand fi��nally, she was able to fi��nish her second master’ssuccessfully.

Swetha could do this onlybecause she could divide herpresent work and longtermgoals into slots; she also setweekly targets for both theprojects and proceeded towards it in a methodicalmanner.

Keeping a chart with markers, reminding oneself thelongterm goal and the shortterm ones, and placing such achart at an accessible areaaround one’s work table couldprove to be a constant reminder towards achieving thegoal.

Meeting people who havewalked the path or guiding fi��

gures who have achieved suchtasks could help the person inmarching towards it.

Having said this, one has tobe reminded that a goal seekerhas to decide his/ her ownpath and the outside worldcan only act as a stimulator ora distractor — whichever thecase.

Motivation is the key to thesuccess of reaching the goal.To motivate oneself there aremany ways and he/ she couldselect what inspires the most— could be books, Ted talks,meeting others with similargoals, looking up to elders inthe family and many more.But the most important aspectis to set the goals and startplanning towards achieving it.The best part of this is that ithas no age bar — so, get set,seek your goal.

value add)

Become a goalkeeper Goals are essential to keep yourself motivated. Set smallergoals to reach the targetb PRINCESS NAIK

IST

OC

K


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B ND-NDE

follow us:

thehindu.com

facebook.com/thehindu

twitter.com/the_hindu

monday O august 20, 2018

IN BRIEF

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Push for pet projectsSome of the key campaign

promises of the AAP see a

push ahead of the 2019 Lok

Sabha elections Page 2

Woman, sonmurderedA youth is arrested for the

murders of woman and son

over his inability to repay a

loan Page 3

Beyondtourist linesTwo former journalists

curate holidays you will not

fi��nd at your neighbourhood

travel agency Page 4

The thingabout KajolBack on screen after three

years, with Helicopter Eela,

Kajol chats about scripts,

parenting and egos Page 5

Medical institute to pay ₹��5 lakh to patientNEW DELHI

The State Consumer DisputesRedressal Commission herehas directed a medicalinstitute to pay ₹��5 lakh ascompensation to a patient,after it was alleged that“requisite consent” was nottaken by the institute beforeconducting a surgery on hiswrist. The complainant hadalleged that that the doctorshad failed to inform himabout the repercussions ofthe procedure.

CITYA PAGE 3

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

DU student groups gearup for varsity electionsNEW DELHI

With Delhi University issuinga notifi��cation appointing theChief Election Offi��cer for theconduct of DUSU elections,the student organisationshave started launchingpreelection campaigns.

CITY A PAGE 3


‘Centres charging servicetax provide services’NEW DELHI

Allowing an appeal against a

district consumer redressal

forum order that said

educational institutions do

not provide a “service”, the

National Consumer Disputes

Redressal Commission has

held that institutes charging

a service tax do indeed

provide “services”.

CITY A PAGE 3


Three students were allegedly thrashed after they objected to indecent remarksmade by four men that weredirected at Delhi Universitypresident of the All IndiaStudents’ Association (AISA)Kawalpreet Kaur in northwest Delhi’s Vijay Nagar inthe small hours of Sunday.

Absconding accompliceFive persons have been arrested in connection withthe incident and a manhunthas been launched to nabthe sixth accused, the policesaid.

The victims have beenidentifi��ed as Sumeet Verma,Rishabh and Ankit Pandey,all 23yearold.

A complaint fi��led by themstated that they were standing near a local shop in Vijay

Nagar when threefour menpassed comments directedat Ms. Kaur. When the students objected to their remarks, the men thrashedthem. The accused thencalled for backup, which included a man with a gun.The students were beaten atgunpoint and threatenedwith dire consequences.

“The police control roomreceived a call around 12.30a.m. regarding a quarrel atVijay Nagar. A team reached

the spot. It was informedthat the victims had sustained grievous injuries andhad been taken to a hospitalin Ashok Vihar,” said a senior police offi��cer.

Based on the complaint, afi��rst information report wasfi��led at Model Town policestation against unknownpersons.

“On the basis of the victims’ statements and CCTVcamera footage from thespot, a case under Sections

308, 323, 341,506 [ii], 509and 34 of the IPC was registered. Teams were constituted to nab the culprits. Fiveof them — Gautam Sonkar,Kundan, Ayush Bhatia, Manish and Shubham — were arrested, while their accomplice Pawan is absconding,”added a senior police offi��cer.

The students took out aprotest march from Vijay Nagar to Model Town policestation against the incidenton Sunday.

Students thrashed for objectingto lewd remarks, fi��ve arrested The comments were directed at DU president of AISA Kawalpreet Kaur

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

Students protest against the incident on Sunday. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

<> The police control

room received a

call around 12.30

a.m. regarding a

quarrel at Vijay

Nagar. A team

reached the spot. It

was informed that

the victims had

sustained grievous

injuries and had

been taken to a

hospital

Senior police officer

Student activist Umar Khalid took to Twitter on Sunday to express how attackson him via social media arestill on and that the policewere yet to provide securitya week after he was attackedhere.

Mr. Khalid tweeted,“When I said BJP created thesituation which led to the attack on my life, this is what Imean. Not an anonymoustroll, here is a BJP spokesperson, followed by PM,spreading hateful lies [sic].”

Police taggedIn response to a Twitter usercalling him an “ISIS” agent,Mr. Khalid tagged the DelhiPolice in a tweet and wrote:“u were scanning the hate Ireceive on social media.Here I make your task easier[sic].”

Speedy probeThe activist found supporton the social networkingsite from several peoplewho called for a speedyprobe by the police.

Poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar was among those whosaid, “Look at the ultimateaudacity of the terroristswho made an attempt onUmar Khalid’s life. Theyhave boasted about it in a video on WhatsApp. Gave anappointment to the police ndidn’t turn up. So far, evenafter six days, police has

done just nothing. Why ?[sic]”.

The development comesat a time when attacks onstudent activists are on therise. Three All India Students’ Association activistswere attacked by a group ofmen, one of whom had agun, in the small hours ofSunday morning in Vijay Nagar.

In Bihar’s Motihari, a Jawaharlal Nehru Universityalumnus was beaten over aFacebook post in which hewas critical of former PrimeMinister Atal BihariVajpayee.

Three applicationsMr. Khalid had earlier alleged that he had submittedthree applications since theattack outside the Constitution Club here on August 13but his requests for securitywere being “ignored” by thepolice. Responding to the allegation, a police offi��cer saidMr. Khalid’s security assessment was still on.

Attacks via socialmedia still on: Umar Police yet to provide security, he alleges

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI

Umar Khalid *

A worker climbs up a mobile tower near the Yamuna. * SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

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Setting a high bar

A restaurant in Khan Marketpaid ₹��18,000 ascompensation to a customerwho had moved a consumerforum seeking directions forrefund of the service chargeamount.

After the restaurant staff��allegedly misbehaved overhis refusal to pay over ₹��500as service charge, NihitDalmia fi��led a petition in adistrict consumer forumhere seeking directions forrefund. “I had gone toHarry’s Bar and Café inKhan Market last year andran up a bill of ₹��7,294. Thetotal included an 10% extraservice charge of ₹��557 and

tax of ₹��105.32 on the servicecharge amount. When Iasked the staff�� to remove theservice charge, theymisbehaved and said it wasmandatory to pay service

charge as it was written onthe menu,” said Mr. Dalmia.

After notices were issuedby the consumer panel, therestaurant agreed to settlethe matter by paying over 30

times the service chargeamount.

“The restaurantauthorities called fromMumbai after notices wereissued and apologised forthe rude behaviour. I waspaid a compensation of₹��18,000 in August and thematter was settled,” he said.

In his plea, thecomplainant had contended

that the restaurant hadindulged in “unfair andrestrictive trade practices”by raising four bills for thesame order and chargingservice charge on all thebills separately.

“The Ministry ofConsumer Aff��airs, Food andPublic Distributionguidelines state that it is notmandatory for consumers topay service charge atrestaurants and that it issolely the discretion ofconsumers if they want topay the amount or not. Inthe interest of justice, theclaim amount and thecompensation should beallowed with interest on thesaid amount,” read the plea.

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Restaurant in the soup for harassment over service charge

Shinjini Ghosh

New Delhi

Notice issued by consumer panel; restaurant settles matter by paying over 30 times the amount

The incident happened at a Khan Market restaurant last year.* FILE PHOTO: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

<> The Consumer

Aff��airs Ministry

guidelines state

that it is not

mandatory for

consumers to pay

service charge at

restaurants...

Plea by complainant Nihit Dalmia

Continuing their twoweeklong demonstration seekingjustice for Sahib, a truckdriver who was shot deadduring a police raid in a Nuhvillage on August 7, the protesters held a daylong dharna at Jantar Mantar here onSunday.

DemandsThe protesters, includingpoliticians, social activists,women and religious leaders, demanded the arrest ofthe policemen responsiblefor Sahib’s death. HaryanaCongress leader and LokSabha MP Deepender Hooda, and human rights campaigner Shabnam Hashmiwere also present.

Holding banners and placards proclaiming that theywill continue the fi��ght forjustice against all odds, theprotesters said they will nottolerate gunda raj (rule bygoons) in Mewat.

They also raised slogansagainst Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Haryana

Chief Minister Manohar LalKhattar.

‘Atmosphere of fear’Addressing the gathering,Mr. Hooda said he boiledwith rage at the injustice being meted out to the Mewatisand the atmosphere of fearbeing created in the region.Stating it was diffi��cult to believe that such an incidenthad happened right next tothe national Capital, hestressed the need for a continued struggle against this“injustice”.

Raking up the lynching ofRakbar Khan, a farmer wholater died in police custody,Mr. Hooda said this injusticewill not last for long. Accusing the BJP government inHaryana of having failed todeliver justice to its peopleover the past four years, hesaid the Prakash Singh committee, set up to probe theJat reservation agitation, hadalso pointed this out in its report. Mr. Hooda assured theprotesters that his party willraise the matter in the Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha.

Ms. Hashmi said the “fakeencounter” seemed to bepart of a larger phenomenonto create a situation to provoke the minorities. On allegations that the police hadopened fi��red in retaliation tothe attack by the locals, Ms.Hashmi said similar storieswere created to justify fakeencounters.

Former Haryana Transport Minister Aftab Ahmedsaid the protesters were notseeking reservation or jobsbut only the right to live withdignity.

Shahid Khan, a protester,said attacks on minoritieswere on the rise and attempts were being made topolarise the electorate aheadof the elections.

Earlier, members of thecommittee spearheading thecampaign seeking justice forSahib paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

Committee member andsocial activist RamzanChoudhary said a mahapanchayat will be held at Punhana on Monday to chalk outthe future course of action.

Protest seeking justice forSahib reaches Jantar MantarTruck driver was shot dead during police raid in Nuh village

Ashok Kumar

NEW DELHI

Protesters during the daylong dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday.* SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

A man from Bihar was arrested on August 18 for allegedly killing a fouryearold boy here for resisting asodomy bid and dumpinghis body in a wooden boxin Sahibabad, the policesaid on Sunday.

Rajendra Shah was arrested nearly 20 months after he fl��ed to his hometown in Saharsa district following the recovery of theskeletal remains on June 3,2017, said Deputy Superintendent of Police RakeshMishra.

Shah, who was broughthere on Sunday, confessedduring interrogation, Mr.Mishra said.

“I was drunk at the timeof the incident and tried tosodomise him. When theboy raised an alarm, Ithrottled him, due whichhe died. Later, I dumpedhis body in a wooden box,”Shah allegedly told thepolice.

The remains of the boy,a resident of Sahibabad,were found inside a wooden box on the terrace of ahouse in his locality onJune 3. He had gone missing on December 1, 2016.A few days after he wentmissing, his father had received a ransom call for ₹��8lakh. Two persons were arrested in connection withthe ransom call.

Skeleton inbox: manheld 20months later


Ghaziabad





CMYK

B ND-NDE

CITY

From increasing thenumber of buses onroads to installing CCTV

cameras across the Capital,some of the key campaignpromises of the Aam AadmiParty are now seeing a push,with an attempt to rolloutthe projects in the comingfew months.

On July 4, hours after theSupreme Court ConstitutionBench clipped the powers ofthe LieutenantGovernor,ruling that the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers was binding on the LGon all matters except land,police and public order,Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ordered offi��cials to expedite stalled projects.

In the monthandahalfsince then, many of thepending bigticket projectshave seen some progress.Several government offi��cialsand AAP sources have saidthat these projects could berolled out in time for the2019 Lok Sabha elections.

70-point action planAmong the 70point actionplan that the AAP presentedto voters ahead of the 2015Delhi Assembly electionswere the installation ofCCTV cameras in publicspaces, 5,000 new buses infi��ve years and free public WiFi – which are all pending atthe moment.

On August 10, the Cabinetapproved the project to install 1.4 lakh CCTV camerasin residential colonies andmarkets across the city at acost of ₹��571.40 crore.

The Public Works Department (PWD), which is executing the project, wouldbegin the rollout in two tothree months, said PWDPrincipal Secretary ManojKumar Parida.

The Cabinet’s nod cameafter a tussle between theelected government and RajNiwas over the proposedregulatory framework forCCTV systems.

In May, LG Anil Baijal hadset up a committee headedby Mr. Parida, also PrincipalSecretary of the Home Department, to draft a standard operating procedure(SOP) for CCTV systems.

This was rejected by theAAP dispensation as an attempt to delay theimplementation.

When asked about potential challenges, Mr. Paridasaid there would have to be

a “consensus” on the SOP issue, balancing the points ofview of the PWD and theHome Department. However, he said the work was likely to start in 90 days.

Bus servicesPromising “largescale expansion in bus services” inits 70point agenda, the AAPhad set a target of adding5,000 buses in fi��ve years.But till now, not a single bushas been procured by thegovernment in the lastthreeandahalf years.

On the other hand, thenumber of Delhi TransportCorporation (DTC) buseswas, in fact, at its lowest in adecade, as revealed in aRight to Information replyreported by The Hindu on July 24. The fl��eet strength ofthe DTC till June 23 was3,882, which was less thanthe strength in 2008 – 3,934.

In late May, the DTC failedat yet another attempt toadd more buses, with thetender failing for the tenthtime.

The timeline set in theBudget 20182019 states thatthe public transporter wassupposed to receive bids byMay 11, issue the work orderby July 20 and receive thefi��rst batch of buses by No

vember 20.In the meantime, the Del

hi government came up withanother proposal aimed ataugmenting public transportation through the creationof the largest electric busfl��eet in the world with 1,000buses.

The government made attempts to use the Environment Compensation Charge(ECC) to procure ebuses,but the Supreme Court didnot agree. The matter, already delayed by severalmonths, is now being evaluated at a consultancy levelby the Delhi Integrated MultiModal Transit System Limited (DIMTS).

Faced with delays in procuring buses, the government is now considering hiring them. Two meetingsheld by Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot on July26 and July 31 with representatives of a private vendorled to the decision that theDTC and the said companywould enter into a bilateralagreement for lowfl��oor CNGbuses on rate contract basis,the minutes of the meetingsstated. It was also decidedthat the proposal would beplaced before the Cabinetfor “inprinciple approval byDTC through the Transport

Department immediately”,the minutes said.

A government source saidthe number of buses woulddepend on the company’swherewithal, however, thegovernment was fl��exible onthe number.

The source added thatthese buses could be on theroads as early as six to eightmonths, while the purchasewould take longer.

‘Thousands of hotspots’The AAP’s promise to pro

vide free WiFi across the city got entangled in a backandforth between the ITDepartment and the PWD,which had earlier said it didnot have the expertise to execute it. However, earlierthis year, the PWD was entrusted with the project.

Now, the PWD Special Secretary said the WiFi project could be implementedwithin two to three months.He added that the government had considered diff��erent options before settlingon the establishment of“thousands of hotspots”around the city.

Earlier, the governmenthad considered providingfi��bre optic cables till thedoorstep as well as the useof coupons for existing service providers.

AAP’s pet projects see push ahead of 2019 pollsCCTV work likely to start in 90 days; faced with delays in procuring buses, the govt is now considering hiring them; WiFi could be implemented within 23 months

Jatin Anand

Damini Nath

NEW DELHI

Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal on Sunday demanded that the report of the Justice (retd.) Ranjit Singh Commission on sacrilegeincidents be made publicand all those at fault be givenbe exemplary punishment.

“The Punjab governmentintends to hand over theprobe into the Kotkapuraand Behbal Kalan police fi��ring incident of 2015, whichfollowed the Bargari sacrilege episode, to the CBI..Wewant it should be made public. The information fromleaked report suggests thatmany bigwigs were involved.. Capt. Amarinderhad promised that culpritswould be punished, heshould now keep his promise,” said Mr. Kejriwal inSunam.

Mr. Kejriwal, along withManish Sisodia, the party incharge for Punjab aff��airs,were in Sangrur to attendthe ‘bhog’ ceremony of party MLA Kulwant Singh’s father at Mehal Kalan. The Justice (retd.) Ranjit SinghCommission was set up inApril 2017 by the Congressgovernment to investigatevarious incidents of sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib and other religious texts.

Mr. Kejriwal accused theCongress in Punjab of failingto keep its promises madeduring the Assembly elec

tions in 2017. “Not even a single pro

mise made by [Punjab ChiefMinister] Captain Amarinder Singh has been fulfi��lled.Neither are people gettingsmartphones nor didanyone get the smartphonepromised during the Assembly poll campaign,” healleged.

Asking people from Punjab, including Capt. Singh, tovisit Delhi and see what heclaimed was “unprecedented development”, Mr. Kejriwal said in just threeandahalf years the Capital hadwitnessed phenomenal development, especially inhealth, education, watersupply and power sectors.

“Come to Delhi and seeour development workthere in school and hospitals. We have started Mohalla Clinics in Delhi,” he said.

To question on internalbickering in the AAP’s Punjab unit, he said, “There arefi��ghts in every party and family..I am confi��dent that theunhappy colleagues will bepersuaded. If there is need, Iwill talk to them.”

Make Ranjit Singh panelreport public: Kejriwal

‘Cong in Punjab did not keep promises’

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHANDIGARH <> Come to Delhi and

see our

development work

there in school and

hospitals. We have

started Mohalla

Clinics in Delhi

Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister

Recruiting foreign faculty and making the brightest mindspursue research are the way ahead for IITs and India, says IITDelhi Director V. Ramgopal Rao

Why is it that a premier

institution like IIT Delhi,

among other top

institutions, is not ranked

high in global rankings?

■ In the QS rankings, out ofthe fi��ve parameters, in three— foreign faculty, foreign students and facultystudent ratio — we get zero. One parameter in which we score well isthe research impact.

There, we get almost 90out of 100.

The fi��fth parameter is perception. There again we donot do well as we get 4050out of 100. In the one parameter that is measurable —where papers, citation, etc.,count — we score 90. Weneed to improve on the parameters that are pulling ourrank down.

There are institutions inthe US that score much below us in research — say 60or so — but make up very signifi��cantly in perception.They do very well in foreignfaculty an d foreign studentstoo.

Even in facultystudent ratio, they do very well. So, obviously, they are ahead of us.

So, how can institutions like

IIT Delhi lift their rankings?

■ In research, IIT Delhi ranks3839 in QS rankings. That ismeasurable. We suff��er because we are not globalenough in our outlook.

Do you think having foreign

faculty and foreign students

is the key?

■ Having foreign faculty herewill also improve our facultystudent ratio. The government is yet to allow government jobs for a foreigner.

At the most, you can give acontract position but not aregular one. In academicjobs, if someone comes fromabroad, they need to takePhD students.

PhD is typically for fouryears.

If someone has a contractposition, the fi��rst year wecan allow him to take a PhDstudent.

In the second year, we saythat we do not know whetheryour contract will be renewed or not. So, they cannot take care of PhD students.

They do not even get research projects because it isnot known whether they will

stay or quit.So, without longterm sta

bility, they cannot build a research profi��le.

In US universities, theytake everyone on a contractbasis but based on performance they make them regular in a period of time.

Will you be allowed to take

regular foreign faculty with

Institute of Eminence

status?

■ That is what we are asking.Can 25% of our regular faculty be foreign faculty?Right now, we have 300 faculty positions vacant at IITDelhi which is about 40% ofour faculty strength.

In all IITs, there are about5,000 faculty positions vacant. We are not fi��nding goodpeople.

If we open it up for foreigners, many good peoplewill start applying.

That will change perception and improve our facultystudent ratio.

Once somebody comesfrom these countries, students also begin to apply.Our problem is being toomuch Indian.

With that, you cannot aspire for a global ranking.

Earlier there was a

perception that the core of

IIT is B Tech. Are IITs now

becoming research

institutions?

■ In older IITs, that transition has taken 57 years ago.Today in IIT Delhi, we have2900 PhD students, which isalmost 30% of our studentstrength.

This is also why our re

search ranking is going up.

Should the brightest minds

look towards research

rather than just an

undergraduate degree?

■ The reason for our facultyshortage problem is that ourbrightest students are notpursuing a career in research. After B.Tech, they doa fi��nance job, do an MBA...They are looking at pay packages but not in the longterm... That is one thing thatneeds to change. That waswhat we wanted to correctby using the Prime Minister’sresearch fellowship scheme.But we did not receive thekind of response that wewanted. In the fi��rst year, wecould have admitted 1,000students but could admit only 134. We are doing onemore round of admissions inDecember and hoping to admit more students. Look atIndia’s startup culture. Manyare by B.Techs. They are in ahurry to start a company. Butwith a B. Tech degree, youcan do an ecommerce company or some aggregatorthing where the businessmodel is the innovation. Butif you want to have a startupin artifi��cial intelligence or nanotechnology, B. Tech students will not be able to doanything as they require adeeper knowledge of a specifi��c fi��eld. So, our startupstend to be shallow in nature.

INTERVIEW | V. RAMGOPAL RAO

‘We suff��er because we are not global enough in our outlook’

IITD scores 90 out of 100 in research parameters and in all IITs, about 5,000 faculty positions lie vacant: IITD Director

Vikas Pathak

New Delhi

<> If we open it up for

foreigners, many

good people will

start applying. That

will change

perception and

improve our faculty-

student ratio. Once

somebody comes

from these

countries, students

also begin to apply.

Our problem is

being too much

Indian. With that,

you cannot aspire

for a global ranking

V. Ramgopal Rao

IIT Delhi Director

The Delhi High Court hasupheld life imprisonmentawarded to a man by a trialcourt for setting his wifeafi��re for refusing to givehim money to buy liquor,saying their three childrenhad testifi��ed that he hadkilled her.

The High Court Benchsaid the testimonies of thechildren were suffi��cient tohold their father guilty ofmurdering their motherand it refused to interferewith the trial court’sdecision.

“In any event, the threechildren have clearly spoken about the incident andthe role of the appellant[father] and have not beencontradicted at all in theircrossexaminations. Theirtestimonies by themselvesare suffi��cient to bringhome the guilt of the appellant for the off��ence withwhich he was charged.Having carefully examinedthe entire evidence, thiscourt is not persuaded tocome to a conclusion diff��erent from that reached bythe trial court as far as theguilt of the appellant forthe murder of his wife isconcerned,” the Benchsaid. It then dismissed theman’s appeal against hisconviction and lifeimprisonment.

HC upholdsman’s lifeterm forkilling wife


New Delhi





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CITY

Illegal internet drugspharmacy busted, 4 heldNEW DELHI

An illegal internet pharmacy,

allegedly shipping drugs to

overseas locations like the US

and Canada, based in Delhi

has been busted by the NCB

with the apprehension of four

persons and seizure of over

41,000 psychotropic tablet

strips. PTI

High Court declinesAfghan national’s pleaNEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court has

declined the plea of an

Afghan national to direct his

wife and their two children,

who have obtained refugee

status in India, to return with

him, after the trio expressed

unwillingness to live with

him. The court also denied

him visitation rights to meet

the children noting that the

two had expressed their

reluctance to meet their

father. PTI

IN BRIEF

Allowing an appeal against adistrict consumer redressalforum order that said educational institutions are notproviding a “service”, theNational Consumer DisputesRedressal Commission(NCDRC) has held that institutes charging a service tax,are indeed providing“services”.

Complainant Ajay Vermamoved the apex consumerpanel after a district forumdismissed a plea against FIITJEE coaching institute, onthe grounds that the coaching institute was not providing a “service”.

Directing the district forum to hear the matteragain, the NCDRC held, “Thecounsel for the appellant[complainant] submittedthat the respondent [institute] had charged service taxof ₹��30,503, meaning that it

had enrolled itself with theService Tax Department andcollected service tax. Thus, itwas providing service and iscovered under the Consumer Protection Act.”

The directions came whilethe apex consumer forumwas hearing a plea movedagainst an order passed by adistrict forum that had dismissed the complaintagainst FIIT JEE coaching institute.

The plea had been dismissed by the lower forum,

which stated, “Educationwas not a commodity andeducational institutions arenot providing any kind ofservice. So they are not covered under the ConsumerProtection Act.”

The NCDRC also observed, “The argument ofthe appellant carry someweight. Apart from that, themain reason is that by now adiff��erence has been drawnbetween educational institutions affi��liated to universityor which grant degree or di

ploma, visàvis educationalinstitutions which simplyprovide coaching. The latterare covered under the Consumer Protection Act.”

“For the going reasons theappeal is accepted, impugned order is set asideand the case is remandedback to District Forum toproceed in accordance withlaw,” the NCDRC also said.

The complainant and theinstitute have been asked toappear before the district forum within 30 days.

Institutes that charge servicetax provide ‘services’: NCDRCAllows appeal against a district consumer redressal forum order

The complainant and the institute have been asked to appearbefore the district forum within 30 days * FILE PHOTO

Shinjini Ghosh

NEW DELHI <> The institute had

charged service tax

of ₹��30,503,

meaning that it

had enrolled itself

with the Service

Tax Dept...Thus it is

covered under the

Consumer

Protection Act

NCDRC

Talk: Panel discussion on “Insidersand Outsiders: Issues of citizenshipand belonging in Northeast India”.Panelists: Sanjoy Hazarika, Director,Commonwealth Human Right’s Initi-ative; Suhas Chakma, Director,Rights and Risks Analysis Group;Subimal Bhattacharjee, Director,Jookto and Krishna Sarma, ManagingPartner, Corporate Law Group. Mod-erator: Samrat Choudhury, authorand columnist at Conference Room –I, India International Centre (IIC),6:30 p.m.

Talk: Lecture on “Role of Engineersin the Society”. First lecture in a newseries of six lectures on the theme of“Engineers and the Society”. Inaug-ural address by Dr. Kirit ShantilalParikh, Padma Bhushan, formerMember, Planning Commission.Presentations by Sayona Philip, Pres-ident, Consulting Engineers Associ-ation of India (CEAI); SudhirDhawan, Immediate Past President,CEAI at Seminar Rooms I, II & III,Kamaladevi Complex, India Interna-tional Centre (IIC), 6:30 p.m.

Music: Concert by R2T2 guitar duo –Raphaël Bereau and Tizoc Romero.The duo will present a concert ofworks by Scarlatti, Bach, Rameau,Albéniz, Rodrigo, Piazolla, Ponce andothers at C.D. Deshmukh Auditor-ium, India International Centre (IIC),6:30 p.m.

Exhibition: “Prarambh” - groupshow of paintings at Roop Chand In-stitute of Fine Art (RCIFA), 23, Cent-ral Market, Ashok Vihar, Phase-1, 11a.m. – 7 p.m.

Exhibition: “Lamina” a solo show ofrecent paintings by Manish Pushkaleat Akar Prakar, First Floor, D-43 De-fence Colony, 11 a.m. 7 p.m.

(Mail your listings for this column [email protected])

DELHI TODAY

A rickshaw puller seen carting a heavy load and an extra passenger in New Delhi. * V.V. KRISHNAN


Loads of work

With Delhi University (DU)issuing a notifi��cation appointing the Chief ElectionOffi��cer for the conduct of theDU Students’ Union (DUSU)elections, the student organisations have started launching preelection campaigns.

The students’ bodies aretrying to recruit new students and win the confi��dence of existing students.V.K. Kaul from the Department of Business Economicshas been appointed as theChief Election Offi��cer. Theelection dates have not beenannounced yet.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) hasannounced a list of shortlisted candidates for its preelection campaign. SudhirDedha, Ankiv Baisoya, JagatTanwar, Shakti Singh, RaviYadav, Navneet Kumar, Pragya Malik, Yogita Rathi andJyoti Chaudhary are the nine

candidates out of which fourwill be chosen, informed anABVP leader.

Students have begun organising rallies to win backthe trust of DU students afterthey lost two posts in theDUSU elections last year.

ABVP Delhi State Secretary Bharat Khatana said,“We have been between theDU students all over the yearwhich has been the reasonfor our victories in the pastelections. We fought for various demands of the students last year, starting frommaking sanitary napkinsGSTfree to successful installation of vending machinesin various colleges. We areconfi��dent that we would betriumphant in the electionsagain as we did a lot of workduring the last academicyear.”

The All India Students Association has not announcedany name yet, but has started winning the confi��dence

of the students by comingout with a student’s reportcard in which 20,000 students from the universityhave given their feedbackabout what they feel the situation of the university hasbeen during the past fouryears.

The report cart, whichwill be released on August21, seeks to showcase the“shortcomings” of the Narendra Modi government over the past four years withrespect to jobs and placements, availability of hostels, providing transportation facility to students, feehike in colleges, women safety and violence oncampus.

The National Students’Union of India has notlaunched its campaign yetbut has said that it would liketo push for electoral reformsthis year by seeking a moretransparent election withthe use of VVPAT machines.

DU students’ organisationsgear up for varsity electionsV.K. Kaul has been appointed the Chief Election Offi��cer

Student bodies have started launching pre-election campaigns. * SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Jaideep Deo Bhanj

NEW DELHI

A man has been arrested formurdering a 45yearold woman and her 27yearold sonat Dilshad Colony in Shahdara on Sunday, the policesaid.

Accused Ankit (23) was allegedly unable to repay aloan that he had taken fromone of the victims, Beena,they said. The police received a call on August 18 at9 p.m. from a woman whohad come to visit the victim’s house. She told the police that when she knockedon the door no one responded. Also, Beena’s mobilephone was switched off��since morning, they added.

After reaching the spot,the police peeped inside thehouse from an adjacentbuilding and found a man lying in a pool of blood.

“We broke open maindoor of the house. We founda man lying dead on the

fl��oor outside the bathroom.The woman, who had calledthe police identifi��ed him asher nephew Ravi aliasLucky. Ravi had stab injuriesin the stomach. His mother,Beena, was missing. Her mobile was found inside thehouse,” said a police offi��cer.

The house was thoroughly frisked and Beena wasfound dead inside the bedbox, the offi��cer said, addingthat her throat and wristwere slit.

During investigation, it

was found that Beena andRavi had shifted to the rented accommodation around20 days ago. Ravi was pursuing a course from an openuniversity and worked as adelivery boy. Beena’s husband had died several yearsback.

“The house was found tobe ransacked and a motorcycle was missing. The accused had a friendly entry.We obtained CCTV footagefrom the shop located opposite to the house and mobile

call details of the deceasedwere also analysed,” said asenior police offi��cer.

CCTV footage showed aman entering the house onAugust 17 and leaving fewhours later.

“We arrested Ankit fromNand Nagri on Sunday. Hehad taken a loan of ₹��25,000from Beena. He went to thewoman’s house at night onAugust 17, when Ravi wasnot at home. He fi��rst killedBeena and stuff��ed her bodyin the bed box. Ravi waskilled later when he returned home.

Two on the run“Two more people, who areinvolved in the murder, areabsconding. They have beenidentifi��ed and will be arrested soon. A case of murderhas been registered at GTBpolice station,” the offi��ceradded. DCP Shahdara Meghna Yadav was unavailable forcomments.

Woman and son murdered, youth arrestedAccused was unable to repay loan that he had taken from the woman

STAFF REPORTER

NEW DELHI

Beena and her son Ravi. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissionhere has directed a medicalinstitute to pay a compensation of ₹��5 lakh to a patient,after it was alleged that “requisite consent” was not taken by the institute beforeconducting a surgery on hiswrist.

It had been alleged by thecomplainant that followingthe surgery at Orthonova Institute of Advance Surgeryand Research, the doctorshad failed to inform himabout the repercussions ofthe surgery.

Although the consumerforum dismissed allegationof “medical negligence”, itheld that the patient shouldhave been informed of therepercussions of the surgery.

“Complainant ought havebeen made clear that the results of surgery may not betotally to his satisfaction. Instead of making the things

clear to the complainants,the opposite party advisedhim to undergo physiotherapy,” it observed.

Further the state forumsaid, “The law on medicalnegligence also has to keepup with the advances in themedical science as to treatment as also diagnostics.Doctors increasingly mustengage with patients duringtreatments especially whenthe line of treatment is acontested one and hazards

are involved. Standard ofcare in such cases will involve the duty to disclose topatients about the risks ofserious side eff��ects or aboutalternative treatments.”

Other allegations“While pointing out defi��ciency in the treatment, thecomplainant stated that thedoctor failed to perform corrective surgery within theperiod of one month fromthe date of surgery. All thedoctors whom he consultedwere of the same opinion.Last submission of the complainant is that the doctorfailed to disclose him thecondition of his hand especially when he was complaining of shooting pain,”the consumer panel alsonoted.

It held that the consentform provided by the medical institute was “of a general nature” and that full disclosure should have beenmade.

State consumer forum directs it to pay ₹��5 lakh to patient Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI

Medical institute fi��ned over lackof ‘requisite consent’ for surgery

<> Complainant

ought have been

made clear that the

results of surgery

may not be totally

to his satisfaction.

Instead of making

things clear to him,

the opposite party

advised him to

undergo

physiotherapy

Delhi State Consumer Disputes

Redressal Commission

A 29yearold nonteachingstaff�� of Jawaharlal Nehru University ( JNU) was allegedlystabbed to death in Rohini’sVijay Vihar while his cousinwas injured, the police saidon Sunday.

The police have arrestedthree persons and apprehended one. They received aPCR call at 2.45 a.m. from Vijay Vihar stating that twowere men stabbed.

A team rushed to the spotand the injured were taken toa hospital. One Rahul was declared brought dead whilehis cousin, Naveen, is said to

be critical, the police said.During interrogation, it

was found that the victimswere employed at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Rahul who lived in the oldJNU campus with his familyworked on an adhoc basis inthe malaria department whileNaveen is a lab assistant at thesame. On August 18, Rahulhad come to visit Naveen athis residence in Vijay Vihar,the police said.

After dining together, Na

back. They collapsed at thespot and the accused fl��ed thespot,” said a police offi��cer.

The arrested have beenidentifi��ed as Praveen, Nitin,Ravi and another minor wasapprehended, the offi��cer added. “Praveen had stabbedthe victims. The knife used inthe crime has been recovered. A case of murder andattempt to murder has beenregistered at Vijay Vihar police station,” said a senior police offi��cer.

veen went to see Rahul off�� ashe was leaving for home.

Asked for cigarette shop“Naveen had asked a man, later identifi��ed as Praveen, if heknew any nearby cigaretteshop. Praveen who was in aninebriated state then got intoaltercation with the victims.After this, a group of menjoined him and startedthrashing the victims. Praveen then stabbed Rahul onthe chest and Naveen on the

Main accused was in an inebriated state: police; three arrested, another apprehended

STAFF REPORTER

New Delhi

JNU nonteaching staff��er killed, another injured

<> Naveen had asked a

man [Praveen], if he

knew any nearby

cigarette shop.

Praveen who was in

an inebriated state

then got into

altercation...

Police officer

A group of armed men allegedly robbed a cab driver ofhis car near Netaji SubhashPlace metro station on Sunday, the police said.

Dhananjay (19) was on hisway home in east Delhi afterdropping a man in Pitampura when the incident was reported at around 3 a.m.,they said.

The victim had a privatecar but used it as a taxi.

When Dhananjay wasnear Netaji Subhash Placemetro station, a car overtook him and forced him tohalt.

Following this, a group ofarmed men came out andoverpowered him at gunpoint, the police said. Themiscreants robbed his carand fl��ed the spot, they

added.“Soon after the incident,

Dhananjay informed a police patrolling team. The accused also took away his mobile phone,” said a seniorpolice offi��cer

A case of robbery hasbeen registered at NSP police station. “We are scanning CCTV of the possibleroutes taken by the robbers,” the offi��cer said.

Armed men rob car, group at large

STAFF REPORTER

NEW DELHI

Accused also took victim’s mobile phone, say police

Heavy rain lashed parts ofthe Capital on Sunday afternoon bringing respite from ahumid start to the day.

The weather station atSafdarjung received 0.5 mmof rainfall between 8.30 a.m.and 5.30 p.m.

Lodhi Road received 14.6mm of rainfall, while Palamreceived 3.2 mm. Humiditywas high and ranged bet

ween 86% and 95%. The maximum tempera

ture settled at 33 degreesCelsius, a notch below thenormal while the minimumtemperature settled at 27.4degrees Celsius, a notchabove the season’s average.

Forecast for MondayThe forecast for Monday is“generally cloudy sky withlight to moderate rain. Likelihood of thundershower in

some areas,” said the MeTdepartment.

It has also said that themaximum and minimumtemperatures would hoveraround 34 degrees Celsiusand 26 degrees Celsius respectively on Monday.

No weather warning hasbeen issued for the Capitalfor the rest of the week. Thesky, however, is forecast tobe cloudy with light rain insome areas.

Heavy rain lashes parts of CapitalStaff Reporter

NEW DELHI

A 30yearold man wasfound dead at his Mukundpur residence in northwest Delhi on August 18,the police said on Sunday.The body had a bullet injury on the left side of thechest.

A police offi��cer said thatthe victim has been identifi��ed as Suresh. A case under IPC Section 302 (murder) has been registered.

Suresh’s family foundhis body in a pool of blood.He was taken to a nearbyhospital where he was declared dead on arrival. Thebody was handed over tohis family after an autopsy.

A preliminary probe,however, indicated that Suresh might have committed suicide. The forensicteam was called to collectsamples from the crimescene for further investigation. The murder weaponwas not found at the spot.

Man founddead at hisresidenceStaff Reporter

New Delhi


Most people reach a point when theyget tired of sitting behind a desk — wehave heard stories of men and women quitting their jobs and travellingthe world. Former journalists AlishaWadia and Friyan Driver did things alittle diff��erently. After planning andtravelling to exotic locations — as partof their job at Lonely Planet India —they are now putting together otherpeople’s holidays. The duo, who leftthe travel publisher last December,run Handmade Journeys, a servicethat off��ers customised luxuryholidays.

“It came together at the right time.Both of us had a goal of starting something and continuing to work inthe travel sector,” says Wadia, whileDriver adds, “After close to a decadeof planning trips — researching information about our destination, deciding what kind of story to pursue, andplanning the itinerary accordingly —the experience came in handy.”

Local and immersiveThe process is simple: once a clientapproaches them, they have extensive conversations. Wadia explainsthis is important because, “beyondtheir destination, budget and number of days, we fi��nd out what their in

terests are and what kind of pacethey’d like their holiday to have. Wethen tailor an itinerary with our recommendations, but the fi��nal decision is theirs”. They take care ofbookings and fl��ights, and are planning to take up the visa process aswell shortly. Their USP: combined,extensive knowledge of places thatprobably do not feature on a mainstream travel company’s off��ering. Almost all their trips feature personaldiscoveries.

Some of the more interesting tripsthey have curated include a picnic inthe Sacred Valley ( just over 50 kmfrom Machu Picchu in Peru), where aCusco lady cooked a traditional mealfor a couple after their trek, served ina private setting. The spread included a local herbal tea (coca) that helpscombat altitude sickness, baked eggplant, staples like ceviche, and wine.At Galapagos Islands — where cruisesare commonly the easiest way to visit— they organised an adventure sportsitinerary that included snorkellingwith marine iguanas and giantturtles.

Made to tasteFood seems to be popular. “One ofour upcoming clients is going to Osaka, and we’re putting together a foodtrail. Earlier, we did a similar one in

London for a client who is particularabout her bootcamp and dietary habits even while travelling. We recommended The Gate Restaurant, Granger & Co, Wild Food Cafe and ProteinHaus. We also did a sushi and whiskey trail in Tokyo,” Driver shares.

While previous experiences helpthem put together undertheradaritineraries, both women say that it isan ongoing process to make sure

their millennial audience gets thekind of experiences they are lookingfor.

“It’s endless hours of research,and trying to fi��nd the best possible local suppliers and hotels,” says Wadia.They also keep themselves updated.“Besides travelling and collecting information on ground through recces,we keep up with trade news, and fi��lter what we think we’d like to curate,”

Driver adds.

Personal picksWhile they design holidays for thedeeppocketed, adventurous traveller, the Mumbaibased partners havevastly diff��erent preferences when itcomes to their jaunts. Wadia prefersroadtrips and the outdoors. “I lovethe jungles, especially in India, likeKabini, Pench and Kanha. I became acertifi��ed diver in Maldives, so that’sclose to my heart. The most memorable part of that trip was staying on ariver boat — the marine wildlife wasstunning.” As for culture and architecture, she picks the south ofFrance.

Driver, on the other hand, is moreinto city holidays, describing herselfas a “beach person who likes a bit ofadventure, like snorkelling or kayaking”. “Owing to its location betweenNorth Africa and Sicily (Italy), Maltais a beautiful combination of two very diff��erent cultures. This is evidentin its architecture. Although it’s justthe size of Mumbai, there is a lot tooff��er, like an interesting cuisine thatincludes the famous Gozitan Rabbit,endless seafood platters and a pricklypear liqueur. Valletta has tonnes ofWorld War lore for history buff��s,while the sister island of Gozo hasgorgeous beaches,” she says.

Although they have worked together for so many years, the twohave surprisingly not travelled together. But White Desert LuxuryGlamping in Antarctica is on theirbucket list.

Mail [email protected] or [email protected] for a curated holiday. TheHandmade Journeys website is in theworks. ♣9820736573

BEYONDTOURIST

LINESFormer journalists Alisha Wadia and FriyanDriver curate holidays you will not fi��nd at

your neighbourhood travel agency

Three to visitWith Europe, South East Asia,Australia and New Zealand beingcovered extensively, travellersare looking for more exotic,unknown destinations, say Driverand Wadia.

South America: “The most popularcountries would be Peru, Braziland Argentina, and would requireat least 18 to 20 days. Werecommend taking the BelmondHiram Bingham Train through thePeruvian Andes, staying at the NatGeo Mashpi Lodge in theEcuadorian Cloud Forest, and acruise through the GalapagosIslands. In Argentina, trek theglacier at Perito Moreno, and stayat the Awasi Iguasu Hotel. InBrazil, visit the Bahia beaches.”₹��10 to ₹��12 lakh per head*.

Capri: “A trip to Capri andPositano on the Amalfi�� Coast for aweek should help you take in thesights. Take a full day cruisearound the coast on a privateyacht, indulge in luxury, artisanalshopping, and attend local cookingclasses. Stay at Hotel PuntaTragara in Capri and Le Sirenuse inPositano.” ₹��5 lakh per head*.

Africa: “We pick a luxury safari atSerengeti, Zanzibar’s beaches andsnorkelling with whale sharks atMafi��a Island as our favouriteexperiences. Stay on a privateisland off�� the Zanzibar coast, andfor the safari, head to theprivatelyowned MalaMala GameReserve in Kenya. Set aside twoweeks for an immersiveexperience.” ₹��10 lakh per head*.

(*Approximate pricing, excluding fl��ight tickets)

Snapshotsfrom a few oftheir curateditineraries, and(bottom left)Wadia andDriver * SPECIAL

ARRANGEMENT

Susanna Myrtle Lazarus

■ Across

1 Plump (6)

4 Covered with soft down

(6)

9 One having a nap (7)

10 Preside over (a

meeting) (5)

11 Beat (5)

12 Like a fox — liven up

(anag) (7)

13 Flatten (11)

18 Serene (7)

20 Sweeper (5)

22 Blimey! (2,3)

23 Most stressed (7)

24 Fighting in a ring (6)

25 Convoluted (6)

■ Down

1 Universe (6)

2 Submarine (1-4)

3 Portable rocket

launcher (7)

5 Public house (5)

6 Easily broken (7)

7 Delivery pitching

directly under

the bat (6)

8 Deliberately

withhold information

(11)

14 Boarding school

food container

(4,3)

15 Country associated

with cedar trees (7)

16 Composure (6)

17 Forger’s workshop

(6)

19 Hollywood actor,

Errol, d. 1959 (5)

21 Unconcealed (5)

THE GUARDIAN QUICK CROSSWORD - 12844

6Solution will appearin Delhi Metro dated

August 21, 2018.

Solution No.12843

POOCH CAFE

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

TIGER

PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

WUMO




CMYK

B ND-NDE

SHOWCASE





CMYK

B ND-NDE

SHOWCASE

When the Prophet Abraham or Ibrahim saw Godin a dream, he was commanded to sacrifi��ce hismost loved possession tohim. The patriarch wasgreatly troubled and gotup with a start, wonderingwhat to do. He had manysheep, rams, and otheranimals, besides wives,concubines and slaves andan only son. So, aftermuch thought, he decidedto sacrifi��ce him. The nextmorning he told his sonthat they were going to off��er a sacrifi��ce to God onMount Moriah and askedhim to prepare for thejourney. They took fuelwood and a fi��repot andembarked on the long trekto be the mount. There,both father and son set upan altar, put the fuelwoodon it and when the sonasked where the animalfor sacrifi��ce was, Abraham, replied, “God willprovide it.”

Dearest possession

He then bound his son andput him on the stone altarand took out a knife to sacrifi��ce him. Just as he liftedup his hand to do so, anangel appeared and toldhim to desist, for God wasconvinced that he lovedHim more than even in hisdearest possession. Suddenly a ram emerged,caught by its horns in athorn bush. Abraham sacrifi��ced the ram, unboundhis son and returnedhome.

This is the event whichis celebrated as Bakrid,now better known as IdulZuha or IdulAdha, onwhich the Haj pilgrimagealso culminates at Kabah,where Abraham had builta house of God 4,000 or soyears ago, with its sacredBlack Stone. Somehow

Jews and Christians don’tcelebrate the sacrifi��ce ofAbraham as Id but only Islam has adhered to theperpetuation of the episode, though it came intobeing over 600 years afterChrist. But Jews and Christians continue to honourAbraham in other ways asthey regard him as their“Father in faith”.

One remembers that inthe prePartition days Bakrid was marked by sacrifi��ces in nearly every welltodo home, except for thoseon the poverty line, whopooled money and off��ereda combined sacrifi��ce,though goats and sheepdid not cost so much then.That was the time whenthere were no restrictionson sacrifi��cing bigger animals and cows and buff��aloes were also chosen for“qurbani”. Some even sacrifi��ced camels, like Usman Sahib, though in Arabia they once probablyalso included horses forthe purpose.

It is pertinent to re

member that there wereno cows there in signifi��cant number and so therewas no question of theirsacrifi��ce.

To go back to the preIndependence days, a Nawab’s kothi in the WalledCity was the place wherethe largest number of“qurbanis” took place,and the butcher was Qayyum, who divided goat andsheep parts, keeping thebest portions for the Nawab’s household and theentrails and others for distribution to the poor,among whom were theSheikh Mehtars or sweepers who had embraced Islam. Qayyum is long deadand so also the Nawab Sahib, F.Z. Khan Sherwani,and his children and thekothi is now a divided property among those noteven related to him, withpart of it becoming aschool and the portion occupied by the servants andthe resident Dhoban andher family also in the possession of encroachers af

ter the building and its vastcompound were declaredevacuee propertypost1947, with the nawabzadas and nawabzadis migrating to Karachi, Lahoreand Rawalpindi after thedeath of their parents,who are both buried at theSayyidna in Agra.

During the last years ofhis reign, Bahadur ShahZafar had imposed a complete ban on cow slaughterin keeping with the tradition set by his ancestor Akbar. The order may havebeen fl��outed in the villagesbut in the year precedingthe First War of Independence of 1857 the ban wasstrictly enforced in the urban area to strengthencommunal harmony.

Zafar may have heardrumours about the gathering storm that was to strikeNorth India but his subjects knew more about iteven before the lotus andthe chappati began tomake their rounds overhundreds of miles.

Cautioning Zafar

It was Hakim AhsanullahKhan who had cautionedthe emperor that thingswere not as calm as theyappeared (“Fiza kharabhai” were supposed to bethe actual words) according to Munshi Turab Ali.

His kinsman Maulvi Rajab Ali was maligned following the murder of theemperor’s sons and grandson by Lt. William Hodson, who claimed to havegot wind of Zafar’s presence at Humayun’s Tombon 21st September 1857through him.

The descendants of theMaulvi and Munshi however, refute this vehemently.Meanwhile, animal sacrifices continue.

Celebration of the sacrifi��ceDuring the last years of his reign, Bahadur Shah Zafar had imposed acomplete ban on cow slaughter on Id-ul-Adha

A scene at Delhi’s Jama Masjid ahead of IdulAdha* SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

R.V. Smith

the author is veteran

chronicler of delhi

DOWN MEMORY LANE

A force of nature, is how a fellow journalist describes Kajol to me, a few days before my fi��rstever encounter with the actor. True to the popular image, I can sense the unbounded energyin her animated voice from behind the closeddoors of Jaisalmer Suite at Juhu’s Sun N Sand hotel, as she wraps up one interview before moving on to mine. Ironically, in the course of ourconversation, she describes her mother, grandmother and great grandmother as “tsunami,hurricane and earthquake”.

“There were diff��erent kinds of forces of nature around me while I was growing up. Therewas no choice but to absorb all that into who Iam,” she says.

Kajol is in a chatty mood. We enter just as sheis recording a short video message on the phonefor her interviewer’s husband, appreciating his“good taste” for being her fan. Predictably vivacious, in a traditional allblack salwar kurta, asmall black bindi just above the famous unibrow, she is hungry but does not want us towait till she fi��nishes eating her fi��sh and chips. Inbetween mouthfuls, and an Americano fromStarbucks, she shares sundry thoughts, a lot ofthem about her mother, actor Tanuja. Parenthood and raising kids seem to be the theme ofthe day.

Fittingly, because the titular role she plays inPradeep Sarkar’s new fi��lm, Helicopter Eela, isall about that, and more. Based on Anand Gandhi’s play Beta, Kaagdo, it has Kajol as the singlemum of teenager Vivan, played by Riddhi Sen,who recently won the best actor award at the65th National Film Awards. Last heard, AmitabhBachchan would be doing a cameo, sharing thescreen with her 17 years after Kabhi Khushi Kab-hie Gham (2001).

An enviable track recordWith Helicopter Eela, Kajol returns to Bollywood after three years. We last saw her in Dil-wale in 2015. In between there was also Soundarya Rajinikanth’s Velaiilla Pattadhari 2 akaVIP 2 (2017) where she did a negative turn opposite Dhanush, her second Tamil fi��lm, almosttwo decades after Rajiv Menon’s Minsara Kana-vu (1997), dubbed into Hindi as Sapnay. Incidentally, the actor was the voice of Elastigirl inthe Hindi dubbed version of Brad Bird’s Incred-ibles 2.

It is a habit of sorts for her these days — tostay away from the limelight and return whenshe wants to; when a role attracts her and notmerely for the dictates of the box offi��ce.

At a time when “out of sight” quickly morphsinto “out of [viewers’] mind” for most celebs,she has managed to endure in the audienceconsciousness. Despite not being in therace and notwithstanding her off��thewall ways and unpredictabletemperament.A new generation of heroines is now ruling the roost, but that does

not bother her. She has already seen a gloriousrun at the box offi��ce through the ’90s right uptill 2010.

Baazigar (1993), Dilwale Dulhania LeJaayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Fa-naa (2006) and My Name Is Khan (2010) arejust a few blockbusters littered on her CV. Shehas won the best actress Filmfare fi��ve times, arecord she shares with her aunt, late Nutan. Shehas even lifted the trophy for best performancein a negative role for Gupt. And to cap it all,there is the Padma Shri she was awarded in2011.

Her own womanShe is said to have always been very comfortable in her skin and that appears to be growingmore pronounced with time, as she has growninto life and her profession. At the stage of lifeand career that she is in, Kajol is cleareyed thather roles and fi��lms have to grow with her just asshe has to grow with them. “It’s got to do withyour mindspace. It also has to do with wantingto do something else. I want to do somethingthat challenges me, something I wouldn’t havebelieved myself capable of. That’s the reasonwhy I am where I am today.”

So her latest fi��lm is about helicopter parenting and being a single mother. What made herpick the fi��lm was not just the story, but also theway it has been told. Stories about single parenthood and working mothers come with a seriousness attached. However, this script, shesays, “has told what it had to without losing itssense of humour”. At the core of it is the motherson relationship, which she feels single parents and their kids will understand and empathise with the most. “The bond that a singleparent has with the child has an amazing tensilestrength. Somewhere down the line, it’s a coparenting system that develops — the parent isbringing up the child but, at the same time, thechild is also bringing up the parent in the subtlest of ways. I am not saying it doesn’t happenotherwise, but with single parent families it’smore obvious. Maybe because it’s a twosomeunit. There is no third party in it,” she says.

A fi��rm touchYou wonder if she would she have experiencedit closely with her own mother, who raised herand sister Tanisha after her divorce with husband, fi��lmmaker Shomu Mukherjee. Fortunately for Kajol, there was the entire extended family — grandmother, great grandmother, auntsand uncles — to fall back on. “At the same time,there is a certain closeness that develops between a mother and her children that is justabout them,” she adds. She looks back at Tanujaas a forwardthinking woman and admits thatshe would not have had the guts to be the kindof parent her mum was to her. “She taught usabout things like charity and compassion, forgiveness, about how to leave your temper behind, and about death. All these are things wedon’t talk about. That is something I hope I do

with my kids.”Moving back to the reel from real, Kajol

thinks every mother and child will identify withher Eela. Specially in her obsession with thedabba, the lunchbox: “I know my mum andeven her mum are possessive about their dab-bas. Eela is just a slightly more OCD version ofwhat we all are. Indian mothers will be like that.We are not changing.” However, Tanuja was nota helicopter mum. “I only remember her fi��ghtsover my food. I had to eat whatever was thereon my plate.” She does not consider herself ahelicopter parent either. “I am more like a gentle hovering breeze,” she says.

Power in numbersMotherhood is not all. There is also a genderthread to Eela. “It’s about the relationship thatwomen have with themselves, with all the littletags that society has put on them.” She takes itall back to how women are changing and so issociety and the audience, which, in turn, refl��ects in the roles being written for women.“When you talk of a Wonder Woman doing fabulously well you realise that society haschanged,” she says.

What next after Helicopter Eela? There isnothing on her plate, other than playing herselfin a cameo in Aanand L Rai’s Shah Rukh Khanstarrer Zero. What larger aims in life? She doesnot have the temperament to take to direction,but would love to write even though she is notsure if she would have the patience for such along and solo process. “But I won’t have to dealwith anyone else’s ego, only mine,” she laughs.

The thing about

KajolBack in

Bollywood afterthree years,

with HelicopterEela, the actor

gets chattingscripts,

parenting andegos, and is as

irrepressible as ever

Between pages

Kajol is not an avid fi��lm and TV viewer. She ismore of a reader and currently into “teenagefantasy fi��ction”. Inspired by her 15yearolddaughter, Nysa? “My kids are inspired byme,” she is quick to shoot back. Ask her torecommend books for teens, and sheprofesses love for The Hunger Game series bySuzanne Collins. Stephanie Meyer’s Twilightseries, however, does not meet with herapproval. She is currently in love withDarynda Jones and Sara Douglass. Moving onto more mature books, Ashok Banker’sRamayana series tops the list at the moment,specially Prince in Exile. “I love every kind ofmythology, from Greek to Norse to our own,”she says, adding she had been an Amar ChitraKatha fan and had collected several volumesthat she lost around the time she gotmarried.

The library at home, of 700800 books,comprises only those that she would comeback to. “I don’t read with an aim in my head.Reading for me is pure pleasure. I put [mymind] away in a packet and go into my ownbeautiful little world. There is nothingdramatic in this world; nobody wants me,needs me, expects anything of me. It’s whatreading means to me.”

<>Eela is a slightly more

OCD version of what we

all are. Indian mothers

will be like that. I am not a

helicopter parent. I am

more like a gentle

hovering breeze

*FALGUNI SHANE PEACOCK/THE PEACOCK MAGAZINE

Namrata Joshi

Do lafzon ki hai dil ki kahani..., theevergreen R.D. Burman number fromThe Great Gambler, immediately takesyou to Venice’s Grand Canal where Amitabh Bachchan romances the glamorous Zeenat Aman on a gondola. Fourdecades later, singercomposeractorSherrin Varghese has given a new fl��avour to the track. He has conceptualised a cover video of the song featuringsinger Veena Parasher and transwomanAin Honey Aarohi.

With the tagline ‘My love for anotherwoman’, the video released on YouTube breezes through the relationshipof the couple Veena and Honey, bothdressed up in traditional Kerala sariwith the beautiful backwaters and ahouseboat forming the ideal setting.

“Love comes in all forms. In this caseyou can look at their love in diff��erentways. It can be the love between twowomen or between a woman and atranswoman. We have left it openended for the viewers to decide,” says Sherrin.

Setting an exampleSherrin says that he opted to bring inHoney Aarohi to highlight the extent ofsupport being given to the LGBT community in Kerala.

“In places like Mumbai you comeacross them only at traffi��c signals or atweddings. They are always lookeddown upon and kept isolated everywhere, which is terrible. But Kerala is milesahead when it comes to the encouragement the third gender is being given tobecome a part of the society.

Kerala has a transgender policy inplace. These people have made theirmark in the fi��eld of fashion, cinema andbeauty business and are slowly becoming a part of the mainstream.

Through this video I wanted to setKerala as an example and thereby encourage other states to change their attitude towards these individuals. As forchoosing Honey, she is a stunning model and a classic example to be showcased for the world to see,” saysSherrin.

Having done many shows together,Veena says that she immediatelywarmed up to Sherrin’s idea of showcasing love in a unique way.

“The song is close to my heart and

when Sherrin suggested this concept after we recorded the song, I didn’t haveto think twice. I have seen how badlytranspeople are treated and often wondered what they might be missing outon in life. Every one has a right to loveand this song celebrates the emotion,”says Mumbaibased Veena.

Shooting in backwatersShe can’t stop gushing about the shoot.“It was fun shooting in the backwater, afi��rst for me, and the houseboat, allwearing the Kerala attire,” she smiles.

Meanwhile, for Honey, it is all adream. “I was pleasantly surprised bythe storyline. I am getting accepted as awoman and that is a beautiful feeling.Also, the shoot itself was a new experience for me. They made me comfortable on the set.

In fact, I am proud about being chosen for this work, which eventually is anhonour for my community and peoplelike Renju Renjimar, Sheethal Shyamand Anjali Ameer who have alwaysstood by me,” says Honey.

When love happens

FACT FILE

Sherrin Varghese, who hails fromIrinjalakkuda, is a member of Bandof Boys, the fi��rst boys’ band in India(2001). With fi��ve albums to hiscredit, he performs live electronicaat concerts and festivals, is ananchor and acts in serials and fi��lms.He was seen in Lijo Jose Pellissery'sDouble Barrel. A participant ofreality shows such as Sach KaSaamna and Malayali House, he alsodoes theatre. Meanwhile VeenaParasher, winner of several realityshows, is a soughtafter liveperformer. She has performed gigsacross the globe with her band. Sherecorded her fi��rst Bollywood songwith ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali.AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Sherrin Varghese’s cover video of Do lafzon ki...,featuring singer Veena Parasher and transwomanAin Honey Arohi, breaks gender stereotypes

Romantic rendezvous: Veena Parasher and Ain Honey Aarohi in the video; (below)Sherrin Varghese * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT, ZUHAIR SAIT

Athira M.

Tyler’s secret

Actor Tyler Hoechlin hasjoined the cast of Can YouKeep A Secret?. The 30yearold actor joins San Andreasstar Alexandra Daddario inthe project, reportedDeadline. The fi��lm, to be

helmed by Elise Duran, is afeature adaptation of SophieKinsella’s bestseller of thesame name. The storyfollows Emma Corrigan(Daddario), a girl with a fewsecrets who spills them all toa handsome stranger sittingnext to her on a turbulentplane ride. PTI

SHORT TAKE Correction

In the story, “The swag

of the sixes” (Delhi Metro

Showcase), published on

9th August, soca, a form

of Caribbean music, was

erroneously mentioned as

soccer. The error is

regretted.





postural stability is essential for quality of all movement, simple or complex.

Whenever demand on breathing increases (activity or stress), the diaphragm’s respiratory role will take precedence over its postural one (sincebreathing is needed to stay alive). Thiscreates some postural instability. With

a typically underutilised diaphragm,the body also relies excessively on supporting respiratory muscles to cope,resulting in shallower breathing. Allthis contributes to musculoskeletalstress, creating movementdysfunctions!

No amount of strengthening of other muscles, including glutes and core,

will be able to substitute for diaphragmatic support and function. Until wefully harness the power of diaphragmatic breathing, we will remain exposed to ineffi��ciency of movement andineff��ective rehabilitation from painand injuries. Low back pain, shoulderand neck pain are common, yet illrecognised, manifestations of the breathstress correlation.

Breathing infl��uences our pain perception too. Relaxation (calmerbreathing) lowers it, while chronicpain (stress) makes us more sensitive.So how do we distinguish betweenshallow and deeper breathing, andhow can we better recruit breathingmuscles to normalise breathingpatterns?

Practising deepbreathing

In shallow breathing,much of the activity isrestricted to the chestarea, and only a smallamount of air goes inand out of lungs,leading to carbondioxide buildup. It’sinvoluntary. Deeperbreathing is conscious breathing(travelling down tothe stomach) allowing the lungs to ac

commodate more air. The goal is to

On average, a person at rest takes between 17,000 and 30,000 breaths a day.When you exert or exercise, this countfurther increases! For an activity performed so frequently and imperatively,it’s important to understand how touse breathing more effi��ciently in dailyliving, to power all our movement andactivities.

Today’s fastpaced life presents many triggers and stressors, resulting in acontinuous state of heightened stressarousal. This impacts all bodily functions and states, creating a cascade oflasting negative eff��ects. It impairs ourbreathing pattern (making it more rapid and shallow), shifts recruitment ofbreathing muscles from optimal tocompensatory, and creates stress inour muscles and joints. These interdependent changes alter motor controlpatterns that are responsible for driving mobility and give rise to musculoskeletal aches, pains, predisposition toinjuries and poor recovery.

Understand breathing

The diaphragm is a domeshaped muscle, which separates the chest and abdominal cavities, and plays a dual role.Though it is the principal muscle ofrespiration, it also an important postural muscle. It works along with the abdominal muscles as a core stabiliser,providing stability to the trunk. This

practise eff��ective breathing, so it becomes habitual. Here is a simple practice to develop deep, diaphragmaticbreathing:

Lie down on your back, knees bent.Relax the neck and shoulder muscles.

If needed, keep a rolled towel orsmall pillow under the neck to supportit. Place one hand on the chest and oneunder the ribs (elbows relaxed). Thiswill allow you to feel the diaphragmmove as you breathe.

Breathe in slowly through yournose, feeling the air expand the chest,moving down towards the stomach, sothat the stomach moves against yourhand. Hold it for a few seconds. Exhaleslowly through pursed lips, gentlytightening stomach muscles, allowingthem to move inwards. Let the lungsempty fully. Initially, there may bepauses between exhalations to fully expel the air, which is fi��ne.

Inhale and exhale deeply withoutmuch force or stress. Build to asmoother rhythm of deeper breathing.

Begin by practising this exercise foreight10 breaths twice a day, or fi��vesixbreaths threefour times during theday. Slowly increase the length of inhalations and exhalations.

As you gain more experience performing this technique lying down,you can then perform it seated, andeventually standing, and while performing movement. The breath thenbecomes a fuel for mobility.

Every breath you takeBreath, the foundation of life, is a powerful force that impacts not just our physical and emotive states, but also our fl��exibility and mobility

Just breathe: Low back pain, shoulder and neck pain are common manifestationsof the breathstress correlation. * GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCK

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

BODY IN MOTION

Vani Pahwa

A young Irish lad who started his fi��tness career at 16, Billy Garnon todayzips in and out of the US, the UK, WestAsia, and India, training fi��lm starsand corporate honchos. After working with Indian clients for almost seven years in his 20yearlong career,he fi��nally started his company, Opportunity Given, this year in Delhi.Whether it was helping RanveerSingh get his brawny brutish look forthe fi��lm Bajirao Mastani three yearsago, or working with the physiqueobsessed John Abraham, reluctantgymer Karan Johar, or newbies likeJackky Bhagnani and Sidharth Malhotra, he’s slowly but steadily madehis space in Bollywood too. Garnonbelieves he’s not just a trainer but apersonal development coach, andtalks about why people really wantsixpack abs, how celebs and regular people diff��er, and why CEOsneed a routine.

What is your approach tohealth, fi��tness, and diet;how do you link them?What sets you apart from othertrainers in the industry? ● Health, fi��tness and diet go togetherlike black and white, so it’s relativelyeasy to link the three when you seethe amazing benefi��ts they have, whenput in place correctly. What sets meapart is my ability to fully understanda client’s mental space and attitude totheir goals. Clients may hire me tohelp them obtain sixpack abs because they’ve always dreamed of it.But, over time, session planning, andoneonone conversations you couldfi��nd out that why they ‘really’ want asixpack is because they feel it willhelp them get a partner or start a relationship. To be a trainer or personaldevelopment coach, you must fullyunderstand the client’s real intention,be it in personal growth, or business.

Have you seen people pursuefi��tness more for ‘the look’ or forthe inherent health benefi��ts? ● The fact is that we really only beginwith exercise, when our health is putat risk. For example, if you’re overweight there is a high possibility thatyou want to begin a workout programme because your doctor told

you something negative about yourcurrent health situation. This is an attitude across the world, and not justin India.

I also think that with the rise of Bollywood actors dominating the screenswith sometimes unattainable fi��gures,young Indian men specially, get fi��xated on the look and aesthetics of working out, and directly put their healthat risk to get the look. But again, this isa trend the world over and it’s not going to change any time soon.

You are a popular Bollywoodcelebrity trainer. How diff��erentis training and working out forcelebrities, compared toregular people?● Honestly, there isn’t that much of adiff��erence. But if I could pick one bigdiff��erence between a celebrity and anoncelebrity, it’s possibly that thecelebrity will have allocated time tomake sure that they can follow upwith the workouts scheduled, andtreat it with an urgency, becauseof the role they’ve been hired foron screen. It can also be very easy for a celebrity to work out at11am or 1pm in the day and havethe rest of the day to themselves, and that’s where it’s different for the rest of us. What Ilove seeing, though, is peoplewith no time, working twojobs, or having a family, beingin better shape than most of

the actors or celebrities!They just have a biggerdrive.

You also traincorporate heads and

CEOs. What is theirtraining goal? Is stress a majorissue for them to tackle?● Corporates and CEOs need routine;it’s what makes them successful inmost cases. Habits are an excellent way to boost performance. Stress, balance, decisionmaking,relationships, partners, family, and clarity are allareas that we deal withwhen it comes to our corporate clients.

We’ve dealt withseveral Indian organisations, including HeroFinCorp, somehotel chains,and Delhi Metro buildingpartners likeGravity Global.The CEO of amomandpop storefaces the same issuesas a multibillion dollarcorp; their risks mightbe bigger, but the problems are the same.

Buildingmore thanbodiesWe may be an increasingly healthconsciouscountry, but simply opening up hundreds ofexpensive gyms won’t be enough, sayspersonal development coach Billy Garnon

<> My alltime Bollywood

favourite is Karan Johar.

He had never really

stepped into a gym

environment. In fact, I

remember him telling me

that his goto cardio

workout was the

treadmill! I look at him

now being a regular to the

gym and it puts a smile on

my face when I see his

Instagram posts of this

nowconfi��dent, strong,

and still slim man

Do you have a

fitness calendar?

Billy Garnon hands out somesimple but eff��ective strategies toget, and stay, in shape.

J Right now is a good time tomake that change. There is alwayssome reason not to start, or delaystarting exercise.

J Start slow Start small, andgradually build up to somethingyou feel is working. And when youreach that point? Build again!

J Patience Whatever position youare in now physically, your age ishow long it has taken for you toput it there. You won’t change itin 30 days, back to what you usedto be, right? You have time!

J Be consistent This is somethingpeople don’t do because theywant it all in 306090 days.Consistency is the key to habitsand you could be just oneworkout away from seeing,feeling and looking better.

J Be accountable to someone It isa tool that’s been used as militarystrategy. Going to the gym,sharing a workout plan with afriend, or hiring a trainer can be agreat way to have someone pushyou when you yourself don’t feelup to it. It makes you feel that youdon’t want to let the other

person down.

J Set a calendar and smallgoals There is nothing moredemoralising than going to the

gym without a goal. Set upyour calendar of

events for the yearand set out arealistic plan ofachievable targetsperiodically, sothat you workyour hardest onyourself to lookgood for thatgoal set in place.

It could be awedding, an offi��ce

party, vacation or yourwife/husband’s birthday/anniversary.

Mr Muscle: Garnon has trained Bollywood actors like Ranveer

Singh and John Abraham * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

BHUMIKA K

My son, who will soon be 17, has beenasked by the paediatrician to come backfor a vaccination at 25. He will probablygo, simply because of the relationshipthey have developed over so manyyears.

It makes sense. Parents spend a lot oftime fi��guring out the right paediatrician:you ask friends and neighbours for a list,and then check out each doctor, one at atime, because when your child hitsschool, he comes back with everythingfrom a cold to a maybebroken fi��nger,and there are ample opportunities to godoctor hopping.

You carefully assess each paediatrician: Is the doctor close to home? Willshe see you in an emergency? How oftendoes she prescribe antibiotics? Howmuch time does she spend on your baby? Then you compare notes with otherparents and call your own distant relative who is a children’s doctor, just tomake sure you’re on the right track.

Once you’re satisfi��ed that she’s treating your baby better than all the rest,you have that last question: Do you likeher? It can take a while to fi��nd the rightmatch, and once you do, you will stickby her, because of the trust establishedover the years. A number of parentsstart off�� with a paediatrician in the hospital of birth and then shift to someonecloser home, a clinic, where a cold transactional atmosphere gives way to awarmer relationship, despite germy toysand cramped waiting rooms.

The paediatrician will record everything about your child, from age andweight to infections, vaccinations andfamily history. Most have a computer

ised system today that you can access,so it’s really the beginning of medical records getting stored in one place.

Children and parents often get infections together, and it’s convenient for analreadyoverburdened mother to simplyask the paediatrician she takes her childto for a prescription for herself too. Problems like asthma run in families, andshe’ll know exactly how to advise you onmedication, depending on your own experience with a disease or disorder.She’ll also deworm you together, as afamily!

In a medical world that seems tothrive on superspecialisations (paediatric dermatologist, cardiothoracic surgery), the paediatrician is at the base ofthe pyramid. It’s what the general physician used to be to the adult world, acouple of generations ago. They’d listento you patiently, crack a joke or two withyou, know your family history and getinvited to family weddings. Most oftenwhen we’re sick, what we’re seeking iscomfort and reassurance. The GP didthat for us. It’s exactly what the paediatrician does today.

But since we have lost the GP to multispeciality hospitals, where the few thatexist are holed up, we turn to our mostconvenient, most trusted source of information. I have been in Delhi 18 yearsnow, and know only two general physicians, both of whom charge an arm anda leg (not quite a kidney yet) for a consultation. My paediatrician, who lives astone’s throw away, is easier to access,charges onethird the sum, and will treata cold and fever the way a cold and feveris meant to be treated, with advice andparacetamol. I’d also pick someone Ihave grown up with as a parent, who hassigned my swimming consent forms every year, and who calls my son, “merabachha”. It’s comfort in a medical system of fraying doctorpatient relationship. It’s also about touch and healing,because only a parent knows just howthe house feels with a sick child.

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COULD IT BE THAT...

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The paediatrician is the new GP

CMYK

B ND-NDE

HEALTH

Sunalini Mathew


Focus shifts to relief as waters recede in Kerala

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