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NEARBY
500 cr. relief for
flood-hit Bihar
PATNA
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Saturday conducted
an aerial survey of flood-
affected districts of Bihar and
announced a package of
500 crore as immediate
relief to the state. He also
declared that 2 lakh each
would be given to the kin of
those who have died in the
floods, and that a Central
team would soon visit the
affected areas to assess the
damage.
NATION A PAGE 9
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
HC slams Khattars surrender to vote bank
Modi PM of country and not his party, says court; Haryana and Punjab officials told to identify assets of Dera Sacha Sauda for attachment
Vikas Vasudeva
CHANDIGARH
A day after deadly violence
claimed 31 lives and left over
Kill him, kill him,
250 injured in Haryana, the
Punjab and Haryana High
Court on Saturday came
screamed Premis
down heavily on the Mano- Ashok Kumar
har Lal Khattar-led BJP gov- SIRSA
ernment, calling its inaction On Friday afternoon, it
a political surrender to al- was a near-death
lure vote bank. experience for two
A full Bench of the court, journalists from a private
comprising acting Chief news channel.
Justice S.S. Saron and Rakesh Kumar, 44, a Narrow escape: Rakesh
Justices Avneesh Jhingan and principal correspondent Kumar, right, and
Surya Kant, was hearing a with PTC News, and his Shapinder Singh in
Public Interest Litigation pe- cameraman, Shapinder Sirsa on Saturday. *

tition filed by a Panchkula Singh, 23, were SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

resident, raising law and or- surrounded by a mob of
der concerns as a large num- around 40 Dera followers behind in the hope of
ber of people had reportedly armed with sticks, iron getting some exclusive
entered the district, despite rods, and other sharp- footage. Little did they
prohibitory orders. edged weapons. While realise that the decision
INSIDE This was political sur-
render to allure vote bank,
Mr. Kumar escaped with
a fractured arm, Mr.
would nearly cost them
their lives. When they
SECTION 1 they [the Dera followers] Singh lost his camera. finally started for the city
were outsiders, you allowed They consider around 4 p.m. (the Dera
5Ws Explainer them to enter and stay, the themselves lucky to have is around 14 km from
A page 12
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC court remarked. survived to tell the tale. Sirsa city), a mob
ColumnWidth surrounded their car
A page 13
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Build-up ignored SUNDAY SPECIAL outside Purana Dera,
Asking how the State govern- Taking precautions: Soldiers on full alert amid a curfew near the Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa on Saturday. * PTI the smaller and older
Science & Technology
ment had not taken notice of It all happened around Dera about 3 km from the
A page 14
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC the build-up of Dera sup- ence was a matter of the ever, till then, no properties serious cognisance of yester- quantum of sentence against an hour after the CBI main one. Some men in
Being porters in Panchkula, the State, said: The Prime Min- of the Dera Sacha Sauda days violence and said the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gur- court in Panchkula the mob wanted to
A page 15 court in the backdrop of ister is PM of the country shall be sold, transferred, ali- loss due to the violence is a meet Ram Rahim Singh, who delivered its verdict, search the car to
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Mr. Khattars alleged state- and not of particular party... enated or encumbered in loss to the nation and the was convicted for rape on holding Dera Sacha establish their identity.
Non-Fiction
A page 16
ment on Friday that anti-so- Is Punjab and Haryana not a any manner, said the order. taxpayer. This loss will be Friday. The court notified Sauda chief Gurmeet Even before I could
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC cial elements had created part of India? compensated by those re- the jail as a place of sitting Ram Rahim Singh guilty react, one of them yelled
SECTION 2 the problem remarked: If The court, as an interim Application for damage sponsible for it, said Punjab of the CBI court for the pur- of rape. Fearing a that he had seen me
the Chief Minister was aware measure, directed the The court said the Deputy Advocate-General Atul pose of hearing of quantum backlash, nearly all reporting from outside
Despatches
A page 5
of the presence of anti-social Deputy Commissioners in Commissioners in Haryana Nanda. of sentence. journalists, who had the Dera. Once they
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC elements, why the govern- Haryana and Punjab to and Punjab shall invite ap- The Dera chief is lodged camped in the media realised we were
Framed ment was not able to prevent identify the assets and prop- plications for claims for Fly CBI judge to jail in Rohtak jail, and the wing of the Dera journalists, they began to
A page 6&7
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
their entry for the past seven erties of the Dera Sacha damage caused to public and The court also ordered the quantum of sentence will be headquarters, sneaked attack us. They pulled me
days? Sauda and submit a list of private properties, which Haryana administration to announced on Monday. away minutes before the and my cameraman out
Open Page
A page 13
The court, while remark- the same to the court for shall be verified and forwar- make arrangements to take CONTINUED ON A PAGE 10 judgement was of the car, Mr. Kumar
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC ing on the statement of Addi- attachment. ded to the court through the CBI judge Jagdeep Singh and HARYANA BRACES FOR MONDAY; announced. said.
SECTION 2 A 14 PAGES
tional Solicitor-General The list should include offices of the Advocate-Gen- two of his staff members to DERA HEAD TREATED LIKE Mr. Kumar and Mr.
Satya Pal Jain (representing assets, incomes, bank ac- erals of Punjab and Haryana. the Rohtak district jail by air OTHER CONVICTS; KHATTAR Singh, however, stayed CONTINUED ON A PAGE 10
SUNDAY MAGAZINE A 8 PAGES
CLASSIFIEDS A PAGES 5, 6 & 7
the Centre) that Fridays viol- counts and properties. How- The Bench has taken a for pronouncing the WILL STAY, SAYS BJP A PAGE 11

Qureshi held for money-laundering

Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
The Enforcement Director-
ate (ED) has arrested meat
exporter Moin Akhtar Qure-
shi, a childhood friend of
former CBI Director A.P.
Singh, on money-laundering
charges in a case registered
against them by the Central
Bureau of Investigation.
The CBI has accused
Qureshi of accepting money
from several people for get-
ting them favours from pub-
lic servants and politicians
holding key posts in the gov-
ernment.
During investigation,
certain facts have emerged
which constitute omission
and commission on the part
of certain public servants
holding high positions in col-
lusion with Qureshi. Huge
amount of illegal money was
found to have been trans-
acted, said the ED.
CONTINUED ON A PAGE 10 Army jawans take position following a terror attack in
Pulwama on Saturday. NISSAR AHMAD
*

8 security men killed

in JeM attack in J&K
Forces gun down the three militants
Peerzada Ashiq
Srinagar
Eight security personnel
and three militants were
killed when militants of the
Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mo-
hammad ( JeM) stormed the
heavily fortified District Po-
lice Lines premises in Pul-
wama in a pre-dawn attack
on Saturday. The operation
continued till late in the
evening.
The bodies of two milit-
ants were recovered. The
third militant was trapped
in another building, said
Jammu and Kashmir DGP
S.P. Vaid.
The militants stormed the
Special Operation Group
building, housing the police
arm that deals with counter-
insurgency operations, by
scaling a wall close to orch-
ards at the extreme end of
the sprawling premises
around 3.45 a.m.
Two multi-storey blocks
were blasted by the security
agencies to flush out the
well-trained and highly
motivated militants. There
was pressure to wind up
[the] operation fast as loc-
als had started assembling
near the site and hurling
stones constantly, but the
operation lasted the whole
day. Two trapped SPOs and
one orderly employee [of
the police] were killed as
one block caught fire in the
exchange of fire. The
trapped security personnel
could not manage to leave
the complex. We tried to
send fire tenders with lad-
ders to evacuate them but
the militants fired upon
them too, a police officer
said.
The militants showered
bullets and hurled grenades
as they entered the building.
We evacuated 40 to 50
families from the premises
where the gunfight was on,
said Muhammad Aslam,
Supreintendent of Police,
Pulwama.
One policeman was killed
during the evacuation of the
stranded families.
Top counter-insurgency
officials told The Hindu that
these militants seemed from
a freshly infiltrated group.
There were inputs about
the presence of a new group
that has infiltrated from the
Poonch side. The group
stayed in Shopians Kee-
hgam village before heading
for Pulwama. These were
highly trained militants and
apparently carried weapons
to fire grenades too, said
another police official.
JeM spokesman Hasan
Shah said that its men had
carried out the attack.

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2 CITY
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NOIDA/DELHI THE HINDU
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017

IN BRIEF
AAP to crack down on surge pricing Kin deny Blue Whale
Transport Minister to preside over meetings to decide on a cap on maximum fare that can be charged
link to teenagers fall
Say he felt dizzy and fell off 4th floor

<
> consciousness,
After regaining
Hemani Bhandari
Amit Shah event in NEW DELHI
he
west Delhi cancelled After initial reports regard-
was asking us what
NEW DELHI ing a Class XI student who
BJP president Amit Shahs was found on the street be- happened, how he
event in west Delhi on hind his residential building reached the
Saturday was cancelled in in Ashok Vihar suggested hospital
view of prohibitory orders a suicide attempt, his family Ritu Agarwal
here in the wake of violence has now claimed that he fell Mother of Kush
and arson in neighbouring off the building after feeling
State of Haryana over Dera dizzy. Kush Agarwal (16), a ing the game. What has
chief Guru Ram Rahims student of Montfort School, come to the notice on pre-
conviction in a rape case. Mr. was found on the street after liminary investigation is that
Shah was to deliver an allegedly falling off the he was earlier studying in
address on 'Sabka Saath fourth floor of a building Bal Bharti School and had
Sabka Vikas' at the event in where he resided on the recently moved to Montfort.
Raja Garden. PTI third floor. The incident He wasnt able to cope with
happened around 4:30 p.m. new friends, Deputy Com-
on August 16. missioner of Police (North-
One killed in road West) Milind Mahadeo
accident on expressway Favourite spot Dumbere had said.
GREATER NOIDA He never attempted sui- The mother, however,
One person was killed and cide. He had gone to sit on claimed that the boy doesnt
another injured in a tractor- Taken for a ride: The Transport Department learnt that, despite prohibition, surge pricing was the terrace at his favourite know what happened with
truck collision on the Yamuna prevalent across the Capital. FILE PHOTO: AP *
spot. He felt dizzy and fell, him. After gaining con-
Expressway, the police said said Kushs mother Ritu sciousness, he was asking us
on Saturday. The accident Jatin Anand that surge pricing continued force the ban soon.
New Delhi
Agarwal. The boys fall was what happened; how he
happened near Galgotia to be prevalent across the linked with the infamous reached the hospital, she
University. The truck hit the The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Capital. Stringent conditions Blue Whale Challenge, an said.
tractor and overturned, a government is preparing to Commuters were found We will finalise a cap on online game which has been
police officer said. The truck come down heavily against to have been charged higher the maximum fare that cabs in the news recently for al- Probe still on
driver, Ravi Kumar, died on surge pricing by cab aggreg- fares, a source said, as re- can charge commuters in legedly targeting teenagers The police, however, said
the spot while helper Anuj ators, Transport Minister cently as Friday due to the the coming days, following with 50 challenges, the last that the case is still open
Kumar was critically injured, Kailash Gahlot said. non-availability of public which it will be added to the one being committing sui- and theyre still investigat-
he said. PTI He is scheduled to buses on inter-State routes City Taxi Scheme, 2017 as an cide. His phone was kept ing. We didnt question
preside over several meet- in the wake of law and order integral component and en- on the side, his slippers and counter question the
ings aimed at arriving at a exigencies triggered by the forced strictly, the Trans- were also kept neatly. He family when the incident
AIIMS doctors decry cap on the fare that such conviction of Dera Sacha port Minister added. might have gone upstairs happened and are waiting
governments apathy vehicles would be allowed Sauda leader Gurmeet Ram A source said the govern- while playing the game as for a statement from the boy
NEW DELHI to charge commuters during Rahim Singh by a Panchkula ment was in the process of many kids are these days, after which itll be ascer-
Doctors and students at AIIMS the coming week, said Court. framing stringent conditions ers, the latter, a senior gov- fares that cabs can charge next-door neighbour tained whether it was a sui-
on Saturday strongly deplored sources. The government is very to regulate both the max- ernment official explained, commuters despite demand Sandeep Bhalla had said. cide attempt or an acci-
the apathy shown by clear on its stand on the is- imum and dynamic fares were subject to change from and supply factors in the The police also said that dent, said Mr. Dumbere on
successive governments HC order sue of surge pricing; it is that commercially-re- time to time. coming days to cab operat- they had seized his mobile Saturday. The family said
towards health care delivery Despite a prohibition on banned, will continue to be gistered cabs across various These dynamic prices ors who will present their phone for investigation. So that Kush was recovering
systems in India and pitched surge pricing declared by prohibited in Delhi and we categories would be allowed had, so far, been unregu- own rates to it for considera- far, nothing has come to the well and will be discharged
for a 'Health for All' concept. the government in addition will come down very hard to charge. lated and were now sought tion, said a source. fore to suggest he was play- in another two days.
In a convention held at AIIMS, to orders to this effect from on any operator found to be Underlined by an ap- to be limited. Proposed caps on max-
the participants resolved to the Delhi High Court, the flouting these conditions, proach of incentivising imum chargeable fares are
build a movement to achieve Transport Department, ac- Mr. Gahlot told The Hindu, driver and cab availability Holistic mix expected to be a holistic mix
'Health for All', a concept with
socio-economic, preventive
and curative aspects. PTI
cording to a source, had
been monitoring the situ-
ation only to have learnt
adding that the Transport
Department was planning to
affect a crackdown to rein-
based on demand and sup-
ply factors such as location
and time of day among oth-
The government will
present, what in its view,
should be the maximum
of both these rates across
several cab categories, the
source added.
Vigilant neighbour
shoots robber dead
Hospital guilty of CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Art uncaged Foils theft bid at electronics shop

negligence, says forum Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI
Mr. Jain immediately
alerted a friend, Ashok Ku-
A vigilant neighbour foiled mar, who lives near the
Told to pay complainants 8 lakh an alleged robbery bid at
an electronics shop in
showroom. When Mr. Ku-
mar and his son Devender
Staff Reporter became precarious but north-east Delhis Karawal reached the shop, the rob-
NEW DELHI nobody from the hospital Nagar. The police have bers allegedly started fir-
Admitting a case of medical bothered to attend to her now decided to reward the ing in their direction. Mr.
negligence, a Consumer Dis- while she was struggling for 56-year-old good Kumar went back home
putes Redressal Forum in her life [sic]. samaritan. and brought his licenced
Delhi has ordered Batra Hos- Early on Saturday, three rifle. He shot at the rob-
pital and Medical Centre in Respondents deny armed robbers allegedly bers and one of them was
Tughlakabad to pay the The respondents claimed tried to break into the hit in the head. The other
complainants 8 lakh along the allegations were wrong showroom owned by one two fled immediately, said
with 25,000 as litigation and the deceased was duly Akash Jain. However, due Mr. Singla, adding that the
cost. taken care of after she col- to the security system that police were informed by
One of the complainants lapsed. After going through had recently been installed Mr. Jain.
K. K. Sharma had attributed all relevant documents, the by Mr. Jain, he immedi- The police have pro-
his wifes death in 2008 to court however observed that ately got an alert on his cured CCTV footage of the
medical negligence on the there had indeed been negli- phone that the locks of his incident though the rob-
part of the hospital. gence on the part of the hos- shop were being broken. bers allegedly disconnec-
pital. ted the camera. But be-
Condition deteriorated Referring to discrepancy Sensors installed fore doing the same, their
He had alleged that she col- over the time of death, the They were on the roof of pictures were captured,
lapsed soon after she was consumer forum said, As the shop and wanted to said the DCP.
administered a test and that per the death summary, she enter through a door The deceased has been
there was no assistance from was declared dead at 6 p.m. there. Mr Jain, who had in- identified as Danish, who,
the hospital staff despite her and not at 4.45 p.m. as re- stalled a camera with the police claimed, has a
condition deteriorating. corded in another docu- sensors at all entry points, history of several criminal
The complaint said, ment. It is not palatable to got an alert on his mobile cases, including attempt to
There was gross negligence our mind that she had died phone, said Deputy Com- murder. Efforts are on to
on the part of the opposite twice. It shows the opposite missioner of Police (North- identify the other two
party as after administering parties tried to manipulate East) Ajit Kumar Singla. criminals, he said.
Avant-garde: Visitors at an exhibition showcasing artwork produced by jail inmates individually and in collaboration with eminent
the injection, her condition their medical records... artsits, at Rabindra Bhawan on Saturday. SANDEEP SAXENA *

Court acquits rape accused Cook arrested for Man kills sister-in-law, BJP blames
AAP govt for
Uttam Nagar murder dismembers body
after victim turns hostile waterlogging
Accused was jealous of victim: cops Accused surrenders at Vijay Vihar P.S. Staff Reporter
Woman says friend of accused asked her to lodge fake plaint New Delhi
Staff Reporter started paying more atten- Staff Reporter she had been beheaded, The BJP on Saturday blamed
ment under Section 164 of ation, she has denied the NEW DELHI the AAP government for
Nirnimesh Kumar NEW DELHI tion to Mr. Anaytullah be- both her hands, cut off
New Delhi the Criminal Procedure suggestion that she went to A 25-year-old cook was arres- cause of his talent which A 31-year-old woman, a res- from the wrists, are still persisting issues related to
A Delhi court acquitted a Code. the residence of the accused ted for allegedly killing a fel- made the accused jealous. ident of Budh Vihar, was al- missing, said Deputy Com- waterlogging and deman-
man in a rape case after the However, during the trial, to celebrate new year party low cook on August 24 at an He also claimed that he was legedly murdered by her missioner of Police (Rohini) ded urgent steps for proper
victim told in evidence that she turned hostile, sating or that the accused had eatery in Uttam Nagar where diagnosed with throat can- brother-in-law on Friday Rishi Pal. rehabilitation and mainten-
she had lodged the case at that she had lodged the case committed rape upon her. the two were former col- cer, for which he blamed night in Rohini. The ac- ance of the Capital's sewer-
the instance of one of the at the behest of a friend of Thus, the prosecutrix has leagues. The accused al- Anaytullah because the lat- cused surrendered at Vijay Head, hands thrown off age system.
friends of the accused. the accused. not deposed anything in- legedly told the police he ter allegedly got him ad- Vihar police station on Sat- According to an officer Expressing his deep an-
The victim in her com- There was some alterca- criminating against the ac- was jealous of the victim and dicted to cigarettes and urday evening after which privy to the case, the ac- guish over the sewerage
plaint to the Rajouri Garden tion between her and the ac- cused, Additional Sessions decided to eliminate him. ganja, said Deputy Commis- he was arrested, the police cused told the police that system in Delhi, Leader of
police had alleged that the cused (at the party). An- Judge Shail Jain stated on the The accused, Mustakeem, sioner of Police (South-West) said. he threw her head and the Opposition in the Delhi
accused sexually assaulted other man named Sandip evidence of the victim. a native of Uttar Pradesh, al- Shibesh Singh. wrists into a vehicle passing Vidhan Sabha Vijender
her at his house where she had taken advantage of the In view of the above dis- legedly shot Anaytullah dead Missing complaint the road. Gupta alleged that over 40%
gone to celebrate the New altercation and asked her to cussion, I am of the opinion while he was at work at the Argument at eatery A missing complaint for the During interrogation, of Delhi did not have a
Year party in 2016. He also lodge a false complaint that the prosecution has not eatery. He then fled the spot He told us that he came victim, identified as Rama Shankar told the po- proper sewerage system
threatened her of dire con- against the accused. He also been able to prove its case but was arrested on Friday back from his native village, Kalawati, was lodged at the lice that he doubted that because successive Con-
sequences if she disclosed threatened her that he against the accused beyond with the help of human and Amroha, on August 23 with a Vijay Vihar police station Kalawati, the wife of his gress and AAP governments
the incident to any person, would kill her if she did not reasonable doubt that ac- technical surveillance. country-made pistol, said on Saturday afternoon. younger brother Fugi Lal, had failed to provide even
the complainant said. lodge a complaint against cused Rajesh had committed A lot of his friends and Mr. Singh. However, in the evening, had relationships with basic amenities to the
The victim worked at a him. He accompanied her to rape on the prosecutrix or family members were ques- The next day, he went to her brother-in-law Ram other men. people of Delhi. The panel
jewellery shop at Tilak the police station to lodge that accused had threatened tioned and his suspected the eatery and asked his Shankar called the police He had discussed the constituted by the Chief Sec-
Nagar. The sister of the ac- the complaint, the victim the prosecutrix of dire con- hideouts were raided. He brother-in-law to sack and confessed that he had matter with her in the past retary of Delhi, in its report,
cused had introduced her to said in her evidence. sequences... Hence, accused was finally arrested from an Anaytullah and reinstate him killed Ms. Kalawati as he but she allegedly didnt has blamed the sewerage
him, she said. Rajesh is hereby acquitted of accommodation in to which the latter respon- suspected her of having an mend her ways. To save the system for waterlogging in
No offence the charge for the offences Faridabad where he was hid- ded saying that it would take illicit relationship with family from shame, he de- Delhi. The report states a
False complaint The prosecutrix has not punishable under Section ing, said a senior police a few days. After a few argu- other men. cided to kill her, he told the large number of sewers
After registration of the supported the case of the 376/506 (rape and criminal officer. ments, Mustakeen shot at On his instance, the po- police. open up for discharge of wa-
case, the victim was sent for prosecution. She has de- intimidation respectively) of During questioning, Mus- Anaytullah. He was rushed lice recovered Kalawatis A case under Section 302 ter causing the spread of
medical examination, and posed that the accused has the IPC, the Judge said takeem allegedly told the po- to Mata Chanan Devi Hos- body from the bushes near (punishment for murder) dirt and epidemics due to
later a Metropolitan Magis- not committed any offence while acquitting the lice that the owner of the eat- pital where he was declared Rohini Sector 24. The wo- has been registered and mixing of sewer water with
trate had recorded her state- against her. In cross examin- accused. ery, his brother-in-law, dead, said the DCP. mans body was disfigured; invest rain water, Mr. Gupta said.

Published by N. Ram at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 and Printed by S. Ramanujam at HT Media Ltd. Plot No. 8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P. 201306, on behalf of KASTURI & SONS LTD., Chennai-600002. Editor: Mukund Padmanabhan (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act).
Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08 RNI No. TNENG/2012/49939 ISSN 0971 - 751X Vol. 7 No. 34

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THE HINDU
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
NOIDA/DELHI
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Day after raid, AAP hits out
at CBI for targeting Minister
Party challenges agency to produce proof of Jains disproportionate assets
Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI
A day after the Central Bur-
eau of Investigation (CBI)
carried out a raid at the res-
idence of Health and PWD
Minister Satyendar Jain, the
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on
Saturday accused the invest-
igation agency and the
Centre of targeting him and
challenged the CBI to release
any proof of his dispropor-
tionate assets as alleged.
Mr. Jain has been the sub-
ject of investigations, includ-
ing raids, preliminary inquir-
ies and FIRs, by the CBI, the
Enforcement Directorate
and the Income Tax Depart-
ment over his finances. The
latest incident came on Fri-
day when the CBI filed an
FIR and conducted a raid at
Mr. Jains official residence.
Addressing a press confer-
ence here, AAP leader
Ashutosh said that while
Jain unable to explain
funds, claims agency
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
Health Minister Satyendar
Jain was unable to explain
the funds received by four
shell companies in which
he was a shareholder, said
the CBI. The funds were al-
legedly received between
2010 and 2016.
The CBI has so far ex-
amined Mr. Jain twice and
his wife has been quizzed
once. The agency has al-
leged that the two were one-
third shareholders in the
companies in question dur-
ing the check period. Dur-
ing interrogation, the Minis-
ter and his wife were not
able to explain 1.62 crore,
which is about one-third of
funds received by the com-
CM
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Taking a stand: AAP leaders Ashutosh and Saurabh Bhardwaj
(right) on Saturday rubbished claims that incriminating
documents were found during the CBI raid. FILE PHOTO
everyone else was focused
on the law and order situ-
ation in Haryana, the CBI
was looking for ways to tar-
get Mr. Jain.
Papers found
AAP spokesperson and
Greater Kailash MLA Saur-
abh Bhardwaj added that the
CBI had not been able to
produce proof of Mr. Jains
panies during 2015-17, the
agency said.
Allegations
The CBI has, therefore, re-
gistered a case alleging that
the Minister amassed assets
disproportionate to his
known sources of income to
the extent of 1.62 crore
between February 14, 2015,
and May 31, 2017.
The four firms -- Akin-
chan Developers, Man-
agalyatan Projects, Prayas
Info Solutions and Indo-
Metal Impex Pvt. Ltd. --
which were not into any
specific business, had
entered into monetary
transactions with 30 Kolk-
ata-based shell compan-
ies.
* found so-called incriminat-
alleged disproportionate as-
sets so far. During Fridays
raid, he said the CBI found
52gm of gold and 50,000 in
cash.
Referring to media re-
ports that incriminating
documents were found by
the CBI, Mr. Bhardwaj said
the only documents the
agency took from Mr. Jains
home were his income tax
0
DISCLAIMER: Readers are requested to
verify and make appropriate enquiries to
satisfy themselves about the veracity of
an advertisement before responding to
any published in this newspaper. Kasturi
& Sons Limited, the Publisher & Owner of
this newspaper, does not vouch for the
authenticity of any advertisement or ad-
vertiser or for any of the advertisers
products and/or services. In no event can
the Owner, Publisher, Printer, Editor, Dir-
ector/s, Employees of this newspaper/
company be held responsible/liable in
any manner whatsoever for any claims
and/or damages for advertisements in
this newspaper.
CITY 3
returns, share holding certi-
ficates, his nomination pa-
pers for the 2015 Assembly
polls and documents he sub-
mitted with a writ petition in
the High Court. He added
that the CBI team took an
inventory of furniture,
which are all government
property.
In public domain
All these are already in the
public domain. If the CBI has
ing documents, then they
should say what they are,
he said.
Referring to reports that
the CBI had found 1.64
crore in disproportionate as-
sets that Mr. Jain and his wife
accumulated from 2015 till
2017, Mr. Bhardwaj said he
challenged the CBI and the
Centre to show proof of sale
of shares or land worth even
1.
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Protest against mob
lynching postponed
Event will now be held on Sept 10
Press Trust of India
New Delhi
A protest planned on
Sunday against lynchings
and assaults in recent
months has been postponed
to September 10 in view of
prohibitory orders here.
Violence spilled over to
the Capital from Haryana
after self-styled godman
Guru Ram Rahims convic-
tion in a rape case on Fri-
day, forcing the Delhi Police
to enforce prohibitory or-
ders till September 8.
Not in my name
The Say no to hatred
protest was planned by the
campaigners behind the
Not In My Name move-
ment.
Various events were
planned across the city as
part of the protest.
The Notinmyname cam-
paign announces postpone-
ment of all events on August
27 due to imposition of Sec-
Sisodia seeks Centres help
Questions non-adherence of court orders by Khattar govt
Press Trust of India
Bengaluru
Deputy Chief Minister Man-
ish Sisodia on Saturday ex-
pressed surprise over the
non-adherence of court or-
ders by the BJP government
in Haryana and sought the
Centre's intervention to
check violence there and in
nearby States after convic-
tion of Dera Sacha Sauda
Chief in a rape case.
Our [AAP] stand is that
the court orders should be
followed. I am surprised
why it has not been done [by
the Khattar government in
Haryana], he told reporters
here. The Punjab and Hary-
ana High Court had on Fri-
day said that losses caused
to property due to violence
and arson by followers of
Ram Rahim Singh would be
CM
YK
tion 144 in few areas. A new
date of September 10 has
been announced and more
people are invited to join
in, a statement read.
The Not In My Name
was a country-wide protest
held in June following the
lynching of 17-year-old Jun-
aid on board a Mathura-
bound train.
Celebrities, artists, and
leaders from Congress, JD
(U), AAP and CPI were
among those who took part
in the protest.
No to violence
The silence has been
broken. A protest initiated
in June 2017 by the #NotIn-
MyName campaign spread
to 26 cities and towns across
India. Thousands of Indians
stood up to say no to hatred
and violence in the name of
religion and caste. That was
a moment of pause, the
campaigners had said while
announcing the protest.
<
> There is a problem
with the BJP s
ideology. It doesnt
care about taking
proper action in
anticipation
Manish Sisodia
Deputy CM
recovered from Dera Sacha
Sauda.
Use of weapons
The full Bench of the High
Court had also directed the
Haryana government to use
weapons or force, if re-
quired, to tackle the situ-
ation arising out of the CBI
court verdict.
Mr. Sisodia said the Cent-
ral government should also
take the responsibility and
ask Ministers to intervene in
Dera violence in city:
10 arrested for arson
Accused allegedly torched bus in Jyoti Nagar on Friday
Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI
Ten people were arrested on
Saturday for allegedly torch-
ing a bus in north-east Del-
his Jyoti Nagar on Friday
after Dera Sacha Sauda chief
Gurmeet Ram Rahim was
convicted of rape.
Deputy Commissioner of
Police (north-east) Ajit Ku-
mar Singla said the accused
were arrested based on hu-
man and technical inputs.
CCTV inputs
CCTV footage of the miscre-
ants was circulated on social
media and an appeal was
made to the public to help
the police in identifying the
accused, said Mr. Singla,
adding that the accused had
been booked for attempt to
murder and under the Pre-
vention of Damage to Public
Property Act.
Several incidents of viol-
the matter. It should take
responsibility and heads
should roll if need be, he
added.
CMs resignation
Asked if AAP would demand
Mr. Khattars resignation,
Mr. Sisodia said the problem
lay in the ideology of BJP,
which was in power in Hary-
ana, Uttar Pradesh and
other States.
He said the BJPs ideology
had always been to make is-
sues out of non-issues and
ignore the actual issues.
They dont care about
the supply of oxygen. They
dont care about taking
proper action in anticipa-
tion, he said, adding that
merely replacing a Chief
Minister would not solve the
problem.
Chock-a-block: A massive traffic jam was witnessed on the
Delhi-Gurugram border on Saturday owing to security checks
in the wake of the Dera violence. PTI
ence were reported across
the Capital on Friday in Khy-
ala, Mehrauli, Badarpur, Ja-
hangirpuri, Anand Vihar and
Baadli where buses and
trains were set ablaze.
Situation under control
Delhi Police Public Relations
Officer Madhur Verma, how-
ever, said the situation was
Prohibitory orders hit
book fair in Capital
Low footfall recorded on opening day
Press Trust of India
New Delhi
Book lovers might be in for
some disappointment at the
Delhi Book Fair this year
that began at Pragati Maidan
on Saturday, thanks to the
violence that ensued follow-
ing the conviction of Dera
Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet
Ram Rahim Singh.
The 23rd edition of the
fair appears to have all the
makings of a failed show
with chirpings of scanty
footfall owing to people
avoiding getting caught in
the violence.
In for luck
Ruchi, a regular visitor to
book fairs, turned up at the
NOIDA/DELHI
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
THE HINDU
DTC resumes night services
Staff Reporter State, night and the Delhi-
Lahore bus services on Fri-
tions in NCR would remain
suspended till Monday,
New Delhi
While its services to Uttar day in the wake of the viol- when the DTC would take a
Pradesh and Haryana re- ence after self-styled god- decision on resuming the
mained suspended, the man Gurmeet Ram Rahim Delhi-Lahore bus service.
Delhi Transport Corporation was convicted in a rape case. The official said two buses
(DTC) resumed its night ser- were gutted in the violence.
vices from Saturday. Decision awaited Each of these cost between
The public transporter A senior government official 40 lakh and 50 lakh, he
had suspended its inter- said bus services to destina- added.
*
under control in the city.
According to feedback
from the different police dis-
tricts, the situation has re-
turned to normal, he said.
The officer added that the
imposition of Section 144 in
Delhi would be reviewed in
due course. These orders
are meant for miscreants
only, said Mr. Verma.
venue without company be-
cause her friends could not
risk travelling all the way
from Gurugram.
The book fair is going to
be a lose-lose situation for
both publishers and visitors,
claimed Saurabh from
Nanda book service.
Our weekend business
will surely take a hit because
of what played out on the
roads of Delhi and Guru-
gram on Friday, said Mr.
Saurabh
Many book stall owners
at the venue also expressed
concern over how things
would pan out after the
Dera chief's quantum of
punishment is announced
on August 28.
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IN BRIEF
Normal life comes to a standstill in Sirsa 5 arrested for
arson in
People face shortage of daily household needs due to curfew-like restrictions Sriganganagar
ess Trust of India
Locals welcome verdict Press Trust of India
Jaipur

Casteist parties in UP not

Sirsa

Surender Kaur has been un-

liking development: Yogi
BALLIA
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath on Saturday
attacked opposition parties
claiming that those who had
looted the State in the name
of casteism were not liking
the States march towards
development. The political
parties who looted the State
for 15 years, criminalised
politics and politicised
criminals are not liking the
States march into a new era
of development, he said. PTI
Man gets 7-year jail for
raping minor girl
BAHRAICH
A man has been sentenced to
seven years in jail by a court
here for raping a minor girl
three years ago. Additional
District Judge Lal Bahadur
(2nd) held Pramod Yadav
guilty and also slapped a fine
of 5,000 on him on Friday. PTI
Girl out on field to attend
natures call raped
SHAHJAHANPUR (UP)
A 17-year-old girl was
allegedly raped in Bela village
in the district, the police said
on Saturday. The girl had
gone out of her house on
Friday night to attend
natures call when she was
allegedly raped by a resident
of the same village, they said.
PTI
able to withdraw money
from banks or ATMs to meet
her daily household needs
for the past two days, while
Manjeet Singh has not able
to get the fuel tank of his mo-
torbike filled at petrol
pumps which have been
closed after the authorities
clamped strict restrictions in
this town.
Normal life in Sirsa, which
is the headquarters of Dera
Sacha Sauda sect, has come
to a standstill after curfew-
like restrictions were im-
posed to prevent any unto-
ward incident after the large-
scale violence by followers of
sect chief Gurmeet Ram
Rahim Singh, who was con-
victed by CBI court in a 15-
year-old rape case on Friday.
Milk supply affected
Milk supply has also been af-
fected adversely in several
areas as the agitated follow-
ers set a milk plant on fire,
located near the sect
headquarters.
After the CBI court in
Punchkula pronounced the
Dera Sacha Sauda chief
guilty in the sexual exploita-
tion case, followers turned
violent and set a milk plant
on fire, the police said,
adding that flames were
doused within a few hours.
Hotels here too are facing
A ghost town: Sirsa wore a deserted look on Saturday.
the brunt as they are run-
ning out of supply of essen-
tial items. Also, the hotel
staff are not able to reach
their workplace due to the
restrictions.
For the past two days, I
am unable to buy essential
items for my household as I
have run out of money and
also banks and ATMs are
closed. Authorities should
ensure that essential facilit-
ies are open so that people
wont have to face any prob-
lem, said Kaur, whose
house is about four km away
from the Dera headquarters.
Apart from Kaur, Rajesh
Kumar, who runs a hotel in
the vicinity of the sect
headquarters, said: As there
has been a huge shortage of
*
SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
vegetables and essential
items, we are only providing
accommodation to our
guests and not lunch, break-
fast and dinner since
Thursday night.
Schools shut
Schools, colleges, cinema
halls, petrol pumps have
also been shut as a precau-
tionary measure.
Authorities imposed
curfew in areas, which are in
the vicinity of the Dera
headquarters, on Thursday.
People have been asked to
stay indoors in the wake of
violent protest by Dera fol-
lowers on Friday evening.
Two companies of Army
from Hisar district, ten com-
panies of paramilitary forces
against the Dera chief
Ashok Kumar
SIRSA
Hoping that the situation
would soon return to nor-
mal after violence erupted
following the verdict
against Dera chief Gurmeet
Ram Rahim Singh claiming
32 lives and left over a hun-
dred injured across Hary-
ana, locals have welcomed
the judgment and blamed
the State government for
going soft on the Dera fol-
lowers and not making ad-
equate security
arrangements.
the CRPF and the BSF, the
Rapid Action Force (RAF) More skeletons
and several companies of It is a welcome decision.
Haryana police have been Except for his followers, the
deployed to maintain law Dera does not have much
and order in Sirsa district. support among the locals.
In the violence last night, We suspect more skeletons
two Dera followers were will stumble out of the cup-
killed while seven were in- board if the Dera premises
jured, authorities said. Out are searched, said
of the seven, the conditions Praveen, 40, a shopkeeper.
of three Dera followers are Convicted in a rape case,
said to be critical. Ram Rahim also faces
Inspector General (Hisar charges of murder in two
range) A. S. Dillion said that separate cases and the ver-
police have been monitoring dict in the cases is expected
the situation in and around soon.
Dera headquarters. Ram Singh, 70, said the
Sirsa SP Ashwin Shenvi Dera followers had un-
said that Army has been leashed a reign of terror in
called to maintain law and the area and the locals were
order situation in the too scared to speak against
district. them. The Dera chief s
word was law of the land in
the adjoining areas. The
locals were harassed and
made to suffer in silence,
said Mr. Singh.
Scuffles routine
Sandeep, a young man, ad-
ded that people were not
even allowed to park their
vehicles outside the Dera
and it was difficult to travel
on the road outside the
Dera during congregations.
He said that minor
scuffles between the Dera
followers and the locals
were routine. Locals own-
ing land around the Dera
were also forced to sell
their holdings to them at
throw away prices, alleged
Ramesh Beniwal, an elderly
man.
The locals added that
they preferred not to
protest as they were out-
numbered by his followers.
See what have they done
in Panchkula. When even
the administration ap-
peared helpless before
them, how can individuals
take them on, asked
Suresh Malik.
Locals also blamed the
government for going soft
on the Dera followers ini-
tially and allowing them to
gather at Panchkula.
The police patrolled the
streets in Rajasthans Srigan-
ganagar district where miscre-
ants torched government
buildings and a vehicle on Fri-
day following the rape convic-
tion of self-styled godman
Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
Five persons involved in
arson were arrested on Friday
night. The situation is under
control now but the force is
on alert, ADG Law and Order
NRK Reddy said. Many follow-
ers of the Dera chief live in
Sriganganagar and Hanu-
mangarh districts in the State.
Additional forces
The SP, Sriganganagar, Haren-
dra Kumar said that additional
policemen have been de-
ployed in sensitive areas.
Meanwhile, the north west-
ern railway has cancelled 33
trains including Srigan-
ganagar-Bathinda, Jodhpur-
Abohar among others due to
the law and order situation in
Haryana, according to the
NWR spokesperson.

Nine Dera centres sealed in Kurukshetra

Police seize over 2,500 lathis and other sharp-edged weapons during search operation
Press Trust of India
Chandigarh
The Kurukshetra police on
Saturday sealed the nine
congregation centres of the
Dera Sacha Sauda in the dis-
trict, evicting the followers,
and seized over 2,500 lathis
and other sharp-edged
weapons during a search
operation there.
After evicting Dera follow-
ers, a large number of secur-
ity personnel have been de-
ployed outside the Dera
Sacha Saudas congregation
centres to prevent any unto-
ward incident.
All the nine Naam
Charcha Ghars (congrega-
tion centres) in the district
have been sealed and entry
to these centres has been
banned, Kurukshetra SP
Abhishek Garg said.
Widespread violence
The move came after the in-
cidents of widespread viol-
ence and arson in Haryana
following the conviction
self-styled godman and sect
chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim
Singh on Friday. in a 15-year-
old rape case by a CBI court
in Punchkula.
The police carried out
search operation in the con-
gregation centres during
which they found more than
2,500 lathis and other sharp
edges weapons from the
premises. We have evicted
all the followers from the
congregation centres and
locked all the nine Naam
Charcha Ghars in Kurksh-
etra, Mr. Garg said.
Situation under control
The SP said that the situ-
ation in Kurukshetra was
under control and nobody
would be allowed to violate
prohibitory orders.

Stranded: Passengers at the Jammu

railway station after several trains were
cancelled on Saturday. PTI *

Passengers stranded
as train, bus services
remain suspended
Press Trust of India
Jammu
A large number of passengers, includ-
ing pilgrims returning from the Mata
Vaishno Devi shrine, were stranded as
train and bus services remained sus-
pended on the second day on
Saturday.
The authorities decided to suspend
train and inter-State bus services as a
precautionary measure, following viol-
ence in Haryana and Punjab by the
supporters of Dera chief.

Vaishno Devi pilgrims

Among the stranded passengers, there
were pilgrims returning after paying
obeisance at the famous Mata Vaishno
Devi shrine at Katra in the Reasi
district.
The main railway station at Katra
was packed with passengers despite re-
peated announcements by railway au-
thorities about the cancellation of all
trains scheduled from there.
All trains have been cancelled from
here for the second day as a precau-
tionary measure, a railway official
said.
He, however, said a Jammu-bound
train from Delhi has left via Amritsar
on Saturday morning and is expected
to reach here later in the day, if
everything goes well.

Heavy rush
A total of 18 trains -- 12 from Jammu
Tawi railway station and and eight
from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Railway
station, Katra -- were scheduled for the
day, the official said, adding there was
heavy rush of passengers on the plat-
forms due to cancellation and res-
cheduling of their tickets.
The train service might remain af-
fected tomorrow as well. We are mon-
itoring the situation and a decision on
resumption of the service depends on
the improvement in the situation, the
official said.
CM A ND-NDE
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IN BRIEF
Nepal PM visits Tirupati,
offers prayers
TIRUMALA
Nepalese Prime Minister Sher
Bahadur Deuba, who is
currently on a four-day visit
to the country, offered
prayers at the temple of Lord
Venkateswara on Saturday.
He was accompanied by wife
Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba and a
high-level delegation.
Senkumar case to come
up on September 8
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
An anti-corruption court here
is scheduled to decide on
September 8 whether former
Kerala police chief T.P.
Senkumar had abused his
power while in service.
Earlier, the Vigilance and
Anti-Corruption Bureau had
conducted a verification into
the allegation that Mr.
Senkumar had interfered in
the probe of grave crimes to
protect vested interests.
5-year-old dies in Bengaluru,
neighbour held for rape
Child was left in care of neighbour while mother went to work
Special Correspondent
Bengaluru
A five-year-old girl, who was
allegedly tortured and raped
for over a month in the
house of a neighbour,
Chandana, while her mother
went for work as a domestic
help, died of excessive
bleeding early on Saturday
morning.
On August 13, Chandana
called the mother and told
her the child had taken ill.
In her statement to us, the
mother said she took her
daughter to Rajarajeshwari
Nagar Hospital where doc-
tors diagnosed the girl with
anemia and internal bleed-
Hyderabad
schools resist
vaccination
drive
Staff Reporter
HYDERABAD
Indias measles and rubella
vaccination programme is
facing resistance from two
quarters in Hyderabad
schools in the old city and
large multi-centre corpor-
ate schools.
According to Telan-
ganas health officials,
around 160 of the citys
3,500 schools are resisting
the vaccination drive. The
government has rolled out
the MR vaccination starting
with schools, where over
60% of the States targeted
90 lakh children are
available.
The resistance from
large schools is being at-
tributed to repeat vaccina-
tion. Many children have
received the MMR vaccine,
available for a long time in
private healthcare. The
schools think repeat vac-
cination is unnecessary,
an official said.
En-masse vaccination is
being implemented as the
country aims to eradicate
measles by 2020.
Myths and canards
floated among some sec-
tions of the society, with a
religious undertone, are
being blamed for reluct-
ance of schools in old city
to come on board. Around
80 schools in the old city
and its surrounding areas
are opposing the vaccina-
tion drive.
We have seen the re-
luctance in hospitals and
schools in old city. Many
people have been misin-
formed about the vaccine.
Though religious and polit-
ical leaders were roped in
by the health department
to assuage the concerns,
some people continue to
remain apprehensive, in-
formed Mujtaba Hasan As-
kari of Helping Hand
Foundation.
The health officials say
they will continue making
efforts to get schools on
board. Unless all the chil-
dren are vaccinated in one
go, it is not possible to
eradicate the virus.
CM
YK
NOIDA/DELHI
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
THE HINDU
Settle disputes amicably Flight makes
emergency
Ship rams fishing
Work together for the development of Telugu States, says Venkaiah Naidu landing vessel near Kollam
Staff Reporter Staff Reporter
VELAGAPUDI HYDERABAD Six fishermen thrown off boat
Advising Chief Ministers N. A Bali-bound flight with
Chandrababu Naidu and K. 240 passengers aboard Special Correspondent ates from the Neendakara
Chandrasekhar Rao to work made an emergency land- KOLLAM harbour.
together for the develop- ing in the city on Saturday, A motorised traditional fish- The district administra-
ment of A.P. and Telangana, after the co-pilot became ing vessel, engaged in fish- tion authorities here have
Vice-President M. Venkaiah unconscious in the cockpit. ing about 40 nautical miles instructed the Joint Opera-
Naidu said the Telugu-speak- The Qatar Airways flight from the Neendakara har- tions Centre for Coastal Se-
ing States would have been QR 964 landed in the city bour here, was rammed by a curity attached to the South-
far more developed had bi- just past midnight when ship about 12.30 p.m. on ern Naval Command to
furcation happened during the co-pilot, Andre Dinu, a Saturday. In the impact of detain the ship involved in
the Jai Andhra movement in 35-year-old Romanian na- the crash, all the six fisher- the incident. Fisheries Min-
1972. tional, suffered a suspected men in the vessel were ister J. Mercykutty Amma
Today, it is my request to heart attack. The plane thrown off. said all efforts will be taken
them to meet and talk fre- was diverted to Hyderabad They were rescued by the to detain the ship.
quently to solve the prob- and cleared for emergency crew of a mechanised fish-
lems in an atmosphere of landing. The crew member ing boat Love Maria that was Confusion over name
give-and-take so that they Warm reception: Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, A.P. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was immediately rushed to in the vicinity. One of the The vessel had gone for
steal the march on others, and Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan participating in a rally in Amaravati on Saturday. V. RAJU * the Apollo Medical Centre fishermen is reported to be hook and line fishing on Fri-
he said. on the airport premises, serious. They are being day evening and was to re-
Vice-President at the Secret- justice was meted out to A.P. chayat up to Parliament to and later to the Apollo Hos- brought back to the turn on Monday.
Administrative language ariat here on Saturday, Mr. and vowed to do whatever uphold the dignity of the re- pital, an airport spokesper- Neendakara harbour in the The crew in the mechan-
Mr. Naidu suggested to Mr. Naidu said quarrelling over was possible for its develop- spective legislative body and son said. Though he is same mechanised vessel. ised boat jotted down the
Chandrababu Naidu to make differences would take the ment, for which there was try to find solutions to prob- stable, doctors have not The ship sailed away. name of the ship and in-
Telugu administrative lan- States nowhere. Both sides tremendous potential as it lems through meaningful de- made a diagnosis. He will Five of the fishermen in formed the Coast Guard.
guage to promote its learn- should remember that prob- had abundant natural re- bates. be under observation, a the boat are Tamil Nadu nat- But the Coastal Police at
ing and protection. lems would be as common as sources and an intelligent Earlier, Mr. Venkaiah hospital spokesperson ives and one from Kerala. Neendakara said the Coast
Expressing gratitude for between brothers and a col- human resource. Naidu laid the foundation for said. The owner of the vessel, Guard conveyed a message
being given the civic recep- lective effort was needed to Mr. Venkaiah Naidu called the construction of 2.25 lakh After unscheduled land- Sahayam, is from Kanyaku- that there was some confu-
tion by the Andhra Pradesh solve them amicably. upon the elected represent- houses in urban areas by un- ing and delay, the QA flight mari district. His vessel sion over the name of the
government on becoming He said it was true that in- atives from the village pan- veiling a plaque. took off around 3 a.m. named Arogya Annai oper- ship.
Satellite imagery to the aid of sons of soil
Young space entrepreneurs create a map-based digital framework to improve farmers livelihood
Madhumathi D.S. tried out. At the end of the materials; the government
BENGALURU 2016 seasons the summer that pays crop insurance
Can a mix of satellite im- kharif and the winter rabi premiums and announces
ing. With no sign of her Chandana and her male agery, artificial intelligence, they could predict crop MSPs; and the insurance
daughter improving, she friend Mallikarjuna, 30, Internet of things, and big yields that were 85 to 90% agency that must pay the
shifted her daughter to the (who sexually assaulted the data analytics come down to accurate. It is an ongoing farmer if his crop fails.
state-run Rajiv Gandhi Hos- child) on August 17, under earth in the aid of the sons work and this has been now SatSures Google Earth-
pital. She later shifted her to various sections of the of soil? Can it help farmers fine-tuned to 95%. Conven- like navigable online dash-
the Vijayashree Hospital. It POCSO act and they have to get bank loans, timely and tional or manual estimates board will be customised
was only then that the child been remanded to judicial correct insurance claims, are said to be less than 80%, and offered to users such as
revealed that she had been custody, said a senior police may be even ensure a good they say. district collectors or deputy
sexually assaulted, said a officer. Once doctors real- price for their crop? commissioners, decision
senior police officer. ised that it was a case of as- A handful of young space Novel venture: SatSure founders with A.P. IT & Rural Accurate forecast makers, crop insurance
According to the police, sault, they began appropri- entrepreneurs have created Development Minister Nara Lokesh (second from left). How does an accurate fore- companies, banks, and large
Chandana used to punish ate treatment, alerted the a map-based digital frame- cast of crop yields help the single farmers. The dash-
the girl under the pretext of police and filed a medico work over the last 18 months based information with hectares in Andhra Pra- farmer or anyone else? Mr. board, they explain, be-
teaching her how to use the legal case. However, a few to show that they can. ground data, they hope to deshs Srikakulam district. Raju points out that not just comes the decision makers
bathroom, and threaten her days later, the child de- Abhishek Raju, director improve the livelihood of They randomly chose differ- the farmer but every stake- tool for interpreting yields
when she cried for her veloped complications and (Asia) of SatSure Ltd., and farmers without directly ent crops grown on farm- holder needs to know in ad- assessed a month ahead of
mother. The little girl never was transferred to the in- Prateep Basu, its chief oper- working with them. lands measuring 20 to 30 vance the fate of the crop harvest, crop health, acre-
told her mother what was tensive care unit of the St. ating officer, say that by Last year, they began acres each. Different mixes sown: the bank that lends age, and planning the com-
going on, said the police. Johns Hospital. She died marrying satellite imagery- their pilot over a total of 250 of fertilizer and water were him money for seeds and modity logistics.
We arrested both early on Saturday.
Rain plays havoc in
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Floral carpet
Hyderabad once again
Many cars and vehicles were submerged
Serish Nanisetti
Hyderabad
Residents of about 40 apart-
ment complexes and dozens
of independent houses in
Deepti Srinagar Colony in
the western parts of Hydera-
bad were marooned in
waist-high water following
heavy rain on Friday night
and early Saturday morning.
The area recorded 12.4 cm of
rain till 8.30 a.m.
However, there was no
loss of life. Many cars and Poor infrastructure: Residents of Deepti Srinagar Colony
vehicles were submerged wading through water on Saturday. K.V.S. GIRI
*
after water from a sewage
canal flooded the cellars of ing the water in the cellar complaints as they tried to
apartments. reached a height of 13 ft clear a channel to drain the
We were doing Ganapati from ground. Across the muddy water.
puja at about 8.30 p.m., road where the water roared This is the fourth time
when water level started into the houses of people in this area has been flooded,
rising in the street, we took low lying areas, a similar the residents said.
out our cars from the cellar story was echoed. The water channel has
and parked them on the Greater Hyderabad Muni- always been narrow. And
street, said Vishnu Nagesh, cipal Corporation officials, that is the reason for the
Colourful pattern: A giant pookalam arranged with over 1,000 kg of flowers adorning the southern entrance of the Vadakkunatha a resident of Potlapally who reached the spot early flooding, said a GHMC offi-
Temple in Thrissur, Kerala, as part of the Onam festivities. K.K. NAJEEB * Pavitra complex. By morn- morning, were flooded with cial of West Zone.
Ganesh Chaturthi fete Fate of Pattanam hangs in the balance
goes green in Ongole Focus now on historically contextualising the findings, says expert
S. Anandan fused to renew the licence
Kochi for continued excavations at
People use environment-friendly material to make idols The Kerala Council for His- Pattanam. But when the li-
torical Research (KCHR), cence was subsequently re-
S. Murali which carried out nine sea- newed, Mr. Cherians ser-
ONGOLE sons of archaeological excav- vices as director of the KCHR
Thanks to the relentless ations at Pattanam, north of were terminated by the State
campaign launched by civil Ernakulam, exhuming arte- government in November
society organisations, the facts pointing to the places 2016. This brought the cur-
Ganesh Chaturthi celebra- links with various ancient tains on Pattanam, where
tions went green in Ongole civilisations, will now focus Mr. Cherian was leading the
and its surroundings this on contextualising the find- seasonal excavation.
year with many people mak- ings in history. In the meantime, histor-
ing a conscious effort to use This will mean that the ex- ian K.N. Panikkars term as
environment-friendly mater- cavations, suspended for chairman of the KCHR
ial for making Ganesh idols. One with nature: Students display an image of Lord Ganesh by two seasons now, will con- ended and he was replaced
More than 200 students arranging plants obtained from clay balls embedded with tinue to be on hold until a Unearthed treasure: A file picture of tourists visiting the by P.K. Michael Tharakan.
of the Swami Sivananda fenugreek seeds. KOMMURI SRINIVAS * proper analytical and com- Muziris museum at Pattanam. Last week, M.S. Jaya, collegi-
School at Karavadi, near prehensive historical study ate education director, con-
here, prepared small images isation G. Veerbhadrachari gigantic Ganesh idol with is done on the archaeolo- oration for throwing up evid- was located here and sulted eminent historians
of Lord Vigneshwara with created a 15-feet-long Sayana 5,000 miniature clay images gical evidence, says histor- ence that suggested the whether the region was an and archaeologists for an
fine clay embedded with Gowriputra idol in a reclin- of Lord Lambodara by ar- ian Rajan Gurukkal, chair- places ancient trade links urban centre and not just an- evaluation of the Pattanam
seed balls ahead of the fest- ing posture with two tonnes ranging them in a pattern. man of the advisory council with regions spanning south other Roman colony, there findings. Ms. Jaya says the
ival. Their joy knew no of sand at Rangrayudu Cher- With sediments collected of the KCHR. of China to the Spanish was no disputing the signific- expert committee will meet,
bounds with sprouts emer- uvu. from river Ganga, the Soci- The Pattanam excava- Catalan region, which was ance of the artefacts un- together with Mr. Cherian,
ging from the clay idols on ety for Awareness and Vision tions, carried out under part of the Roman Empire. earthed from the archaeolo- who has now been engaged
the Chaturthi day. Giant Vinayaka on Environment made idols KCHR founding director P.J. While historians remained at gical site. as consultant for the Pat-
Social activists led by Vo- Devotees at Ranguthota with bamboo sticks, paddy Cherian, had drawn interna- loggerheads over whether In 2015, the Archaeolo- tanam project, to chalk out a
lunteer Environment Organ- toiled for 10 days to make a straw and husk. tional attention and collab- the erstwhile port of Muziris gical Survey of India (ASI) re- roadmap.
A ND-NDE
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THE HINDU
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
NOIDA/DELHI

NATION 9
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IN BRIEF
500 cr. relief for flood-hit Bihar Big accidents down,
PM conducts aerial survey of affected districts; declares 2 lakh for next of kin of those who died
but derailments up
Special Correspondent
Patna Three girls under NDA regime
Prime Minister Narendra
Close shave for Madhu Modi on Saturday conducted drown in U.P. Systemic deficiencies to blame
Koda, family members an aerial survey of flood-af-
JAMSHEDPUR fected districts of Bihar and Press Trust of India Somesh Jha
Former Jharkhand Chief announced a package of Gorakhpur NEW DELHI
Minister Madhu Koda and his 500 crore as immediate re- Three minor girls on Sat- Railway Minister Suresh
family members, wife Geeta lief to the state. He also de- urday died after they Prabhu may have offered to
and eight-year-old daughter, clared that 2 lakh each slipped into flood waters resign over two train acci-
had a close shave on would be given to the kin of when they had gone to re- dents within a span of four
Saturday when the rear tyre those who have died in the lieve themselves in Rana- days, but a closer look at the
of their car burst and the floods, and that a Central par village in the Jhangaha Railways safety record over
vehicle veered off to a team would soon visit the af- area here, police said. the NDAs tenure throws up
roadside field in West fected areas to assess the Their bodies were fished an interesting dichotomy.
Singhbhum, police said. PTI damage. Chief Minister Nit- out by an NDRF team, po- Even as serious train acci- Derailments went up
ish Kumar accompanied Mr. lice said. They were de- dents have declined, the sharply to 78 in 2016-17
Naxal leader surrenders Modi during the survey. clared brought dead by cases of train derailments from 65 in 2015-16.
in Maharashtra doctors at a health centre, grew steadily, highlighting
NAGPUR Maximum damage police said. the Railways systemic counted for around 44% of
A Naxal leader with a reward After the survey he flew deficiencies. the train derailments
of 2.5 lakh on his head over the districts of Purnea, The total number of con- between 2012-13 and 2016-
surrendered before the
Gadchiroli police of
Kishanganj, Katihar and
Araria Mr. Modi held a Landslips in sequential train accidents
has declined from 135 in
17. Other reasons include
failure of wheel and other
meeting with Mr. Kumar, 2014-15 to 107 in 2015-16 and train components that can
Maharashtra on Saturday.
Gomaji, alias Arsu Chaitu Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Zeroing in: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during northeast 104 in 2016-17. derail a running train.
Jetti, surrendered before the Kumar Modi and top state of- an aerial survey of flood-affected areas on Saturday. PTI * However, this was mainly However, the number of
SP, Gadchiroli, police said. PTI ficials at the Chunapur aero- Press Trust of India on account of fall in acci- cases of defect in engineer-
drome. He was told that the take appropriate action for ject report would be pre- affected 1.67 crore people, Imphal/Aizawl dents at unmanned level ing assets such as tracks and
CM Shivraj Chouhan flood had caused maximum the repair of the damaged pared at the earliest on the with the death toll mounting Incessant rainfall since Fri- crossings the onus of welds is on the rise from
is teacher for a day damage to the Seemanchal roads and other Saptkoshi Dam and Sunkoshi to 418. The state government day night triggered land- which falls mainly on road 22 in 2013-14 to 37 in 2016-17.
BHOPAL (border) areas and the state infrastructure. storage-cum-diversion has opened hundreds of re- slips on Saturday in users who crash with a run- A task force of railway of-
Madhya Pradesh Chief water resource department scheme. Both nations would lief camps and community Mizoram and Manipur. ning train from 50 in 2014- ficers formed after derail-
Minister Shivraj Singh has suffered the maximum Detailed report also work on flood control in kitchens for the flood-hit While NH 39, the lifeline 15 to 29 in 2015-16 and 20 in ment of the Indore-Ra-
Chouhan on Saturday became loss due to breach of em- The PMO statement also re- the border areas which will people. Several teams of the of Mizoram was cut off, at 2016-17. jendranagar Express train
teacher for a day and taught bankments and waterways ferred to Prime Ministers re- benefit the region, the state- National Disaster Response least seven buildings, in- found that rail track fittings,
mathematics at an technical for irrigation. cent talks with his Nepal ment added further. Force, SDRF and the Army cluding a church, collapsed Secure level crossings such as plates, nuts and
institution here as part of a Mr. Modi said that the counterpart Sher Bahadur As many as 21 districts of have been pressed into ser- in Aizawl and nearby vil- This also reflects that the bolts, were missing on a
day-long mass teaching Union Road Transport and Deuba during which it was Bihar have been inundated vice for relief and rescue lages, according to police government has been suc- large scale and only one-
programme. PTI Highways Ministry would decided that a detailed pro- by the flood waters, which operations. officials. cessful in developing secure third of the requirement is
level crossings such as road met every year.
over bridges and road under In a meeting organised of
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Immersive experience
2 more Gorakhpur bridges. It has exceeded its
targets for elimination of un-
manned level crossings
chief safety officers of all
zones of the Indian Railways
last year, Railway Board

doctors suspended since 2014-15.

But the worrying trend is
that derailments went up
Member (Traffic)
hammad Jamshed said Rail-
way Minister Suresh Prabhu
Mo-

Press Trust of India
Gorakhpur
Two doctors of the BRD
Medical College Hospital, in-
cluding in-charge of the en-
cephalitis ward Dr. Kafeel
Khan, had been suspended
in connection with the
death of more than 60 chil-
dren there earlier this
month.
In-charge of the 100-bed
AES ward Dr. Khan and in-
charge of Anaesthesia Dr.
Satish had been suspended
after the State governments
approval, principal of the
medical college Dr. P. K.
Singh said.
Criminal action
The probe committee
headed by Chief Secretary
Rajive Kumar had recom-
mended initiating criminal
action against the then prin-
cipal of the medical college
Dr. Satish, Dr. Khan and M/s
Festive season: Saturday saw the coming together of rain and Ganapati Utsav in Mumbai. Here, devotees visit Girgaon Chowpathy Pushpa Sales Pvt. Ltd.
for immersing an idol on the first day of visarjan. ARUNANGSU ROY CHOWDHURY * With this, seven persons
The deaths of children at
the hospital was allegedly
due to lack of oxygen suply.
had been suspended follow-
ing the deaths in the State-
run hospital due to alleged
lack of oxygen supply.
Besides the then prin-
cipal Dr. Rajiv Kumar
Mishra, three employees
and a pharmacist had also
been suspended, Dr. Singh
said.
Earlier this week, an FIR
was filed against nine per-
sons, including Dr. Khan,
Dr. Mishra, his wife Dr.
Purnima Shukla.
sharply to 78 in 2016-17 from
65 in 2015-16 and 63 in 2014-
15. Derailment accounted
for 75% of the total rail acci-
dents in 2016-17 compared
with 60.7% in 2015-16 and
46.7% in 2014-15.
Till August 20 this finan-
cial year, 23 out of 27 rail ac-
cidents happened only be-
cause of train derailments.
The total number of casu-
alties in train accidents was
at a two-year high of 238 in
2016-17 mainly on account
of the derailment of the In-
dore-Rajendranagar Express
near Kanpur which was one
of the worst such train acci-
dents in over a decade.
The share of accidents
due to the failure of railway
staff is consistently increas-
ing since 2012-13. In 2016-17,
61.5% of the accidents
happened due to failure of
railway staff as against 37.7%
in 2012-13.
The primary cause has
been track defects that ac-
was concerned over the
rising trend of accidents.
High density
Another glaring factor high-
lighted in the meeting held
in June 2016 was lack of
traffic block for track main-
tenance on high density net-
works of the Indian
Railways.
Around 38% of total 1,200
railway line sections have
full capacity utilisation and
around 16% of the lines run
on capacity utilisation of
more than 150% at present.
Such heavy capacity util-
ization poses significant risk
to railway safety as under-
taking track maintenance or
inspection activities be-
comes difficult on a daily
basis, a report by the gov-
ernment think-tank NITI
Aayog on Fund Develop-
ment Framework for
Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha
Kosh (RRSK) noted this
April.

1 dead in Mumbai Blue Whale

scare: Jaipur
building collapse boy rescued
Incident occurs during its demolition Press Trust of India
Jaipur
Special Correspondent hanmumbai Municipal Cor- A 16-year-old Jaipur boy,
Mumbai poration. who left home as part of
One person died and two the last stage of the notori-
were injured after a portion Police secures site ous Blue Whale game,
of a dilapidated building, Eight fire engines, a rescue was rescued by the city po-
which was being demol- van and a quick response lice from Mumbai.
ished, collapsed in Chan- vehicle, along with several The boy, a class 10 stu-
divali in Mumbai on Sat- ambulances were sent to the dent, left his home on
urday. spot, while the police se- Monday and reached Mum-
According to civic offi- cured the site to prevent in- bai by train the next day.
cials, the building, Krishnan terference by onlookers. He was tracked by the loca-
Business Park, had recently The traffic police too tion of his mobile phone
been vacated as it had been chipped in to ensure there and was rescued from
slated for demolition. Offi- were no traffic jams. Mumbais Churchgate area.
cials said the work was un- Fire officials rescued
der way in the ground plus three labourers and rushed
six storey commercial build- them to a hospital, where
ing. The middle portion of one of them was declared
the building gave way and dead before admission,
labourers who were helping while the other two had
with debris clearing were been admitted with frac-
trapped underneath the tures. We suspect three to
rubble. The fire brigade was four others are still trapped
informed and rescue opera- under the debris and opera-
tions began immediately, tions are under way, said
said an officer with the Bri- the police.

CM A ND-NDE
YK
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10 NEWS NOIDA/DELHI

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017

THE HINDU
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FROM PAGE ONE

HC slams Khattars
Patna goes green ahead of RJD rally State-level
fee rules for
Bihar capital gears up for partys show of strength; thousands of party workers and leaders arrive CBSE schools
surrender to vote bank Amarnath Tewary been decked up with huge Mamata Banerjee, former Press Trust of India
Patna green marquees and plat- U.P. Chief Minister Akhilesh Gandhinagar
An order issued by the Re- Haryana Government Ahead of the Rashtriya forms. Massive welcome Yadav, Congress leaders Fees charged by schools af-
gistrar of the Punjab and suspended Ashok Kumar, Janata Dals BJP bhagao, Desh arches with the names of vet- Ghulam Nabi Azad and C.P. filiated to the Central
High Court said: Suitable the Deputy Commissioner bachao (oust BJP, save coun- eran socialist leaders such as Joshi, CPI leaders Sudhakar Board of Secondary Educa-
accommodation for court of Police (DCP) of Panch- try) rally scheduled to be Karpoori Thakur have been Reddy and D. Raja, particip- tion (CBSE) should be as
room, etc. in the District kula, and posted Manbir held on Sunday, Patna has put up at the gates. The ating in the rally. per the norms fixed by the
jail, Rohtak at Sunaria shall Singh as the new DCP. turned green with party venue has two stages one Members of the States State government, CBSE
be provided and arrange- Tens of thousands of Dera flags, banners, posters, for the visiting leaders from ruling coalition, the JD(U) chairman R.K. Chaturvedi
ments also be made for the followers went on the ram- hoardings and huge wel- other parties and the other and the BJP, have taken a dig said on Saturday.
lawyers and parties to have page in Panchkula on Friday come arches. for the RJDs 80 MLAs. at the RJD for organising a Our affiliation by-laws
an easy access in court as the news broke that their Hundreds of thousands of rally when the State is fa- say the fee should be com-
room in the district jail. Fur- chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim party workers and district- Hosting the cadre cing flood fury. mensurate with infrastruc-
ther, necessary arrange- Singh had been convicted of level leaders have already All 80 RJD MLAs and other Its the height of insensit- ture and facilities offered
ments for security and safe rape by a CBI special court. trooped into the city . The party leaders have made ivity of RJD chief Lalu Prasad by the school. The
transport by air of the judi- The violence spread to district administration has All decked up: Posters displayed on the eve of Sundays RJD elaborate arrangements to to call a rally when entire quantum of fee should be
cial officer, who has to try other towns in Haryana and made elaborate arrangement rally in Patna. RANJEET KUMAR
* host party cadre and work- north Bihar is reeling under on par with the (respect-
the case in the district jail parts of Punjab as well. Few for the proposed mega rally ers. Huge tents have been severe flood, senior State ive) state governments
and two of staff members, incidents of arson were re- at the iconic Gandhi Maidan ground. In other hoardings shown as Lord Krishna and erected on the lawns of BJP leader and Minister norms, Mr. Chaturvedi
shall also be made. ported in Delhi. here. and banners, other members his brother Tejashwi as Ar- MLAs residences and cooks Nand Kishore Yadav said. said.
The huge billboards and of Mr. Prasads family have jun. From a corner their par- have been hired to feed The district administra- Mr. Chaturvedis state-
posters depicting the RJD been projected as deities and ents Lalu Prasad and Rabri them. Rebel JD(U) leaders tion has made security ar- ment comes even as CBSE
leader and his son and historical figures. In one Devi are seen blessing them. and Rajya Sabha members rangements. Over 20 CCTV schools have moved the
Kill him, kill him, former Deputy Chief Minis-
ter Tejashwi Yadav as
poster, Mr. Prasads eldest
daughter and partys Rajya
Other posters take a dig at
Prime Minster Narendra
Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar
have arrived in Patna to par-
cameras have been installed
in and around the rally
Gujarat High Court against
the State governments de-

screamed Premis Bahubali have been put up at

prominent thoroughfares
and intersections on the
Sabha member, Misa Bharti,
is shown as legendary war-
rior queen Rani Lakshmi Bai.
Modi, BJP national president
Amit Shah and others for the
demonetisation scam.
ticipate in the RJD rally. The
RJD has also released a list of
21 leaders, including West
venue and 4,000 police per-
sonnel have been deployed,
Senior Superintendent of Po-
cision to regulate fees of all
private schools, including
the CBSE-affiliated
They smashed the win- directions to the bus stand, roads leading to the rally In others, Tej PratapYadav is The Gandhi Maidan has Bengal Chief Minister lice Manu Maharaj said. institutions.
dows and the windscreen, ran into a proverbial Good
badly damaged the vehicle, Samaritan who offered him
and set it on fire, Mr. Ku- refuge in his house. I tried INTERVIEW | TEJASHWI YADAV
mar said. to contact Rakesh after I re-

Opposition will have to set aside its differences

The mob then turned on charged my phone but he
Mr. Kumar, blaming the me- was continuously out of
dia for the situation, and reach.
started raining blows on It was only later that I
him. While some in the mob realised that he had forgot-
shouted, Kill him, kill him, ten his phone in the car, and Former Deputy Chief Minister says our rally is to get the countrys populace behind a unified and tolerant Opposition
an elderly man thrashed it was burnt, along with our
him with a lathi, fracturing clothes, cash, and the cam- Smita Gupta means shes open to unity national party in the Opposi- with facts to prove that I or
his right arm. In the com- era. Around midnight, I got In a telephonic interview, former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar moves with the Samajwadi tion with a pan-Indian pres- my family had used the op-
motion, Mr. Kumar some- a call from Rakesh, and we and chosen successor to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Tejashwi Yadav Party (SP).Thats a positive ence, Congress can get the portunity provided by the
how managed to extricate could finally reconnect, Mr. speaks about the Opposition rally called by his father in Patna sign. U.P., Bihar and maximum seats and lead the voters for our benefit in
himself and fled towards the Singh said. Despite the har- on Sunday and the possible shape of Opposition politics in the Jharkhand together have 134 Opposition. Who will lead these 20 months?
houses in the nearby Shah- rowing experience on his months ahead. Excerpts: seats of which the BJP holds Congress is for the Congress Nitishji needed a reason
pur Begu village. very first assignment, he 115 seats currently. If the RJD, to decide. to surrender in front of the
was determined to pursue a Whats the aim of Lalu ter, vibrant and united SP, BSP, Congress and BJP to maintain his credibil-
People to the rescue career in journalism, he Prasads August 27 rally? future. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha get Is a United Front-type ity. The BJP was more than
Helped by a kind-hearted added. together, they can win over situation in which H.D. happy to comply. Thus we
man in the mob, the cam- A three-member team of With the BJPs rise, the RSS Sonia Gandhi, Rahul 100 Lok Sabha seats. Deve Gowda became PM had a string of politically in-
eraman also managed to es-
cape. We both ran in differ-
another Hindi news channel
was also stranded inside the
and its sister organisations
have set up systems to act as
Gandhi, Mayawati, and
Sitaram Yechury are
All these parties are based
on similar principles. All of
<
> We have to ensure a
united Opposition
in 1996, with the Congress
supporting from outside
spired accusations, cases and
raids His present cabinet
ent directions. A few Dera following the verdict a parallel government skipping the rally. Is that a us will have to respect each with an alternative possible in 2019? has 75% tainted ministers.
villagers came to my rescue. and rescued on Saturday without responsibility but setback? other's concerns and set positive narrative
One of them took me to a morning. The trio hid for with immense nuisance aside inter-party rivalry... which can expose Past experience shows this What then was Mr.
bus stand on his cycle, several hours in a room at value. in Delhi, the govern- The Desh Bachao, Bhajpa Some new parties like the PM Modi isnt a good idea its not Kumars real reason for
where I spotted a senior po- one of the hotels inside the ment employs right-wing Bhagao Maharally is an RJD Biju Janata Dal, the Asom good for stability. Its better returning to the BJP, given
lice officer. He then took me Dera. They eventually man- propaganda to hide its fail- rally, not a rally of all Opposi- Gana Parishad and the In- faulty or it cant be replic- to have a United Progressive that he broke his
to a hospital, Mr. Kumar aged to come out after es- ures. Every educational and tion parties. So too much dian National Lok Dal are ated with more principled Alliance-I-type situation in association with the party
said. tablishing contact with the constitutional body is sys- must not be read into the in- coming. and stable partners. ...Even which the Congress was sup- in 2013?
Mr. Singh, while seeking local administration. tematically being infested ability of top leaders of other in the so-called Modi wave, ported by all major regional
with Sangh Parivar members parties (to attend the rally) The grand alliance only 32% of the voters voted parties. There is more to it than
and rightist ideology, to .Those unable to attend governments collapse for the BJP... All we have to meets the eye! There must be

Qureshi arrested for change the minds of the

youth and the ethos of the
nation beyond repair...
have conveyed their per-
sonal reasons ... Soniaji per-
sonally spoke to me on
was not just a setback for
the RJD, but the entire
secular Opposition. Your
ensure is a united Opposition
with an alternative positive
narrative which can expose
Nitish Kumar recently
said: The mandate was
for serving the people of
some skeletons hidden in the
closet of this U-turn special-
ist that he simply sur-

money laundering The Opposition and those

opposing the propaganda-
Thursday; Rahulji has prior
commitments, and we were
comment. PM Modi, who has per-
formed miserably on all
Bihar and not for
enriching one family...
rendered in front of the
might of Narendra Damodar-
driven high-handedness of aware of it. The party will be The mahagatbandhan [grand fronts. das Modi, whom he was ac-
Qureshi extorted crores their kin, it said. the Sangh Parivar are being represented by other lead- alliance] was a perfect model After having ditched the cusing of causing all the
from a Hyderabad business- An analysis of the mes- hounded.... If we stay mute,.. ers. The CPI(M) is not com- to check the Sangh Parivar Will the Congress lead the mandate of the voters ...he hardships in the country not
man for the help provided. sages retrieved from the future generations will never ing, probably because of the and BJP. But if someone, who Opposition and, if so, who had to come up with baseless very long ago. One reason
He was also found involved mobile phones of Qureshi forgive us. Our rally is to get political situation in West was either being blackmailed will head it Sonia allegations to justify his un- could be the threat that the
in hawala transactions and his associates revealed the countrys populace to Bengal. (BSP chief ) May- or had a vested interest, de- Gandhi or Rahul? justifiable action. Levelling murder charges against him
through Delhi-based operat- that hawala operators were rally behind a unified and awatiji is not coming but her cided to part ways ... that accusations is easy, but what would get fast-tracked by the
ors for money transfers to allegedly used to transfer tolerant opposition for a bet- talking about sharing of seats doesn't mean the idea was As the biggest and the only stopped him from coming up BJP.
Dubai and then to Paris, bribe money to different for-
London, the U.S., Hong eign locations, like France
CPI(M) MP DMK team to meet Tamil Nadu Governor
Kong, Italy and Switzerland. and the United Kingdom.
Messages collected from The agency said that from
the Income Tax Department the premises of another
revealed that Qureshi had hawala operator in South takes dig
taken a huge amount of Delhi, huge amounts of un-
money from different per- accounted cash were seized at party Dhinakaran, rebel MLAs may meet President if Governor does not respond to their letter
sons for obtaining undue fa- in the same case.
Special Correspondent
vours. The messages were The ED is also probing Special Correspondent inakaran loyalists would leaving behind their family Pandiarajan a minister when
Puducherry/Tiruvarur
exchanged between him, the alleged foreign exchange Kolkata meet the President and sub- and people of their constitu- there are so many MLAs who
the accused in other crim- rule violations by Qureshi, Communist Party of India On a day when Tamil Nadu mit a memorandum seeking ency. We are not here to re- had sacrificed for the party?
inal cases, and also the per- whom it has questioned (Marxist) MP Ritabrata Governor Ch. Vidyasagar his intervention. joice but to sacrifice for the It was Chinnamma Sasikala
sons who wanted to seek multiple times in the past. Banerjee, who is at the Rao flew into Chennai, calls We have the support of a growth and welfare of the who protected the party. She
undue favours from the In all, two cases under the centre of a controversy for urging him to initiate ac- large number of MLAs. They party, he said. will be our permanent gen-
other investigating agencies, Prevention of Money Laun- use of expensive accessor- tion to bring the stalemate will be under threat if we an- Meanwhile, two more AI- eral secretary. It is unethical
the ED alleged. This way, dering Act have been re- ies, has taken refuge in the that has gripped the State nounce their names at this ADMK MLAs joined the 18 to remove her from the post.
he obtained huge amount of gistered against him. He is Supreme Courts recent grew shriller. point of time. As of now, we MLAs holed up at the Sun- Instead, the MLAs should de-
money in the name of gov- already being investigated verdict declaring right to While the rebel MLAs un- have 21 MLAs on our side. way Manor Hotel in Puduch- liberate and work together
ernment servants and polit- by the Income Tax Depart- privacy as a fundamental der T.T.V. Dhinakaran said We do not want the incum- erry on Saturday. Vriddach- towards bringing back Am-
ical persons holding public ment under the new Black right. they would meet the Presid- bent Chief Minister to con- alam MLA V.T. Kalaiselvan mas rule, they said.
office. The said public ser- Money (Undisclosed Foreign In a series of social me- ent if the Governor did not tinue, he said. and Aranthangi MLA Rath- They added that nearly
vants illegally got the money Income and Assets) and Im- dia posts recently, Mr. respond to their letter com- M.K. Stalin *

inasabapathy, who checked 122 MLAs stood in solidarity

for themselves or through position of Tax Act. Banerjee indirectly ac- municating withdrawal of Ready to support OPS in on Saturday morning, said in the Assembly to bring Am-
cused the CPI(M) leader- support to Chief Minister Ed- ernor on Sunday morning. However, we are ready to that the Chief Minister has to mas rule back. We were
ship of digging out inform- appadi K. Palaniswami, Addressing the media on extend our support to OPS if answer why he decided to also among the 122. What we

Technical snag forces AI ation about his bank

account without his per-
Leader of the Opposition
and DMK working president
Saturday, AIADMK MLA
Thangatamilselvan said if Mr.
he wants to become the CM,
he said.
merge with the OPS faction
and offered him the post of
have started now is the real
fight for justice. We will not
mission. Is getting hold of M.K. Stalin said his party- Vidyasagar Rao did not re- He added that the MLAs Deputy Chief Minister. stop till we usher in a new
flight to return to Srinagar ones bank statement an at-
tack on his/her privacy&
men would meet the Gov- spond within two days, Dh- had come to Puducherry How can they make K. rule in the State, they said.

(and) denies one of d [the]

India, Qatar discuss citizens welfare

Press Trust of India
Srinagar after developing a technical
snag mid-air.
right 2 [two] personal
liberty guaranteed by d
An Air India flight from Srin- Former Chief Minister [the] Constitution, stated
agar was forced to return to Omar Abdullah was also on- Mr. Banerjee in a recent so-
the airport here on Saturday board the flight. cial media post. 6 lakh Indians work in the Gulf state; plan to expand cooperation in energy, trade
Press Trust of India
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC New Delhi
India on Saturday discussed
On the draw Surendra with Qatar the welfare of its
citizens in the wake of its
lingering disputes with Saudi
Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and
Bahrain.
In wide-ranging talks
between External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj and
her Qatari counterpart
Sheikh Mohamed bin Ab-
dulrahman Al-Thani, the two
sides also discussed ways to
deepen co-operation in en-
ergy, trade and investment.
External Affairs Ministry
spokesperson Raveesh Ku-
mar said bilateral issues, in-
cluding welfare of the more
than six lakh workers, were
discussed.
Official sources said ex-
panding co-operation in en-
ergy, trade and investment
CM
YK
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj with Ministers of State
M.J. Akbar and V.K. Singh arrive to meet Qatar Minister Sheikh
Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Thani in New Delhi. PTI
were also discussed.
In June, the four Arab na-
tions had announced cutting
diplomatic ties and closing
all connectivity links with
* Modi and his Qatari counter-
Qatar, alleging that it suppor-
ted terrorism.
Qatar had rejected the
charges.
India had asked countries
in the region to resolve the
crisis through constructive
dialogue and well-estab-
lished international prin-
ciples of mutual respect.
Indias ties with Qatar
have intensified in the last
few years.
More projects
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh
Abdullah bin Nasser bin
Khalifa Al-Thani visited New
Delhi in December during
which India had expressed
keenness in investing in hy-
drocarbon projects in the
Gulf nation.
Prime Minister Narendra
part had also discussed en-
hancing cooperation in de-
fence and security and
agreed on joint action to
tackle money laundering
and terrorist financing.
More border
standoffs
likely: Rawat
Press Trust of India
Pune
China was attempting to
change the status quo on
its border with India and
incidents such as the ongo-
ing standoff in the Doklam
area are likely to in-
crease, Army Chief Gen-
eral Bipin Rawat said on
Saturday.
The recent standoff in
the Doklam plateau by the
Chinese side attempting to
change the status quo are
issues which we need to be
wary about, and I think
such kind of incidents are
likely to increase in the fu-
ture, Gen. Rawat said.
Delivering a lecture
here, he said pockets of
dispute and contested
claims to the territory con-
tinued to exist.
A ND-NDE
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THE HINDU
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
NOIDA/DELHI
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Restoring order: Personnel of the Rapid Action Force walk towards the Dera Sacha Sauda
Ashram in Sirsa on Saturday. AFP
Haryana braces for Monday, the day of sentencing
Death toll in Fridays violence touches
36; police identifying the dead
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
CHANDIGARH
With 36 people killed in the
violence triggered by sup-
porters of the Sirsa-based
Dera Sacha Sauda sect, au-
thorities are now establish-
ing the identity of the dead
and
post-mortems.
conducting
We have 17 bodies here;
post-mortem examination is
being carried out ... We will
inform the police once it is
over. They will inform the
families after identification is
completed, V.K. Bansal,
chief medical officer at the
civil hospital in Panchkula,
told The Hindu.
The Haryana government
on Saturday said that no res-
ident of Panchkula, the epi-
centre of the violence, had
been reported missing, in-
jured or killed.
As many as 34 cases have
been registered till now by
the police in the entire epis-
ode and 524 people have
been arrested.
Director-General of Police,
Haryana, B.S. Sandhu said
that while 30 people were
killed in Panchkula, six caus-
alities were reported from
Sirsa. Investigations are un-
der way, he said. The pro-
cess of identification [of the
bodies] has started and so
far, we have identified 13
bodies and their families are
being informed.
Sedition cases
Haryana Chief Secretary D.S.
Dhesi told presspersons that
two cases of sedition had
Army denies plan to
storm sects building
Deploys 24 columns in Haryana and Punjab
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
The Army deployed 24
columns across Haryana and
Punjab by Saturday, even as
it denied any immediate
plan to enter the Dera Sacha
Sauda headquarters in Sirsa.
About a lakh devotees of
Gurmeet Ram Rahim, head
of the sect and rape convict,
are holed up on the
premises.
A senior Army officer said
24 columns had been de-
ployed in the two States.
But the Armys sizeable
deployment is in Panchkula,
where 12 columns are at the
ready.
Panchkula, where the
trial court is located, wit-
nessed massive violence,
resulting in the death of at
least 28 people in the
township.
Eight columns in Sirsa
Eight Army columns are de-
ployed in Sirsa, while two
each are in Mansa and
Mukhtsar.
Each Army column has a
minimum of 80 troops.
The Army officially clari-
fied that it had no immediate
plan to enter the Dera Sacha
Saudas headquarters, a
sprawling compound where
tens of thousands of follow-
ers of the controversial guru
are holed up.
The devotees, among
them a large number of wo-
men and children, have re-
CM
YK
*
been registered against Dera
followers and investigation
was under way. During the
operation, the police re-
covered one AK 47 rifle and
one Mauser rifle from the
vehicle of a Dera follower,
and two rifles and five pistols
were recovered from another
vehicle, he said.
He said peace was prevail-
ing throughout the State and
all security arrangements
had been made for Monday,
when the quantum of sen-
tence would be decided.
As many as 101 companies
of paramilitary forces have
been deployed in the State,
while the Army has been de-
ployed in Panchkula and
Sirsa. Curfew has been re-
laxed in Panchkula and Sirsa,
Massive losses: An Army man looks at a charred vehicle
pulled by a recovery van in Panchkula. AKHILESH KUMAR *
<
> There is confusion
that the Army is
going inside the
Dera campus ...
there is no such
plan
Major-General Rajpal Punia
fused to disperse despite re-
peated appeals by the
authorities. The Army, the
police and paramilitary
forces have set up barri-
cades at entry points of the
sect headquarters.
Major-General Rajpal
Punia, General Officer Com-
manding, Hisar- based 33 Di-
34 cases have been registered, and
524 people arrested
he said. Additional Chief Sec-
retary (Home) Ram Niwas
said that the efficient action
taken by the security forces
to disperse the violent mob
in about three-and-a-half
hours had prevented the
situation from worsening.
Haryana Deputy Advoc-
ate-General Gurdass Singh
Salwara was sacked as he
was seen carrying the lug-
gage of the Dera chief while
the latter was taken to
Rohtak.
High security in Punjab
Punjab Chief Minister Capt.
Amarinder Singh said the
State had beefed up security
at vital installations and was
ready to enforce curfew in
sensitive areas again, if
vision, told presspersons,
There is some confusion
that the Army is going inside
the Dera campus. At the mo-
ment, there is no such plan.
The clarifications came
after some media reports
about Army entering the
premises, which further pre-
cipitated tension the region.
The senior officer said he
would be going to the sect
headquarters to ask the Dera
management to vacate the
premises. Asked if the sect
followers will be evacuated
from the headquarters, he
said, We will come back to
you.
On vigil: Security personnel keeping watch after the verdict
on Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in Sirsa. AKHILESH KUMAR
needed. It has also been de-
cided to extend the ban on
mobile data services in the
State till Tuesday (August
29), he said, adding that 19
potential trouble-makers had
been taken into preventive
custody and the crackdown
would continue ahead of the
sentencing. The main lead-
ers of Dera Sacha Sauda, who
are likely to instigate follow-
ers, are either being taken
into confidence or arrested.
Capt. Singh said the
curfew had been lifted in
three districts and relaxed in
the other areas. He said that
police officers had visited all
the 98 Naam Sacha Ghars of
the Dera in the State and re-
covered lathis, pipes, rods,
axes and petrol bombs.
Khattar will stay
on as CM, says BJP
Dont politicise violence, says party
Nistula Hebbar
NEW DELHI
The BJP on Saturday made it
clear that the party leader-
ship had not summoned
Haryana Chief Minister M.L.
Khattar in the aftermath of
the violence that broke out
in the State.
It was also made clear
that there was no move
afoot to remove Mr. Khattar
from the post, despite the
strong language used by the
Punjab and Haryana High
Court over the way the State
administration had handled
matters on Friday.
It is a rumour that the
party has asked Chief Minis-
ter M.L. Khattar to come to
Delhi for any meeting, BJP
general secretary Anil Jain
said.
The Opposition should
not politicise what
happened, people who died
were Dera supporters. The
State government had
sealed 36 Dera ashrams and
the Sirsa ashram is being va-
cated.
He refused to reveal
whether the party had
taken any call to sack the
Chief Minister after Fridays
events that led to the death
of 32 people because of po-
lice firing.
Shah meet leaders
Early on Saturday morning,
however, BJP president Amit
Shah met Mr. Jain and an-
other general secretary,
Kailash Vijayvargiya, who
*
101 companies of paramilitary forces
deployed across the State
340 trains
affected
Asian News International
New Delhi
Following Fridays
violence in Punjab and
Haryana, 340 train
services in the two States
were cancelled or
terminated before
reaching their destinations
on Saturday, the Railways
said.
Neeraj Sharma, Chief
Public Relation Officer,
Northern Railways, said as
many as 650 trains would
be affected till Sunday.
Manohar Lal Khattar
are in charge of the party af-
fairs in Haryana. Sources
said Mr. Khattar would not
be summoned to Delhi; nor
was his removal on the
party agenda.
The high command was
in constant touch with the
Chief Minister, and it is to be
noted that the Baba [Gur-
meet Ram Rahim Simgh]
reached the court without
any violence being perpet-
rated, a source said.
The party has been in-
formed that people did not
come in a group or together
to Panchkula, but in a
scattered way; when Gur-
meet Ram Rahim Singh
reached the court, the
crowd suddenly swelled.
The State government
tried to avoid a confronta-
tion, and as part of this
strategy, the Baba was
moved out of Panchkula in a
helicopter. After the verdict,
the administration ensured
that minimum losses took
place and tried to protect
media and ordinary
people, the source said.
At the ready: An Army convoy taking out a flag march to restore confidence among civilians and
to maintain law and order in Panchkula on Saturday. AKHILESH KUMAR
Dera head treated
like other convicts
Ashok Kumar
SIRSA
Rohtak Deputy Commis-
sioner Atul Kumar on Sat-
urday said that Dera Sacha
Sauda (DSS) chief Gurmeet
Ram Rahim Singh was being
treated as an ordinary in-
mate in Sunaria Jail in Ro-
htak, and was being
provided the same food that
is provided to other
inmates.
With the CBI judge to be
flown to Rohtak to pro-
nounce the quantum of sen-
tence in the case, the
Deputy Commissioner said
that the situation in the dis-
trict was under control and
that the police was prepared
to tackle any situation.
Making an appeal to the
people to not to enter the
district without specific or
urgent reasons, Mr. Kumar
said that barricades have
been set up at several places
to check every person enter-
ing Rohtak and that a Duty
Magistrate has also been
deputed.
10 companies deployed
If during the check, any per-
son fails to produce proof of
identity or specify a sound
reason for visiting the dis-
trict, then he would be
taken into custody.
The police have so far
It was not an easy
investigation for CBI
Persistence helped agency crack pall of fear over victims
Devesh K. Pandey
New Delhi
Corroborative statements of
two rape victims and their
relatives, besides adverse lie-
detection test results of
three close associates of Gur-
meet Ram Rahim Singh and
other circumstantial evid-
ence, proved crucial in his
conviction by the Special
CBI court in Panchkula, 15
years after the case was re-
gistered. The charge-sheet
filed in the case reveals that
given the influence wielded
by Ram Rahim, it was not an
easy investigation for the
CBI.
Taking cognisance of an
anonymous letter, alleging
sexual exploitation of girls
by the Dera Sacha Sauda
chief, the Punjab and Hary-
ana High Court had in May
2002 directed the District
and Sessions Judge (Sirsa) to
probe. However, the judge
found that no one was will-
ing to speak up. Not ruling
out the possibility, the judge
recommended a central
agency investigation and
therefore, on the High Court
directive, the CBI registered
the case on December 12,
2002.
Just two speak out
In 2005, the agency man-
aged to get a list of residents
at the dera, revealing that 53
Sadhvis lived in the girls
hostel and 80 in the Dera
Sacha Saudas Sirsa ashram,
NEWS 11
*
Deputy Advocate-General sacked for
carrying luggage of Dera chief
IN BRIEF
<
> Situation in the
district under
control and the Violence unacceptable,
police is prepared says Venkaiah
to tackle any VELAGAPUDI
Condemning the violence
situation
that broke out in Punjab and
Atul Kumar
Rohtak Deputy Commissioner Haryana, Vice-President M.
Venkaiah Naidu said such
incidents were not acceptable
taken seven persons into in a democracy. At a function
custody, he added. here on Saturday, Mr. Naidu
As many as 10 companies said the violence was
of paramilitary forces have unfortunate, and added the
been deployed. manner in which the vested
Mr. Kumar added that 18 interests provoked people in
columns of the Army had the name of religion, caste
been requisitioned, and and language was deplorable.
these would soon reach the
district and carry out a flag
march.
Section 144 imposed
Apart from this, the District
Administration, Rohtak, has
imposed Section 144 of the
Code of Criminal Procedure Dera chief loses Z-plus
(CrPC), prohibiting as- security cover
sembly of five or more per- Dera Sacha Sauda chief
sons and the carrying of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singhs
firearms and other Z-plus security cover was
weapons. withdrawn after his
The administration has conviction, Haryana Chief
also directed the gram pan- Secretary D.S. Dhesi said here
chayats to deploy youth to on Saturday. He denied any
carry out thikri pehra (a vi- special treatment being given
gil by the community for to the Dera chief in jail. The
peace) for maintenance of moment he was arrested, his
law and order in their Z plus cover stood
villages. withdrawn, he said. PTI
Followers start leaving
Dera, 2 policemen held
Special correspondent Dera had voluntarily left the
SIRSA premises and walked away.
Two Punjab Police It has also announced a
personnel have been relaxation of curfew from 6
arrested from the premises a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sunday.
of the Purana Dera (the Two serving Punjab
older Dera about 3 km from policemen were arrested
the main one) and two from the Purana Dera. Two
AK-47s, along with small AK 47s and two small
weapons, were allegedly weapons were recovered
seized from them. from them, Sirsa
The local administration Superintendent of Police,
claimed on Saturday Ashwin Shenvi, told The
evening that all the Hindu. The death toll has
followers in the Purana risen to six.
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
while 24 others had left by spoke up. It was in May-July
then. The agency contacted 2006 that the CBI managed
130 girls, who declined to co- to convince two victims to
operate owing to an atmo- share complete information.
sphere of fear and physical, They gave a detailed account
mental and spiritual control of what was happening in-
of Baba Gurmeet Singh. side the Dera chief s rooms
Of the 24 Sadhvis who and what transpired to them
had left the Dera between in August 1999. One of them
1997 and 2002, 20 were recorded her statement un-
traced. Most of them were der Section 164 of the Cr.PC
married and did not want to in March 2007. As described
come out with the truth, by the victims, there was an
fearing adverse old and a new Dera complex
consequences. in the ashram, where Ram
The CBI examined 18 girls Rahim had a separate ac-
who had left the ashram, commodation called the
some of who said the Dera Gufa (cave).
chief, its management and Ram Rahim would al-
his followers were very legedly summon the Sad-
dangerous people and they hvis into his cave and then
feared for their lives if they force himself upon them.
A ND-NDE
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12 WHO WHAT WHY WHEN WHERE

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
NOIDA/DELHI

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017

THE HINDU

Rajiv Kumar has been picked as the ernments senior Ministers and top offi- the Prime Ministers impressive and ing or stagnating. Rural distress is for the next decade. He also has strong
WHO
Pp q
Q second Vice-Chairman of the NITI
Aayog, the think tank set up by the Nar-
cials, including Cabinet Secretary P.K.
Sinha and Additional Principal Secret-
sharp focus on economic develop-
ment. I was an optimist in govern-
mounting Such talk projects an image
of a government not empathetic or
views about Indias foreign trade policy
and could push for an overhaul of the
endra Modi government as a substitute ary in the Prime Ministers Office P.K. ment, but didnt let that cloud my aware of peoples real concerns. This export incentives system.
for the Planning Commission. An Ox- Mishra. His word is taken seriously judgement, Mr. Panagariya said after can rebound badly, he wrote in Modi

Rajiv Kumar ford-educated economist with extensive

experience in shaping the contours of
public policy both in and outside the
enough by the government to include
him on the selection panel for high-pro-
file jobs such as chiefs of regulatory
announcing his exit. Mr. Kumar is not
only optimistic, but probably has the
gumption to speak out on issues that
and his Challenges released last year.

What could be his agenda?

Any surprises?
Bureaucrats may need to come up with
better excuses, but Mr. Kumar could

powerful government Mr. Kumar is likely to

take charge of his new role in Septem-
ber, once his predecessor Arvind
bodies. But it is not the proximity, but
the pragmatic policy advice he could
bring to the table that would be critical
others in the government may shy away
from. Take his advice to gov-
ernment spokespersons,
Spurring the formal economy, reviving
private investment and creating jobs is
likely to be the mantra of Mr. Kumar,
bring some relief for citizens as he be-
lieves the government could pare the
high taxes on petroleum products to

planner Panagariya returns to academic pursuits

at Columbia University in New York. He
now serves as Chancellor of the Pune-
for a government that has now lost two
economists of global repute in the past
one year (Raghuram Rajan and Mr.
for instance stop
claiming economic vic-
tory on being the fast-
who feels all other economic prior-
ities must make way for employ-
ment creation. Jobs are critical for
push consumption and investment de-
mand. Last but not in the least interest-
ing, Mr. Kumar is a firm backer for a vol-
based Gokhale Institute of Politics and Panagariya). His diverse experience and est growing economy Mr. Modis politics to meet the untary two-year social service scheme
Economics and a senior fellow at the vast social network within industry and and talk about efforts exploding aspirations of his for the youth to ensure unemployment
Centre for Policy Research in Delhi and the academia should come in handy. to expand employment young supporters and prevent doesnt lead them astray. This would
is also the founding director of Pahle In- Consider this: apart from being a mem- instead. Irrespective of them from spilling out on to the have to be managed by our armed
dia Foundation, a non-profit think tank ber of the National Security Advisory the veracity of statistical streets in support of extremists of forces, as was the case with the National
in the capital. Reporting directly to the Board, he has worked at the Asian De- claimsthe truth is that all shades. Cadet Corps, and have national integra-
Prime Minister, the think tanks Chair- velopment Bank and industry chambers production and Mr. Kumar be- tion as the principal objectives. The ac-
person, Mr. Kumar could wield a power- CII and FICCI, and was once the CEO of employ- lieves higher em- tual deployment can also contribute to
ful influence on the management of the the economic think tank ICRIER. ment in ployment will building some assets in the rural sector
economy and the Centres policy major automatically and address rising rural distress by tak-
priorities. Why him? sectors take the Indian ing up agricultural extension work.
Having met Mr. Modi first when he was are economy close Wait for it.
What does he bring to the job? Chief Minister of Gujarat six years ago, either to double digit
He is more than familiar with the gov- Mr. Kumar is in sync with what he calls declin- growth rates VIKAS DHOOT
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aid and welfare. The provision man- So Article 35A was added to the Con- knowledge, introduce a new Article. 21 of the Constitution.
WHAT
Pp q
Q dates that no act of the legislature com-
ing under it can be challenged for violat-
stitution as a testimony of the special
consideration the Indian government
This question remains open.
A writ petition filed by NGO We the
A second petition filed by Jammu and
Kashmir native Charu Wali Khanna has
ing the Constitution or any other law of accorded to the permanent residents Citizens challenges the validity of both challenged Article 35A for protecting
the land. of Jammu and Kashmir. Article 35A and Article 370. It argues certain provisions of the Jammu and

The lowdown How did it Article 35A was in-

come about? corporated into the
Why does it
matter?
The parliamentary
route of lawmaking was
that four representatives from Kashmir
were part of the Constituent Assembly
involved in the drafting of the Constitu-
Kashmir Constitution, which restrict the
basic right to property if a native wo-
man marries a man not holding a per-

on Article 35A Constitution in 1954

by an order of the then President Ra-
jendra Prasad on the advice of the Jawa-
bypassed when the
President incorporated Article 35A into
the Constitution. Article 368 (i) of the
tion and the State of Jammu and Kash-
mir was never accorded any special
status in the Constitution. Article 370
manent resident certificate. Her chil-
dren are denied a permanent resident
certificate, thereby considering them il-
harlal Nehru Cabinet. The controversial Constitution empowers only Parliament was only a temporary provision to legitimate, the petition said.
Constitution (Application to Jammu and to amend the Constitution. So did the help bring normality in Jammu and
Kashmir) Order of 1954 followed the President act outside his jurisdiction? Is Kashmir and strengthen democracy in What next? Attorney-General
1952 Delhi Agreement entered into Article 35A void because the Nehru gov- that State, it contends. The Constitu- K.K. Venugopal has
between Nehru and the then Prime ernment did not place it before Parlia- tion-makers did not intend Article 370 called for a debate in the Supreme
Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh ment for discussion? A five-judge Bench to be a tool to bring permanent amend- Court on the sensitive subject.
Abdullah, which extended Indian cit- of the Supreme Court in its March 1961 ments, like Article 35A, in the Recently, a Supreme Court Bench,
What is it? Article 35A is a provi- izenship to the State subjects of Jammu judgment in Puranlal Lakhanpal vs. The Constitution. led by Justice Dipak Misra, tagged the
sion incorporated in and Kashmir. President of India discusses the Presid- The petition said Article 35 A is Khanna petition with the We the Cit-
the Constitution giving the Jammu and The Presidential Order was issued ents powers under Article 370 to against the very spirit of oneness of In- izens case, which has been referred to a
Kashmir Legislature a carte blanche to under Article 370 (1) (d) of the Constitu- modify the Constitution. Though the dia as it creates a class within a class three-judge Bench. The court has indic-
decide who all are permanent resid- tion. This provision allows the President court observes that the President may of Indian citizens. Restricting citizens ated that the validity of Articles 35A and
ents of the State and confer on them to make certain exceptions and modi- modify an existing provision in the Con- from other States from getting employ- 370 may ultimately be decided by a
special rights and privileges in public fications to the Constitution for the be- stitution under Article 370, the judg- ment or buying property within Jammu Constitution Bench.
sector jobs, acquisition of property in nefit of State subjects of Jammu and ment is silent as to whether the Presid- and Kashmir is a violation of funda-
the State, scholarships and other public Kashmir. ent can, without the Parliaments mental rights under Articles 14, 19 and KRISHNADAS RAJAGOPAL

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Why the agitation? jars and the Patels. The once smitten The Kapus were disappointed with mission though it has been touring the
Pp WHY Q
q * Over a year after a violence-marred
agitation, the farming community of
twice shy Telugu Desam Party govern-
ment and the Andhra Pradesh police
his move. State and taking representations. The
delay appears to have come in handy
Kapus in Andhra Pradesh, constituting did not take any chances and kept him What did Naidu promise? for Mr. Padmanabham and the main Op-
about 20% of the population, has again under house arrest till August 3. * It was in this background that the first position YSRCP to hit out at the govern-

do the Kapus hit the road demanding its inclusion in

notified Backward Classes to be able to
get reservation in government jobs and
What role did Chiranjeevi play?
* The demand for quota for the Kapus
elections after bifurcation of the State
into Telangana and the residual Andhra
Pradesh were held in 2014. In his bid to
ment and get some political mileage.
The YSRCP and the Congress have ex-
tended support to Mr. Padmanabhams

in Andhra educational institutions.

In an attempt to revive the agitation
in support of the long-pending demand,
has been there for more than two dec-
ades now, and from time to time, the is-
sue has been used effectively by ambi-
stage a comeback, after being in the Op-
position for a decade, Telugu Desam
Party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu
movement for reservation. Their fre-
quent consultations led the ruling
Telugu Desam Party to see a conspiracy

want quotas? the communitys leading light, former

Minister Mudragada Padmanabham,
gave a call to his supporters to join him
tious Kapu leaders and political parties
to garner votes from this numerically
strong community.
promised all things to all, from crop
loan waiver for farmers to quotas for the
Kapus within six months of coming to
against the government. In Andhras
political firmament, Mr. Padmanabham
is seen as a maverick who has
in a Chalo Amaravati (the new capital of In 2008, the popular actor-turned- power. Kapus, a sizeable chunk of switched loyalties from one party to an-
Andhra Pradesh) padayatra from his politician K. Chiranjeevi, who belongs whom were voters of the Congress, shif- other, starting with the Janata Party in
residence at Kirlampudi in East Godav- to the Kapu community, formed the ted their loyalties and helped Mr. Naidu 1978 to the Telugu Desam Party and
ari district on July 27. Praja Rajyam. return to power. Three years on, there then to the Congress and even the Bhar-
A similar call by him on January 31, He wanted to make a political im- has been no announcement on the atiya Janata Party. He resigned from the
2016, led to large-scale violence in Tuni, pact, riding on the sentiment that none quota. After last years violence and Mr. Cabinet of N.T. Rama Rao and started
also in East Godavari district, when the from the community could rise to the Padmanabhams fast, the government his own outfit, Praja Rakshana Party,
agitators torched a train and two police level of Chief Minister though the popu- constituted the Manjunatha Commis- but wound it up. He has not been con-
stations, leaving a number of people lation was larger than the Reddys and Chiranjeevi could win just 18 of the 294 sion to look into the demands for quota testing elections since 2014 but sees an
and policemen injured. the Kammas. seats in the 2009 Assembly elections; by the Kapus and other communities. opportunity in the Kapus grouse of be-
In asking people to come to Tuni in The chief ministership had been his party merged with the Congress in ing denied quotas.
thousands and lay siege to the rail track, shared by these two communities for a 2011 and he himself entered the Rajya What about the Manjunatha panel?
he has drawn inspiration from the Guj- major part of the last 60 years. But Mr. Sabha. * There is no word yet from the Com- K. VENKATESHWARLU

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Darkness at noon: A total solar eclipse

WHEN
Pp q
Q united most of America on Monday with
millions gazing at the sky as the sun
vanished behind the moon for the first
time in nearly a century. The total eclipse

21
could be seen coast to coast across 14
States from Oregon to South Carolina,
with the spectacle lasting two minutes
and 40 seconds at places like Madras,
August 2017 Oregon (in the picture). The U.S. space
agency NASA streamed it live, beaming
stunning pictures, including one of the
sun looking like a "luminous diamond
ring", which appears for an instant before
and after totality. When the moon
blotted out the sun, it became dark and
temperatures dropped. It became a
cultural event too, with people clicking
photos with cellphones and bombarding
social media. As the New York Times said
days before the event, the most
celebrated is the 1919 solar eclipse in
which photographic measurements
verified Einstein's idea that space and
time can bend.... This time, the surest
claim is that the Great American Eclipse
of 2017 will be the most photographed
in history... AFP *

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Often in the news for political violence, Rehman belonged to the faction led ies were trying to capture villages in complicated the situation. While Mr. Is-
WHERE
Pp q
Q Bhangar, a predominantly rural area in
West Bengal's South 24 Parganas dis-
by former Trinamool MLA and strong-
man Arabul Islam.
Bhangar. lam allegedly forced the villagers to sell
their land for the power grid project,
trict, is on the boil again. Villagers are What are the residents saying? opposing groups, led by Trinamool
angry over the alleged forced acquisi- Why is the government in a fix? The residents, however, repeatedly em- MLA and expelled CPI(M) leader Abdur
tion of about 14 acres of land by the The land agitation in Bhangar has put phasised that they were not against the Rezzak Molla and local Trinamool

In Bengal, State government on behalf of the

Power Grid Corporation of India (PG-
PCI) to set up a power grid in the area.
the Trinamool government in a spot as
it has a declared stand against forced
land acquisition.
power grid but that they didn't want it
in such a densely populated area. The
agitators said they were ready to resolve
leader Kaizar Ahmed, fanned the villa-
gers discontent in a bid to stop Mr. Is-
lam from supplying construction mater-

a land What happened?

There had been an undercurrent of ten-
After the Nandigram and Singur land
movements, which Mamata Banerjee
spearheaded and which led to the end
the issue, but that the State government
had not called them for talks. The pro-
cess of acquiring land started about
ial for the project.
Bhangar is a Trinamool stronghold,
and yet the government hasnt been

agitation puts sion since the agitation turned violent in

January, but on July 30, the situation
took a turn for the worse when a local
of 34 years of Left rule in the State, the
Trinamool Congress government clearly
stated that it would play no role in land
three years ago. But things got out of
hand in January when two men were al-
legedly shot dead by the police after the
able to contain the discontent or the vi-
olence. In this backdrop, a relatively un-
known party, the Communist Party of
govt. in a spot Trinamool Congress leader and mem-
ber of the Bhangar II panchayat samity
acquisition, which has been seen as a
major hurdle to industry. The 1955 West
villagers staged a protest demonstration
when a popular local leader Sheikh
India (Marxist-Leninist) Red Star, joined
the fight. Although the party has no or-
Ashikur Rehman was shot dead in a Bengal Land Reforms Act also has a Samsul Haque, who belongs to the Trin- ganisational base in the State, two of its
market area. stringent urban land ceiling (Section 14) amool but supports the agitators, was senior leaders, Alik Chakraborty and
Even as the villagers and Trinamool that prohibits possession of land in ex- arrested. Following the deaths, irate vil- Sarmistha Chowdhury who was arres-
leaders began a blame game over his cess of 24.2 acres. lagers not only blocked roads with tree ted and released on bail, are leading the
death, a section of the locals alleged On June 12, at a government pro- trunks to prevent the police from enter- agitation. According to the villagers,
that the fresh bout of violence was an gramme in Bhangar, Chief Minister dry and there would be infertility ing the area but also attacked the police- peace can be restored at Bhangar if the
outcome of the ruling party leadership's Mamata Banerjee spoke in favour of set- among locals if the grid came up. She men already deployed there. government addresses their concerns
attempt to force Trinamool factions to ting up the power grid and said there sought to differentiate the situation at through talks.
work together without resolving the were no facts to substantiate the claims Bhangar from that of Singur and Nandi- Is there a fight within Trinamool?
land issue. of agitators that crops would become gram and claimed that private compan- Factional feuds in the Trinamool have SOUYMA DAS
CM A ND-NDE
YK
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THE HINDU
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
NOIDA/DELHI
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Walking down many memory lanes
Cities such as Berlin have valuable lessons on how multiple histories can coexist in a single place
Ruchir Joshi
is a writer, filmmaker and columnist
Spending time in one of northern
Europes big cities can be instructive in
many ways. Once you get over the ef-
fects of long-lasting wealth on a society,
the smooth, extensive transport sys-
tems, the latest technology in daily use,
the plethora of goods, the wide choice
of cuisines, the relative safety which wo-
men and children enjoy, the palpable
good health of most of the people you
see on the street and so on and so forth,
other stuff comes to the fore.
Change and continuity
Having been in Berlin for the last few
weeks, Im once again struck by the
continuity the urban landscape has with
previous centuries. Standing at this or
Thinking outside the
manufacturing box
We need to create jobs beyond, not just in, factories
GETTY IMAGES/ ISTOCK
Raghavan Srinivasan
is Editor, The Hindu Business Line
Last week, Arvind Panagariya, the out-
going vice chairman of NITI Aayog, or-
ganised what was perhaps the most in-
novative and inclusive effort yet to
make Prime Minister Narendra Modis
vision of Make in India a reality. Two
hundred of Indias best and brightest
young CEOs apart from a handful of
exceptions, almost all of whom were
under 50 years of age were invited
by the governments think tank to
brainstorm over a day and a half and
come up with ideas and solutions for
making India a manufacturing hub of
the world.
At the end of the Champions of
Change programme, the CEOs were
expected to come up with short
presentations covering possible solu-
tions, cutting across the six core
themes of the conference: New India
by 2022, Doubling Farmers Incomes,
creating Cities of Tomorrow, Make in
India, Reforming the Financial Sector,
and building World-Class
Infrastructure.
The reality of jobless growth
While the themes address the core
policy thrust areas of the Modi admin-
istration, it was pretty clear which
problem the government would really
like to see addressed. Speaking to the
gathering, both Prime Minister Modi
and Panagariya said pretty much the
same thing: think of ways to create
large numbers of productive, well-paid
jobs.
The reason why jobs are top of
mind for those who are running the
government even Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley, while releasing the NITI
Aayogs three-year plan on August 24,
chided India Inc. for its reluctance to
invest in labour-intensive sectors is
not hard to fathom. The spectre of
The confederacy of conspiracy theorists
Under Trump, white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, and self-declared neo-Nazis have moved from the margins to the centre
Keerthik Sasidharan
was born in Palakkad and lives in New York
Little noticed amidst all the political
punditry that followed Donald Trumps
improbable rise to power was the daily
diet of conspiracy theories that he had
engorged himself on and had thrown
around for his base as red meat.
March of the neo-Nazis
Since January 2017, when Trump be-
came President, many conspiracy the-
orists have emerged as amplified voices
in the American public arena includ-
ing white supremacists, the Ku Klux
Klan, and self-declared neo-Nazis all
of whom rely on a steady dose of con-
spiracies and enemies to sustain their
movements. Nowhere was this seen
more vividly than in Charlottesville, Vir-
ginia, a couple of weeks back when
American neo-Nazis, their allies, and in-
tellectual godfathers marched openly in
a show of force.
CM
YK
that U-Bahn or S-Bahn station on the
metro network, one sees on the walls
not only advertising imagery but huge
black-and-white photographs of what
the area around the station looked like
earlier, in the 19th century, in the early
years of the 20th century, mid-century,
and more recently. Its startling to see
the huge church youve just walked past
looking the same in black and white, ex-
cept dotted around it are horse-car-
riages or cars from the 1930s. Chalo,
you think subconsciously, obviously a
church or a monument would be pre-
served and kept protected from de-
velopers. But then you see a street-
scape and you recognise quite ordinary
but beautiful buildings, a corner of a
park or even a kiosk, and you find your-
self thinking, No, that would not have
survived back home; someone would
have tampered with it, erased it.
Places like Venice or Paris are obvi-
ous outliers in a sense. For centuries,
these cities have ingrained in their DNA
the understanding that their USP is
their glorious past, that they are what
they are because tourists from all over
the world come there to see and admire
jobless growth is real, and as mil-
lions continue to join the workforce
every year without finding enough
good jobs, jobs or the lack of them
could become a make-or-break issue at
the next general elections, approach-
ing with gathering speed.
India is doing fairly well on the
growth front: the overall economy is
growing at 7.1%, while the services sec-
tor, which accounts for over 53% of the
gross value added, is clocking 9%
growth, the highest in the world in the
services sector among major econom-
ies, according to the Economic Survey.
The trouble is, this is not translating
into an adequate number of jobs.
Even Labour Minister Bandaru Dat-
tatreya admitted as much recently.
Speaking at one of the events to mark
three years of the Modi government in
May, he said: The current growth is a
jobless growth. Many European and
Asian countries, including India, are
facing it. Growth is being reported but
it is not reflecting in employment
generation.
The numbers dont really matter.
The reality is that the number of jobs
created over 6 lakh according to Dat-
tatreya and just 1.35 lakh jobs in three
years according to the Centre for
Equity Studiess India Exclusion Re-
port 2016 pale in comparison to
those being added to the workforce. It
is no wonder that the Prime Minister is
constantly urging India Inc. to rise to
the challenge.
The trouble is, that is an ask which
practically any modern, globally com-
petitive manufacturing industry in
India or anywhere else in the world
Armed with 19th century social sci-
ence claims about race, cultural unique-
ness, biological superiority of the
whites, and 21st century technology to
spread their word, the neo-Nazis
chanted (Jews will not replace us) and
stormed into the national conversation.
Notwithstanding the irony that many of
the 21st century white nationalists (with
ancestries from the Balkans and South-
ern Europe) would have had difficulty
being identified as white in 19th cen-
tury America, the present-day Nazis an-
nounced their intentions to build an
apartheid-style ethno-state. Much of
this rhetoric is intended as a public
show of commitment for their base. But
for now they did the next best thing:
they went in front of cameras. They de-
nounced with fervour any and all who
didnt agree with them as globalists,
cosmopolitans, Jew-lovers, and cucks
(cuckolds sexual anxiety about race
mixing is a persistent theme).
Later when asked to comment on
(and hopefully condemn) the neo-Nazi
march, Trump, instead of providing
moral clarity and leadership, went
down a rhetorical rabbit hole that was
indistinguishable from the kind of
mealy mouthed justifications that self-
respecting adulterers deploy when
caught. More telling, however, was
GETTY IMAGES/ ISTOCK
various golden eras that adorn the city
in the shape of the buildings, the
squares, or the waterfronts. Berlin has
also attracted people over the decades,
starting from the latter part of the 19th
century, but unlike Paris and Venice it
took serious damage in the Second
World War as the Allied bombers retali-
ated for the ravages the Nazi air force
had visited on their cities. Unlike any
other European city, Berlin was cut up
after the war, first into four sectors and
then into two. During the Cold War, for
nearly half a century, the city was made
schizophrenic by the Soviets and the
will find pretty difficult to deliver on.
In order to be globally competitive,
any large-scale manufacturing in In-
dia or elsewhere is now increasingly
automated, with more robots than
people. Last month, for instance, I vis-
ited Hyundais manufacturing plant
near Chennai. Its new second manu-
facturing line produces a car every 72
seconds but is 95% automated.
The only way to stay competitive is
greater investment in technology and
automation. In other words, fewer
jobs. What, then, is the solution?
Creating a circular economy
Maybe its time to revisit Mahatma
Gandhis idea of a circular economy.
Increasingly, the world is coming to an
understanding that the manufactur-
ing-led take, make, dispose model is
simply unsustainable from both an
economic and ecological point of view.
As the focus necessarily shifts to a
more circular, take, make, refurbish,
repair, reuse model, the manufactur-
ing sector could look at how it can cre-
ate jobs around the products it makes,
rather than find ways to create more
jobs making those products. Every car
Hyundai or Maruti makes creates
dozens of jobs down the line from
drivers to mechanics to spare parts
and fuel shops to even car cleaning. A
single mega factory can manufacture
all the denim needed for all the jeans
worn by young people in the world
but it would still take millions to con-
vert cloth to clothes, to sell them, to
repair zips and buttons, and eventu-
ally, when they are worn, to recycle
them.
The Prime Minister is banking on
the manufacturing sector to solve the
jobs problem. The sector can do so,
but only if it thinks out of the manufac-
turing box. Maybe thats the real chal-
lenge we should be looking at. It is
time our young CEOs turned their at-
tention to how the products and ser-
vices they deliver can create jobs out-
side the factory and come up with
innovative solutions and skills pro-
grammes to make that happen. India
may not become the making capital
of the world but it can become the
remaking and reusing capital.
NEW YORK TIMES
Trumps extraordinary reluctance to
condemn these supremacists groups ex-
cept when he was later forced to read
out a written statement (a hostage
note, as a wag described it).
In parts, Trumps instinctive demur-
ral is understandable. He and these
groups consume the same media
sources sources where conspiracy
theories grow faster than mushrooms
after monsoons to shape the worlds
they inhabit. Together, they bathe in a
wellspring of reactionary anger that
sees the wreckage of their idealised past
float by, thanks to the patient chipping
away (by law and demographics) of the
Western powers, with West Berlin an
outpost surrounded on all sides like an
isolated rook on a chessboard. From
1961 the siege effect was intensified by
the huge, ugly wall that sawed the city
into two with a wide, barren no mans
land running through the middle like a
dead river. And yet, all that has been ab-
sorbed as Berlin continues to transform.
Absorbed, digested, but somehow
not erased. Over the last 150 years and
more, Berlin has had huge ups and
downs: the capital of the newly unified
German state was established here;
there was the pomp of the Kaisers; the
All the books that are
on the shelf
Our reading options may not be so innocently collected
Mini kapoor
is Ideas Editor, The Hindu
This week, on Friday, The New York
Times announced the unusual step of
yanking a book off the No.1 spot on
one of its bestseller lists, and readjus-
ted its Young Adult Hardcover Books
list without Lani Sarems Handbook of
Mortals. This followed feedback about
peculiar activity that had catapulted
Sarems debut novel, the first in a
planned fantasy series, to the top. The
Guardian reported that upon news of
its supposed success, other YA writers
had become suspicious about how a
book that was out of stock on Amazon
and that others had hardly heard of
could be a genuine bestseller. As they
asked around, they found bulk orders
at NYT-reporting shops, a list of
stores thats supposed to be confiden-
tially drawn up so that writers and
publishers cannot game the lists, and
their sleuthing compelled the paper to
announce that the sales for Handbook
for Mortals did not meet our criteria
for inclusion and that it had been ex-
punged from the list.
This episode draws attention to how
much of our discovery of new books is
dependent on crafty placement of
titles, if not outright manipulation as
in the above case. Getting on the NYT
list, for example, creates its own mo-
mentum in increasing sales of the
book in the U.S., the bestselling
books are often placed prominently in
bookshops, and offered on discount,
giving the books on the list a double
advantage at recommending them-
selves to buyers. A book thats noticed
has a better chance of being bought.
Making of a bestseller
Indeed, the very fact of a book being
stocked itself determines how well a
book does. As Keith Gessen noted in
his short but exhaustive inquiry into
monolith of historically experienced
white privileges. Trumps instinctive
willingness to offer up equivocations for
fellow reactionary minds is a form of a
bullys empathy for those losing their
monopoly of historically accrued power
and social capital which is often mis-
taken for even-handedness. To expect
Trump to ask whether monopolies of
power in society are good in the first
place is, by all accounts, to ask too
much of him.
All this said, last weeks events in
Charlottesville arent new in American
history per se. Neither for its organised
efforts to intimidate on racial lines nor
COLUMNWIDTH 13
radical scientists and the subversive,
subterranean strata of artists and bo-
hemians who worked here before the
first World War; there was the humili-
ation of defeat in that first huge conflict
and then the great flowering of the arts
that followed in the 20s and early 30s;
there was the ugly triumphalism of the
Nazi era and its destruction, followed by
the Cold War years and the three dec-
ades that have followed. Today, you can
see traces of all these times.
Cookie-cutter homogeneity
What this brings home to an Indian
born and bred in our major metros is
that we, as a nation and society, have no
value for anything but our ancient or
medieval structures and even that is
highly tenuous. As for our colonial past,
the formative years of the Republic, and
the first layers of our modern cities, we
are happy to throw them into the dust-
bin and replace them with cookie-cut-
ter, real-estate developer homogeneity.
Now, its as if each generation is the first
one, with nothing having come before
except a fake, twisted notion of an an-
cient culture. Not only are we poor eco-
GETTY IMAGES/ ISTOCK
the making of a bestseller, How a Book
Is Born, the stocking choices of indi-
vidual stores can influence a books
trajectory among the reading public.
His numbers are more specific to the
U.S. market and are from early in this
decade, but the trend is telling: While
they cannot force anyone to buy a par-
ticular book, the return rate of a good
independent bookstore is quite low,
between 15 and 20 percent. Which
means that, on the one hand, the book
buyers for indie stores are very conser-
vative, taking two of this, three of that;
but it also means that statistically
speaking, once a book is in a store, it
has an 80 to 85 per cent chance of be-
ing sold. Incidentally, he found that
Barnes & Noble, the American giant,
had just one buyer for literary fiction
for all its hundreds of stores: On the
one hand, this makes sense, and is the
very definition of an advantage of
scale; on the other hand, it seems out-
landish that the tastes of one person
should have such an effect on what
tens of thousands of people buy and
read.
It may appear that unlike bricks-
and-mortar stores with their limited
floor areas, online bookstores with no
space constraints would allow us to
better crowdsource a list. But al-
gorithms, of our own individual mak-
ing, tie us to the few preferences of
the underlying sense of panic that
marks white nationalist movements. In
1964, the political scientist, Richard Hof-
stadter, described American politics as
marked by a paranoid style. From
anti-Catholic movements in the 19th
century, the Red scares of the
mid-20th century, to the rise of Barack
Obama, shifts in demographics of cul-
ture and power bases have periodically
fuelled mass anxiety and exclusionary
rhetoric. What follows is an extreme
form of suspicion towards any discourse
about society that emanates from
elites (universities, media, businesses).
This suspicion is operationalised by
counter-theories that seek to explain
less but feed into, what Auden wrote
elsewhere, a climate of opinion.
The more opaque a societys institu-
tions become, the more conspiracy the-
ories become a mythology-from-below
on how those institutions truly operate
and who wields the real power. Conspir-
acy theories thus become a form of
open-sourced cultural production of
communicable paranoia that subgroups
consume and reinterpret when faced
with their own increasing sense of irrel-
evancy to historical forces at work. To
such a view, as Hofstadter describes,
history [itself ] is a conspiracy, set in
motion by demonic forces of almost
nomically or in terms of health, we have
also managed to impoverish ourselves
in terms of memory: devastating large
swathes of our heritage, wiping out the
topographies that trace how we got
from the past to where we are now.
Its true there is only so much we can
learn from the wealthy countries. Just as
what has happened to the Indian urban
landscape is complex, with each major
metro and smaller town having its own
struggles between preservation and
real-estate depredation, between the
need to protect heritage and provide
for the needs of a burgeoning popula-
tion. But in all this, the tendency across
every political party, municipal regime,
State and central administration has
been to avoid difficult decisions, jettison
history, and allow the nexus of politi-
cians and builders a criminally free
hand. Even as we feel outrage at every
precious ancient monument the Islamic
State destroys in West Asia, perhaps one
of the lessons we could learn from the
multiple histories that coexist in cities
like Berlin is that we ourselves must find
feasible and sustainable ways to cease
the carpet-bombing of our own history.
ours that online bookstores know
when they make recommendations.
Go to the books recommended for
you at Amazon. Its such a limited
variety that it never really gives us a
wide enough range of options even if
we keep marking off books we already
own so that the list is not dictated by
our browsing history and purchases at
the online bookstore alone. There is,
of course, also the customers who
bought this also bought button, but
keep at it, and you may soon enough
be caught in a loop that brings you
back to your original choices.
Those old books
In fact, even keeping books in our lib-
raries can be susceptible to gaming. In
her short book Bookshelf, that is part of
the Object Lessons series, Lydia Pyne
cites an experiment by writer Phyllis
Rose. Rose decided to read all fiction
in the LEQ-LES shelf in the New York
Society Library, and found among
other things that keeping a book in cir-
culation is vital for a library to keep it
on the shelves. Writes Pyne: In a bit
of brilliantly fabulous ironic snark,
Rose observes that a crusade to keep
certain books on their library shelves
doesnt necessitate actually reading
them, just checking them out of the
library. Time to visit the library and
borrow old favourites.
transcendent power.
Typically, this theatre of suspicion is
played out at the margins, with the
centres of power protected by the
praetorian guards of the establishment.
With Trumps victory, however, a con-
spiracist and his retinue are now at the
centre. Predictably, Trumps only re-
sponse has been to launch counter-con-
spiracies in the hope of annulling the ef-
fects of the imagined original
conspiracy. Like some malevolent Quix-
ote, he charges every day up against the
American media, often accusing them
of treason for disagreeing with him.
This, even as he feeds real dragons of
white nationalism with his blather.
A moral paralysis
The irony, however, is that power in the
abstract the currency in which con-
spiracy theorists transact rarely re-
sembles power in the concrete. A con-
spiracist in power is often defeated by
the mismatch between reality and the
claims of his pet ideas. What follows is a
moral paralysis and rhetorical glibness.
Predictably, after much criticism, when
asked yet again about the neo-Nazi
marches and accompanying violence,
Trumps answers were absurd: he
blamed the media for being unfair to
him by reporting his words accurately.
A ND-NDE
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14 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY NOIDA/DELHI

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017

THE HINDU
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CAPSULE
Horned reptiles predate horned
dinosaurs by 100 million years
The discovery of adult reptile fossil bones without horns indicates sexual dimorphism
Urine makes nutrition? R. Prasad
Chemical engineers from
Clemson University Scientists at the Kolkata-
engineered yeast to make based Indian Statistical
omega-3 fatty acids from Institute have discovered
human urine and exhaled fossil remains of horned
breath. Omega-3 fatty acids reptiles about 245 mil-
are vitamins useful to humans. lion years old (early
This is a process that could be Middle Triassic) from the
used to recycle food during Satpura Gondwana basin
space missions. in Madhya Pradesh. The
reptile is a new genus
and has been named
Shringasaurus indicus.
The results were pub-
lished in the journal Sci-
entific Reports.
Shringasaurus belongs
to a group of reptiles (Al-
lokotosauria) that ap-
peared in the Early or
Musical whales Middle Triassic and be-
Male humpback whales can came completely extinct
make musical sounds to form close to the end of the
songs. Recent research has Triassic period (approx-
found that groups of imately 200 million years
humpbacks can abandon the ago).
song they are singing to pick The name Shrin-
up tunes used by other gasaurus indicus is de-
groups. They also make new rived from ancient
songs by joining old and new Sanskrit and Greek roots
tunes. This is like songbirds and refers to the horns
and even humans do. present on its skull
(Shringa for horn and
sauros for reptile),
while indicus refers to In-
dia, the country of
discovery.
Reconstruction
Unlike other Triassic rep-
tiles (archosauromorphs
crocodiles, dinosaurs
Carbon desalination and their descendants,
Scientists from Lawrence the birds, and their an-
Livermore laboratories and cestors) that are about
Northeastern University in the 2.5 metres long, the S. in-
U.S. have found a way to dicus is 3-4 metres in
desalinate seawater by length, 1.251.50 metres
employing carbon nanotube tall at the hip, and has a
pores that exude salt from
seawater. The nanotubes were
Meticulous detail: Saradee Sengupta (left) and Prof. Saswati Bandyopadhyay
reconstructed the horned reptile from the recovered bones. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
relatively long neck and
small head. The ribs are
also bigger than other
reptiles of that time. It
has leaf-shaped teeth
with small cusps, sug-
gesting that the reptile
was herbivorous. The re-
searchers reconstructed
the reptile from the re-
covered bones, based on
which they were able to
assess the reptiles length
and height.
Most strikingly, it has a
pair of large horns. The
discovery of horns over-
throws the earlier notion
that horned species were
restricted to dinosaurs of
the Cretaceous period
(140 million years ago).
In the geological
deep time, horns were
exclusive to the dino-
saurs in the Cretaceous
period. But based on our
discovery, we can say
that early reptiles de-
veloped horns more than
100 million years before
their appearance in dino-
period, says Prof.
Saswati Bandyopadhyay
from the Geological Stud-
ies Unit at ISI Kolkata and
one of the authors of the
paper.
The researchers have
identified more than 300
bones. There are nine
frontal bones with horns
and two without horns.
We can find at least
seven individuals from
the collection of bones.
There are at least six
horned individuals and
one or two without
horns, she says.
Horned beast
Though no fossils were
recovered with intact
pair of horns, the re-
searchers were able to
identify the left and right
horns from their anatom-
ical features. Also, the
discovery of adult reptile
bones without horns is
indicative of females and
therefore of sexual di-
morphism. Juveniles too
* have horns, though smal-
ler in size.
saurs, says Saradee Sen- Different lines of evid-
gupta from the Geolo- ence indicate that the
gical Studies Unit at ISI horns of S. indicus origin-
Kolakata and the corres- ated through sexual se-
ponding author of the lection. These horns
paper. Indeed, the horns would not have been ef-
of S. indicus are similar, fective against predators.
but independently ac- It would have served
quired, to those of cer- more to attract females
atopsian dinosaurs. or to fight with other
The horns seen in S. competing males to gain
indicus are very signific- access to receptive fe-
ant. Archosauromorphs males as occurs in mul-
were not known to have tiple modern animals
horns either during the with behaviours driven
Triassic or Jurassic by sexual selection.
The universe linked by
cosmic information
Indian team builds new perspective of the cosmos
Shubashree Desikan
Information is a quant-
ity that springs up very
naturally in the study of
the universe as it is tied
up with gravity. For ex-
ample, the information
available to an observer
looking at a black hole
from far is limited by
the event horizon of the
black hole, beyond
which even light cannot
escape so the informa-
tion inside the black
hole is not available to
them.
Physicists T. Padman-
abhan, distinguished
professor at IUCAA,
Pune, and Hamsa Pad-
manabhan who is a
Tomalla Fellow at Insti-
tute for Astronomy,
ETH Zurich, have used
the relation between in-
formation and gravity
to build up a new per-
spective about the cos-
mos. Their approach,
moreover, explains two
fundamental puzzles in
cosmology one re-
lated to the early uni-
verse and one to its
present state and, in
fact, connects the two.
Their theory is just pub-
lished online in the
journal Physics Letters
B.
From the observa-
tion of distant galaxies,
it is known that the uni-
verse is expanding at a
faster rate than it is ex-
pected to. This is ex-
plained by invoking the
presence of dark en-
ergy. But for this to
work, the cosmological
constant, which is a
Strange universe: Spiral galaxy NGC 6984 from the
Hubble telescope, showing a supernova explosion.
* REUTERS/NASA
lated, also very import-
ant, question in cosmo-
logy is regarding the
origin of structures
such as galaxies, in the
universe. These are be-
lieved to have origin-
ated as tiny fluctuations
in the universe just after
the big bang. Explaining
how these fluctuations
were generated and get-
ting their size is another
big question.
The theory de-
veloped by Prof. Pad-
manabhan of IUCAA
and Dr. Padmanabhan
of ETH Zurich ties to-
gether these two con-
cepts, which were
thought to be unrelated
until now, and provides
an explanation based
on the flow of informa-
tion in the universe.
In their work, the au-
thors show that the
maximum amount of
cosmic information ac-
cessible by an observer
in the universe would
have a finite value only
if the universe under-
goes an accelerated ex-
pansion at late times (as
around it, creating a re-
gion of water, which in
turn expands, reaching
local thermodynamic
equilibrium At large
scales, close to the
boundary of the phases,
the molecules have not
yet reached equilib-
rium, since the chunk
of ice is being heated up
from the inside. In-
credibly enough, this is
similar to how our uni-
verse behaves.
Replacing Big Bang
The region with water
is analogous to the ob-
served universe (de-
scribed by Einstein's
theory) and it is sur-
rounded by a pre-geo-
metric phase (analog-
ous to ice) which is
described by - as yet un-
known - laws of
quantum gravity. The
Big Bang is replaced by
a transition from one
phase to another at the
boundary, he explains
The authors argue
that the total cosmic in-
formation transferred
from the early,

A new score in waste management

about 50,000 times thinner
than human hair, with
diameters of 0.8 nanometer.
Distrustful capuchins
Researchers studying the
capuchin monkeys found they
develop new behaviours that
act as tests of friendship. For
instance, one monkey pushed
its fingers deep into the eye
sockets of its friend.
Sometimes the behaviour
spreads. The monkeys also
observed games as ways of
interacting with their babies.
Myriad microbes
Researchers from Stanford
University claim that our body
contains vastly more diverse
microbes than previously
thought. About 99% of
non-human DNA fragments
circulating in human blood
A novel yeast strain was used to ferment the glucose and make ethanol
Aswathi Pacha
Scientists from CSIRs National
Institute for Interdisciplinary
Science and Technology (CSIR-
NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram
have been able to turn waste
into wealth. They have pro-
duced ethanol from discarded
cotton-stalks by using a combin-
ation of chemical and biological
techniques. India has about 9.4
million hectares under cotton
cultivation and every hectare
generates 2 million tonnes of
cotton stalk wastes. The results
were published in Bioresource
Technology.
The stalks were first treated
with an acid, alkali and different
enzymes to breakdown the com-
plex organic polymers of the
stalk. The agro-residues are
tough in nature and we need
chemical pre-treatment to break
down the complex structure of
the stalk, explains Meera Chris-
topher, research scholar at
NIIST and first author of the pa-
per.
The acid helps to remove
hemicellulose, a polymer of the
cell wall and the alkali extracts
lignin, a binding matrix in the
cell wall, made of complex
Rich source: Cotton stalks are first treated to breakdown the
complex organic polymers present in it. K. ANANTHAN
phenolics. These treatments ex-
pose cellulose, the major com-
ponent made of glucose to the
action of enzymes.
The cellulose was further
treated using enzymes to con-
vert it into glucose.
Fermentation
To convert the glucose into eth-
anol, fermentation using a novel
yeast strain was carried out.
We isolated the yeast-Saccharo-
myces cerevisiae-RRP-03N, from
* source. It is mandatory to blend
a rotting wild fruit we found in
the Silent Valley National Park in
Palakkad, Kerala. In spite of sev-
eral inhibitors of microbial
growth produced during chem-
ical treatment, the yeast per-
formed better than distillers
yeast strains in fermenting the
cotton stalk hydrolysate, says
Dr. Rajeev K Sukumaran, Head
of the Biofuels and Biorefineries
Section, at NIIST and the corres-
ponding author of the paper.
The yeast showed a glucose
conversion efficiency of 76%
and the entire glucose was util-
ised by the yeast in just 24 hours
and converted into alcohol. This
performance was superior to
any other organism reported for
fermentation of cotton stalk.
The final alcohol obtained can
be made to fuel grade bioeth-
anol (>99% purity), after distilla-
tion and dehydration using mo-
lecular sieves, which is an
existing technology practised in
the distilleries.
Bioethanol
Bioethanol has a number of ad-
vantages over conventional fuels
as it comes from a renewable re-
10% ethanol with petrol. Bioeth-
anol presently in use is obtained
by fermentation of sugar cane
molasses which is a byproduct
of sugar production, and has
food value. Most of this first gen-
eration ethanol finds its way into
consumer applications, primar-
ily as liquor. Converting the
agro-residues to ethanol reduces
the food vs fuel competition,
explains Meera.
Further studies should be car-
ried out for commercial viability
and large-scale production.
term that appears in the
gravitational field equa-
tions, has to be very
small and have a posit-
ive value. Explaining
why this constant is re-
quired to have a tiny
positive value is an im-
portant puzzle in
cosmology.
An apparently unre-
Microbiome reacts to stress
Asian news international
The bacterial communities that live
inside everyone are quite similar and
stable during happy times, but when
stress enters the equation, those com-
munities can react differently in every
person, finds a recent study pub-
lished in Nature Microbiology.
Researchers from Oregon State
University in Corvallis, U.S. suggested
that this has key implications for a
more personalised approach to anti-
biotic therapy, management of
chronic diseases and other aspects of
medical care.
Lead author Jesse Zaneveld of the
University of Washington, Bothell,
collaborated with Vega Thurber and
her student, Ryan McMinds, to survey
the literature on microbial changes
caused by perturbation.
When healthy our microbiomes
look alike, but when stressed each
one of us has our own microbial
we observe today). quantum gravitational
Prof. Thanu Padman- phase to the late, clas-
abhan, explains their sical phase must be
model of cosmogenesis, equal to four times pi.
or birth of the cosmos, This allows them to re-
by the following ana- late the size of the seed
logy: Think of a large fluctuations to the cos-
chunk of ice which con- mological constant,
tains a point source of thereby tying together
heat inside it. The heat the early universe with
source melts the ice the present.
snowflake, she said. This is a very im-
portant facet to consider for man-
aging approaches to personalized
medicine. Stressors like antibiotics or
diabetes can cause different peoples
microbiomes to react in very different
ways.
Humans and animals are filled with
symbiotic communities of microor-
ganisms that often fill key roles in nor-
mal physiological function and also
influence susceptibility to disease.
Predicting how these communities of
organisms respond to perturbations
anything that alters the systems
functioning is one essential chal-
lenge in microbiology.
Studies of microbiome dynamics
have typically looked for patterns that
shift microbiomes from a healthy
stable state to one in which the micro-
bial communities are out of their nat-
ural balance, interrupting basic biolo-
gical functions.

More predatory journals get indexed in PubMed

failed to match anything in the
existing genetic databases
indicating that many novel
microbes exist in the human
body.
ODD & END
Roosting dinosaurs
For the first time,
researchers have
unearthed fossil remains
of three young dinosaurs
snuggling together in
sleep. The configuration
of the three animals in the
70-million-year-old fossil
suggests that they may
have huddled together to
hide or perhaps just to
sleep. The fossil probably
comes from Mongolia and
was being illegally
exported, where it was
confiscated by Mongolian
customs agents in 2006, a
report in Nature says.
Subsequently, it was
analysed using
geochemical analysis by
paleontologists from
University of Bologna,
Italy, which indicated that
the fossil probably comes
from Bugin Tsav fossil site
in the Gobi desert. The
animals were identified as
a type of oviraptorid
dinosaurs with short
faces, long necks and
toothless beaks.
CM
YK
In just six months since October 2016, the percentage of predatory journals indexed by Pubmed shot up sharply
R. Prasad
Among other things, the next time
you see a questionable journal
proudly announcing that it is in-
dexed in Pubmed, chances are
that the journal is predatory.
Contrary to the popular notion
that only genuine and distin-
guished journals which take peer-
reviewing seriously and follow all
the norms of scientific publishing
are indexed in PubMed, many
predatory journals too are in-
cluded in PubMed. The same
holds true for PubMed Central
too.
According to PubMed, more
than 27 million citations for bio-
medical literature from MEDLINE
and other journals and online
books are included. And herein
lies the problem. Among other
journals indexed are thousands of
predatory journals, and their
numbers are increasing at an
alarming rate.
The PubMed database man-
agers have irresponsibly allowed it
to become a repository of cita-
tions to predatory journal art-
icles, Jeffrey Beall, Librarian at
the University of Colorado Denver
and publisher of the famous
Scholarly Open Access blog that
was shut down in January this
year says in an email to The
Hindu.PubMed should not be
used as a whitelist.
The survey results
Now, according to a Correspond-
ence published in The Lancet, two
surveys carried by researchers
have revealed that predatory
journals in the field of neuros-
cience and neurology outnumber
those regularly indexed in the
main biomedical databases.
In October 2016, the percent-
age of predatory journals in the
field of rehabilitation, neuros-
cience and neurology indexed in
PubMed stood at 12%, 11.4% and
20.2% respectively. In April 2017,
in a matter of six months, these
figures shot up sharply 237% for
rehabilitation, 161% for neuros-
cience, and 247% for neurology.
Raise the bar
Considering that PubMed handles
millions of queries daily and
health researchers worldwide reg-
ularly turn to it for information, it
is worrisome that PubMed in-
cludes journals with seriously
flawed peer review processes the
researchers write in the Corres-
pondence. Dr. Beall had warned
Revelation: A journals inclusion in PubMed does not mean it has a stamp of approval from NIH.
about this a year ago: It is mis-
leading that these potentially low-
quality articles, many of which
have not undergone rigorous peer
review, are featured prominently
in PubMed searches.
In a blog post Dont use
PubMed as a journal whitelist
dated October 20th, 2016, Dr,
Beall had written: I recommend
against using PubMed as a list of
quality journals for the purposes
of finding a journal to publish in,
evaluating academic perform-
ance, awarding grants and de-
grees, and assessing job candid-
ates.
A journals inclusion in
PubMed does not mean the
journal has a stamp of approval
from NIH [National Institutes of
Health]. There is such a low bar-
rier to inclusion that researchers
are advised to be suspicious of any
journal that boasts about its inclu-
sion in PubMed, especially if the
*
FILE PHOTO
boasting is prominently displayed
on the journals main web page.
PubMed inclusion is not an
achievement that merits boasts,
he noted in his post.
Echoing what Dr. Beall had writ-
ten about a year ago that PubMeds
value would decrease as the num-
ber of papers from predatory
journals increases, the researchers
writing in The Lancet have also
cautioned PubMed. Predatory
journals would stand to gain from
PubMeds reach and when cited by
reputable journals will not only
gain legitimacy but also severely
impact the scientific records, they
say.
The Bohannon sting
Following the John Bohannon
sting operation in August 2013
when a mundane paper with grave
errors was sent out to 304 Open-
Access publishers, including 167
from the Directory of Open Access
Journals (DOAJ), 121 from Bealls
list.
If the 82% publishers who were
in Dr. Bealls list accepted the ques-
tionable paper, nearly 45% of DOAJ
publishers too did not reject the
paper.
The DOAJ has subsequently
tightened its guidelines for inclu-
sion. Since March 2014, DOAJ has
received about 1,600 applications
from Open-Access publishers in In-
dia as part of this revision process.
While only 4% (74) were from
genuine publishers and accepted,
78% were rejected and remaining
18% are still being processed. One
of the main reasons for rejection
was the predatory or questionable
nature of the journals.
It is now time for PubMed to
clean up the mess.
A ND-NDE
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THE HINDU
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
NOIDA/DELHI

BEING 15
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DR HUMERUS KESHAV

In the grip of a fever

Maharashtra and Gujarat are the worst affected States in terms of mortality and cases of swine flu

Despite surveillance, there are chinks A lag in the response?

Jyoti Shelar people still have the poten- others. But the main reason Mahesh Langa government team has also ity rate has also been sub-

I I
n India this year, 41% of
the total number of H1N1
deaths have been repor-
ted from Maharashtra. Of
the 1,094 deaths from across
India, as many as 455 have
been from the western
State. The State also tops in
the number of positive pa-
AROUND THE WORLD tients 4,385 cases this
year.
So what makes Maha-
Gut bacteria determined rashtra, the epicentre, par-
by diet, says study ticularly vulnerable? State
A study at the Stanford University health officials point to
School of Medicine, U.S. which has three main reasons poor
looked at seasonal variations in the hygiene, overcrowding, and
gut-microbial composition, or the presence of a good sur-
Getty Images microbiota, of the Hadza one of the veillance system to track
worlds few remaining traditional cases.
hunter-gatherer populations has found that they are more
diverse than thought. They are substantially different from Cover mouth, nose
those in urban-dwelling denizens in industrialised countries. Dr. Satish Pawar, head of the
The findings, that have been published in the journal Science, Directorate of Health Ser-
show that the microbiota vary seasonally and correspond to a vices (DHS), Maharashtra,
seasonally fluctuating dietary intake. The study says that says that the disease has also
tial to spread the disease, is that patients and doctors n India, Gujarat has the visited the State and held stantially reduced to 10%
he says, adding that the often fail to pick it up on second highest number consultations with State gov- from 16.8% in 2009, the
challenge becomes greater time, says Mumbai-based of cases of, and mortality ernment officials and Health government submitted to
because of urbanisation and infectious disease specialist rate for, swine flu after Ma- Department personnel and the Bench.
overcrowding. Dr. Om Shrivastav. Symp- harashtra. This year, with public health experts on As many as 1,075 beds and
H1N1, an airborne virus, toms such as fever, a runny 316 deaths and 4,013 cases control measures. 200 ventilators have been
spreads through airborne nose and a sore throat are the killer flu has presented However, despite the provided in isolation wards
droplets from a sick persons often ignored and self- itself as the main health prompt actions, public across the State where swine
sneeze or cough. Timely treated. By the time pa- challenge. health experts and medical flu patients are being
treatment and immediate
isolation at home is the best
tients see a doctor, two or
three days have been In four cities
practitioners feel that the
measures should have begun
treated, the affidavit says.
More than 2,000 health-
way to tackle it, say experts. wasted. For patients with In the last two weeks, it has early this year when there care workers and doctors
In Maharashtra this year, co-morbid conditions, the left more than 150 dead were signs of flu rearing its are treating patients, while
14.15 lakh people were virus attacks much badly, while more than 2,000 new head in April and May. 17,000 health workers are
screened of whom 33,789 he adds. cases have been registered Its a failure of the State engaged in house-to-house
patients were given Oseltam- across the State, concen- government and Health De- rapid surveillance, covering
ivir, the drug that works Immune response trated in the four main cities partment, which never took three crore people in the
against H1N1. In July, analysis by the civic of Ahmedabad, Surat, Ra- the disease seriously. Not first phase and two crore in
Our surveillance system body in Mumbai supported jkot and Vadodara. only this year, since 2009 the second.
is extremely well developed when the flu came to India,
due to which all cases are re- Gujarat has been witnessing Governments defence
corded thoroughly. A good the highest casualty [rates] You can see the mortality
surveillance system is also a and number of cases, a doc- rate is down every year,
reflection of the increased tor told The Hindu. which shows [that] the ac-
number of cases that we de- tions by the State are bear-
tect, says epidemiologist Many deficiencies ing positive results, Mr.

GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
sweeping changes in the average persons diet, over the past spread rapidly because the Dr. Pradeep Awate. According to another doctor Shankar Chaudhary said,
10,000 years, could be the key driver in the loss of microbial general population fails to who is on a committee set dismissing charges that the
diversity in the typical modern gut. follow proper cough-and- Strain combination link up by the State government, government has failed in
sneeze etiquette. To break Dr. A.C. Dhariwal, director there is a lack of proper tackling the flu.
the chain of transmission, of the National Centre for training and infrastructure In its affidavit, the govern-
Abdominal fat is the one has to follow basic man- Disease Control (NCDC), in government hospitals. ment highlighted the history
possible culprit ners of using a handkerchief agrees with Dr. Awate. An In addition, people are of various viruses emphas-
It has been well established that obesity to cover ones mouth and antigenic shift, a process in not aware of the flu and ising that while in their early
is a contributor to cancer risk, but how it nose while coughing or which two or more strains of dont seek medical help des- stages they had claimed
actually causes cancer is still a question sneezing. If not that, one has a virus combine to form a this trend. It showed that After media criticism and pite experiencing symptoms many lives, the mortality
that hasnt been fully explained. A study to at least cover the mouth new subtype, is observed at the median time between strong rebuke by the Gu- such as fever, cold, body rate had eventually reduced.
by the Michigan State University, U.S. Getty Images/iStockphoto and nose with the hands regular intervals which is the onset of symptoms and jarat High Court in the wake ache and a sore throat. Even swine flu, when it
offers new details showing that a certain and wash them before mainly why there has been a starting a course of Oseltam- of a petition, the State gov- In an affidavit filed before spread first in 2009, had cre-
protein released from fat in the body can cause a non- touching anything any- spurt in cases. ivir was 4-5 days. According ernment has now activated a judicial Bench of Justices ated havoc worldwide and
cancerous cell to turn into a cancerous one. A lower layer of where. But this is rarely fol- We cannot simply look to Dr. Shrivastav, the spurt the health-care machinery M.R. Shah and B.N. Karia claimed more than six lakh
abdominal fat, when compared to fat just under the skin, is the lowed, he says, adding that at the number of deaths. in cases could also be be- to tackle the flu. the government has conten- lives, the government
more likely culprit, releasing even more of this protein and posters on preventive steps One has to look at the cause the effect of vaccina- Chief Minister Vijay ded that the flu is no longer claimed.
encouraging tumour growth. While obesity has been linked to have been put up in all hos- deaths in context with the tion had faded. In 2015, Rupani and Health Minister a pandemic. It adds that it Talking about Spanish flu,
several types of cancers including breast, colon, prostate, pitals and primary health increasing number of when there were more Shankar Chaudhary have has become a seasonal flu Asian flu and Hong Kong flu,
uterine and kidney, merely being overweight, the study authors centres. cases, he says. cases, people got vaccin- visited civil hospitals in and the mortality rate due to the State government said
argue, isnt necessarily the best way to determine risk. H1N1 is now endemic and Even if it is said to be a ated. But the vaccine gives Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot H1N1 virus has fallen to 10% that even the World Health
Science Daily a majority of people infec- seasonal flu, the H1N1 virus immunity for about 8-9 and Vadodara to inspect fa- this year against 16.8% in Organisation had, in August
ted show extremely mild or is lethal when compared to months. This could be the cilities set up to handle pa- 2009. 2010, declared swine flu to
Surgery during infancy no symptoms at all. For ex- other seasonal viruses, reason why we did not have tients; all government and At present, influenza be in a post-pandemic phase
could impact white matter ample, if 1,000 people are which explains the high rate many cases in 2016 but are private hospitals have been H1N1 is being treated as a and that it would behave as a
infected with the virus, 950 of mortality. now seeing a rise, he says. stocked with Tamiflu seasonal influenza, meaning seasonal influenza.
General anaesthesia and surgery in
will have mild or no symp- There is no denial that tablets. the H1N1 virus has ceased to
otherwise healthy infants under the
toms. But these 1,000 this virus is deadlier than jyoti.s@thehindu.co.in A three-member Central be a pandemic. The mortal- mahesh.langa@thehindu.co.in
age of one could be associated with
decreases in the amount of white
Getty Images/iStockphoto matter in the brain as well as
reductions in the remaining white
matters integrity, according to a study published recently in
the online edition of Anesthesiology. Researchers conducted
Not too young for
structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tests on 34
children between the ages of 12 and 15; they were 17 otherwise
healthy patients who had been administered general
colon cancer
anaesthesia and had surgery in their first year of life, and 17 hen researchers
control subjects who had not had surgery or general
anaesthesia before their first birthday. What they found was this
W
reported earlier
year that
that the volume and integrity of white matter the tissue that colorectal cancer rates
connects different regions of grey matter from one part of the were rising in adults as
brain to another was on average 1.5 percentage points lower young as in their 20s
in patients who had undergone surgery involving general and 30s, some scient-
anaesthesia as infants. Science Daily roni caryn rabin
ists were sceptical.
The spike in figures,
Determining responses they suggested, might not reflect a real increase in dis-
to flu vaccine ease incidence but earlier detection, which can be a
good thing. Now a sobering new study has found that
Yale experts in the U.S. and their
younger Americans arent just getting cancer diagnoses
partners in a national research
earlier. They are dying of colorectal cancer at slightly
consortium have identified several
higher rates than in previous decades, and no one
genes and gene clusters associated
really knows why.
with the immune response to flu Getty Images/iStockphoto
This is real, said Rebecca L. Siegel, an epidemiolo-
vaccination. The findings point to the
gist with the American Cancer Society and the lead au-
prospect of using genetic profiles to predict individual
thor of the current study, published as a research letter
responses to the flu vaccine. The research has been published in
in JAMA, as well as of the earlier report. Its a small in-
Science Immunology. The researchers and their collaborators
crease, and it is a trend that emerged only in the past
used data collected from more than 500 individuals who
decade, but I dont think its a blip. The burden of dis-
provided blood samples before and after being vaccinated.
ease is shifting to younger people.
They identified several gene signatures, or groups of genes,
The study found that even though the risk of dying
that were associated with a stronger response to the flu
from colon and rectal cancers has been declining in the
vaccine. The response was determined by increases in
population overall, death rates among adults from ages
antibodies that protect against infection. The researchers also
20 to 54 had increased slightly, to 4.3 deaths per
found that while the genes were predictive of a robust vaccine
100,000 people in 2014, up from 3.9 per 100,000 in
response in adults younger than age 35, those same genes did
2004. No one knows what underlying lifestyle, envir-
not improve responses in adults over 60.
onmental or genetic factors may be driving the rise in
cases.
Halt degenerative eye
disease with Diet, antibiotics possible factors
a zinc-copper combo Obesity, a diet high in red or processed meats and lack
A supplement that combines of physical activity are among the factors tied to in-
antioxidants with zinc and copper is a creased risk, but new research is looking at other pos-
relatively inexpensive and effective sible causes. One recent study found, for example, that
Getty Images/iStockphoto means of halting the progression of a prolonged use of antibiotics during adulthood was as-
certain type of degenerative eye sociated with a greater risk of developing precancerous
disease, concludes research published online in the British polyps, possibly because antibiotics can alter the
Journal of Ophthalmology. Given the costs and side effects of make-up of the gut microbiome.
the current range of drugs used to treat the wet form of Scientists are also exploring whether the colorectal

A snappy kidney function test

age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), this is a more cancers emerging in younger adults are different from
economical option for those who already have the condition in those seen in older people and whether they can be
one eye, say the researchers. In wet AMD, abnormal blood detected and treated with the same tools. There is
vessels grow underneath the retina. These vessels can leak fluid some evidence that young people are more likely to
and blood, which can damage the macula the part of the Biosensor developed by IIT team detects disorders in a few minutes have precancerous polyps that are harder to see and
remove during a colonoscopy because of their location
retina responsible for central vision. But the drugs (anti-VEGF
or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapies) currently Bhavya Khullar two tests for accuracy. In measured, which helps to the study, added that the in the colon or because they are flat rather than tubu-
he Indian Institutes of addition, there is the prob- calculate the values of pH biosensor is stable for up to lar, according to Dr. Otis Brawley, who is chief medical
used to wet AMD are expensive and have been linked to a
heightened risk of inflammation of the inside of the eye T Technology, Bombay
and Indore, have jointly de-
lem of contaminating com-
ponents in urine such as
and urea.
It is made using alginate
a month in a refrigerator
and gives results that are
officer for the American Cancer Society.
While some organisations specifically state that
(endophthalmitis) and possibly stroke as well. Eurekalert
veloped a biosensor that calcium, chloride, ascorbic which is safe and non-toxic unaffected by other com- colonoscopy is the preferred screening method, the
makes it possible to detect acid, sodium and po- to handle. It can work in the ponents in urine samples. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force endorses a variety
DEMYSTIFYING SCIENCE kidney disorders in less
than eight minutes.
tassium. ideal pH range of 4-8, and is
able detect even low con-
It will help make a rapid
and accurate point-of-care
of screening tests, including some that are less expens-
ive or non-invasive, though they may not be as effective
The biosensor can accur- How it works centrations of urea up to 50 diagnostic test for kidney in finding and preventing cancers. Stool tests that ex-
What is Plimpton 322? ately measure both the pH The biosensor, developed millimolar, Ms. Chaudhari disorders. amine faecal samples for microscopic amounts of
It is a small tablet that was discovered in the early 1900s in and urea concentration by Rashmi Chaudhari, Ab- told India Science Wire. However, Bansi D. Mal- blood and DNA changes, for example, can indicate the
what is now southern Iraq by archaeologist, academic, diplomat with a single drop of urine. hijeet Joshi, and Rohit Abhijeet Joshi, a coau- hotra, professor, Depart- presence of a tumour or polyp, but such tests need to
and antiquities dealer Edgar Banks, the person on whom the be done more frequently and may have to be followed
The researchers who de- Srivastava, can detect both thor and on the faculty at ment of Biotechnology at
fictional character Indiana Jones was based. It has four columns up with a colonoscopy if the result is positive.
veloped it say that it will and is made by encapsulat- IIT-Indore said, We tested the Delhi Technological
and 15 rows of numbers written on it in the cuneiform script of
help make a point-of-care ing an enzyme urease and a the biosensor on samples of University, who is not con- But Dr. Brawley said there is good scientific data to
the time using a base 60, or sexagesimal, system. While
test to determine whether molecule FITC-dextran in patients suffering from nected to the study, said show that stool sample tests save lives.
traditionally thought to be a teachers tool for checking a
the kidneys are functioning alginate microspheres. The chronic kidney disease pro- that while the biosensor Warning signs of colorectal cancer include rectal
students solution to algebra problems, it is now argued that it
reflects a far more sophisticated approach to computing normally. combination glows in re- cured from KEM Hospital uses fluorescence-based bleeding, bloody stools, unexplained weight loss, fa-
heights and breadths. It describes the shapes of right angled For a kidney function sponse to a chemical reac- and Apex Kidney Care technique to detect urea in tigue and digestive complaints, or persistent changes in
triangles using a novel kind of trigonometry based on ratios, test, doctors need an estim- tion with urea and changes [both] in Mumbai and it urine sample, it is not bathroom behaviour. Anaemia in men is also a warning
and not angles and circles. Therefore, it could have been used ate of pH and urea as most in pH when urine is added. showed an accuracy of user-friendly and as cost-ef- sign and should be explored further, and while many
for surveying fields or making architectural calculations to build kidney disorders result in The fluorescence reduces more than 97%. fective when compared to doctors typically attribute anaemia in a premeno-
palaces, temples or step pyramids. The tablet, which is thought reduced pH and higher con- when the pH is acidic and Rohit Srivastava, pro- other (electrochemical) pausal woman to menstruation, experts say that if a
to have come from the ancient Sumerian city of Larsa, has been centration of urea. Avail- increases when it is al- fessor, Department of Bios- techniques, which are woman is experiencing any other symptoms, doctors
dated to be between 1822 and 1762 BC. It is now in the Rare able methods to detect urea kaline. The changes in ciences and Bioengineer- routinely used for this pur- should assess her for colon cancer. NYT
Book & Manuscript Library at Columbia University in New York. require patients to undergo fluorescence intensity are ing, IIT-Bombay, who led pose. India Science Wire
CM A ND-NDE
YK
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16 NON-FICTION
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Fractured realities
A historian argues why in deeply divided India a mere awareness of other languages and religion is not enough
Neera Chandhoke
N
ations do not emerge from
the sea like the Goddess
Aphrodite. The transforma-
tion of a plural but fragmented so-
ciety into a nation that demands
the right to self-determination, in-
volves interlocking processes that
logically predate nationalism. Ar-
guably the interrogation of, and
engagement with Hinduism by
agents of colonialism, as well as In-
dian intellectuals, fostered con-
sciousness and awareness of the
collective self. In the main, Indian
nationalism was constructed
around a Hindu identity, and the
harnessing of this identity to the
nation-state project, in short a set
of processes that were oriented
around religious symbols.
Sugata Bose concentrates in the
defining chapter of this volume
containing an assortment of essays
that sit rather uneasily with each
other on what Bipin Chandra Pal
called the sacred biography of the
Mother. The Mother figure in-
spired creativity in Bengali philo-
sophy, arts, poetry, painting, mu-
sic, drama and, architecture.
Worship of the Mother escalated
in the first decade of the 20th cen-
tury, even as people struggled to
deal with the partition of Bengal in
1905. It was only when the Mother
revealed herself that patriotism
worked and saved a doomed na-
tion, wrote Aurobindo.
When Bankim Chandra Chatto-
padhyay authored Bande
Mataram, continued Aurobindo, it
was a sudden moment of awaken-
ing from delusions: the mantra
had been given.
Bose details the heavy symbol-
ism of the mother figure to engage
with the literature on mimetic and
elite nationalism, and suggests
Work in progress
A team of economists and social scientists takes on Thomas Piketty, who insists
that collective bargaining can reduce inequality generated by capitalism
Shelley Walia
A
fter Piketty examines a thesis that
there is a fundamental dynamic
within capitalist economies that
will inexorably increase the gap
between wealth from capital and in-
come from work. The debate it exam-
ines is whether there are intervention-
ist political and institutional changes
that can be put in place to avert or min-
imise this gaping inequality.
One argument is that the underbelly
of poverty, hunger and social
apartheid, which are witnessed in the
third world, are the results of the cal-
lous financial interests of western insti-
tutions like the IMF and the World
Bank. The new world order is a fiction;
financial institutions remain in self-
serving collusion with the powerful na-
tions focusing on economic gain
through coups and destabilisation of re-
gimes around the world.
As Zygmunt Bauman would argue, A
state is social when it promotes the
principle of the communally endorsed,
collective insurance against individual
misfortune and its consequences.
There is a need to remember that the
status of the citizens lies in their becom-
ing not only beneficiaries of state
policies, but also actors in the onward
march of collective responsibility and
shared interests for communal har-
mony and the end of inequality. There-
fore, liberals and progressives must
work towards equitable distribution in
a world free from hunger and war. Such
a possibility depends on countering the
corporate ideology of predatory
capitalism.
The book, a collection of essays by
eminent economists and social scient-
ists, is a response to Thomas Pikettys
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
where he had argued that the situation
in the developing world is dismal while
in the developed world the corporate
sector is busy manufacturing a zombie
culture sold out to consumerism and
compliance. Inequality, in the words of
Obama, becomes the defining chal-
lenge of our times.
Oligarchy rules the world; the 1% is
all pervasive, whereas the 99% face eco-
nomic privations of the foulest kind.
Piketty in his essay On Oligarchy in
Americas in his recent book Chronicles
of our Times relentlessly critiques the
world of corporate greed that has taken
control of not only our lives but spe-
cifically our educational institutions.
Underscoring the assault on Public
Education, he argues against institu-
tions of learning that discourage inde-
pendent thought.
Focus on financial capital
Briefly, Pikettys thesis states that the
widening inequality integral to capital-
ism if unbridled, will lead to perpetual
oligarchies across the globe. This
widening gulf between the rich and the
poor, explains Piketty, exists because
financial capital grows at a faster rate
than the economy as a whole, and con-
sequently, those who possess capital
are in a position to get richer faster than
those who do not. Owing to low inherit-
ance tax, wealth passes conveniently to
CM
YK
The Nation as Mother and
Other Visions of Nationhood
Sugata Bose
Penguin Random House
499
that the narrative left a small open-
ing for the poor and obscure to
enter the story. Indisputably how-
ever, the worship of the Mother
sent frissons of tension among the
Muslim community, even if some
individuals from the community
joined the general acclaim for this
symbol of India.
Contested figure
Yet the figure of the mother was
also deeply contested and subjec-
ted to scepticism. When it was sug-
gested that Bande Mataram should
be sung in Congress gatherings, ar-
gues Bose, Nehru pointed out that
the song was likely to irritate
Muslims. And Tagore wrote that a
song which adored the Mother,
was inappropriate for a national
organisation which was a meeting
place for different religious
communities.
In our national quest, Tagore
remarked, we need peace, unity
and good sense, not rivalry just be-
cause one side refuses to yield. A
symbol that could arouse so much
political passions could also,
writes Bose, be sacrificed by those
prepared to die and defiled by
those who were prepared to kill.
In the end, what was at one point
Human capital: Individuals as consumers, as workers, or as employers, have the
power to intervene for the cause of equality. GETTY IMAGES/ ISTOCK
After Piketty: The Agenda for
Economics and Inequality
Edited by Heather Boushey, Bradford
Delong and Marshall Steinbaum
Harvard University Press
1,099
the next generation thereby having a
snowballing effect on existing wealth.
History of the last 300 years is witness
to wealth generated from capital far
surpassing earnings from work. This
comes as a revelation even to econom-
ists like Paul Krugman who admit that
Piketty has enabled them to shift focus
from human capital to financial capital,
as well as inherited wealth which is the
foremost cause of inequality.
The amalgamation of democracy and
the free market economy has moved all
motivation towards profit. To halt the
pernicious march of inequality, it is im-
perative to examine all aspects of our
social existence from the concepts of
public employment to fiscal redistribu-
tion, from taxation of income and
wealth transfers to assured returns on
public savings.
Human interventions
According to Piketty, the solution lies in
a global wealth tax and high rate of in-
come tax on the rich along with mean-
ingful human interventions in social
transformation.
However, there is no assurance that
the money thus generated will ever
trickle down to the poor or the middle
class. Piketty has enumerated in his
book certain proposals for the creation
of a global tax on capital. As it is clear
from a discerning essay by Elisabeth
Jacobs in After Piketty, there seems to
be no political strategy that has been
proposed by him that would overcome
economic inequalities.
Political inequalities understandably
breed economic inequalities, and until
the political rights of the people are
boosted, there is indeed no viable solu-
tion to the world of poverty and
Idea of India: We must rely on political and legal norms to ensure that people who speak different languages
are treated equal by a democratic state. GETTY IMAGES/ ISTOCK
the partitioners axe, has been Genius, he said, can unveil the
wielded repeatedly by her own
sons to dismember the mother fig-
ure. This is a tragic replay of the
mythology of Parshuram. The first
essay of the volume carries a
powerful message for the
Hindutva brigade that openly in-
tends to imprint the soul of India
with supreme indifference to-
wards religious minorities.
Sugata Boses arguments in re- along religion. Overt Hindu sym-
lated essays evokes a sense of a
time when imaginations were fer-
tile but troubling. In 1928, the
philosopher Krishna Chandra
Bhattacharya (1875-1949) who held
the King George V Chair at Cal-
cutta University (now the B.N Seal
Chair) focussed on the problem of
recovering Swaraj in ideas.
* one that blossoms in the
deprivation. In such a world of capital-
ism, economist Branko Milanovi ar-
gues in his paper that the rising in-
equality in a period of slow growth may
necessitate reallocation of capital and
not merely income.
Act of confrontation
Piketty hits out at the dismantling of
public welfare in the name of private
enterprise and the brutalisation of
democratic coexistence and ecology
that incites a language of resistance. So,
do we let ourselves be claimed by this
affliction or should we consider our ex-
istence, in the words of philosopher-
critic Giorgio Agamben, a possibility
or a potentiality where the act of con-
frontation remains the only human
force to counter the recklessness of a
dreadful world proliferating with viol-
ence and inequality?
This calamity of uninhibited eco-
nomics, or the pernicious example of
the rise of nationalism in the face of
homeless migrants, is taken up by the
writers in this collection, suggesting a
counterforce through the celebration of
freedom, social coexistence and the
transgression of modern day produc-
tion that caters to unappeasable con-
sumer fantasy with profit for the few as
the only motive.
The essay by Piketty at the end of the
book goes on to make a suggestion of
the potential of collective bargaining to
reduce inequality generated by capital-
ism. Individuals as consumers, as work-
ers, or as employers, have the power to
intervene for the cause of equality. But
do economic changes depend on stub-
born laws or institutionally approved
procedures? This remains unclear both
in Capital and this symposium of diver-
gent papers.
Piketty is of the opinion that the rel-
evance of social sciences needs to be
underscored so as to come to grips with
economics as a human science: I
would like to see Capital as a work-in-
progress of social science rather than a
treatise about history or economics,
he maintains.
The debate must go on because the
creeping social, political and economic
inequality is a global issue and may
reach a tipping point beyond which we
may envisage a cataclysmic upheaval in
the world order.
* visions of the good should be
ory. Our intellectuals problemat-
soul of India in art, but it is
through philosophy that we can
methodologically attempt to dis-
cover it. By that time, intellectuals
had realised that the Indian soul
was deeply fractured. Within the
space of Hinduism, it was frac-
tured along caste hierarchies.
Within the political community,
the collective self was fractured
the mystical haze created by latter
bolism and imaginaries, collapse
of religious ceremonies into polit-
ical rallies, and hate-filled attacks
of the aggressive right-wing Hindu
faction, aroused a great deal of ap-
prehension among Muslims. The
community was to, consequently,
mobilise itself around Islamic
identity and the two-nation the-
Tales of footprints
Trekking across mountains in search of the Snowman
MURALI N. KRISHNASWAMY
eti: The Ecology of a Mys-
Y tery is the deep story of
Daniel C. Taylor who follows
the Yeti path. The arc begins
with his boyhood in the Him-
alayas. In 1914, Taylors
grandparents decide to head
to India as medical mission-
aries and drop anchor near
the India-Nepal border, an
area that has gripped many
an imagination as a result of
the fabled accounts of hunter
turned conservationist and
author, Jim Corbett and his
trysts with the tiger.
In the 1940s Taylors par-
ents go to India as well to run
a hospital. His childhood, an
envious one, and outlined in
the chapter My First Yetis, is
mountains and where the le-
gends of the Himalayas play
an influential part in his life.
Soon, tales of footprints turn
legend into serious inquiry
as the growing boy is con-
vinced that if footprints ex-
ist, then the maker of these
footprints must also exist...
as the mysterious creature of
the snow, the Yeti.
He never outgrows his fas-
cination for the Snowman,
which is sparked in his child-
hood by his coming across a
Wages of war
Listening to voices of Russian women who fought in WW II
Sudipta Datta
n 2015, the Nobel Prize in
I Literature was awarded to
Svetlana Alexievich for her
polyphonic writings, a fought in the war she felt she
monument to suffering and
courage in our time. The Be-
larusian had been recording
the oral history of Soviet,
post-Soviet individuals for 40
years, mostly voices of ordin-
ary people living extraordin-
ary lives, of those caught in
the Afghanistan war (Zinky
Boys) for instance or the
Chernobyl disaster (Voices
from Chernobyl).
As she writes in the intro-
duction of her most famous
tome Second-Hand Time,
which was published in Eng-
lish in 2016: It never ceases
to amaze me how interesting
ordinary, everyday life is.
There are an endless number
of human truths. History is
only interested in facts; emo-
tions are excluded in its
realm of interest. I look at the
world as a writer, not strictly
a historian. I am fascinated
by people.
This fascination for people
resulted in her first book,
The Unwomanly Face of War,
which was published in Rus-
sian in 1985, and has been
philosophy.
ent languages, and hold different
state.
ised colonialism, but they could
never problematise Hinduism,
though they sought strenuously to
reform it.
Chauvinistic nationalism
Sugata Bose deals with some of
these issues in this volume. He
suggests that the Mahatmas
reason needs to be rescued from
day cultural critics who fly the
banner of indigenous authenticity.
Also of interest are pieces on Auro-
bindo, who insisted that despite
some dark ages India still lives
with cosmopolitanism.
Bose speaks of the strong strain
of universalism in Gandhian
thought and in Vivekananda.
Yeti: The Ecology of a
Mystery
Daniel C. Taylor
Oxford University Press
795
picture of the Yetis footprint
in a magazine. The arc of his
boyhood quest stretches well
into adulthood. Were the
prints by an unknown wild
man who for more than a
century had eluded identific-
ation? Was the creature a
known being which pos-
sessed an unrecognised trait
of being able to make hu-
man-looking prints? Or, was
it a supernatural being?
His search to explain the
footprints begins, spread
across the decades, from
1956 to 2015. Armed with his
profound knowledge of the
Himalayas, the dozens of ex-
peditions and gradually ac-
companied by his own little
family take him across the
vast expanse of the ancient
mountain chain, in India,
Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet.
These find him picking up
The Unwomanly Face
of War
Svetlana Alexievich
Penguin Random House
599
translated into English now.
In it she interviews conduc-
ted in the late 1970s and early
80s hundreds of women
who participated in World
War II. In that telling, a com-
pletely unknown side of his-
tory is unravelled. About a
million Russian women
fought in World War II, tank
drivers, soldiers, snipers,
and Alexievich tracks down
many of them and listens to
their incredible and moving
stories.
Her fellow Belarusian and
mentor, Ales Adamovich,
wrote oral histories of the So-
viet participation in War, but
his narratives hardly in-
cluded women. When the
war ended, few were willing
to acknowledge the fact that
women had been sent to
NOIDA/DELHI
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
THE HINDU
BOOKSHELF
Sadly, this universalism fell prey to
the lowly calculations of identity Looking Back: The 1947
politics. Tagores philosophy is Partition of India 70
painted in vivid strokes through- Years On
out Boses canvas, and he reminds Edited by Rakhshanda
us repeatedly of Tagores warnings Jalil, Tarun K. Saint and
against chauvinistic nationalism. Debjani Sengupta
Finally, an important point had Orient Blackswan
been made by Bose in a speech to 1,095
the Lok Sabha in December 2015.
In what way can we reimagine
He reminded the House that it is 1947 in 2017? Has the
the duty of the majority not to dis- subcontinent worked
criminate against the minorities. through its burden of history
He concludes that we should cul- and recovered from the
tivate cultural intimacy, a notion trauma? Are there new routes
taken from Subhas Chandra Boses beyond polarised
perceptions? Focusing on
Certainly, cultural intimacy or stories of the aged and the
awareness of, and deep appreci- marginalised, this anthology
ation of other cultures, languages, of essays, memoirs, art,
religion, music, poetry and literat- reportage, drama casts a new
ure is an essential part of being hu- light on our fractured past to
man. But we must ultimately rely understand the present.
on political/legal norms that en-
sure that people who speak differ-
treated as equal by a democratic
When it comes to inter-personal
relations, a prime civic virtue
which Bose seems to have misread Ghosts of the Tsunami:
is that of tolerance. Tolerance or Death and Life in Japans
toleration in political theory is not Disaster Zone
paternalistic, it is based upon the Richard Lloyd Parry
supreme philosophical value of Jonathan Cape
doubt in our own capacity to 1,258
know the truth. We have to be
On March 11, 2011, a massive
conscious of the imperfectability
earthquake sent a 120-foot-
of our own truth, only then can we
high tsunami smashing into
respect other cultures as reposit-
northeast Japan. When the
ories of the truth, howsoever par- sea retreated, more than
tial those truths may be. To learn 18,000 people had died,
to respect other ways of life intro- making it Japans greatest
duces moral restraint on our con- single loss of life since the
duct, teaches us to be receptive to atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
other versions of the truth, and Among other things, a
fosters non-violence. This is the journalist who spent six years
Gandhian way. in the disaster zone, writes
about the village which
suffered the most.
local languages that give him
insights into the life and great
cultures in the region.
His attempt to unravel the
Republic of Rhetoric:
Free Speech and the
Constitution of India
secret behind the footprints
takes an interesting and un- Abhinav Chandrachud
expected turn. Even the king Penguin Random House
of Nepal, a country whose 599
mascot is the legend that What is the debate on the
Taylor seeks to demystify right of free speech in India?
queries him on this. Leaning Exploring the legal and
forward during one of their political history of India from
high-profile meetings, the the British period to the
ruler asks him: Let me be present, an advocate
clear. Are you saying that sci- examines the right to free
ence does not know some- speech, arguing that
thing that Nepali villagers colonial-era restrictions on
know? free speech, like sedition,
Taylor goes beyond the defamation, contempt of
Yeti question. To his sur- court and obscenity were
prise, his hunt, with some strengthened in independent
scientific answers it could India.
be a bear acquires a Him-
alayan depth, evolving into
exploring a concept much
greater than the mystery and
leading him to a more en-
riching mission. He leaves
behind his own imprint by
creating two vast national
parks in the region after re-
cognising that the wilderness The Wisdom of Finance:
is fast disappearing. We Discovering Humanity in
have the opportunity to grow the World of Risk and
Return
the wild back, he says, for it
Mihir Desai
is in this wilderness that lies
Hachette India
the preservation of the
599
world.
Drawing upon literature, film,
history and philosophy, a
professor explains finances
inner workings. The
combination of finance and
humanities, for instance,
makes for illuminating
pairings. So, Jane Austen and
fight, and they became si- Anthony Trollope are guides
lent as fish. to risk management. For
One former pilot told Alex-
ievich the three years she
Desai, principles of finance
can explain critical issues of
life. For example, he argues
had ceased to be a woman. that bankruptcy teaches us
When after the fall of Berlin, how to react to failure.
her future husband proposed
to her, she was shocked.
Now, in the midst of
chaos?... Begin by making
me a woman, she told him.
Many others told her that
they were eager to get to the
front, but were not prepared
for such devastation and bru- Is That Even a Country,
tality. Some of those lucky to Sir?: Journeys in
return home alive never felt Northeast India by Train,
Bus and Tractor
young again, though they
Anil Yadav
were still in their 20s. Others
Speaking Tiger
were grateful their story was
350
being recorded: Its terrible
to remember, but its far
An intrepid journalist with
more terrible to forget. little knowledge of the
Alexievich gives us many Northeast set out to discover
voices, running one after an- the region in 2000. He
other, uninterrupted. I encountered, among others,
write not the history of a war, a former general of Phizos
but the history of feelings..., underground army in
she writes in the introduc- Nagaland who spoke about
tion, but adding some more the arduous trek to China
factual details would have through virgin forests;
helped enormously to appre- former members of the Ulfa,
ciate this harrowing tale bet- who explained their
ter. Whats missing is a surrender; people who added
thread of context that could to the outsider/insider
tie it all together. debate.
A ND-NDE
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THE HINDU
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
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IN BRIEF
No problem with Gabriel
outburst: Stokes
LEEDS
England century-maker Ben
Stokes insisted he had no
problems being on the
receiving end of some choice
words from Shannon Gabriel
after the West Indies fast
bowler dismissed him on
Fridays first day of the
second Test.
He was still probably a little
bit annoyed at himself for
dropping me on 98, but it
comes with the game. He got
me out. Its international
sport, youre all trying to do
well and emotions can come
out. No worries whatsoever,
said Stokes. AFP
Zidane not to
add to his squad
MADRID
Real Madrid coach Zinedine
Zidane insisted he did not
intend to add to his squad in
the final week of the transfer
window despite a mounting
defensive crisis ahead of
Sundays clash with Valencia.
With the team I have, the
squad we have right now, I
dont want anyone, said
Zidane on Saturday. We are
all ready. AFP
Amit Phangal
starts with a win
HAMBURG
Indias campaign at the World
boxing championships got off
to a fine start as Asian
bronze-medallist Amit
Phangal advanced to the
pre-quarterfinals in the 49kg
category here on Friday.
Amit defeated Italys Federico
Serra in a split verdict to
make it to the round-of-16.
ANI
TV PICKS
Bangladesh vs Australia:
1st Test, SS Select 1 (SD &
HD), 9.30 a.m.
Sri Lanka vs India: 3rd ODI,
Sony Six & Sony TEN 3 (SD &
HD), 2.30 p.m.
England vs West Indies:
2nd Test, SS Select 2, 3.30
p.m.
Badminton World Champi-
onship: STAR Sports 1 (SD &
HD), 5.30 p.m.
Formula One: Belgium GP,
SS Select 2 HD, 5.30 p.m.
Premier League: SS Select 1
(SD & HD), 6 p.m. & 8.30
p.m.
Sterling to Citys rescue again
Scores a 97th-minute winner against Bournemouth
EUROPEAN LEAGUES
Agencies
Bournemouth
Raheem Sterling scored a
97th-minute winner and was
then sent off as Manchester
City snatched a dramatic 2-1
victory at Bournemouth in
the Premier League on
Saturday.
Bournemouth took a 13th-
minute lead through a re-
markable strike from left-
back Charlie Daniels, who
slammed a half-volley in off
Edersons crossbar from a
position wide on the left.
But David Silva teed up
Gabriel Jesus to equalise
eight minutes later and just
as it looked like victory
would elude City, Sterling
struck deep into stoppage
time with the aid of a big de-
flection off Andrew Surman.
Sterling, whose late volley
earned City a 1-1 draw with
Everton on Monday, celeb-
rated by throwing himself
into the away section and
was shown a second yellow
card by referee Mike Dean.
The outcome was harsh
on Bournemouth, which is
still searching for its first
point of the season.
But for City manager Pep
Guardiola, Sterlings strike
will spare him from the kind
of inquest about his teams
goal-scoring problems that
he faced after the draw with
Everton.
He sprang a surprise be-
fore kick-off by dropping
Sergio Aguero to the bench.
A glum-looking Aguero
took his seat in the dug-out
behind Guardiola and for 15
minutes it looked as though
CM
YK
India will look to seal the series
Sri Lanka seeks revival under stand-in skipper Kapugedera
Press Trust of India
Pallekele
India will fancy its chances of
wrapping up the five-match
series when it locks horns
with a beleaguered Sri Lanka
in the third One-Day Interna-
tional here on Sunday.
The visitor has a 2-0 lead
in the series and can wrap up
the contest with another win
here before leaving for the
last-leg of the tour in
Colombo.
The big question is if skip-
per Virat Kohli will continue
with his bold approach when
it comes to team strategy, if
not team selection.
However, the complica-
tion in the 231-run chase in
the second ODI occurred due
to a shuffle in the batting
order.
After a great start, Kohli
sent in K.L. Rahul and Kedar
Jadhav ahead at number
three and four respectively.
The mini-experiment failed
spectacularly, mostly be-
cause they couldnt read
Akila Dananjayas googlies
Still believe we can win: Kapugedera
The stand-in captain says the last game has given Sri Lanka some momentum
Press Trust of India
Pallekele
Sri Lankas stand-in captain
Chamara Kapugedera on
Saturday said the fighting ef-
fort in a losing cause in the
second ODI against India
here has given them the be-
lief that they can still win a
game in the ongoing series.
Kapugedera denied that
the team was low on
confidence.
Instead, he said Sri Lanka
has finally found some mo-
mentum in the ongoing
series, even if it is yet to taste
victory against the Indians.
I dont think we are
struggling. I think there is a
good atmosphere in the
team. The way we played,
we are having lot of confid-
ence. Everyone is together
and hopefully we can pull
off one win. After the last
game we believe that we can
win. We played really well,
Kapugedera said, on the eve
of the third ODI here.
Unheralded mystery spin-
ner Akila Dananjaya (six for
48 in nine overs) infused life
into the series, which has
been panned by all and sun-
dry for the lopsided contests
starting with the Test
matches to take Sri Lanka
tantalisingly close to a
victory.
M.S. Dhonis experience
Sucker punch: Raheem Sterlings shot took a nick off Andrew
Surmans heels that gave Asmir Begovic no chance.
*
MIKE HEWITT/GETTY IMAGES
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
B It was Sterlings first PL red
card in what was his 162nd
appearance in the
competition
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
the visitor might have cause
to regret its managers de-
cision.
Left-back Benjamin
Mendy was making his City
debut following his 52 mil-
lion move from Monaco and
took time to settle against
Adam Smith, the energetic
home right-back.
The home sides early ef-
forts were rewarded when
Daniels produced a wonder-
fully clean strike to beat
Ederson.
There seemed little
danger when the
Bournemouth wing-back
moved onto a loose ball
wide on the left flank follow-
ing Vincent Kompanys
clearing header.
But Daniels met the ball
on the half-volley, arrowing
a sublime shot past the soar-
ing Ederson and in off the
INDIA IN LANKA
properly. Again then, it is a
wonder if Kohli will experi-
ment again. The Indian skip-
per might just revert to the
original batting order and
close out the series before
ringing any changes in the
last two ODIs in Colombo.
There is also the toss
factor. Kohli won his fifth
consecutive toss on this tour,
and predictably chose to
chase again.
With Rohit Sharma and
Shikhar Dhawan putting on a
century stand. It was the
catalyst for the shuffle in bat-
ting-order, as the Indian skip-
per probably didnt want a
second game without action
in the middle for Rahul and
others.
Could this force Kohli to
rethink his bat-first theory, if
he manages to win the toss
yet again?
As concerns changes to
the playing combination,
Hardik Pandya is in focus. In
in pressure situations came
in handy as he successfully
anchored a tricky chase,
guiding India to a three-
wicket victory in the second
ODI.
It was a fine effort by
Akila Dhanajanya, the
Lanka stand-in skipper said.
One hurdle we have to
overcome, and things will
fall in line. We are disappoin-
ted to lose the last game. But
we need to take all the posit-
ives from it as well. We dont
want to take any negatives.
We need to take positives.
Hopefully the guys will come
up and do the job,
Kapugedera added.
Will continue experimenting
ANI
Kandy
Indias fielding coach R.
Sridhar on Saturday said
the team management
would continue to
experiment in the
upcoming matches.
We want to take
something into the next
game and the remaining
part of the series. I think
the way the last game
shaped up was a
wonderful learning curve
underside of the bar.
The results: Premier League:
Saturday: Bournemouth 1
(Daniels 13) lost to Manchester
City 2 (Jesus 21, Sterling 90+7);
Crystal Palace 0 lost to
Swansea 2 (Abraham 44, Ayew
48); Huddersfield 0 drew with
Southampton 0; Newcastle 3
(Joselu 36, Clark 72, Mitrovic
86) bt West Ham 0; Watford 0
drew with Brighton 0.
Bundesliga: Werder Bremen 0
lost to Bayern Munich 2 (Le-
wandowski 72, 75); Eintracht
Frankfurt 0 lost to Wolfsburg 1
(Didavi 22); Bayer Leverkusen 2
(Wendell 33-pen, Bellarabi 49)
drew with Hoffenheim 2
(Kramaric 47, Uth 70); Augs-
burg 2 (Finnbogason 1, Cordova
89) drew with Borussia
Monchengladbach 2 (Zakaria 8,
Wendt 30); Stuttgart 1 (Bad-
stuber 53) bt Mainz 0.
Friday: La Liga: Real Sociedad 3
(Willian Jose 25, Prieto 34,
Juanmi 45) bt Villarreal 0; Real
Betis 2 (Sergio Leon 31, Feddal
77) bt Celta Vigo 1 (Gomez 9).
Bundesliga: Cologne 1 shout to the fans here I
(Sorensen 90+7) lost to Ham-
burg 3 (Hahn 28, Wood 34,
Holtby 90+10).
the lead-up to the second
ODI, the all-rounder wore a
light strap on his left knee,
though the team manage-
ment assured his full fitness.
Later in the game, he pulled
up with issues on the same
left leg.
While it appeared to be a
calf problem for him, due to
which he left the field on
three occasions, again the
team management outlined
it as a cramp issue and not a
major worry.
Pandyas availability for
the third ODI then remains a
question mark at best. Even
if cramped yet fully fit, will
he be risked given the exten-
ded limited-overs schedule
India has until December?
Kuldeep Yadav or Shardul
Thakur could come into the
reckoning as the fifth bowler,
unluckily again for Manish
Pandey as India will need
someone to bowl Pandyas 10
overs.
There are bound to be fur-
ther changes for the Sri
Lankan playing XI.
Unheralded: Akila Dananjaya was responsible for six of Indias
seven wickets in the second ODI. PTI
for us, the fielding coach
said.
Sridhar said the team
would continue to try
different players in
different slots.
Akila Dananjaya
bowled brilliantly in the
last game. We take that
forward, and well make
sure we wont repeat the
mistakes.
We wanted to give
other players a hit. Rahul
hadnt batted in the middle
Hamilton takes pole
BELGIAN GP
Agence France-Presse
Francorchamps
Lewis Hamilton roared to a
record-equalling 68th career
pole position on Saturday,
matching Michael Schu-
machers record in qualify-
ing for the Belgian Grand
Prix.
The 32-year-old three-
time World champion will
start Sundays race, the
200th of his career, from his
sixth pole this year with Ger-
manys championship
leader Sebastian Vettel of
Ferrari alongside him in
second.
Hamiltons lap in 1min
42.553sec was the all-time
record fastest at the spectac-
ular Spa-Francorchamps cir-
cuit in the forests of the Bel-
gian Ardennes, 0.242
seconds quicker than Vettel.
Former Ferrari and Mer-
cedes technical director
Ross Brawn, who guided
Schumacher to all seven of
his titles with Benetton (two)
and Ferrari (five), hugged
Hamilton on the track and
said he had a special
message.
I am here to deliver a
special message from the
Schumacher family who
want to congratulate you on
equalling Michaels record,
said Brawn.
He always said records
are there to be beaten and
they want to say a special
thanks.
Hamilton, who appeared
to be visibly moved with
emotion, said: First, a big
cant believe it. A big thank
you to my team.
Ross was a big part of
Upul Tharanga has been
handed a two-match suspen-
sion for slow over-rate for the
second time since the Cham-
pions Trophy in June, and he
will sit out the next two ODIs.
It could be a blessing in
disguise as the skipper was
suffering from a poor run of
form, and the attacking
Dinesh Chandimal, included
in the Lankan squad, is ex-
pected to slot into Thar-
angas number four spot.
Chamara will do the hon-
ours as he was given the re-
sponsibility of being the vice-
captain in the first two
matches. There will also be
an additional change as
Lahiru Thirimanne is expec-
ted to open with Niroshan
Dickwella, after Danushka
Gunathilaka injured his
shoulder whilst fielding in
the second ODI.
The teams (from):
India: Virat Kohli (Capt.),
Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma,
KL Rahul, Manish Pandey,
Ajinkya Rahane, Kedar Jadhav,
MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya,
* West Indies in trouble at 35
in a one-day game so we
wanted to give him that
opportunity. It was just an
experiment, he said.
Meanwhile, Sridhar
believes his sides fielding
had significantly improved
in limited-over matches as
compared to Tests.
Compared to the Test
side, I think our ground
fielding has improved
significantly over the last
three to four years, he
said.
Something special: Lewis Hamilton, who equalled
Schumachers record 68 poles, received special wishes from
the German legends family. AP
that. This is one of my fa-
vourite circuits so to put a
lap together like that is like a
dream.
To hear that message
which Ross just gave... a big
thank you.
I pray for Michael and
his family all the time.
Vettel, who Ferrari said
Saturday has signed a three-
year contract extension, se-
cured his front-row spot
with a late and dramatic lap
for Ferrari.
He leads Hamilton by 14
points with nine races re-
maining this year.
Hamiltons Mercedes
teammate Valtteri Bottas
qualified third ahead of
Finnish compatriot Kimi
Raikkonen in the second
Ferrari, Dutchman Max
Vestappen and his Red Bull
Gearing up: Ajinkya Rahane at the nets session on the eve of the third ODI against Sri Lanka.
Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav,
Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bum-
rah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and
Shardul Thakur.
Sri Lanka: Chamara Kapugedera
(Capt.), Dinesh Chandimal,
Brathwaite gives Windies hope
Agence France-Presse
Leeds
Kraigg Brathwaites defiant
unbeaten century and a fine
knock from Shai Hope en-
sured the West Indies con-
tinued its spirited fightback
in the second Test against
England at Headingley on
Saturday.
The West Indies was 206
for three in reply to Eng-
lands first innings 258, a de-
ficit of just 52 runs, at tea on
the second day.
Brathwaite was batting on
102 and Shai Hope was un-
beaten on 85. Their un-
broken stand was so far
worth 171 runs.
The fourth-wicket duo
had come together with
for three after James Ander-
son had dismissed Kyle
Hope, Shais older brother,
on his way to brilliant lunch
figures of three for 10 in 12
overs.
But not even Anderson
could make further inroads
as Brathwaite and Hope bat-
ted through the second
session.
Their partnership made
Englands decision to drop
third seamer Toby Roland-
Jones look all the more
curious.
Roland-Jones had taken 14
wickets in three Tests at an
average of under 20 apiece
since making his debut in
Englands preceding 3-1
* the finals of worlds.
team-mate Australian Daniel
Ricciardo.
Provisional grid: 1st row: Lewis
Hamilton (Mercedes), Se-
bastian Vettel (Ferrari); 2nd
row: Valtteri Bottas (Mer-
cedes), Kimi Raikkonen (Fer-
rari); 3rd row: Max Verstappen
(Red Bull), Daniel Ricciardo
(Red Bull); 4th row: Nico
Hulkenberg (Renault), Sergio
Perez (Force India); 5th row:
Esteban Ocon (Force India),
Jolyon Palmer (Renault).
6th row: Fernando Alonso
(McLaren), Romain Grosjean
(Haas); 7th row: Kevin Mag-
nussen (Haas), Carlos Sainz Jr.
(Toro Rosso); 8th row: Lance
Stroll (Williams), Felipe Massa
(Williams) after five-place grid
penalty; 9th row: Marcus Eric-
sson (Sauber), Pascal Wehrlein
(Sauber); 10th row: Daniil
Kvyat (Toro Rosso), Stoffel
Vandoorne (McLaren).
SPORT 17
Lahiru Thirimanna, Angelo
Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella
(wk), Danushka Gunathilaka,
Kusal Mendis, Chamara
Kapugedera, Milinda Siriward-
ana, Malinda Pushpakumara,
Fighting knock: Kraigg Brathwaite successfully reviewed two
umpiring decisions to notch up a century. AFP
home series win over South
Africa.
But despite those fine fig-
ures he was omitted at
Headingley, with England re-
calling the fit-again Chris
Woakes, ostensibly in a bid
to give the Warwickshire all-
rounder game time ahead of
the upcoming Ashes tour of
Australia.
But Woakes too often
bowled short and at tea had
figures of none for 40 in 11
overs.
Brathwaite, who resumed
on 13 not out, successfully
reviewed lbw decisions on
35 and 46, after first getting
an inside edge to Stuart
Broad and being outside off-
stump playing a shot when
given out to off-spinner Mo-
een Ali.
On 60, Shai Hope was hit
Bronze for Saina
Okuhara becomes first Japanese
shuttler to reach the final
Agence France Presse
Glasgow
Saina Nehwal settled for the
bronze as her impressive
run at the World badminton
championships came to an
end here on Saturday after a
heart-breaking loss to Rio
Olympics bronze medallist
Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in
the womens semifinals.
Saina gave it her all, but
Okuharas never-say-die atti-
tude helped her outman-
oeuvre the Indian in an en-
ergy-sapping clash.
After battling for an hour
and 14 minutes, the world
No. 12 managed to eke out a
come-from-behind 12-21, 21-
17, 21-10 win over the Indian
to become the first shuttler
from her country to reach
Earlier, Saina had made
the semifinals, staving off
the challenge from local fa-
vourite Kristy Gilmour 21-19,
18-21, 21-15 in an hour and 14
minutes.
Swedens Viktor Axelsen
gained revenge over Chinas
Comeback win: Okuharas relentlessness helped her
outmanoeuvre Saina in an energy-sapping semifinal.
*
PTI
Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan
Sandakan, Thisara Perera,
Wanindu Hasaranga, Lasith Ma-
linga, Dushmantha Chameera,
Vishwa Fernando and Upul Thar-
anga.
*
on the helmet by a bouncer
from Ben Stokes. But he
showed no sign of being
shaken up. He was, however,
dropped on 72 when Mark
Stoneman, back on his heels
at short leg, couldnt hold on
to a whip off Ali.
SCOREBOARD
England 1st innings: 258.
West Indies 1st innings: K.
Brathwaite batting 102, K.
Powell c Cook b Anderson 5, D.
Bishoo c Bairstow b Anderson 1,
K. Hope c Root b Anderson 3, S.
Hope batting 85; Extras (b-4,
lb-4, w-2): 10; Total (for 3 wkts
in 67 overs, at tea): 206.
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-31, 3-35.
England bowling: Anderson
18-6-30-3, Broad 14-2-54-0,
Woakes 11-2-40-0, Stokes 12-
5-24-0, Moeen 11-1-41-0,
Westley 1-0-9-0.
WORLD CSHIPS
defending champion Chen
Long in the semifinals. In a
surprisingly short match,
the Danish No. 3 seed beat
the Olympic champion 21-9,
21-10 in just 39 minutes.
The results: Men: Semifinals:
Viktor Axelsen (Swe) bt Chen
Long (Chn) 21-9, 21-10;
Quarterfinals: Chen bt Tian
Houwei (Chn) 21-12, 21-17.
Doubles: Semifinals: Mo-
hammad Ahsan & Rian Agung
Saputro (Ina) bt Takeshi
Kamura & Keigo Sonoda (Jap)
21-12, 21-15.
Women, semifinals: Nozomi
Okuhara (Jpn) bt Sania Nehwal
12-21, 21-17, 21-10; Quarterfi-
nals: Saina bt Kirsty Gilmour
(Sco) 21-19, 18-21, 21-15.
Doubles: Semifinals: Chen
Qingchen & Jia Yifan (Chn) bt
Masaki Matsumoto & Ayaka
Takahashi (Jap) 21-17, 21-15.
Mixed doubles: Semifinals:
Tontowi Ahmed & Liliyana Nat-
sir (Ina) bt Lee Chun Hei Regin-
ald & Chau Hoi Wah (HKg) 21-
16, 21-13.
*
AFP
A ND-NDE
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18 SPORT
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IN BRIEF
Conte eyes upgrade post
troubled spell
LONDON
Exasperated by Chelseas
failure to land his top
transfer targets, Antonio
Conte hopes Sundays clash
with Everton is the prelude to
a last-minute shopping spree
by the Premier League
champion. For sure, the club
is trying to strengthen our
squad, our team, they are
working very hard to do this.
My focus is only on the pitch,
then there is the club. The
club is working hard and we
will see what happens at the
end of the transfer market,
Conte said.
AFP
Brandon Knight
to miss season
LOS ANGELES
Phoenix Suns guard Brandon
Knight had surgery to repair a
torn left knee ligament on
Friday and will miss all of the
2017-18 NBA season, Suns
said.
Confirmation that Knight
would miss the entire season
came on the same day that,
Suns said rookie guard Davon
Reed underwent meniscus
surgery on his left knee and
would be sidelined for four to
six months. AFP
Earn starting XI spot,
coach tells Ibrahimovic
MANCHESTER
Manchester United manager
Jose Mourinho expects
Zlatan Ibrahimovic to
challenge Romelu Lukaku for
a starting berth when the
Swedish striker returns to
action. Zlatan knows me. He
knows that I play the players
that I think are the best for
the team. I always did that in
my life, so if he comes here
and he proves that he is the
best, he plays. If the other
ones dont give him a chance
to prove that, thats life,
Mourinho said. AFP
Bajrang loses in
repechage
PARIS
Asian champion and former
World bronze medallist
Bajrag Punia lost in the
repechage and crashed out of
the 65kg freestyle bronze
medal race on the final day of
the World wrestling
championships here on
Saturday. Bajrang beat
German Alexander Semisorov
6-2 before losing to Zurabi
Iabishivili of Georgia 6-5.
Zurabis entry into the final
gave the Indian a second
chance, but he lost his
repechage bout to Turkeys
Mustafa Kaya 8-3. Asian
bronze medallist Parveen
Rana (74kg) and
Commonwealth Games silver
medallist Satyawart Kadian
(97kg) lost after winning
their first round matches.
India drew a blank in the
event.
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
SUDOKU
Solution to yesterdays Sudoku
CM
YK
Smith confirms Agars Test return
Mushfiqur Rahim says Bangladesh has enough resources to win the series
Agence France Presse
DHAKA
Australia captain Steve Smith
confirmed Ashton Agar will
play his first Test in four
years when the two-Test
series against Bangladesh be-
gins here on Sunday.
Agar made a sensational
debut in 2013, scoring 98 in
his maiden innings batting at
No. 11 against England at Not-
tingham. But since then the
23-year-old has made only
one further Test appearance,
and has been hungry for a
return to the long format of
the game.
It was not until his im-
pressive form in the Sheffield
Shield this season he
claimed 16 wickets and
scored 115 runs in four in-
nings for Western Australia
that he caught the eye of the
selectors again.
He was picked for the two-
Test tour of Bangladesh
ahead of left-arm spinner
Steve OKeefe, whose 12-
wicket haul against India
earlier this year helped Aus-
tralia win the first Test of
Vijay Viraaj for Stewards Cup
HYDERABAD: Vijay Viraaj may
score in the Stewards Cup
(1,400m), the main event of the
races to be held here on Sunday
(Aug. 27).
There will be no false rails.
1 CHAITANYA CHAKRAM CUP
(Div. II), (1,100m), maiden 3-y-o
only (whips are not permitted in
this race), (Terms), 1.15 p.m.: 1.
Free Eagle (2) Deep Shanker 56, 2.
Golden Aliza (3) N. Rawal 56, 3.
Trumph Boy (1) Koushik 56, 4.
Conroy (9) Kunal Bunde 54.5, 5.
Good Strike (8) Ajeeth Kumar
54.5, 6. Heaven Can Wait (6) C.
Umesh 54.5, 7. Marina Del Rey (4)
Akshay Kumar 54.5, 8. Rose Petal
(5) G. Naresh 54.5 and 9. Tough
Princess (7) B.R. Kumar 54.5.
1. FREE EAGLE, 2. GOOD STRIKE, 3.
MARINA DEL REY
2 CHAITANYA CHAKRAM CUP
(Div. I), (1,100m), maiden 3-y-o
only (whips are not permitted in
this race), (Terms), 1.45: 1. After
Eight (5) Kuldeep Singh 56, 2.
Gaandeevan (8) Aneel 56, 3. Lord
Gift (2) Akshay Kumar 56, 4. Can-
non Dear (7) N. Rawal 54.5, 5.
Fabulous Art (4) C. Umesh 54.5, 6.
Glorious Grey (3) Deepak Singh
54.5, 7. Kohinoor Lucy (6) Rafique
Sk. 54.5, 8. Negress Princess (9)
Ajeeth Kumar 54.5 and 9. Sharp
Eye (1) Hannam 54.5.
1. LORD GIFT, 2. SHARP EYE, 3.
AFTER EIGHT
3 ELUSIVE HERO PLATE
(1,200m), 4-y-o & over, rated
Kisan enters final
Sports Bureau
TAIPEI
Maharashtras Kisan Tadvi
Narsi entered the mens
5000m final at the 29th
World University Games
here on Saturday, a day
when Taipeis Cheng Chao-
Tsun broke the Asian mens
javelin throw record with a
massive 91.36m.
Kisan finished sixth in his
heat, clocking 14:35.83s, and
made the final as one of the
fastest losers.
Cheng, who like Indias
Neeraj Chopra failed to
qualify for the javelin final at
the recent London World
Championships (77.87m)
and was sixth in the Asian
Championships in
Great challenge: Steve Smith, right, seen with Bangladesh counterpart Mushfiqur Rahim,
hopes the series will give Australia a reality check after its tour of India. AFP
that series.
Agar will partner with off-
spinner Nathan Lyon on a
supposedly spin friendly
wicket at the Sher-e-Bangla
National Stadium, where
Australia will make its first
Test appearance against
26 to 46 (Cat. III), 2.15: 1. Compos-
ure (5) Koushik 60, 2. Dolce (4)
Ajeeth Kumar 59.5, 3. Prime Time
(2) K. Mukesh Kumar 57.5, 4. Raja
Hindustani (3) Rafique Sk. 57.5, 5.
Gorgeous Lady (7) Deepak Singh
57, 6. Supurinto (1) Akshay Kumar
56, 7. General Salute (8) Md. Is-
mail 55.5, 8. Shakesphere (9)
Kunal Bunde 55, 9. Symbol Of
Gold (10) B.R. Kumar 55 and 10.
Vijays Empress (6) Kuldeep Singh
54.5.
1. COMPOSURE, 2. PRIME TIME, 3.
GORGEOUS LADY
KHAMMAM PLATE (Div. II),
4 (1,100m), 4-y-o & over, rated
upto 30 (Cat. III), 2.45: 1. New
Comer (3) Nakhat Singh 60.5, 2.
Avenida (8) N. Rawal 60, 3.
Pamella (4) Rafique Sk. 58.5, 4.
Dawning Hope (5) A.A. Vikrant 57,
5. Aalishaan (9) Akshay Kumar
55.5, 6. Moonflash (6) G. Naresh
54, 7. Chemical Daddy (7) Md.
Sameeruddin 53.5, 8. Cashel (1)
Kunal Bunde 52.5 and 9. Oh
Pharaoh (2) A.S. Pawar 51.5.
1. NEW COMER, 2. AALISHAAN, 3.
DAWNING HOPE
5 P.M. BOKDAWALA MEMORIAL
CUP (1,200m), 3-y-o & over,
rated 42 to 62 (Cat. II), 3.15: 1. Ar-
agonda Princess (4) Gopal Singh
60, 2. Like Wise (5) Nakhat Singh
1. NELLY, 2. SEFARINA, 3.
60, 3. Movie Moghual (3) A.A.
Vikrant 60, 4. Miracle King (8)
A.S. Pawar 58.5, 5. Lavender (7)
C.P. Bopanna 54.5, 6. Royal Dy-
namite (2) Md. Ismail 54, 7. South-
Bhubaneswar last month
(80.03m), came up with the
big one in the last round.
Narrow miss
Meanwhile, Delhis prom-
ising Amoj Jacob finished
fifth in the mens 800m heat
in 1:51.28s and narrowly
missed qualifying for the fi-
nal while Kachnar Chaud-
hary was a big disappoint-
ment finishing 10th in her
group (20th overall) in the
womens shot put qualifica-
tion round and failed to pro-
gress further. She has a per-
sonal best of 14.50m.
And, in the womens
20km race walk, Priyanka
was disqualified before the
halfway stage.
TENNIS
Ankita & Ce
triumph
Winning smiles: Ankita Raina and Gabriela Ce.
*
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Sports Bureau
Artvin (Turkey)
Ankita Raina and her
Brazilian partner Gabriela
Ce outplayed the fourth-
seeded Russo-Bulgarian pair
of Yana Sizikova and Elitsa
Kostova 6-2, 6-3 to win the
Bangladesh in 11 years.
Australia has not toured
Bangladesh since 2006 and
this series has been long in
the making.
Smith expressed hope
that it would be an exciting
series and give Australia a
ern Crown (1) Akshay Kumar 53.5
and 8. Aston Doulton (6) Rafique
Sk. 53.
1. ARAGONDA PRINCESS, 2. LIKE
WISE, 3. SOUTHERN CROWN
DEMOCRACY PLATE (1,100m),
6 5-y-o & over, rated 26 to 46
(Cat. III), 3.45: 1. Princess Baller-
ina (6) Md. Ismail 60, 2. Hunters
Pride (8) Md. Sameeruddin 58.5,
3. Rois Cruise (7) Deepak Singh
58.5, 4. Egyptian Wind (9)
Shailesh 57.5, 5. Romantic Fire (2)
G. Naresh 56, 6. Time Is Luck (3)
N. Rawal 55, 7. Vijays Delight (10)
P. Gaddam 55, 8. Man Of The
Series (1) Zulquar Nain 54.5, 9.
Bouncer (5) Kunal Bunde 53 and
10. Moon Walker (4) Akshay Ku-
mar 53.
1. PRINCESS BALLERINA, 2. MOON
WALKER, 3. HUNTERS PRIDE
7 KHAMMAM PLATE (Div. I),
(1,100m), 4-y-o & over, rated
upto 30 (Cat. III), 4.15: 1. Great
Glory (1) Gopal Singh 60.5, 2. Se-
farina (5) Md. Ismail 60.5, 3. Nelly
(2) Akshay Kumar 59.5, 4. Rohini
(3) A.S. Pawar 57.5, 5. My Choice
(8) G. Naresh 56, 6. Pride And Joy
(10) Kunal Bunde 55.5, 7. Golden
Joy (9) Deepak Singh 53.5, 8. Our
Ensign (7) A.A. Vikrant 53, 9. Prin-
cess (6) Shailesh 51 and 10. Sensa-
tional Girl (4) A.K. Pawar 51.
PRINCESS
STEWARDS CUP (1,400m), 3-
8 y-o & over, rated 74 & above
(Cat. I), 4.45: 1. Vijay Viraaj (7) P.
Records tumble in Europes transfer frenzy
Agence France-Presse
Paris
Ousmane Dembeles transfer
to Barcelona in a deal worth
up to 147 million, making
him the worlds second most
expensive player after Ney-
mar, is the latest dizzying
move fuelled by television
money and Gulf-based club
owners.
The deal agreed on Friday
to bring 20-year-old French
striker Dembele to the Span-
ish giant from Borussia
Dortmund was a direct con-
sequence of Neymars shock
222-million move to Qatar-
owned Paris Saint-Germain
that obliterated the world
transfer record.
To further fill the gap left
$60,000 ITF womens ten-
nis tournament here on
Saturday.
This was Ankitas second
doubles title from three fi-
nals over the last three
weeks.
* You all know that we
reality check after its tour of
India. I think its going to be
a great series. Its a great
challenge for my group of
players to see what we have
learned from India, Smith
said.
Australia visited India in
Gaddam 64, 2. Kolors (1) A.S.
Pawar 61.5, 3. Time For Fun (3)
Nakhat Singh 60.5, 4. Alameda
(10) Md. Ismail 58, 5. Baashagar
(12) Ajeeth Kumar 57, 6. King Of
Pop (6) Koushik 57, 7. Mangalyaan
(11) B.R. Kumar 55.5, 8. Thats My
Darling (2) Akshay Kumar 55.5, 9.
Net Champ (4) Deep Shanker 55,
10. Ashwa Raftar (5) Shailesh 51.5,
11. Green Image (8) A.A. Vikrant
51.5, 12. Vijay Sakhi (9) S.S. Tan-
war 51 and 13. Rubyonrails (13)
Kunal Bunde 50.
1. VIJAY VIRAAJ, 2. ALAMEDA, 3.
TIME FOR FUN
KHAMMAM PLATE (Div. III),
9 (1,100m), 4-y-o & over, rated
upto 30 (Cat. III), 5.20: 1.
Novitious (2) K. Mukesh Kumar
60.5, 2. Racing Ikon (6) C.P.
Bopanna 60, 3. Beauty Flash (8)
A.A. Vikrant 58, 4. Awesome
Show (4) Akshay Kumar 56, 5. Di-
vine Heights (7) Rafique Sk. 55.5,
6. Yes Baby (1) Rohit Kumar 54, 7.
Old Faithful (3) K. Sai Kiran 53.5,
8. Amaravathi (5) G. Naresh 51.5
and 9. Beijos (9) N. Rawal 50.
1. RACING IKON, 2. BEAUTY FLASH,
3. NOVITIOUS
Days best: PRINCESS BALLERINA
Double: NEW COMER - NELLY
Jkt (i): 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5; (ii): 5, 6, 7, 8 &
9; Tr (i): 1, 2 & 3; (ii): 4, 5 & 6; (iii):
7, 8 & 9; Tla: All races.
by Neymars departure, Bar-
celona is expected to make a
final push to sign Liverpools
Brazilian playmaker Philippe
Coutinho before the transfer
window slams shut within
days.
PSG, determined to
mount a serious challenge
for the Champions League, is
also reportedly about to se-
cure the signature of
Monacos teenage starlet
Kylian Mbappe for another
stratospheric fee.
In England, Manchester
Citys Emirati owners have
snapped up two of Mbappes
French title-winning Monaco
teammates.
City paid 52 million, a
Baskaran aims to keep juniors battle-ready
To focus on tightening the phase from junior to senior
Vijay Lokapally
NEW DELHI
In an effort to pull Indian
hockey out of stagnation, the
administration is looking to
introduce a series of steps,
including appointment of a
Development Coach.
Indias 1980 Olympics
hockey gold captain V. Bas-
karan is being entrusted with
the task of streamlining the
structure of grooming juni-
ors with an aim to keep them
battle-ready.
A Hockey India (HI)
source confided that Bas-
karan was considered the
ideal man for the job be-
cause of his established skills
to act as a guide and counsel-
lor.
Its a challenging re-
sponsibility and I am looking
forward to contribute my
best, Baskaran told The
Hindu.
The focus would be on
tightening the phase from ju-
nior to senior, an area where
most coaches believe players
need strict monitoring.
There are juniors who
may not be ready for the
February-March for four Test
matches and despite a 2-1
loss Smiths men were
praised for putting up a good
show.
Smith led from the front,
scoring three centuries to be-
come the highest run-getter
in the series with 499 runs at
71.28.
He said he was surprised
by the recent comments of
Bangladesh coach Chandika
Hathurusingha and all-
rounder Shakib Al-Hasan,
who both expressed hopes
of winning the series 2-0.
Bangladesh captain Mush-
fiqur Rahim said his team
has enough resources to win
the series. Cricket is all
about winning the match,
said Rahim.
have been very consistent in
the last series as well as in
the last two years in our
home condition. I think
everyone is talking about
winning the series because
of that belief, he said.
The second Test will be
held from September 4 to 8.
Bagan
retains
Norde
Special Correspondent
Kolkata
Mohun Bagan announced
that it will be extending the
contract of its Haitian for-
ward Sony Norde for the
fourth successive season.
Norde will be joining the
club practice ahead of the
I-League in October.
With the All India Foot-
ball Federation allowing an
increased quota of foreign-
ers where each club can
register six foreigners
Bagans current interna-
tional signings stands at
four. Kamo Stephane Bayi
(Ivory Coast), Ansumana
Kromah (Liberia) and
Kingsley Eze (Nigeria) are
the three players drafted in
before Norde, who chose
Bagan over ISL offers as the
former offered a bigger
purse.
East Bengal is a step
ahead having already made
five signings.
world record fee for a de-
fender, for full-back Ben-
jamin Mendy and another
43 million for midfielder
Bernardo Silva. The team
also added England interna-
tional defender Kyle Walker
for 50 million as part of its
summer spending spree.
Rocking the boat
PSG and City and their Gulf-
based owners have shaken
up the established order,
said Virgile Caillet, a market-
ing expert who heads the
French federation of sport
and leisure industries.
In the case of PSG, Qatar
also appears to be seeking to
exert its soft power at a
senior level and some seni-
ors who may not be suited to
come to terms to the interna-
tional standards. These play-
ers have to be brought in the
development category. We
cant lose them, said
Baskaran.
Ongoing process
In Baskarans view, develop-
ment of a player is an ongo-
ing process.
The transformation from
a very good junior to a good
senior cant happen
overnight. You have to con-
sider the age factor and the
performance factor. We have
to see if the junior needs
more time to be acceptable
in the senior category. My
role would be to see that the
results are productive to the
system.
The need to evaluate and
analyse a player will make
Baskarans job all the more
important.
Even Sachin (Tendulkar)
and MS (Dhoni) have talked
of going back to the basics.
Here too if someone fails in
the senior team it will be my
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
Vettel to stay at
Ferrari till 2020
Rumours were he may join Mercedes
Agence France-Presse
Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
World championship leader
Sebastian Vettel will stay
with Ferrari until 2020 after
agreeing a three-year con-
tract extension, the Italian
team announced on
Saturday.
In a statement that ended
weeks of speculation over
the future of the four-time
champion German, Ferrari
said it had extended its
technical and racing agree-
ment with driver Sebastian
Vettel for the 2018, 2019 and
2020 racing seasons.
It had been widely ru-
moured that the 30-year-old
German was flirting with the
possibility of joining Mer-
cedes, a prospect dismissed
on Friday by his title rival
Lewis Hamilton.
Deal through: Sebastian Vettel, left, seen speaking with team
principal of the Ferrari Formula One team Maurizio Arrivaben,
extended his contract till 2020. AFP
Hat-trick by Dicka
Special Correspondent
KOLKATA
Aser Dipanda Dickas hat-
trick helped Mohammedan
Sporting score five in the
second half and beat Peer-
less SC 5-2 in a Calcutta Foot-
ball Leagues premier divi-
sion Group-A match at the
Vidyasagar Stadium, Barasat
on Saturday.
Sporting, which trailed by
a goal in the first half, made
a spectacular comeback
after the break scoring five
in a span of 39 minutes.
Sukhvinder Singh opened
the scoring with a long-
ranger in the 16th minute to
time that it is locked in a feud
with its regional rivals.
In the space of August, re-
cords set last year have been
swept away, with the 89
million deal that took Paul
Pogba to Manchester United
in 2016 more than doubled
by PSGs swoop for Neymar
that broke up Barcelonas
MSN trio of the 25-year-old
Brazilian, Luis Suarez and Li-
onel Messi.
Dembeles move for a fee
of 105 million with add-ons
worth another 42 million,
following Neymars Barca
exit, comes as footballers
union FIFPro has blasted
transfer market madness.
And in splashing out on
V. Baskaran. * FILE PHOTO
task to bring him back to
shape. Not everything can go
by the coaching book. Cer-
tain aspects of pursuing the
game are in-born.
Baskaran, who is on the
panel of a few colleges in
Chennai and Coimbatore as
a counsellor, emphasised
that communication is im-
portant. Some players com-
municate superbly and thats
what I look to exploit. To me
communication is the key
and it should not be re-
strained because you
struggle to express yourself.
Baskaran believes, You
learn from travelling and
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
The announcement came
as little surprise to paddock
observers, even if the timing
was unexpected.
Ferrari usually makes its
driver announcements at its
home Italian Grand Prix at
Monza, scheduled for next
weekend.
The three-year extension
ties in with Ferraris own
contract with Formula One
that runs until 2020 when
the team will seek to negoti-
ate new terms for its parti-
cipation with the sports
new US owners Liberty Me-
dia.
Vettels original contract
with Ferrari was scheduled
to run to the end of this sea-
son, a situation that allowed
him to use possible talks
with other teams as leverage
in his negotiations to stay.
*
put Peerless ahead. Sporting
had to wait till the 51st
minute when Jiten Murmu
found the net with a fine
header.
Cameroonian
Dipanda took over from
striker
there, scoring in the 58th,
69th and 90th minutes to
complete his hat-trick.
Dipendu Duary chipped
in with a goal in the 80th
minute to complete the tally.
Onyeama Francis pulled one
back for Peerless in the 89th
minute. The win helped
Sporting tally nine points
from three wins and a loss.
Dembele and his 18-year-old
France international team-
mate Mbappe, clubs are in-
vesting in the future.
In the Premier League,
many managers are con-
cerned that the spiralling
costs for the superstars,
coupled with a huge cash in-
jection for all the top-flight
clubs from a new TV deal,
are inflating prices for play-
ers across the board.
Accountants Deloitte said
on Thursday that Premier
League clubs spending had
set a new record for a single
transfer window after reach-
ing 1.17 billion and that
was with a week of business
still to go.
playing. You learn different
class, culture and language
and begin to appreciate your
partners. I would look to
keep at least five players
(from the development
team) ready to step into the
senior team anytime.
I dont believe in this
term rested. Its stupid.
How can you say (off-spin-
ner) R. Ashwin has been res-
ted? He is playing in county
cricket.
Having a development
team would keep everyone
on the toes in the senior
team. I would prepare a
player to walk into any slot.
A defender should be ready
to play upfront if need be.
As a development coach,
Baskaran would like to make
the players more flexible and
innovative.
We have abundant tal-
ent. Only we should not lose
the players. The develop-
ment team concept would
ensure that. I dont believe in
just camp attendance. Match
temperament is more im-
portant, Baskaran
concluded.
A ND-NDE
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THE HINDU
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
NOIDA/DELHI
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Third Major of year would be surreal
I hope I can keep this level up and then maybe good things can continue, says Federer
Associated Press
New York
Even Roger Federer finds it
all a little surprising.
After going four years
without collecting a Major
championship, now firmly in
his mid-30s, he heads into
Mondays start of the U.S.
Open with a chance to win
his third such trophy of 2017.
I mean, I have a hard
time thinking I could win
three Slams in one year. It
just sounds totally surreal to
me, Federer said in an inter-
view with The Associated
Press. But Ill prepare my-
self the best way possible, so
that I will have the best
chance to really excel there
in New York.
Yes, Federer is most cer-
tainly back. All the way back.
Hes back in the field at
Flushing Meadows after sit-
ting out the hard-court tour-
nament a year ago while tak-
ing off the last half of the
season to let his surgically re-
paired left knee heal. And
hes back in the role of Grand
Slam title favourite after win-
ning the past two Majors he
entered, the Australian Open
in January and Wimbledon
in July.
Is he playing as well as or
perhaps better than ever?
WRESTLING
UWW effects
major changes
Y.B. Sarangi
KOLKATA
United World Wrestling
(UWW) has made some sig-
nificant changes to the
sport, including the redistri-
bution of weight classes and
expansion of the competi-
tion format.
The world governing
body for the sport has in-
creased the weight categor-
ies from eight to 10 in each
of the three styles.
The UWW bureau adop-
ted a moderate approach,
looking to impact as few ex-
isting weight categories as
possible.
As per the changes, free-
style will keep all of its cur-
rent Olympic and non-
Olympic weight categories
and will add 79kg and 92kg.
The freestyle weights for
the Olympics will be 57kg,
65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and
125kg while 61kg, 70kg, 79kg
and 92kg will be non-
Olympic weights.
Womens wrestling will
increase the lowest weight
from 48kg to 50kg and
slightly redistribute several
weight categories, most by
only one or two kilograms.
The Olympic weights in
this style are 50kg, 53kg,
57kg, 62kg, 68kg and 76kg
Joshna claims her 15th National title
Ghosal unstoppable in the mens final, wins his 12th
NATIONAL SQUASH
Kamesh Srinivasan
GREATER NOIDA
Joshna Chinappa and Saurav
Ghosal emerged champions
yet again, tackling their
young, energetic opponents
with agility and craft of their
own in the finals of the HCL
74th National squash cham-
pionship at the Shiv Nadar
Universitys indoor complex
here on Saturday.
Ghosal overcame Mahesh
Mangaonkar 11-6, 11-13, 11-9,
11-6 in an entertaining con-
test that drew repeated
rounds of applause from the
stands.
The strongly built
Mangaonkar had lost to
Ghosal also in the final at
Jaipur four years ago. Here
he gave himself some
chances but repeatedly
found the tin, and dropped
the last five points in a tricky
third game.
Thereafter, Ghosal was
unstoppable.
It did not help Mangaonk-
ars cause that he hurt his
right hand knuckles early in
CM
YK
Firm favourite: Roger Federer, seen with his fifth US Open Trophy in 2008, believes his
aggressive approach can fetch him the title again this season. AP
I dont know. Its hard to
tell. It doesnt really matter
to me. I would hope that Im
a better player today, just
(by) virtue of time thats
gone by and Ive had time to
practice and train and all
that stuff, he said with a
sigh. But better? In a way I
would hope so.
The payoff? He is 35-3 with
five titles this season.
The long break last year
really helped him. He (went)
a little bit away and looked at
while 55kg, 59kg, 65kg and
72kg are the non-Olympic
weights.
Greco Roman went
through the largest shift in
assignments, adjusting
nearly all the weight cat-
egories.
The Olympic weights are
60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg
and 130kg, while the non-
Olympic weights are 55kg,
63kg, 72kg and 82kg.
Now junior and under-23
wrestlers will be able to
compete in senior-level
weight categories.
In another major change,
UWW has approved the
two-day competition format
for the 2018 season, com-
mencing on January 1 next
year. A two-kg allowance for
the second day will be gran-
ted for one year following
which the allowance will not
be available from January 1,
2019.
The Olympic qualification
system was also approved,
with the World champion-
ships (six), Continental qual-
ifiers (eight) and a World
Open (two) adding up to
make the 16 allotments in
each weight.
Besides, the continental
championships will be held.
A familiar sight: After winning the mens and womens titles
as tipped, Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa will now focus
on tougher challenges on the international circuit.
the fourth game and needed
medical attention.
I am entirely happy win-
ning another title, but full
credit to Mahesh. He played
very well. I could have done
a few things differently, but I
had to dig quite deep, said
* letting it fly off my racket.
everything from the outside
again. It gives you a little bit
of distance, said Severin
Luthi, one of Federers
coaches.
In general, I know with
him that if he takes a break
and if hes fresh, happy to
play, motivated ... thats one
of his biggest strengths.
The day before beating
Cilic in the final at the All
England Club to claim his
eighth Wimbledon champi-
onship and 19th at a Major
overall both records for a
Patna Pirates too strong for
Tamil Thalaivas
Classy raiders, solid defensive work make the difference
PKL
Nandakumar Marar
MUMBAI
Patna Pirates classy raiders
and solid defensive work
proved too strong for Tamil
Thalaivas to rattle, resulting
in a 35-24 victory for the
former in ProKabaddi
League here on Saturday.
Monu Goyat weighed in
with an effective 11 raid
points, helping his side over-
come a tentative show by
skipper Pardeep Narwal (six
raid points), with support
from catcher Jaidip (five).
The runaway win lifted
Pirates to 27 points after a
fourth win in seven matches
so far in Zone B, within
catching distance of leader
UP Yoddas (30 from 11).
Thalaivas captain Ajay Thak-
urs 10 points helped him
keep his status as one of the
stars of the event, winning
will need more teammates
to chip in. The latter has
won once in seven ties.
Thalaivas, getting sharper
with every outing since the
first game rout at the hands
of Telugu Titans in Hydera-
bad, appeared to be slipping
into the groove. The defence
got the job done, catching
Ghosal, after bagging his 12th
national title.
In terms of quality, I
think 2012 was my best per-
formance. But, I am in the
best physical shape now, and
this title would rank along-
side it. I was happy with my
man Federer sat down with
Luthi to discuss preparation
for the U.S. Open.
Yes, time marches on,
even for Federer, although it
doesnt really seem as if
thats the case at the mo-
ment. Hes been playing
amazing tennis, said 20-
year-old Alexander Zverev,
considered the sports Next
Big Thing.
He pretty much won
every single big tournament
he played this year, added
Zverev, who defeated Fe-
Got him! Vineet Kumar of Thalaivas is pinned down by Pirates
players on Saturday. AP *
was of a high order as
Pardeep Narwal found to his
dismay and the former led
6-3 at one stage.
Pirates asserted them-
selves slowly and surely,
wiping out the deficit with
points from raiders and
catchers to lead 16-9 at the
break. Four points each
from captain Pardeep and
defender Jaidip took the ini-
tiative away from Thalaivas,
for whom Darshan made his
mark in catching. Thalaivas
needed to come out firing
early on resumption to put
the brakes on Pirates run-
ning away with the match,
but the raiders fell into the
<
> Ifew
could have done a
things
differently, but I had
to dig quite deep.
Saurav Ghosal
rhythm and movement, he
said. Of course, winning the
national title is just the start-
ing stage; I am looking for-
ward to the international
circuit.
Joshna switched gears
when required against first-
time finalist Lakshaya Ragav-
endran, and the 11-6, 8-11,
11-2, 11-4 win fetched the
former her 15th National
title.
Lakshya did light up the
proceedings with her power
play to clinch the second
game, but that only pro-
voked Joshna to storm right
back and blow her opponent
away in a whirlwind finish.
Definitely, it was the best
match of the tournament for
me. She played well. I really
focused on the third and
fourth games to be at my
best, said Joshna, who is
one title away from
Bhuvaneshwari Kumaris re-
cord of 16 titles.
SPORT 19
derer in the hard-court final
at Montreal this month.
That was the last time Fe-
derer was in action; he
tweaked his back and with-
drew from a tune-up in Ohio
the following week.
If his back is problematic
at Flushing Meadows, it
could stand in Federers way.
Otherwise, he could be the
last man standing there for
the first time since winning
his last of five consecutive
U.S. Open titles in 2008.
That would please Fe-
derer, of course. But what he
really derives satisfaction
from lately is his aggressive
style on court.
I like the way Im playing.
Im going for it. Im not hold-
ing back. Im playing the
kind of tennis I like to play,
personally, myself. And Im
not, like, doing everything
only for success. Im actually
And that makes me happy,
he said.
People whove been wait-
ing for me to come back
strong, maybe one more
time, Ive given them even
more now by winning a
couple of Slams this year. So
its extremely special times.
Im aware of that. I know its
just only bonus, whatever is
about to come, Federer con-
tinued, with a hint of a smile.
So I hope I can keep this
level up and then maybe
good things can continue.
Well see.
trap on too many occasions.
A time-out taken at 16-23
was time for hurried plan-
ning but the three players re-
maining on court felt the
heat and suffered an all-out.
The result: Patna Pirates 35
(Pardeep Narwal 6, Monu
Goyat 11, Jaidip 5) bt Tamil
Thalaivas 24 (Ajay Thakur 10, J.
Darshan 3, Vineet Kumar 3,
Amit Hooda 3).
PLAYING TODAY
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Bengal Warriors vs Bengaluru
Bulls, 8 p.m.
U Mumba vs Dabang Delhi, 9
p.m., STAR Sports 2, 2 HD
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Lakshya said: I played
better today than in the Na-
tional Games final against
Joshna. It is a matter of ex-
perience. This tournament
gives me a lot of confidence
for the future, said Lakshya.
The champions took win-
ners cheques for 1,50,000
each.
The results (finals):
Men: Saurav Ghosal bt Mahesh
Mangaonkar 11-6, 11-13, 11-9,
11-6.
Women: Joshna Chinappa bt
Lakshya Ragavendran 11-6, 8-
11, 11-2, 11-4.
Pro coach: Parmeet Singh bt
Parthiban Ayyappan 11-3, 11-3,
11-5.
Veterans: Over-35: Amitpal
Kohli bt Rahul Pandit 13-11, 4-
11, 11-9, 11-5.
Over-40: Saurabh Nayar bt
Amit Chinai 6-11, 11-9, 7-11,
11-6, 11-4.
Over-45: Dalip Tripathi bt
Ashutosh Padnekar 11-5, 11-4,
11-3.
Over-50: Aashish Kamat bt Lalit
Advani 11-7, 12-10, 11-3.
Over-55: Arun Rabindranath bt
Oneill Michail Pramanik 11-6,
11-8, 11-6.
Over-60: Vaman Apte bt Rajiv
Reddy 11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3.
A ND-NDE
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20 SPORT NOIDA/DELHI

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017

THE HINDU
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Neeraj Chopras technique

falling apart: former coach
Garry Calvert suggests a move to Germany to train with the Obergfolls
Stan Rayan
KOCHI
Despite his performance
graph which is a bit of a W,
with heady highs and worry-
ing lows, javelin thrower
Neeraj Chopra is happy with
his season so far.
The under-20 World
champion has been quick to
shrug off the negatives, look-
ing past the disappointment
of failing to qualify for the fi-
nal at the recent World
Championships in London.
This has been a good
year for me. Ive won good
medals at major meets, and
Ive had some very good in-
ternational exposure,
Chopra, the Asian cham-
pion, told The Hindu on
Saturday.
Though the Indoor Asian
Games in Turkmenistan and
the National Open at Chen-
nai are scheduled for
September, the 19-year-old
has virtually decided to close
his season.
Itll be risky to do these
events; I want to focus on
next years Commonwealth
Games (in Australia) and the
Asian Games (Indonesia),
said the youngster, who
suffered a groin injury in
Thursdays Diamond League
meet in Zurich where a re-
spectable 83.80m saw him
finish seventh in a field that
included Olympic and World
champions.
But there is a bit of a
worry too.
Garry Calvert, Chopras
former coach who had
helped him to the under-20
Worlds title with a world re-
cord last year, feels the
youngsters technique is fall-
ing apart.
Even his recent groin in-
jury is probably linked to
this problem, the Australian Time for change? Calvert, who coached Chopra to the under-20 record last year, says he was
suggests. shocked with his former wards technique at the London Worlds. AFP *

Chopras technique has

been off for a while now, and
he hasnt been able to make
it work. And the groin prob-
lem may be a reflection of
bad positioning, said Cal-
vert, who is now Chinas Na-
tional javelin coach, in a chat
from Beijing on Saturday.
Calvert said he was
shocked with Chopras tech-
nique at the Worlds.
I watched Chopra on
television, and it was prob-
ably at its worst. He wasnt
driving into the throw, and
was opening prematurely...
too soon. A lesser thrower
would have thrown 65m,
Calvert said. Chopras best in
London was 82.26m.
I left on May 1, so its
three months of trying to
self-coach, and advice from
others who have no under-
standing, he added.
Chopra, who has the po-
tential to win the countrys
first athletics medal at the
Olympics, was training in
Germany for a few days be-
fore the Worlds, and Calvert
said he should go back there
as soon as possible.
In Germany, he was with
the great Werner Daniels,
but that was for a very short
period. He needs to relocate
and train there. This is
where the current World
champion Johannes Vetter
(94.44m) trains, the coach
said.
Werner coached
Christina Obergfoll to the
2013 Moscow Worlds gold.
Christina and her husband
Boris Obergfoll coach Vetter,
and Daniels is also a part of
that team, said Calvert.
They are great people and
its a great environment.
Three years ago, Vetter,
then 21, realised that his ca-
reer was not heading any-
where with a personal best
79.75m, and moved from
Dresden to Offenburg, to
train under Boris Obergfoll.
That brought about a
massive change, improving
his personal best by an in-
credible 15m!
It could work wonders for
Chopra too.

Extensive changes proposed

in University-level sports
Panel stresses the need to close gaps that exists in the system
A. Vinod
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
The eight-member commit-
tee, appointed by the Union
Ministry of Sports and Youth
Affairs in March this year
and headed by Olympian
Labh Singh, has recommen-
ded wholesale changes in
the conduct of sports and
games at the
University-level.
Entrusted to prepare a
Comprehensive National
University Sports Tourna-
ment and Development
Framework, the committee
in its report submitted
earlier this month has
among other things mooted
the constitution of Univer-
sity Sports Federation of In-
dia, overhaul of the competi-
tion system, pruning of
number of disciplines in the
all-India Universities calen-
dar, introduction of special
league tournaments, en-
hanced honours, cash
awards, scholarships and
grace marks, digitisation of
the sports data repository
and the development of
LNIPE, Gwalior as a mother
institute for university
sports.
The 68-page report, pre-
pared after two workshops
in Gwalior (on May 8 and 9)
and Bengaluru ( July 6 and 7)
and extensive meetings with
all stake-holders and ac-
cessed by The Hindu, has
quite rightly pointed out the
flaws at various levels in the
current system, while point-
ing out the necessity to close
the critical gaps that exists in
the University sports system
CM
YK
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Key recommendations
B Creation of a University
Sports Federation as an
apex body
B Constitution of National
University Sports Steering
Committee to oversee
issues in the interim
B Athletics, archery,
badminton, boxing, hockey,
shooting, tennis,
weightlifting and wrestling
to be treated as high
priority disciplines
B Enhancing cash prizes,
honours, grace marks and
sports quota admissions
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
today so as to bring it back
into the National
mainstream.
Indias quest for a fair
share of medals, therefore,
can be achieved only with ef-
forts to effectively tap the tal-
ent from among the 3.5
crore student community
which as of now rests idle, in
over 800 universities across
the country.
Making a case for an in-
creased investments in
sports, the report says that
the country should resort to
smarter and more innovative
strategies where, inter alia, it
can use the massive human
resources at its disposal and
improved technology.
Expressing its dismay over
the manner in which sports
management is conducted
currently by the Association
of Indian Universities (AIU)
and left it to a one-man army
(an officer of the Joint Secret-
ary rank) and two clerks as
one small part of 15 depart-
ments, required to conduct
57 tournaments without get-
ting a penny from the parent
body should portray the
need for a total revamp.
It is against this back-
ground that the committee
appears to have arrived at a
decision to recommend the
creation of a University
Sports Federation as a long-
term measure and the imme-
diate appointment of a Na-
tional university sports steer-
ing committee until
measures are taken for the
constitution of the recom-
mended federation.
Likewise, the report says
that the increased number of
disciplines in which compet-
itions are conducted at the
University-level currently
has only left the system com-
pletely overloaded.
This number can be ef-
fectively pruned from 57 to
44 with focus on the
Olympic Games, Asian
Games and Commonwealth
Games besides those with
enormous popularity.
To realise the dream of
more Olympic medals, the
committee has also recom-
mended that nine disciplines
athletics, archery, badmin-
ton, boxing, hockey, shoot-
ing, tennis, weightlifting and
wrestling should be
treated as high priority.
As against the present
practice of having tourna-
ments across four zones and
at the all-India level, the
committee says the prolifera-
tion in number of universit-
ies in the country over the
years justified the need to in-
crease the zonal tourna-
ments to eight.
Besides, to capitalise on
the glamour element in
sports, it would also be ideal
if special league tourna-
ments are conducted in the
high priority disciplines and
selected sports.
Khelo India project
The committee has also
called for the immediate im-
plementation of the National
University Games under the
Khelo India project of the
Union Sports Ministry.
In addition, the commit-
tee has also recommended
increased cash awards
between the scale of 30
lakh and 5,000 across vari-
ous levels while stating that
the awarding of the Maulana
Abdul Kalam Trophy should
henceforth be restricted to
international competitions
after getting more views on
this from an expert group.
The committee, also com-
prising Sagar Preet Hooda, Y.
Kishore, Anil Kalkal, T. I.
Manoj, Iqtidar Mohammed
Khan, R.K. Sharma, Kalpana
Deb besides the chairman,
also has touched upon vari-
ous other aspects relating to
University-level sports in-
cluding admissions under
the sports quota, winter
sports, inclusion of Para-
lympic events in inter-Uni-
versity tournaments, award-
ing of grace marks besides
exploring the possibility of
conducting a National Sports
Lottery to ensure a steady in-
flow of the required funds.
A ND-NDE
 MAGAZINE
Sunday, August 27, 2017
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C CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

In the subcontinents Most of South Indias early films Are our children to inherit
literature, rain is almost are lost. Now, a workshop looks a world of fanatical
wholly given over to lovers at restoring the moving image intolerance: David Shulman
page 7 page 5 page 2

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COVER STORY

Understanding inundation
If the Brahmaputra Valley is not flooded annually, there will be no crops, and no Kaziranga National Park either
BY SAMRAT from year to year are the numbers his field, said the floods had killed
of casualties, people affected, the roots of his earlier crop. He

A
uthorities in Assam are crores given in relief and the was replanting his field with sap-
struggling to respond to names of the main characters in lings he had bought for 20 a kilo.
massive floods which have the recurring tragedy. To cultivate a bigha of land would
affected more than 1.5 mil- This year, the numbers are need around five kilos of saplings.
lion people and forced more than higher than usual. The rains have Ramu lamented the loss of his
200,000 people to seek refuge in been unusually heavy, and the earlier plantation, but said the
relief camps, senior government Brahmaputra has reached close to floods left his lands more fertile.
officials said on Monday. or exceeded its highest recorded
Last Mondays news? No, a Reu- water level in several places. So far, A necessary evil
ters report from 2015. 154 people have died and the toll is If there are no floods there will be
The Brahmaputra river over- still rising. More than 14 lakh no crops, and no Kaziranga Na-
flowed during monsoon rains over people are affected. tional Park either, said Shanti
the past week, flooding more than The damage is not limited to hu- Nath, a farmer from Lokrakharia
2,000 villages and destroying mans alone. At least 225 animals Dohgaon village, which was hit by
homes in the Northeast of the from the Kaziranga National Park floods.
country, officials said. have died in the floods. There was waterlogging for two
Last week? A CNN report in to three days in the higher areas,
2012.
The Prime Minister announced
the constitution of a task force to
look into the problem of recurring
floods in Assam and its neighbour-
ing States. The task force will sug-
gest short-term and long-term
measures, sources of funding, and
institutional arrangements to
tackle the problem.

The only things that change from year to year

<
> are the numbers of casualties, people
affected, crores given in relief and the names
of the main characters in the recurring tragedy
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sons. First, there are reports of wa-
earlier this month? No, former PM terlogging in cities and towns after
Manmohan Singh in 2004. the initial heavy rains. At least one
Every monsoon, for millennia, or two people die of electrocution
Assams plains have seen floods because of cables coming in con-
that is why these riverine plains tact with floodwaters. Then, stor-
are called floodplains in the first ies of floods from rural areas start Ramu lamented the but the waters stayed for as long as
place. The principal river that
flows through these plains is the
to come in. There are photos of
scrawny men and women strug-
<
> loss of his earlier 12 days in the low-lying areas.
Without floods, we will need
Brahmaputra, after which the val- gling through waist-high water. Re- plantation, but said urea, he said. There should be
ley is named. The river is easily the ports talk of farmers who have lost some flooding, but it is damaging
most significant geographical fea- their crops and families that have the floods left his when it is too much.
ture of the valley, and the region. lost their houses. The death toll Wildlife veterinarian Dr. Panjit
There are at least 21 large rivers mounts.
lands more fertile Basumatary, who works at the
that are its tributaries. Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation
Taken together, this network of Same old, same old The waters had receded from and Conservation near Kaziranga,
rivers extends like arteries from At this point, the allegation of Del- the villages at the edge of Kazir- agrees that the park needs the
the stark Himalayan heights of his neglect towards the Northeast anga when I visited earlier this floods to survive. Kaziranga is
Tibet, across the green hills and generally crops up. A Union Minis- month, soon after the first wave of around 70% wetlands, he says.
valleys of the Northeast and north ter duly arrives. He or she may be floods had submerged around 70% The species here are entirely de-
Bengal, into the plains of followed by the prime minister of of the park. The fields around the pendent on water and wetlands.
Bangladesh down to the Bay of the day. They announce a few parks Kohora range stretched lush Without the annual floods, the
Bengal. In summer, the Himalayan thousand crore rupees for flood re- and green with freshly-planted wetlands would give way to wood-
snows start to melt. Come mon- lief. The flood victims get some ra- paddy. A few patches of dead lands, and those are not suitable
soon, when heavy rains lash the re- tions of rice, dal and salt. In a few brown paddy were the only signs habitats for the rhino, hog deer,
gion, the rivers swell. days or weeks, the waters recede. of flood damage. swamp deer and other species
In recent years, this has been ac- Life goes back to normal. Until the An Adivasi farmer, Ramu, who found in Kaziranga.
companied by a sequence of next flood. Watered out Experts say nobody understands the river holistically. was in the process of shifting
events as predictable as the sea- The only things that change Scenes from this years floods in Assam. AP, Reuters & PTI paddy saplings from a handcart to Continued on Page 2

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2 PEOPLE NOIDA/DELHI

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THE HINDU MAGAZINE
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017

came to see him, and new fans arrived

with copies of his latest Tamil: A Bio-
graphy.
I asked about historian A.R. Ven-
katachalapathys criticism of his asser-
tion that a pure, autonomous Tamil
never existed. Shulman, who counts the
academic among his friends, respon-
ded: The notion that there was a pure
60 MINUTES: WITH DAVID SHULMAN Tamil that had no Sanksrit in it is a com-
plete fantasy. There are Prakrit and
Sanskrit words in the earliest Tamil

I cannot
Brahmi inscriptions we have. The
Tolkappiyam is permeated by Sanskrit
the phonological analysis of the
yezhuthhu (alphabet) is taken from
Sanskrit grammarians. The Tamil
Brahmi script has some features pecu-
liar to it, but its deeply interwoven with

compartmentalise
the Sanskrit system.

A language and its genius

He then added, I want, and hasten to
say, that everything in life is singular

my life
and unique. Tamil is also unique. But
its not unique because it has nothing to
do with Sanskrit. It is unique because
Tamil has all of this in it and it has its
own genius. Tamil grammarians such as
Sivananamunivar in the 18th century
themselves say that it has iyarkai, iy-
In conversation with one of the As he read from his
worlds foremost experts in <
> translation of
languages, philology, literature Annamayyas poetry,
and cultural history his audience was
enraptured by his
genius and humility

alpu, a particular nature. It is the task of

Tamil grammarians to unravel and re-
view that logic or nature, and this
nature does not depend on separating it
from Sanskrit.
L Shulman learnt Carnatic vocals from
A key member of the joint Israeli-
Pantula Rama Palestinian Taayush grassroots move-
L He is a visiting professor at the ment for non-violence Shulmans
University of Chicago Dark Hope: Working for Peace in Israel
Unassuming Shulman stresses that everything in life is singular and unique. R. Ravindran and Palestine is an account of his years
L A polyglot, Shulman knows 13
of work with Palestinian villages in the
BY LALITHA SRIDHAR foremost authorities on languages, School of Oriental and African Studies, one of gods gifts to him. To say that languages, including Greek, Russian, West Bank the 68-year-old scholar ex-
Arabic and German
philology, literature and cultural history London (SOAS). It was at SOAS that he he has been an influence is ridiculous. presses fears for the future.

I
m David, he said on that train jour- of South India. Emeritus Professor at met his guru, the renowned Tamilist He has been a revelation. Their part- L Winner of the MacArthur fellowship Taayushs work is concerned with
ney many years ago, when a friend the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, John Ralston Marr. He taught me nership has yielded infinite benefits to protecting the Palestinian civilian popu-
and I shared with him an inad- holder of a clutch of notable awards in- Tamil, of course, but he also gave me Indology, including interpretative re- lation. We have had some success but,
equate dinner of sandwiches and cluding the 2016 Israel Prize, and poly- something else. One could feel a deep search and about a dozen books, includ- tam performances. Apart from contrib- in general, it seems to me that we are at
chocolate. We were on our way to glot author of more acclaimed books emotional attachment for academic ing A Poem at the Right Moment, a trans- uting the Ayodhya Kandam of the the beginning of what seems to be a
Prakriti Foundations Festival of Sacred and academic papers than can be de- things just by his example. I had never lation of catu/ tanippadal verses from Kamba Ramayanams bilingual transla- dark age. Populist and hyper-nationalist
Music in Thiruvaiyaru, and nothing scribed here, he provokes a sense of al- felt that before, Shulman recalled. Telugu, Tamil, and Sanskrit, and a cul- tion for the Murthy Classical Library, regimes are coming into power in many
about our unassuming fellow traveller most embarrassing inadequacy. tural biography of the great Telugu poet Shulman said his top priority at the mo- places, even in America, which was
reading classical Telugu, cramped into After his first visit to South India in An enormous gift in Srinatha: The Poet Who Made Gods ment is to write a book on the struc- once unthinkable. I have nine grand-
the top berth, suggested his prodigious 1972, Shulman came to live in Chennai My wife and I loved Madras from our and Kings. ture, dynamic, meaning and ramifica- children and I worry for them. Are they
distinction. in 1975 for field work, as part of his doc- very first moment here. Marr showed The diversity of Shulmans multi-dis- tions of a long Koodiyattam to inherit a world of fanatical intoler-
Later, under a starlit night in a dilap- toral studies in Tamil and Sanskrit at the me that this love for a people their ciplinary engagements is breathtaking. performance. ance, meanness of the heart and ecolo-
idated mandapam, as he read from his language, food, music, climate and He is a published poet in Hebrew, his Shulman was in Chennai to deliver gical disasters, or a world of rich human
translation of Annamayyas poetry It seems to me that we everything else thats interconnected current leisure reading includes ancient the fourth Whabiz Merchant Memorial values, of people who can be true to
God on the Hill, written with Velcheru
Narayana Rao his audience was en-
<
> are at the beginning of
is the primary bond. It was an enorm-
ous gift.
Greek and Latin, and he professes a par-
ticular love for Persian verse.
Lecture at Kalakshetra Foundation, and
I had a chance to chat with him before
their better and, I think, real selves?
I asked if his work as an Indologist
raptured in equal parts by his genius what seems to be a Shulman considers the truly ex- For the last 10 years, Shulman and his the event. overlaps with that as an activist.
and humility. traordinary Narayana Raos classical students have returned to Kerala annu- As dusk fell, marigolds were strung Theres a lot of overlap, he smiled. I
David Shulman is one of the worlds dark age sensibility and unconventional mind ally to watch and document Koodiyat- and chairs arranged. Old acquaintances cannot compartmentalise my life.

Understanding inundation
Continued from Page 1 Work is expected to begin this winter. people and communities who have lived
It is likely that the only lasting posit- there for centuries youre trying to
The Kaziranga wetlands are breeding ive effect this will have will be in enrich- bring intervention to an entity you dont
ground for all major fish species in the ing contractors, bureaucrats and politi- even know.
Northeast. They disperse through the cians. The Brahmaputra has one of the Mitul Baruah has long experience of
Brahmaputra to the whole region dur- highest sediment loads in the world: it living with the river. A native of the river
ing floods, Basumatary adds. Fish can- deposits hundreds of millions of tonnes island of Majuli in Assam, he teaches so-
not breed in the rivers fast-flowing cur- of earth each year. Whatever the gov- ciology and anthropology at Ashoka
rents; and blocking their free movement ernment dredges will be filled up by the University in Delhi.
in and out of the wetlands would river in short order. According to Baruah, given the areas
hamper breeding. rainfall, the specific geomorphological
The damage to animal life during Not a synonym for disaster characteristics of the Brahmaputra, soil
floods is mostly manmade, Basumatary What is the economic viability, envir- types on the banks, and so on, there is a
says. It is natural for animals to seek onmental impact, and social acceptabil- natural aspect to the hazards of floods
higher ground during floods, and the ity of such a project, asks Thakkar. and erosion. These natural processes
high ground is right here, adjacent to Have we done any credible scientific, are far worsened and deepened by our
the park. We are sitting in the path of environmental and social impact assess- environmental governance processes,
the animals, he points out. ment, and held public consultations? he says.
Kaziranga is bound by the We have no answers to any of these ba- We need to look at the role of the spe-
Brahmaputra on one side and the Karbi sic questions. cific infrastructure interventions and
Hills on the other. Between the park Thakkar insists dredging wont help at times the lack thereof and the over-
and the hills is a major state highway,
the Assam Trunk Road, which cuts off
animal corridors. The road is flanked by
paddy fields and a number of tea es-
tates.
According to Rohini Saikia, Divisional
Forest Officer under whose administrat-
ive area the Kaziranga park falls, the an-
Keeping afloat (clockwise from
nual floods are a necessary evil. The
above) Supplies being distributed by
survival of the fittest is a law of nature,
relief boats; paddy seedlings carefully
Saikia points out, and therefore weak
guarded in enclosures; and a boy rows
and old animals dying of natural causes
out from home on a banana stem raft.
in the wild should not be considered un-
AP, afp, ritu raj konwar
natural. Kaziranga and its animals have
been surviving floods for centuries
the only real cause of concern is anim- This is despite the fact that embank-
als dying because of vehicles. ments have not been particularly effect-
The forest department put in a Her- ive, even in places other than wetlands,
culean effort this season to prevent park and are likely to harm Kazirangas eco- flood management. The impact of the all question of power politics behind the
animals from becoming roadkill, ac- system. The worst flood damages year dredging on the river, environment and governance of the Brahmaputra, or for
cording to environmental activist Rohit after year have occurred either due to people will be severe. Flooding need that matter of any river in the country.
Choudhury, who is from the Bokakhat embankments breaking or dams releas- not be a synonym for disaster, Thakkar We must stop treating rivers like
area near Kaziranga. They also kept ing water without warning. says, and in any case, it is not possible pipes, says Baruah.
track of the movements of every rhino This year, the area around North to flood-proof the entire Brahmaputra The bottom line is possibly this: we
that migrated outside the park to pre- Lakhimpur on the north bank of the basin. What we must do is try and re- need a radical rethinking of the entire
vent poaching. The rhinos were Brahmaputra in upper Assam was the The wetlands are tially flood transfer mechanisms. They duce the damage from floods, he says. flood-control system we have. One that
provided security. We sent teams to
monitor them 24x7, with help from the
worst hit in the first round of flooding.
Locals including the district administra-
<
> breeding ground for
transfer the floods downstream. No
embankment is breach-proof nor can
Dams, dredging and embankments
are all piecemeal strategies, agrees San-
keeps in mind local socio-environ-
mental features, as well as draws on
local police, Saikia said. Not all anim- tion officials blamed the sudden release all major fish species they flood-proof the area outside of it. joy Hazarika, director, Commonwealth some of the sound sciences now glob-
als, however, can be given this treat- of water from the Ranganadi dam, a Embankments will breach sooner or Human Rights Initiative. He is also the ally available.
ment, and locals admit smaller animals charge denied by the North Eastern in the Northeast later. The older the embankment, the founder of the Centre for North East The business-as-usual attitude wont
such as deer end up as bushmeat when Electric Power Corporation which runs greater its chances of breaching. Studies and Policy Research that, in col- work, says Baruah. I think it comes
they stray near villages outside the park. it. In the second, current, phase of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers These structures also cut off rivers laboration with the Assam government, down to the violation of basic human
flooding, 26 embankments have been and People, and an IIT graduate, says from their flood plains, Thakkar points runs a number of boat clinics on the rights. Its as if some lives are just dis-
Banking on failure breached. In one case, in Nagaon dis- dams can moderate floods immediately out, and the fertile silt that they used to Brahmaputra. The clinics have been act- posable.
The government is looking at a number trict, an embankment inspected and de- downstream if operated correctly, but deposit during floods instead gets accu- ive in rescue and relief in upper Assam. The profitable and lucrative cycle of
of solutions to help the animals and hu- clared safe by the Water Resources De- there are numerous examples where mulated in the riverbeds, thus reducing Hazarika laments that nobody un- floods and contracts, of useless or
mans of Kaziranga. These include fly- partment on August 12 failed that very dams have also led to avoidable dis- the carrying capacity of the river. derstands the river. People, he says, downright harmful relief measures, and
overs, so that animal corridors can be night. Senior Assam minister Himanta asters in the downstream areas. This Thats where dredging comes in. The study it in bits and pieces with no hol- gravy from relief must come to an end.
restored on the ground, and sensors to Biswa Sarma has hinted at a Chinese has also been highlighted by a recent government plans to dredge the entire istic understanding. Someone looks at
monitor animal movements. And the hand in the latest flooding, and deman- CAG report, he says. The Ranganadi 891 km stretch of the Brahmaputra in hydrology, someone else looks at envir- After editing newspapers around India,
construction of an embankment, 30 km ded that China share hydrological data dam is known to have created such situ- Assam, from Sadiya to Dhubri, at an es- onment, someone else at culture, or @mrsamratx chucked up the rat race
long, for which 100 crore has been ap- with India. ations, according to him. timated cost of 40,000 crore to in- people, and so on. Everyone has an for more pleasant activities such as
proved. Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of Embankments, he says, are essen- crease the rivers carrying capacity. idea, but no one consults the local writing books.

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THE HINDU MAGAZINE

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
NOIDA/DELHI

REPORTING 3
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FIELD NOTES

Red, black and Krav Maga

Self-defence is only a tool. Lucknows Red Brigade wants to teach girls about consent and equality
BY OMAR RASHID Ready in red Usha Vishwakarma,
leader of Red Brigade,

K
ick him in the groin! And pull demonstrates self-defence tactics
him by the neck (performs to schoolgirls in Lucknow.
drill), thunders Usha. Rajeev Bhatt
Woah! reacts the audience.
Its very easy, Usha continues, fol- self defence, gender discrimination and
lowing it up with a snare. concepts like good touch and bad
Most attackers who use knives often touch. As part of their activities, they
pull you towards the wall. How will you also reach out to families of rape surviv-
save yourself? What will you do? Even a ors, and help them overcome the
small mistake can prove deadly. She trauma and file a police complaint.
looks at the audience. Punch! shout In 2006, Usha was teaching in a slum
some. Kick, shout others. near Lucknow when a co-worker tried
Scratch his face, Usha counters. to rape her. I was always very sharp
He will have to use his hands to save and alert, but that incident left me
his eyes. She then performs the drill on shocked. People tried to tell me that I
a male volunteer. was in the wrong. I had seen such things
What if he had grabbed me by the on TV. But when it happened to me, I
neck, Usha asks next, and goes on to was in a trauma, she recalls.
demonstrate some Krav Maga, the Is-
raeli self-defence technique. Hit at the Breaking the myth
most vulnerable point. Do it with a The incident proved to be her primary
jhatka ( jerk), she says, and slaps the motivation. Usha undertook martial arts
boy hard on his wrist causing him to training and, already doing social work
lose grip. Smack his wrist, not his from 2005, she intensified her activism
forearm. and collaborated with other abuse sur-
It is mid-morning on a regular work- vivors to raise aware-
ing day at Army Public School in Luc- ness about sexual vi-
knows Cantonment area. Around 200 olence. They star-
students, all girls, have gathered in an ted with nukkad
auditorium in one corner of the cam- natak, workshops
pus. They watch attentively as Usha and protest
Vishwakarma and her team of five vo- marches. Self-defence
lunteers demonstrate self-defence tech- also became an integral
niques. They are dressed in red T-shirts part of their campaign. Ajay
and black trousers red for struggle Patel, co-founder, says the idea
and black as a mark of protest. The col- is to break the myth of the weaker
ours represent the ethos behind Red sex. We teach them to say No.
Brigade, the non-profit organisation Fighting comes later.
that Usha leads. It is more important to increase
confidence, says Usha. We try to
Street warriors bring out their strength; make them
Much like the famed Gulabi Gang that understand they are strong. Fight
took root in the State in the early 2000s back, be alert. Always be
to help victims of domestic violence, vo- prepared reads the
lunteers of Red Brigade, composed al- banner the group has
most entirely of survivors of rape and put up at Army Public
sexual harassment, patrol the streets of School. Over the years,
Lucknow and help young women in dis- Usha has crafted a set of
tress. The group is the subject of a re- about 25 self-defence tech-
cent Al Jazeera documentary that fea- niques she calls nishasthra
tured Usha and other abuse survivors, Stay alert and you save yourself? Usha continues. She you are not con- kala, a combination of self-de-
some as young as 17. The documentary
shows the girls conducting street plays <
> confident always.
asks her team to enact the situation.
Stalkers come prepared. They pick a
fident, even
a pistol
fence moves and improvised stunts.
Red Brigades campaign, however, is
and engaging not just women but also place that is isolated, Usha says. will not not restricted to physical training. Every
men in conversations on consent and
If you are not The audience responds with giggles. help in self session of their 100-day campaign be-
equality. confident, even a You are laughing now, but what will defence, Usha roars. gins with a narration of an inspirational
Today, the team is visiting the school you do should you find yourself in such Since its inception in 2011, story of a woman hero. At Army Public
as part of its 100 schools 100 days cam- pistol will not be a situation, god forbid? Usha asks in a Red Brigade has trained about School, the students are being told the
paign to impart self-defence know how enough to slightly stern voice. . 47,000 girls and women, a vo- story of Urdu writer Rashid Jahan,
and confidence-building training to girl The girls fall silent. Target one of the lunteer says. The organisation whose book Angaaray was banned in
students. protect you stalkers and pick the direction in which has also run several awareness 1932 by fundamentalists as it dealt with
If there is a group attack, how will you can run. Stay alert and confident. If campaigns and workshops on sexual morality.

FOCUS
CREDITS

And they all lived happily ever after

A storytelling programme from Assam that might travel to Glasgow as well
BY AZERA PARVEEN RAHMAN

W
ho doesnt love a good story? It
can transport you to a different
world in moments. Lifes les-
sons, communicated through a Mother: Amma, meri
story, can stay with you for a long time. 30 minutes
Storytelling can also help children learn a By Tarun Jain
different language. A storytelling pro- Set in a village in Haryana, this short film explores
gramme was launched in 2009 in 20 tea gar- the agrarian crisis and the disquieting socio-eco-
dens of Assam by a local NGO, Heritage As- nomic state of contemporary India. Actor Anurag
sam, in association with UNICEF. It now has Arora plays Balram, a villager who has recently lost
the backing of the Centres flagship Sarva his father and is now solely responsible for his
Shiksha Abhiyan. It has helped more than wife, daughter and ailing mother. Balram holds
10,000 children in Assam enhance their great expectations for his daughters marriage al-
reading skills and has been shown to reduce though he is unsure of how to pay for a lavish cere-
the number of dropouts. mony. His life takes a drastic turn when he finds
Lipika Murah, 18, lives with her parents in himself the beneficiary of a certain amount of
a tea garden in Jorhat district of Assam. money. Watch this compelling tale unfolding in a
When she was nine, her teacher conducted small village and touching upon the darkest
storytelling sessions after school hours. This corners of human psyche.
helped her learn Assamese, the language of
teaching used in classroom and in text-
books, but not in her home.
Assamese the State language is not
the medium of communication among tea
garden workers. Constituting 17% of the
States 31.21 million population, tea garden
workers mostly adivasis who migrated
from States like Jharkhand, Odisha and
Andhra Pradesh more than a century ago
have their own social mores and linguistic
culture. So, their children face a communic- Once upon a time Stories have brought the fun back to learning. Unicef
ation barrier in government schools.
The children sat from the programme, now volunteer to tell
First learners
Lipika says, School was a strange world. I
<
> cross-legged on the stories to school children in the weekend
sessions. I especially love narrating the Journalists on the frontline
did not understand my lessons and was Boga Haati (White Elephant) story, she
nervous about interacting with others be-
classroom floor, wide- smiles, and adds that she dreams of taking
25 minutes
Al Jazeera Selects documentary
cause I didnt know Assamese well. Her eyed and oblivious to the up acting as a profession.
school, right inside a tea garden, had a lot of Across the world, be it in Syria, Sudan or Mexico,
children from the tea workers community
strangers watching Bridging the divide journalists put themselves in dangerous positions
as well as from the nearby villages. The programme has generated interest even to document the violations that ordinary people
Most children from the tea garden com- and storyteller, Binita Rajput, in the middle storytelling programme in 2009. During the outside the country. P.C. Tamuly, who works face. These isolated conflicts take a front seat in
munity are first-generation learners, says of an animated session. The children sat three-day workshop, she, along with other for Heritage Assam, says that a group of re- world politics because of the efforts of journalists.
Tushar Rane, the chief of UNICEF in Assam. cross-legged on the classroom floor, wide- teachers, was given a set of 30 stories to tell searchers from University of Glasgow It is not necessary to carry a gun to fight, a cam-
When you add to this the problem of being eyed and attentive. the children. They were trained in pronun- wanted to learn more about the programme era... is also a weapon. Watch as Ahmed Deeb, one
unfamiliar with the language of instruction, The children understand Assamese ciation and taught some tricks to make from him. The researchers said that in of the few photojournalists left in Syria, docu-
it is no surprise children drop out at the ele- quite well now. This was just an impromptu storytelling interesting through voice their country they face a similar problem: ments the conflict in treacherous conditions. Ob-
mentary level itself. Following its success, session, to break the monotony and bring modulation, poetry, song and dance by a children of immigrants find it difficult to serve politics, corruption and death layer the grue-
the programme was extended to cover chil- back their attention to the lesson, Binita professional dramatist and recitation artiste. cope in school because of the language di- some Mexican drug war captured by journalists of
dren of the Mising tribe in the Majuli island said. Here was one passionate teacher who With time, the long-term effects of the vide. The storytelling initiative gives them a Riodece. Empathise with the citizen journalists
of Jorhat district in 2015. The programme is read the pulse of her students well. Binita is programme became evident. Lipika, for in- chance to integrate such children with soci- caught in the bloodshed between Sudans govern-
now being implemented in 80 schools in 12 from the tea garden community. As such, stance, scored the highest in Assamese in ety, he says. ment and the powerless in the Nuba mountains.
districts of the State, including Goalpara, she too has faced the problem of not know- her Class X board examination and was
Sibsagar and Barpeta. ing Assamese in the classroom. awarded a scholarship for her overall per- The writer is an independent journalist based in A curation of some of the most interesting news
During a visit to the Govindpur lower Braving the challenge, Binita completed formance by the State government. Gujarat. When not researching her stories, she is films and videos from around the world.
primary school, I found the head teacher her graduation and was selected for the Students like Lipika, who have benefited busy spinning tales for her toddler.

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THE HINDU MAGAZINE
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017

SPOTLIGHT

The spectacle of urgency

Laura El-Tantawy conjures a stream of images from Tahrir that are still alive, echoing our continuing social predicament
BY RAHAAB ALLANA ical images in a media-dominated world
that almost invariably upholds and val-
Photography is where my vulnerability orises factual representation as the le-
comes across. Tahrir is beyond photo- gitimate expression of truth.
graphy for me. Its a chapter of my life.
Laura El-Tantawy Stories never told
Can her subjective, poetic media docu-

I
mages from Tahrir Square in Cairo mentation be trusted? Can it function as
were awash on all channels in 2011. a politically viable form of testimony?
As the Levant rose to resistance Can it be included in formal legal pro-
after the self-immolation of Mo- cesses of reparation and justice? Can it
hamed Bouazizi, a fruit vendor in Sidi provide irrefutable evidence of crimes
Bouzid, Tunisia, the entire regions up- against humanity? Can subaltern his-
rising against autocracy and exploitative toriographies be radically told through
neoliberal policies shook the establish- unusual media configurations such as
ment. It seemed as though the people an exhibition?
were finally assuming control and over- The looser the form of the images be-
hauling history. Enflaming the globe came, the more I became comfortable
with countless occupy movements, in- with my surroundings. The more spon-
cluding in struggling Western econom- taneous I could be. Laura El-Tantawy
ies such as Spain and Greece to mention The ethics of discontentment
a few, peaceful marches soon turned shared ideological affinities, strategies
into violent clashes. and tactics resulting from embedded
It is a time of unexpected reversals, constitutional stalemates also reson-
and that is the kaleidoscopic logic of the ate in India and South Asia. We, too,
photographic exhibition, In the Shadow should undertake our own acts of scru-
of the Pyramids by Laura El-Tantawy. tiny and of bearing witness here, at
Shown as an immersive re-construction home.
of events that are tackled on a sublime, We must remember 2011 with refer-
if not dissonant, emotional register ence to our own civil injustices the
channeled through sound bites and im- death penalty for Ajmal Kasab, the ac-
ages, the pulsing documentation of the quittal of over 50 persons in the Godhra
Cairo protests reflects outwards from train arson case, Anna Hazares fasting
where she stands, camera aimed at the for the Jan Lokpal Bill, the terrorist at-
raging, roaring crowd. tacks in Mumbai.
She considers, like many critics, the The present, too, stirs with cause for
Arab Spring a misnomer (a term coined concern an archaic sedition law (124A
by Marc Lynch of Foreign Policy aka anti-national law) that subverts a
magazine in 2011 to pinpoint the begin- range of rights; the continuing savagery
ning of the revolutions), which now of caste discrimination; the violent
ironically signifies the atomisation and struggle for self-rule in Kashmir; and the
failure of civilian insurgency against Naxal guerrilla war. Just across our bor-
despotism. ders, Nepal struggles for constitutional
reform and Myanmars Rohingya
The grain of their skin Muslims are displaced ruthlessly.
Her focus more prominently on indi- Oceanic sway Women of Tahrir from the photo exhibition. Laura El-Tantawy As we celebrate 70 years of inde-
vidual portraits as snapshots of political pendence, many stories are simply
trauma, chaos, urgency and intensity is ing becomes an unforgettable prism of The pulsing the distortions and abuses of power book on the work of 13 photographers never told. And we know too well that
a deliberate act, as they establish a sense
of power and solidarity with other
crisis, defeat, endurance, hope, sorrow,
joy, and other states of emotional
<
> documentation of the
globally circulating testimonials that
cannot be seized or denied becomes a
from Kashmir edited by Sanjay Kak,
whose images foreground the seen and
covert and subtle atrocity, when not
documented, can be swiftly and effort-
movements across the world. Agency, fi- extremity. Cairo protests reflects multiple utterance of a particular truth. unseen tensions of lives traversing the lessly denied by its perpetrators.
nally in the hands of the governed, and In her body of work, images shot Technology may be used by oppressive surreal threshold of silence, the shad- Hence we must deeply value all con-
with regard to Egypt, to finally achieve over time have been recomposed in sev- outwards from where regimes to pulverise protest, but it can owy truth that is the substrate of the tributions from the new iconography of
the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, head eral formats: In the Shadow of the Pyr- also be eventually used against them continuing disappearances, encounters activism a mode that persistently de-
of state for almost three decades. It is amids (2015), a book; The People (2015),
El-Tantawy stands, through the freely distributed image. As and curfews that mark daily existence in centres hegemonic master-narratives
disturbing that today a strategic rapport a newsletter; and Post-script (2016), an camera aimed at the a photojournalist, El-Tantawy will al- the Valley. and produces fresh visual testimonials
is nourished between pro-Mubarak sup- accordion-style manual. These personal ways be more than an active embodi- Such documentary images have the through the fearless inscription of
porters and the current militarised re- iterations have been combined for this
raging, roaring crowd ment, receptacle, editor and re-anim- essential task of seizing and framing the injustices.
gime under General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. exhibition into a three-way digital pro- ator of visual information and dissident subtle, ambiguous and elusive the ag-
El-Tantawys counter-narrative of the jection, and individual archival prints. after the revolution: how could activ- voices she is an interpreter, an access onised erasures and absences that are The author is Curator, Alkazi Foundation for
Tahrir protest comes through as a com- An iPad displays the frenetic topo- ism, which caused such massive re- point to the other, conjuring a stream of being imprinted on the collective the Arts in New Delhi, and Fellow, Royal
posite of her personal, political and aes- graphy of Tahrir, the voracity of the gional disruption, have been so thor- images from Tahrir that are still live, still memory of people who feel themselves Asiatic Society in London.
thetic relationship with all people, since conflagration, the oceanic sway of the oughly and ruthlessly subjugated in proactive, echoing our continuing social to be under political/ military occupa-
the revolution was a pan-civilian upris- rapt chanting crowd, the stark, mesmer- such a short time? predicament. She is the source of a tion. When such an aesthetic is linked to ON SHOW In the Shadow of the
ing that involved everyone across class, izing portraits of protesters in close-up, When a peoples revolution im- truth about Tahrir, a truth that cannot the question of the photographers in- Pyramids by Laura El-Tantawy,
religion and other affiliations. Her most the grain of their skin, the glow of their plodes, disintegrates or fails through be- be refuted or retracted. tent and function, the question arises as an Art Heritage production,
impressionistic views embrace the spec- tears All the modalities raise the ques- ing crushed by a regime or through in- This trajectory is apparent, for in- to the place and relevance of El- till Sept. 20, 2017, Shridharani Gallery,
tacle of urgency in which the human be- tion that still remains unanswered years ternal fracture, any documentation of stance, in Witness (Yarbaal, 2017), a Tantawys atmospheric, evocative, lyr- Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi

Bresson had effectively captured the evis-

FRAMED cerating aftermath of Partition, Nehrus
SCANNER address from Teen Murti, the heaving,
mourning crowds at Gandhis death.

Silence and slow time

Play on The photographers who represented
Prakriti Foundation the early 70s, notably Raghu Rai and Kis-
presents the 11th hore Parekh, had captured the Indira era
edition of The Parks the Bangladesh war, Indias colossal
New Festival, 2017. victory, as well as Indiras deification.
The festival starts this
September in Chennai
Photojournalist S. Paul Both photo editors of leading dailies,
who had fought for column space for
and will travel to five
other cities Chennai,
was the essence of visuals, Rai and Parekh represented a
new generation of muscular, dynamic
Delhi, Kolkata,
Mumbai, Hyderabad
old India lensmanship in the thick of action with
all its human interest.
and Bengaluru. The
Yet, the years of Nehruvian India, with
Parks New Festival is
all about showcasing its childlike slippage into the innocence
the cutting edge in contemporary performing and visual arts, by artists
Gayatri Sinha of the nation, was a harder call. Here
is an art critic and curator who, while
from around the world. This is one of the biggest national festivals of preoccupied with her art website Paul, shooting from the fringes, a lone
contemporary performance arts in India. With the promise of www.criticalcollective.in, is also ranger with his lens, had stood, commit-
contemplating a book on the Middle Ages
promoting local and global talent, this years line-up includes ted to this vision. Paul caught children at
performances by artists like Anu Menon, Roopa Mahadevan, Diya play, people in solemn prayer in a sea of

T
Naidu, Surjit Nongmeikapam and Abhilash Ningappa. The dates for o try to interview S. Paul in the collective worship, the migrant labourers
Chennai are September 1 to September 3; for Delhi, September 5 to early 80s was to face a reluctant infant alone on an acreage of bricks, like
September 7; Kolkata, September 8 to September 10; Mumbai, conversationalist who presented a cruel metaphor for the growing city.
September 12 to September 14; Hyderabad, September 15 to an odd contradiction. As chief Images that constituted not the moment-
September 17; Bengaluru, September 19 to September 21. photographer of The Indian Express, he ous, but time itself, a slow page-turner
was used to the hurry-burry and crush of that constitutes a period of change.
news photography. Yet, when he finally
Mirror, mirror granted an interview, it was in the distant Own truth
reaches of the Delhi zoo. Solitary pleasures One of S. Pauls award- One of Pauls most striking images was of
An expression of vanity, or a symbol Every Sunday, Paul famously aban- the arrival of Indira Gandhis bullet-rid-
winning photographs and (right) Raghu
of self-knowledge and wisdom, doned the world of news to follow his vis- den body at the All India Institute of Med-
mirrors have a prominent presence in
Rai, Pauls younger brother, holding his
ion of a city from the edges, as it slowly photograph. Special arrangement ical Sciences. Typically, Paul does not
various paintings. Muse du Louvre in
cannibalised the fields and forests at its show the horror but captures instead the
Paris presents a group of works from
the 16th century through to current
borders. This was then followed by solit- changes in a new India, he was closer in symmetrical faade of the modernist
times, all of them featuring mirrors, ary drives across the border into Hary- spirit perhaps to T.S. Nagarajan, with building, its balconies crowded with pa-
which is also the name of the show. ana, then dotted with villages, migratory their shared view of the photograph as a tients who have leaned out to witness the
Visitors are invited to observe the birds and vast planted acreage. memoir of the delicacy and fragility of a scene below. He invited the viewer to
paintings and see themselves in Our conversation that day gave me the rapidly changing India. With pride, he read the moment, making the photo-
mirrors, contemplate what they are first hint of a man committed to the peri- spoke of the number of cameras and graph a dialogic process. If what we have
viewing, or what they believe they are phery of engagement, viewing life awards he had won and the enormous today is the boisterously touted new In-
viewing. The mirror is called the through a lens, distantly. As much as coverage he had received worldwide. dia with its noisy energies, then Paul was
perfect imitator, deceiver, revealer, Pauls work threw him into the embrace definitely old India, akin to the black
object of cogitation. The exhibition is on till September 18. of action, even disaster, his own inclina- The first edit and white film, the ghazal, the solitary
tion was to retire into a fragile and re- Between 1997 and 2004, when I curated pleasures of reading.
treating world. Paul spoke briefly about two photography exhibitions in succes- At the heart of such a practice, of
Working models his early beginnings in Haryana and his sion, my visits to the Paul household in- course, lies Pauls refusal refusal to en-
fascination with cinema, buying his first creased. Paul sahibs wife was an unob- gage in the muscular photojournalism of
Science Museum, London, camera, and then inducting younger trusive presence, the household geared younger photographers, refusal to travel,
presents the exhibition brother Raghu Rai into photography. to his work, as he would bring out his inhabiting instead his beloved Delhi and
'Robots'. It explores the 500- Of a generation of news photographers contact sheets. What I realised over sev- its environs with his lens. There was his
year-old story of humanoid
who documented the cataclysmic eral visits was that he was sharing the resistance to the iconic subject, with a so-
robots and the artistic,
core of the photographic process, the cialist commitment to the subaltern, the
scientific and philosophical
quest to understand the split-second shift of frames that determ- rhythmic movement of the turning nuns ordinary.
The era of Nehruvian
<
>
meaning of being human. Set ined the final print, offering a young cur- in their white khadi sarees against the While so much photography from the
over five different periods and ator an invaluable lesson in the photo- spiral staircase, suggesting something of subcontinent has expanded on the sub-
locations, the exhibition features a collection of over 100 robots, from
India was a harder graphers first edit. an existential dilemma, created a picture ject of poverty, Paul was careful to confer
a 16th-century mechanical monk to robots from science fiction and call. Here Paul stood, Pauls works were delicate, inspired by of the barest elements that was the es- dignity on his subject. In much the same
modern-day research labs. Twelve of the robots are working models: Cartier-Bressons decisive moment, and sence of S. Paul. spirit, he devoted hours to explain his
you may even get the chance to interact with one. Other highlights a lone ranger with his two pictures titled Jain Nuns were selec- In the early 2000s, an exhibition on work to young photographers and artists.
include an articulate iron manikin from the 1500s and one of the first ted for the exhibition Woman/ Goddess. the nation at National Museum, Middle Over a period of 50 years, he adhered to
walking two-legged robots. The show is on till September 3.
lens, committed to
Three nuns are descending from a spiral Age Spread: India 1947-2004 presented his own truth of the human condition, all
this vision staircase, unsure of where to go next. The another kind of challenge. Cartier- shot in slow time.

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THE HINDU MAGAZINE

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
NOIDA/DELHI

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BIG SCREEN

Mending the moving image

Nothing remains of the first Tamil silent film or the first
Telugu talkie, and the third edition of the Film Restoration
workshop comes, aptly, to Chennai
Celluloid dreams Restoration work in
progress at Prasad Film Lab in Chennai.
FILM HERITAGE FOUNDATION

was very impressed and urged us to

conduct the workshop in Chennai to
spread awareness down south, which
collectively represents 60% of Indian
cinema, Dungarpur says.
The workshop will touch upon an-
other critical aspect the preservation
of photographic material. Photographs
and documents are woven into the fab-
ric of a cinematic heritage and research-
ers have to often rely on memorabilia
and other preserved collaterals such as
scripts, music scores, and posters to re-
construct historical events, he says.

Treasure troves
There are millions of photographs and
documents out there in the hands of
private collectors and kabadiwalas who
are ignorant about proper methods of
BY SAYONI SINHA
Most of Balu classrooms across the country to spread storage. For instance, many of the stun-
<
> Mahendras films are
the word. This year, the Film Preserva- ning images we have used in our promo-

O
n March 30, 2015, Bardroy Bar- tion and Restoration Workshop, now in tional material for the workshop were
retto walked into the Film Her- its third edition, will be held in Chen- sourced from a private collector called
itage Foundation office with a
gone. Even Mani nais Prasad Film Lab from October 7 to Gnanam who is sitting on a treasure
reel of film wrapped in news- Ratnam does not have 14. trove of photographs and negatives, but
paper. He believed this was the last sur- The workshop is an initiative of the which are stored in abysmal conditions.
viving reel of the first Konkani film any of his original Film Heritage Foundation and the Inter- People like him should be trained so
Mogacho Aunndo directed by Al Jerry camera negatives national Federation of Film Archivesin that they can understand at least the ba-
Braganza. The reel had been given to association with the Martin Scorsese- sics of how their collections can be pre-
him by a journalist who had in turn got backed The Film Foundations World served. The lack of understanding is
it from Braganzas nephew. any of his original camera negatives, Cinema Project, LImmagine Ritrovata, compounded by the expense and effort
He was hoping something could be says Dungarpur. Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sci- associated with full-fledged restoration.
salvaged, but had almost given up, as In a country that produces over ences, and other international institutes So its barely a surprise that India just
the warped and brittle reel of celluloid 2,000 films in 36 languages every year, besides Viacom 18 and the Tata Trusts doesnt have the capacity to launch full-
probably stored in a loft for over 50 preserving cinematic heritage should as cause partners. fledged projects that begin with photo-
years was in very poor condition, not have to be introduced. But that is chemical restoration.
says Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, the case. To create awareness about film Disaster recovery Digitisation and basic digital image
Founder of Film Heritage Foundation. preservation, Dungarpur has embarked This year, the workshop includes ses- and sound clean-up passes off for pre-
Dungarpur was delighted by the dis- to retrieve the soundtrack, which is vir- Keechaka Vadham (1918) or the first on a nationwide exercise that will use sions with disaster recovery expert servation and restoration, and many
covery of what was considered to be a tually destroyed. Tamil talkie Kalidas (1931). The same workshops and sessions with world-ac- Mick Newnham from Australia, who of- members of the industry are happy with
lost film. Mogacho Aunndo was released That the very first Indian talkie Alam goes for the first Telugu talkie Bhakta claimed archivists and experts in film fers practical classes on restoring film, this, as the cost is low and they consider
in 1950 in Mapusa and in a few theatres Ara (1931) and, in fact, more than 98% of Prahlada (1932) and the first Kannada restoration. while Dawn Jaros of the Academy of Mo- the quality good enough for telecast on
in Mumbai. our silent films have been lost speaks talkie Sati Sulochana (1934). Nothing Given the monumental loss of our tion Picture Arts and Sciences and Tina television or the Internet, rues Dungar-
volumes of the approach to film restora- remains of the silent films made in cinematic heritage, it was an issue that Kelly from the Imperial War Museum pur. If we dont preserve, there will be
Last reel tion in India. In the silent era, the South India. Marthanda Varma survived needed to be tackled on a war footing, will provide hands-on training in photo- a day when there wont be anything left
After a rescue operation at the film Madras film industry made 124 silent quite by accident. but I realised that there were no soldiers graphic and paper conservation and re- to restore.
restoration lab LImmagine Ritrovata in films and 38 documentaries, none of Similarly, most of the first talkies in to fight this war, he says. India has no pair. In addition, several scholarships
Bologna, Italy, the last surviving reel of which survive except for Marthanda South Indian languages do not exist any diploma or degree courses in film pre- will be sponsored by actor Kamal The Mumbai-based freelance journalist
Mogacho Aunndo was scanned to 4K res- Varma (1933), the second silent film in more. But we dont have to look so far servation. Dungarpur reached out to ex- Haasan and AVM Studios among others. writes on films, food and everything in
olution two months ago. The team is Malayalam. Also, notably, nothing re- back. Most of Balu Mahendras films are perts in the field from around the world Last year, Kamal Haasan was the between, and her hobbies include breakfast,
now experimenting with a new software mains of the first Tamil silent film gone. Even Mani Ratnam does not have to collaborate in creating travelling chief guest at our Pune workshop. He lunch and dinner.

FILMI DIALOGUE DOCU DRAMA

Have film, will screen A world less forgiving

How indies are fighting to release films any which way Two documentaries depict tradition dogged by modern demands
ings in Mumbai alongside college work- There is 10 minutes of free trial dur- BY KENNITH ROSARIO
shops conducted by Kanade. The show ing which, if you dont like the film and

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continues, in the same format, in Delhi, stop it, the money is refunded. The per- wo documentaries, Sanjib
Namrata Joshi Bengaluru and Kolkata and, hopefully, sonally funded start-up has Loreta Gan- Parasars Living the Natural
is Associate Editor-Cinema with with more indie films (independent not dolfi from the University of Cambridge Way and Sanju Surendrans
The Hindu in Mumbai necessarily in their funding as much as helping with international curation. Kapila, which explore two
in the spirit and the aesthetics, they cla- Siddharthan herself travels, reads and vastly different themes environ-

K
ranti Kanades CRD is one of the rify) in the future. The wishlist of the scours the web as much as she can to mental conservation and Koodiyat-
most eccentric, deliberately fresh-faced youngsters has Payal Sethis keep the standard high. Some on- tam took home top honours at the
random and baffling films one Leeches, John Upchurchs Mango Dreams ground events are in the pipeline: retro- 12th Indian Documentary Producers
has seen of late. One that in and Devashish Makhijas shorts. They spectives of Ulrich Seidl, a selection of Association (IDPA) awards last
tenor swings between the intense and even want to bring back older films Iranian films, and a Cannes collection month.
the flippant. One that talks as much Anup Kurians Manasarovar, Karan from this year and the last. The films, produced by Films Divi-
about the tyranny in a supposedly lib- Gours Kshay, Sabal Singh Shekhawats Its not just finances, but also reach- sion, use an individuals story to por-
eral world of arts as it plays with the lar- Fireflies. ing out to the right audiences that has, tray the struggle for relevance in the
ger notion of the real and the pretend. for long, been the bane of indie film- modern world.
One that tries to break away from linear- Cinema Vandi travels makers. Consequently, such alternative Living the Natural Way won gold in
ity and realism in storytelling even as it
speaks of real issues from Narendra
<
> through villages and models and experiments emerging in
indie film distribution and monetisation
the Best Non-Fiction Film Over 60
Minutes category and Kapila won the
Dabholkar to the idea of a bahujan ka are worth taking note of. A couple of Best Non-Fiction Film award in the 30
Shivaji, from the fascism of language
towns in Kerala and years ago, Bardroy Barretto made the to 60 minutes category.
and of Bollywood, to the politics of the screens films Konkani film Nachom-ia Kumpasar with In Parasars film, erosion looms
national anthem. contributions from 101 family members large over the Mishing tribe that lives
Its outrageousness, audacity and self- wherever possible and friends. on a small Brahmaputra island. They
conscious referencing from Uday live a few kilometers from Majuli, ar-
Prakash to Foucault via Dravid, Bose, In their third year of college, the Non-conventional guably the largest river island in the
Antonioni and Bergman can leave one three are also interning with companies Instead of taking the multiplex route, he world. Heavy and erratic floods in the
either riveted or piqued but certainly in Bengaluru and Hyderabad while de- decided to personally organise ticketed region chip away not just at the is-
not indifferent. veloping Cinetic on a revenue sharing screenings across venues in Goa. He land, but at the tribes obstinate de-
basis with the viewing platforms and wanted to reach as many viewers as termination to live a life close to
Beyond cinema halls the filmmakers. possible and gain critical mass steadily. nature, away from modernity.
It was this ability to polarise the viewers A few months ago at Cannes, I had The staggered, non-conventional re- Dual lives Kapila mirrors the two sides of the artiste.
and the intriguing trailer itself that led bumped into another bright-eyed lease was not just about screening but For cultures sake
three students of Birla Institute of Tech- youngster, Nivedita Siddharthan, 27, ensuring it stayed in audience minds. The documentary tells the story of The film is neither mentary mirrors the two sides of
nology and Science, Goa Shantanu
Sharma, Ishmin Singh and Clyde Bailey
who, along with Priyadarshi Rishiraj,
30, co-founded Moviesaints, a curated
Sandeep Mohans Shreelancer may
have released commercially last week,
Yadav Payeng, who single-handedly
created a jungle of nearly 500 hec-
<
> apocalyptic nor
Kapila: a performer of the 2,000-
year-old art form and a modern wo-
to come together to showcase it on al- website for indies from around the but he has been travelling with it, and tares over 35 years and is ceaselessly idyllic, choosing to man. The documentary indulges its
ternative platforms, before it made its world. To view a film, you pay a fee, of with previous films, from city to city, trying to save his creation. On the audience by extending luxurious
way to the screens commercially. And which 60% goes to the filmmaker and across India and the world, screening sidelines is his brother Malbhong Pay- focus on Yadav amounts of time to performances and
Cinetic was born. the rest to the platform. If you like a shows for willing audiences in any space eng, a 75-year-old herder, who insists rehearsals.
After having shown CRD on their own film, you can lend additional support to available, whether office or caf. He on living a semi-nomadic life with his
and Malbhongs
campus recently, they held two screen- the filmmaker. calls his experiment The Great Indian wife and their cattle, in a habitat perseverance Back to reality
Travelling Cinema. thats no longer as accommodating. But then it suddenly yanks its viewers
A couple of years ago, in Kerala, The tribe struggles to preserve its weave a uniformly engaging narrat- out of the anachronistic setting and
Kazhcha Film Forum, a film lovers and culture and language. The enemy ive, the film manages to capture the places them into a more contempor-
filmmakers collective, started Cinema global warming is well known to dilemmas of a man torn between a ary setup, with Kapila talking on the
Vandi (a cinema van equipped with them. The documentary neither ad- world he knows and a modern life he phone or using her laptop.
projection equipment) that is literally all opts an apocalyptic tone nor paints is expected to lead. Much like the art form,
about movies in motion. It travels to vil- an idyllic picture, instead choosing to Surendrans Kapila, which won in Surendrans film too allows details to
lages and towns and screens films focus on Yadav and Malbhongs per- the Best Arts/ Cultural film category emerge. He steps back and lets the art
wherever invited film societies, clubs, severance. Earlier we needed at the 62nd National Film Awards, re- form communicate with the audi-
colleges. Initiatives like 1018mb have money to buy only three things: salt, flects a similar duality through an ab- ence, rendering the camera merely a
been helping organise on-demand oil and kerosene, says Yadav, stand- stract portrait of Koodiyattam expo- tool of documentation. But even so,
screenings of not just indies but popu- ing outside a grocery store. Now he is nent Kapila Venu. Surendran, a he composes artistic frames to focus
lar classics as well. Most significantly, forced to buy food because of an un- graduate of Film and Television Insti- on Kapilas eyes and expressions, and
newer community spaces are emerging, seasonal flood. tute of India, structures the docu- uses the soft golden light of dancing
where intimate group screenings can be Parasar spent four years with the mentary around a day in Kapilas life, flames, percussion music, the thun-
organised. Not that its all rosy yet, but community to fully understand their where she begins at dawn by rehears- dering noise of the Kerala rains, and
where theres a film, there has to be a philosophy and lifestyle. Despite a ing eye-movements with her father. long moments of silence to create a
Reaching out Indies are finding newer avenues. (Above) A still from CRD. way to see it. pedantic tone and not being able to As the day progresses, the docu- sensory experience on the whole.

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THE HINDU MAGAZINE
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017

RUBRIC

Sandstone skyscrapers,
concrete mohallas
What architectural heritage was created after 1947?
And what are we doing to conserve it?
next 40 years created some of the finest
works of architecture.
Stein was strongly influenced by ar-
chitects in California, and championed
the regional modern movement that
paid attention to local environments
best exemplified in his design of IIC.
Inspired in 1958 by the then Vice
President S. Radhakrishnan and philan-
thropist John D. Rockefeller IIIs vision
of a dedicated space for the exchange of
ideas, IIC remains an important social
hub for lectures and cultural activities.
Its a no-frills kind of place, says
writer and literary historian Rakh-
shanda Jalil, who worked as assistant
editor for IIC Quarterly and later, while
doing her Ph.D, rented a cubicle in its
library for six months. One associates
it with Nehruvian India. Utilitarian but
with aesthetics.
The building, which adjoins Lodhi
Gardens, uses materials such as local
stones, reinforced concrete frames,
burnt clay and steel jaalis to create har-
mony with the environment around.

Confluence of cultures
For author Nilanjana Roy, IIC brings
memories of stodgy talks, and tea-and-
biscuit conferences, but it was also a
place where I interviewed many
writers, from Agha Shahid Ali to Ma-
hasweta di, when I was starting out as a
Picturesque (Clockwise from above) Crafts Museum, India International Centre and LIC building. V.V. Krishnan & Sandeep Saxena journalist.
She sees IIC and India Habitat Centre
BY SHASHANK BHARGAVA heritage into the public sphere. We are On the list, and marked as a Grade I picturesque, says Menon. Rewal was structure is made of concrete, the exter- as places where the sometimes insular
planning various campaigns, getting in building of national importance, is the influenced by Le Corbusier, but also by ior from stone aggregate, the courtyards world of writers, who work chiefly in

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en years ago, when Delhis touch with colleges, schools for photo LIC building designed by Charles Correa Pier Luigi Nervi and Michel Ecochard. from Delhi quartzite, and the pathways English, flows into Delhis Urdu and
iconic Chanakya theatre was competitions, asking people to click and in 1986: at 12 storeys it towers over Luty- The Asian Games Village, initially de- from red sandstone. Hindi heritage.
pulled down, A.G.K. Menon, share pictures of their favourite build- ens Delhi. signed to provide housing for parti- Rewal was the first to draw from In- Not all structures on the list are based
then convenor of the Delhi ings, says Annabel Lopez, a project It was the first building of its kind cipants in the ninth Asian Games held in dian traditions for modern buildings. It on modern architectural merit; cultural
chapter of Indian National Trust for Art consultant with Intach and part of the built in Delhi at that point in time, says 1982, is very modern, but takes its cues was partly because we actually meas- value also figures large. Lopez cites the
and Cultural Heritage (Intach), realised team that helped form the list. The or- Lopez. Correa always tried to use local ured stepwells, and layouts of Fatehpur example of Garden of Five Senses (also
there were two things missing in the ganisation is also looking to start herit- materials, so even in this skyscraper you Sikri and Jaisalmer... This was a major part of the list): It is an open space that
Crafts Museum bears
way we view heritage. One, we mainly
look at architectural heritage as monu-
age walks around these modern
buildings.
have the use of red sandstone and clad-
ding. The facades thus give it an Indian <
> Correas stamp too. He urban design study.
At the Village, houses consisting of 12-
people are drawn to, though here we
are not really looking at modern archi-
ments, and two, modern architecture is touch, while the iconic metallic pergola 13 units are clustered around squares, tecture, but the fact that it is a post-in-
not protected. Insuring heritage and the use of glass, lend it a Western
designed the open-to- linked by traditional walkways that are dependence icon. The same reasoning
But modern heritage had no defini- The list, which is still under considera- one. sky pathways taking shaded by the projections from the applies to Dilli Haat, also on the list.
tion back then. And so a team led by tion with the Centres Heritage Conser- Crafts Museum, another building on building. The Village qualifies as an As Roy says, Its a real privilege to
Menon and comprising urban planners vation Committee, looks at six criteria: the list, bears Correas stamp too. He a person from village outstanding example and representat- live in a city where the centuries sur-
and designers, conservationist archi- exceptional architectural significance, designed the open-to-sky pathways in to temple to palace ive of a building typology. round you in the most casual way.
tects, historians and trainees, came up representative of a building typology, the heart of the museum with galleries A popular cultural centre also makes Buildings shape us and our cultures,
with a list, a few years ago, of 62 build- representative of a master architect, going off the main street taking a per- it to the list: India International Centre and it would be a shame to lose the
ings, built after independence in Delhi. outstanding ensemble structures, build- son from village to temple to palace. from Rajasthan, particularly Jaisalmer, (IIC) designed by American architect most iconic ones merely because of
Now, propelled by the recent demoli- ings of religious significance, and those Rewals work also features promin- Rewal explains. The low-rise, high-dens- Joseph Allen Stein. In the 50s, Nehru in- short sight.
tion of the Hall of Nations building in associated with the lives of persons of ently on the list. He designed the Asian ity village was designed for community vited Stein to head the Architecture and
Delhis Pragati Madan, designed by ar- great significance. The list includes Games Village. Rewal too borrows from living and draws from the idea of mohal- Planning department of the The Bengal When hes not chasing stories, the writer
chitect Raj Rewal, Intach is trying to temples and museums, institutions, art Indian tradition. Correa was very las. Rewal ensured that the materials College of Engineering and Technology. can be found playing Ultimate Frisbee or
bring the debate surrounding modern galleries and cultural centres. subtle about it but Raj Rewal is more used were local and durable. And so the Later, Stein moved to Delhi and over the endless rounds of Catan.

PLACE, WORK, FOLK

Letter from a globalised island

On how nature and economy share a common destiny

BY RAHUL SRIVASTAVA &

MATIAS ECHANOVE

A
mitav Ghosh recently reminded
us that globalisation has always
thrived on local singularities
and often destroyed them in
the process. In his article about the
spice trade in the Moluccas archipelago
in Indonesia, he describes how small
isolated places sometimes catalyse
global economic and political interests,
and get severely impacted in return.
The South Korean county of Ulleung,
which comprises 44 islands in the East,
tells a similar story. The main island,
Ulleung-do, is known as much for its
natural beauty as for being a necessary
stopover for South Korean nationalists
on their way to Dokdo, internationally
known as Liancourt Rocks, which is also
claimed by Japan.
The islands are also close to North
Korea, which fishes abundantly in Isolated Dozens of
South Korean waters. Chinese industrial native species of plants
fishing vessels have made their own lee- and fish exist in and
way into South Koreas exclusive eco- around Ulleung-do.
nomic zones (EEZ) in the East Sea.

Murky waters
Territorial claims over Dokdo and the a clean and peaceful environment. Yet, The island has more tunnels than a Swiss likely to come at a huge environmental within the environment at the same
competition between fishermen from
various countries in the region give
both fishing and tourism face huge chal-
lenges. Just like global warming and
<
> mountain. It also has a monorail, a scenic bridge
and social cost, Lobo says. time. Colonialism, globalisation and na-
tionalism have all had their say only to
Ulleung a disproportionate sense of overfishing threaten the ecology and Rich potential leave behind devastated landscapes.
global importance. Especially since the the economy of the island, speculation
and special promenades made of fake wood One of the most striking aspects of What may be necessary is a new form of
economic value of the water around it is and over-construction may well end up Ghoshs portrait of the Moluccas is the geo-bio-politics that allows the interests
declining as fast as its fish population. threatening the tourism industry that tourists to a special viewpoint, a scenic According to marine ecologist Aaron incredibly dense history it packs in. The of local populations and the protection
The economy of Ulleung-do now re- sparked it in the first place. bridge and special promenades in the Lobo, Ulleung-do is unique in more details of flora and fauna he provides, of natural resources (which like the sea
volves more around tourism and there In an effort to retain an ageing popu- forest that are fully re-constructed with ways than one. Its isolation has resulted combine with the accounts of biograph- knows no political boundaries) to weigh
may be gas resources to fetch in the lation with little economic prospects on fake wood. Hotels have been hastily in species found nowhere else in the ies and events to tell us that even the ti- in against the strategic interests of na-
deep sea as well. Besides the national- this strategic island, the South Korean built along the shore with no considera- world. Its communities have co-evolved niest pieces of territory are rich in po- tion states.
ists who stop over on their way to government has financed large infra- tion for their architecture or the to use these environments, both land tential at every level.
Dokdo, many Korean tourists go there structure projects. The island has more landscape. and sea. Any development plans that But their life cycles are determined The writers are co-founders of urbz.net,
to experience the stunning beauty of tunnels than a Swiss mountain. It also Dozens of native species of plants ignore these well-evolved links between by the choices they make and their abil- an urban network thats active in Mumbai,
Ulleung. Just like fish, tourists too need has a monorail that brings hordes of and fish exist in and around Ulleung-do. the local ecology and its people are ity to do both, use resources and live Goa and beyond.

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THE HINDU MAGAZINE

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
NOIDA/DELHI

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And it was
Coming towards
us, too calm to
feel threatening,
it was a force of
nature. We
realised with our

Every
pulse caught in
our throats that
we could point at
it and say: this is
the Monsoon.
AP, K. Murali Kumar
& K.R. Deepak

silver
lining has
a cloud
It is grand, complex, whimsical,
mysterious this intricate system of
wind, pressure, rain and poetry called
the monsoon

BY JUHI SAKLANI fectly apt for Bengal, a rain-crumble in It always rained earlier back home in
which Hilsas breed! Meanwhile, Dehradun. The thought of those moss-

F
or a change, it was a dark and Navneet promises to bring a special ittr covered walls and sumptuous trees, that
stormy day. But like so many created by the traditional fragrance fat grass and unashamed greenery,
thick, intense monsoon days in makers of Sawai Madhopur which haunted me. I would try to capture
India, it had all the glamour, sen- smells just like sondhi mitti, rain- some of the romance in long-distance
suality and restless excitement of the damped earth. Everyone becomes a bit calls. Describe it to me, Id demand of
night. Going past the woods and the wil- feverish at the mention of damp earth, my mother. She would bring me down
derness, one could imagine Kalidasas an emotion, we all agree, not at all cap- to earth, laughing: Yes, yes, it is very
nayikas tiptoeing to meet their lovers on tured in the word petrichor. beautiful, saawan has come, barkha-ba-
paths revealed by flashes of lightning. Those of us who lived through the haar is here, the house is full of the
Many centuries later, the heroines of 80s get nostalgic remembering the All smell of wet dogs.
Kangra miniature paintings did the India Radio forecast phrase: Garaj ke I could remember that generous cold
same, braving snakes and lurking saath chheente padenge (a translation rain, the water falling, flowing and seep-
dangers for a tryst with something of Light showers with thunder, its ef- ing its way to the dried river bed down
much better than destiny. fect would have been better conveyed the road, to subterranean aquifers, to
We were in the Nimad plains of Mad- as Accompanied by thunderous the soil under the lawn making earth-
hya Pradesh, a vast flat stretch of land- sounds, water will pour from the sky!). worms and snails crawl out, to my fath-
scape, on which small plateaux rose to We remember the progress of the ers shivery skin, to the familys desire
level table-top surfaces. The famous cit- Akaashvani monsoon not through polit- for pakodas and hot tea, to this catch in
adel of Mandu sprawled on one such ically or linguistically determined States my voice.
plateau. If you persisted till its southern but cultural-geographic regions: Vid-
edge the land would abruptly finish, arbha, Marathwada, Konkan, Ray- A wet geography
falling steeply down to the plains below, alseema. The only time the monsoon it- It is now a late, deep midnight as I write
stretching to apparent infinity, thrilling self takes a temporary backseat is when this letter to you, my fellow rain-
to the knowledge of the Narmada flow- Tamils cannot decide whether to render haunted. All day today we looked east-
ing some 30 km below the line of sight. the word for rain as mazhai, or as wards and saw the dark skies with a
Clinging precariously to this edge stood malai for the benefit of northerners! contentment that was rich with anticip-
the palace of Rani Rupamati. A shep- ation. The monsoon brings us not just
herdess from the lands near the Nar- Its always green at home rain, sensual enjoyment, the pleasure of
mada, she had caught the eye of ruler Every few comments someone sighs memories (and the undeniable pleasure
Baz Bahadur who brought her to about how much they miss childhood. of melancholy sighing), but also the ro-
Mandu. It is said that she asked for a is beauty, eroticism, voluptuousness, Words flood in: the back home in Meerut, would describe a Most of us are migrants from small mance of geography.
palace right at the edge of Mandu so she
could gaze at her beloved Narmada.
poetry and a promise of approaching
fulfilment.
<
> drizzle of tip-tipva light drizzle as flour falling through a
fine sieve. My namesake Juhi, the IAS of-
towns to big-city earning fields. In our
hands the rain mutates from Kalidasas
We looked eastwards because we
knew the rain would come to Delhi from
In the subcontinents literature, rain (Banaras), tapur- ficer, determinedly ignores an upcom- erotic weather to a migrants canvas of that direction, after the monsoon
On edge, waiting was almost wholly given over to lovers. ing meeting to give me the words not childhood memories. Someone starts clouds had bounced off the Himalayas
It was a melancholy thought, and we Before the rains began, merchant hus- tupur (Bangla), just in Bangla but also in Punjabi posting old rain songs. Lata in the north-east and started travelling
were sitting at the edge of the plateau, bands of Prakrit poetry returned home (Meenh) and Mizo (the beautiful Ruah- Mangeshkars voice and Salil Choud- along that great orographic barrier.
wishing Rupamati had remained a shep- from their travels to waiting wives. Lov-
chirchri (Konkani) sur). Words break the dams and come harys tune takes over like a moisture- We know this rain would not be
herdess. What we were actually doing ers profited from the inability to ven- and thooral (Tamil) flooding into our consciousness: the laden cloud from the sea, showering be- caused by the western disturbances
was waiting for the Southwest Monsoon ture out. drizzle of tip-tipva (Banaras), tapur- nediction: O Sajna, Barkha Bahaar Aayi. that bring showers to Delhi at other
to hit Mandu. Radha asked Krishna to call her by advent of the burst is an event of imper- tupur (Bangla), chirchri (Konkani) and After I shifted to Delhi from times. It would come borne on the
At this southern edge, in an open pa- knocking on the wall of her hut such ial dimensions), and Goa (Indians ex- thooral (Tamil). Dehradun, every year in May, Id be- Purvai, the easterly wind of Uttar Pra-
vilion of Rupamatis palace, we had that the sound merged with the thunder posing themselves adoringly to the The heaviness of the Hindi chappad- come a tense peacock, yearning and deshs folk songs. That is why we have
placed ourselves firmly in its majestic from the sky. Meghdoots exiled Yaksha rains... called to each other like chil- phaad (roof-tearing) rain, moosa- filling the sky with haunted cries for been looking east.
juggernauty path. We had read that took the cloud into confidence, asking it dren), moved on to Bombay (roiling laadhaar (like the falling of the moosal, rain. Like the Chaatak of the Ma- So, it is now a late, deep midnight as I
Mandu was the most romantic place in to carry his message to his pining wife. waves threw up chimerical spouts of a heavy farmers instrument to grind habharata the pied crested cuckoo, write this letter to you and it is raining.
the monsoon and were keen to see what Is it or is it not/ the cold monsoon/ black foam which kept getting vapor- grains), and the Bangla akash-bhenge which migrates to India seasonally and Even a DDA flats balcony, with its laun-
this meant. Now, three days past the bearing the shape/ of my dark lord, ized by hurricane-force winds), Deeg, (sky-breaking) brishti. is said to be the harbinger of rains I dry stand and wet broom, has to bow to
predicted date, the monsoon was yet to asked saint-poet Nammalvar. and Calcutta (the key to the spell the Words pitter-patter on my roof in too sat with my beak opened incess- the mystical romance of the moment.
arrive but it had become cloudy, dark Tagores rain came to us in so many colours, the moods, the scents, the Meiteilon, Tangkhul, Khasi, Kurukh, antly towards the sky, waiting in earn- And, since midnight makes one un-
and windy. We were hopeful it would ar- forms: in onomatopoeic words (gurgur subtle mysterious light, the poet, the Kashmiri, Kullu-vi and Bodo. Manidipa est expectation of a shower. The only afraid of atishyokti (literary hyperbole),
rive today. meghe), indicating a magical force that heightened expectations, the kind of lists 23 different Bangla phrases to de- reason I wanted a son was so I could this lavishly moisture-laden air ap-
Suddenly, even as we felt the wind created life in stones; or as a chira- beauty that made the heart miss a beat scribe different kinds of rain. Prakash, name him Ashaadh. For the longest proaches, carried by the winds to my
quicken, we saw a presence in the dis- birahini (the heroine forever separated well, that remained the monsoon), the poetry lover, adds the Persian word time my password was Baarish. laptop. It hits the landscape of my de-
tance. It was indescribable. It was gar- in love); as an indefinable restlessness; and romanced it all the way to Cherra- Baraan, while Jacob, his wife of sire and rises. It sees the passion of my
gantuan, all-consuming, heavy, but as a force that seemed to obliterate the punji (That awesome citadel of Chinese ethnicity, sends the Mandarin In our hands, the rain friends and expands joyously, cooling in
afloat. It was a too-dark-to-be-grey, an
autonomous black which improbably
cosmos making us feel a transcendental
ecstasy. Faiz declared: Let there be
Meghalaya cumulus sat over a range of
hills so unimaginably green they
word Yu. <
> mutates from the process. It then pours its heart out
on our windward side. And as you finish
contained softnesses and silvers. It clouds, let there be wine/ After that it seemed radioactive), en route meeting A rain-crumble Kalidasas erotic reading this, it will start raining in you.
spread across the thirsty theatre of doesnt matter what calamity comes. meteorologists, rain-makers and Sreela sends a Bangla poem that invokes
Nimad from side to side, rolling con- Take away my wealth and fame but flooded slum-dwellers. the poetic conceit of Ilshe Guri, (liter- weather to a migrants The Delhi-based writer and photographer
tours and all. And it was coming to- return my childhood monsoon to me, ally, Hilsa fish crumble), very fine rain likes to end her bio-note a bit hopefully
wards us, too calm to feel threatening. It pleaded Sudarshan Faakir in the song It only rains in Kerala associated with the time of the mon-
canvas of childhood with the information that her blog is called
was a force of nature. We realised with immortalised by Jagjit Singh. Gulzar, his Personally, the most intense and heart- soons when Hilsa fish breed. So, per- memories The Laughter Memoirs.
our pulse caught in our throats that we pen forever dipped in moonlight and breaking meteorologist I ever met was
could point at it and say: this is the rain, might call this a bheega-bheega, Francis, our ever-smiling Malayali
Monsoon. seela-seela essay. canteen god at university. Giggly young-
Slowly, the plains below us vanished But he expanded the definition of sters, we would enter his canteen drip-
as it came nearer. We forgot to breathe. monsoon as well as poetry in this three- ping from Delhis intermittent showers,
Strong gusts came in advance of it, rock- line verse from the early 70s: Why is this soaked in the heady new-found freedom
ing us. At some moment, we were all en- newspaper so wet?/ Change the hawker of young adulthood. Fresh from sighting
veloped in not exactly rain but pure from tomorrow!/ Five hundred villages a peacock on a Sintex tank of our hostel
moisture. washed away this year. roof, we would shine at him from amid
We couldnt see each other any more milkshakes and dosas: Its raining.
and dissolved in laughter, relief, pleas- Rain chased Francis would not be impressed. As
ure, exhilaration. The next few days, Grand, complex, whimsical and myster- far as he was concerned, it only rained
like in so much of India, the greens of ious, the intricate system of wind, pres- in Kerala. His smile would now struggle
Mandu started sparkling with innate ra- sure and rain called the monsoon (from with the business of articulation in a
diance. Its waterbodies started brim- the Arabic Mausim) gathers its own painstakingly learned language, his eyes
ming. It rained and rained and rained. local specificity in the Indian subcontin- becoming a faraway landscape. This is
ent. Here, it appears in two branches, not rain. In Kerala, it rains so much the
A love affair from the south west (Arabian Sea) and trees keep dripping water for long after.
In Kalidasas Kumarasambhava, Parvati the south east (Bay of Bengal), and is In Kerala, it keeps raining for half an
has a very different experience of the shaped by a symphony orchestra of hour after it has stopped raining.
first rain. She is meditating to win the phenomena as varied as the heating of
love of Shiva when it happens. The first the Tibetan plateau, trade winds of the Its only words
drop of rain stayed momentarily on her southern hemisphere, and the spinning To get a rain conversation started, I ask
eyelids, dropped on her lips, shattered of the earth. friends on Facebook to tell me the
on her hard breasts and trickled down One of the most fitting acts of wor- words for rain in their languages. The
the triple fold of her stomach, and after ship at the altar of the Indian monsoon response is overwhelming, not just in
a long time disappeared in her navel. was performed by Alexander Frater in the number of words we collect but in
The leisurely enchanting description his book Chasing the Monsoon (1990). the sheer emotional response the query
indicates much of how we in the sub- Frater welcomed the arrival of the generates.
continent relate to the monsoon there Southwest Monsoon in Kovalam (the Salman remembers that his mother,

CM ND-X
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8 BACK PAGE
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Easy like Sunday
morning
A look at some bigly matters
BY BY BERTY ASHLEY
1 On August 28, 1883, at 10:41 a.m.,
the loudest ever natural explosion
occurred. At 310 dB, it was heard
5,000 km away. Sailors 60 km away
from the site had their eardrums punc-
tured and the pressure wave it caused
was recorded on barographs all over
the world. The pressure was so im-
mense it travelled around the globe
three and a half times. What cata-
strophic event caused this?
2 Thimmamma Marrimanu is in
Kadiri, Andhra Pradesh. Legend
has it that Thimmamma was the wife
of a Bala Veerayya who died in 1434
and she committed sati. Marrimanu is
said to have sprung up at that place. It
is in the Guinness Book of World Re-
cords for covering an area of 4.7 acres.
What is Thimmamma Marrimanu?
3 The largest fish in the world can
grow up to a whopping 45 feet and
weigh 30 tonnes! As huge as this fish
is, and however villainous its species is
considered to be, this family is actually
very gentle and feeds on nothing big-
ger than plankton. Its misleading
name is just a description of its size
and not its actual biological descrip-
tion. Found in Gujarat and Laksh-
wadeep, it is unfortunately in the En-
dangered list due to the impact of
overfishing and vessel strikes. What
majestic fish is this?
4
The Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic
flowering plants which has no
stems, leaves or true roots. The only
part of the plant that can be seen out-
side the host vine is the five-petalled
flower which can grow up to three feet
GOREN BRIDGE
Crocodile coup
East-West vulnerable, East deals
BY BOB JONES
T
he opening club lead was won
in dummy with the ace to lead
a heart to the jack and queen.
West continued with the 10 of
clubs, won in dummy with the king.
South cashed the ace of trumps and
led a club to his queen.
South exited with a low trump to
Wests jack and Easts queen. East shif-
ted to a diamond. The king of dia-
monds had to lie with West, so de-
ECOTISM
CM
YK
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU MAGAZINE
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
LETTER FROM A CONCERNED READER
I will be back
Respected Sir/Madam, Urgent official matter it seems. As
if you are Mr. Eureka Forbes himself
S
ometimes like me, maybe you sitting in the office and making water
have also spoken on the tele- filter with your own hands.
phone to customer service de- Also bloody fool, you were talking
across and weigh 10 kg, making it the partment in some bank or wa- to me on the phone just this morning.
largest single flower in the world. It is ter purifier company or mutual fund Suddenly to make plan and all like
criminal Charles Sobhraj underworld this without telling anybody, you are
unique as it is also the only land plant
without a gene for chloroplasts. One
other thing that sets it apart is its
mafia. After listening to the same mu-
sic over and over again for 45 minutes
going to Kodaikanal or doing
demonetisation?
smell, which is meant to attract flies like A.R. Rahman concert, some Sir/ Madam, what to do? So you
for pollination. What smell does it young man or lady will say, No prob- spend another 20 minutes and send
have? (See pic) lem Mr. Mathrubootham, you just the email to Shahul Hameed.
send an email to my email address Once again you get an email within
and within 24 hours I will send you all two minutes! Oh Shahul Hameed, you
5 A canoe is defined as a light, nar-
row boat with pointed ends and no
keel, propelled with a paddle or
Flower power Rafflesia, the land plant without a gene for chloroplasts. Reuters the details.
So immediately you think to your-
are the real professional, is what you
are perhaps thinking. Useless. When
paddles. In 2008, one particular canoe paradox. What does the plant have 50 self: What a professional and polite you open email it says: Hi! Due to
made it to the Guinness Book of World times more of than us? 10 The Great Stalacpipe Organ
stretches across an area of three person behaving with decency. I will
immediately send them an email to Ha ha ha ha I will
Records with a crew of 118 rowers, two
rhythm men, five helmsmen and 18
singersmeasuring a record 143 feet in 8 The highest mountain in the world
is Mount Everest at 8,848 m. But it
acres, and can be heard throughout
the 64-acre enclosure. The Inventor show that Mr. J. Mathrubootham has
exactly the same level of professional-
<
> laugh along with her
used a natural formation found
length. Part of a sport called Vallam is not the tallest mountain in the hanging from the ceiling area to pro- ism. You get up from your sofa, go to on the outside, but on
Kali, what type of boat is this and world! Tallness is measured from base duce the musical notes for the instru- the computer, sit down, open Gmail.
where did it happen? of a mountain to its tip. By that meas- ment. These are struck by rubber mal- com, and spend the full morning the inside I am mixing
ure, Mt. Mauna Kea at 10,205m is drafting a detailed email with all the
lets controlled by an organ-styled
relevant information.
cyanide capsule in her
6 The Great Wall of China is huge,
but it cannot be seen from space.
There is, however, a natural structure
much higher. But most of it is under
the Pacific Ocean. The part we see is
only 4,200 m tall but that part is the
keyboard. Given the wonderfully
worded name of this instrument, In between, as usual Mrs. Mathru-
bootham will come and make some
evening Complan
where would you find this huge mu-
unnecessary comments like, Why unforeseen circumstances I went on
which covers 344,400 sq.km. and pic-
tures have been taken of it from the In-
highest point of which island? sical instrument?
are you writing one full Ponniyin
Selvan to get a new chequebook? or
maternity leave 10 minutes ago. In
case of any emergency
ternational Space Station. This huge
system though, is formed by marine
invertebrates that are hardly an inch
9 Covering 70 lakh sq.km. and
spreading over nine countries, this
ecosystem represents half of the re-
A molecular biologist from Madurai, our
quizmaster enjoys trivia and music, and is
Shall I tell the neighbours that you
are sending this email, and internet
No, it is ok, you carry on. (Ha ha!
Some comedy.)
across. What magnificent natural won- maining green cover on Earth. Every working on a rock ballad called Coffee is a will be slow for two or three hours? Sir/ Madam, I never want to com-
der is this? year it absorbs 2.2 billion tonnes of Drink, Kaapi is an Emotion. @bertyashley Ha ha ha ha I will laugh along with mit such a mistake myself. That is
carbon dioxide. particular note. her on the outside, but on the inside I why today itself I am informing you
am mixing cyanide capsule in her that Mrs. Mathrubootham and myself
7 Paris japonica is a rare Japanese One in 10 known species in the stalactites which resound at a
species of plants which has showy, world lives here. This constitutes the 10. Inside a cave. The formations are evening Complan. are going for one month trip to Kerala
white, star-like flowers. It is quite val- largest collection of living plants and
9. The Amazon Rainforest Then, continuing with profession- to meet our extended family mem-
8. Hawaii
ued as an ornamental plant. The plant animal species in the world. Scientists 7. Amount of DNA in the nucleus. alism, you will take a printout, read bers. We will celebrate Onam festival
is about 70 cm high. But it is the cur- believe that less than 1% of the flower- 6. The great barrier reef in Australia it, mark corrections, rewrite the and also do some sightseeing in Mun-
rent record holder for the largest size ing plant species there have been stud- 5. Snake Boat in Kerala email, take one final printout and nar and Kochi and Quilon and all.
of something that is essential to life. ied in detail for their medicinal poten- corpse flower then send the email. Suddenly, During this one month I will not be
without warning, within two minutes able to send you any letters. And if
4. Rotting flesh, hence known as the
Humans, the most highly evolved spe- tial. With it disappearing so rapidly, 3. Whale Shark
cies (or so people like to think) have the continuity of this knowledge for tree) you will get a response from the cus- you send any email, you will not get
three billion of these entities. This un- the benefit of future generations is un- 2. Its a Banyan tree. (The worlds largest tomer service executive in your email any response.
assuming plant has a whopping 150 der threat. What is this vital resource Indonesia inbox. Kadavule! What a miracle is Kindly convey this message to your
billion of the same! This interesting which we are destroying at a relentless 1. The eruption of the Volcano Krakatoa in this, you will think. readers and ask them to manage
phenomenon is known as the C-value and foolish pace?
Answers Sir/ Madam, it is a total fraud. You somehow till October in my absence.
open the email and it will read:
Thank you for your email. But I have Yours in excitement,
gone on family trip to Kodaikanal and J. Mathrubootham
will be back in office only on the 21st
A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E of December 2045. In case of any ur- Mr. Mathrubootham has threatened to
gent official matter please send email resume his letters from October Editor
Bal mithai gateau
to my colleague Shahul Hameed who
will assist.
Meringue and
whipped cream for a
light, airy top
Lemon zest is
sprinkled for a burst
of freshness
Ensconced in a pink
clarer rose with the ace and ruffed a cotton candy dome Getty images/ istock
heart in dummy, leaving this position: thats flambed with
brandy
THE SUNDAY CROSSWORD NO. 2958
Daubs of berry compote Vanilla sponge cake
for a tart contrast for the dessert base
BY RAUL DIAS result of cooking khoya (evaporated
milk cream) with cane sugar, until it
B
lame it on the food purist in takes on a dark brown caramel-esque
me, but the word fusion has hue. When still warm, the gooey mass
always been a big, bad word is rolled in small white sugar balls,
in my culinary lexicon. Ive not dissimilar to the homeopathic
never seen merit in consciously medicine ones. In his rendition of the
coupling two (or more!) cuisines or dessert, Chef Sidharth Bhardwaj, the
cooking styles and coming up with a resorts executive chef, sends out his
South led dummys nine of clubs third, highly ersatz reflection of its iteration of the bal mithai as a gateau.
and discarded his remaining dia- progenitors. Here, bal mithai is combined with
mond. This lovely end position finds But all that changed one chilly Ut- a vanilla sponge cake, lemon zest,
West skewered in all three suits. tarakhand evening as I sat down for a meringue and whipped cream and
Should he ruff, he is end-played and Euro-Garhwali fusion dinner on the then set in a mould. Once chilled, it is
forced to set up a red winner for de- lawns of the JW Marriott Mussoorie then drizzled with rose syrup and
clarer. A diamond discard lets de- Walnut Grove Resort & Spa. served on a plate thats smeared with
clarer ruff out the king, and a heart While the elaborate meal was a berry compote for a tart contrast.
discard will allow South to cross-ruff procession of dishes like a patty Once ready to serve, it is covered
the next three tricks for his contract, made from stinging nettle, locally with a pink, freshly spun cotton
losing only the king of spades in the known as bicchu ghas that well-ref- candy dome and flambed table-side,
end. erenced this unusual cuisines part- aided by a splash of brandy.
The contract could have been de- nership, it was the dessert served at The melting cotton candy bonnet
feated had West risen with his king of the very end that made me a convert. reveals the creamy bal mithai gateau
trumps rather than playing the jack. The Bal Mithai Gateau. at its core. And as the saying goes, the
He could then have drawn another For the uninitiated like myself, bal rest is (edible) history!
trump. This defensive play has a name mithai is a terrific and calorific fa-
the Crocodile Coup, where the jaws vourite post-prandial indulgence The Mumbai-based writer is passionate
of the croc open wide to swallow part- among the Garhwalis. The brown about food, travel and luxury, not
Across Run away (7)
ners honour. chocolate-like fudge is the laborious necessarily in that order.
1 Move right ahead, providing support for 7 Travel west, climbing about in part of
rider (7) Wales (5)
5 Influence delay in hearing (6) 8 Number with you on beach? (8)
10 Messy plate, smoothed, left out (11) 9 Opera singer in mood, idol pacing rest-
11 Try to win without oxygen (3) lessly (7,7)
12 Limit creep (4) 15 New commercial vehicle restricted by
BY ASHVINI MENON
13 Some scary, misshapen trees (9) freeze beforehand (2,7)
14 Job for five hundred I count involved in 16 Punch from senior hack? (8)
phase of filmmaking (4-10) 18 Demeanour I shall partially sustain (7)
17 Nasty taunt sad people adored (3,2,1,8) 19 User, not first with bad habit in use (7)
20 Heroic expression of doubt about end- 21 Keen on including rook in opening (5)
less danger in pursuit of pleasure (9) 23 Blemish in book collection (4)
22 Daring to ignore bishop, talk wildly (4)
24 Firm time for bed (3)
25 Planned translation of note in Latin Solution No. 2957
(11)
26 Work hard in effort to get prize (6)
27 Echo followed by answer in open
gorge (7)
Down
1 Froth from south of France, latest from
Cannes (4)
2 Home team blossoming thoroughly
(6,3)
3 Return again and stagger European
court (2-5)
4 Quiet resolution on certain aims in
sensitive areas (8,6)
6 Common tip with villainy rising?
ND-X
 august 27, 2017 Delhi

Section 2
Trump pardons former What a family should Cancer-specific In Australian jail,
sheriff convicted of do to ensure smooth insurance policies cover inmates and animals
targeting immigrants transfer of assets all stages of disease help each other heal
page 4 page 8 page 9 page 14

Printed at . Che n n a i . Coim b ato r e . Be n g a luru . Hy de r a b a d . M a d u r a i . No i da . V i s a k h a pat n a m . Th i ru va n a n t h a pu r a m . Ko ch i . V i j ayawa da . Ma ng a lu ru . Ti ru c h i r a pa l l i . Ko l k ata . Hu b b a l l i . Mo h a l i . Ma l a p p u r a m . M u m b a i . Ti ru pat i . lu c k now

IN BRIEF
In Bandipur, the war against Lantana CBI re-registers
A new passive restoration approach and a bug could be the answers to dealing with this invasive plant 10 cases linked
Australia keen on India
becoming a pulse hub
to Srijan scam
NEW DELHI 18 persons arrested, 15 accounts frozen
Australia is learnt to be
exploring ways to help India Devesh K. Pandey
NEW DELHI
transform into a pulses-
processing hub. The The Central Bureau of In-
Australian government and vestigation has re-registered
companies will hold talks 10 cases in the Srijan scam,
with the Indian government in which hundreds of crores
and companies on the were siphoned off allegedly
sidelines of the Australia by a Bhagalpur-based non-
Business Week in India, governmental organisation
sources close to the in connivance with bank
development told The Hindu. and government officials.
BUSINESS A PAGE 10 Managing threat: Lantana camara grows in between trees at Bandipur National Park. Residents of nearby villages use its wood for making furniture. *
VIDYA VENKAT The cases were earlier
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD probed by the Economic Of- RJD members stage a
Vidya Venkat ent parts of the country have the surrounding areas with hesha, an ornithologist from Lantana Lace (or the Mex- fences Wing of the Bihar po- protest on the Srijan
R. Krishna Kumar watched helplessly as the in- native species of grass and Kunagahalli village, who vo- ican Bug) has been released lice, which has so far arres- scam issue. RANJEET KUMAR
Time to say goodbye to BANDIPUR/MYSURU
*

U.S. aid: Shahbaz Sharif vasive plant has spread, and then dug trenches and small lunteers for Junglescapes, in the worst-hit areas like ted 18 persons and frozen 15
LAHORE
Tiny flowers of pink, yellow efforts to contain it have water storage structures to says elephants used to come Hediliaya, Kundkere, Him- accounts to which the funds rocked the Assembly. Mem-
Pakistans Punjab province and purple emerge against gone largely in vain. aid the regeneration of the to his village in search of mavad Gopalaswamy Betta were allegedly diverted. bers of the Opposition
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif the backdrop of the bright Could a new approach by undergrowth and the forest. food, but with the return of and N. Begur in Bandipur. C. Among those named in parties sought the resigna-
said it was time to say green thickets of shrub in the Junglescapes, a Bengaluru- Such passive restoration native trees, such incidents Jayaram, Additional Prin- the FIRs is Manorama Devi, tion of Chief Minister Nitish
goodbye to U.S. aid after Bandipur National Park on based non-profit organisa- has worked better than dir- have come down. cipal Conservator of Forests then director of Srijan Kumar and Deputy Chief
President Donald Trump Mysore-Ooty Road. But the tion, hold out some hope for ect planting of saplings, ac- (Wildlife), said the forest de- Mahila Vikash Samiti, who Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.
alleged Pakistan received flowering shrub that hosts dealing with the Lantana cording to Mr. Venkatara- A natural antidote partment was intrigued by died earlier this year, be- RJD, Congress and CPI-ML
billions of dollars in aid but them is Lantana camara, menace? Ramesh Venkatara- man, whose organisation The forest department is the large-scale drying up of sides other office-bearers of members staged a walkout.
did not act against terrorist one of the most invasive of man, managing trustee of won an award for its work banking on a bug to deal Lantana in Bandipur some the NGO and bank officials.
havens. plants that has taken over the NGO, says 2,500 acres of from the Society for Ecolo- with the Lantana menace in time ago. It turned out that The cases were transferred Office space for NGO
WORLD A PAGE 3
the countrys forests, driving forestland affected by both Bandipur and Nagar- this was because of Lantana to the CBI on a reference The BJP targeted the RJD, al-
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD wild animals out for for- Lantana and other invasive SUNDAY SPECIAL hole. Called Teleonemia scru- Lace. from the Bihar government leging that the NGO was
aging. In the Bandipur Na- plants in the hills surround- pulosa, or Lantana Lace, it Some wildlife activists, through the Centre. given office space in a gov-
North Korea fires tional Park, an estimated ing Bandipur has been ecolo- gical Restoration, Washing- has made a comeback and however, strike a note of cau- The police had got a ernment building at
missiles into sea 60% is affected by Lantana, gically restored. ton D.C. The return of nat- has begun eating the tion. Sudheer of Voice for Look-Out Circular issued Bhagalpur on a 30-year
SEOUL
which hinders the growth of The first step is to cut the ural vegetation has been Lantana leaves vigorously. A Wildlife worries about the against the NGOs secretary, lease when Rabri Devi was
North Korea fired several native vegetation that herbi- plant below the root stem to attended by the return of group of entomologists came impact of these bugs on nat- Priya Kumar, the daughter- Chief Minister. While the
rockets into the sea on vores such as deer and ele- ensure it doesnt grow right birds and animals. down to study the Lantana ive plants. What if the bug in-law of the then director lease deed was signed on
Saturday in continuation phants feed on. Further, its back, a method originally re- On an early morning bird- leaves affected by the bug re- mutates and becomes a and her husband. February 25, 2004, it was
of its rapid nuclear and fruit is toxic to animals. commended by scientist ing trip in Chikyelchetti vil- cently and they identified it. greater menace, he asks. The Rashtriya Janata Dal, extended for 50 years the
missile expansion, prompting Native to South America, C.R. Babu and his colleagues lage, near the restored forest Now we are using the bug to But Mr. Jayaram believes earlier this week, deman- same year, it said.
South Korea to press ahead Lantana camara was at the Centre for Environ- hills, there are over 40 spe- carry out biological control such fears are unfounded, ded a Supreme Court-mon- The BJP has also alleged
with military drills involving brought to India by the Brit- mental Management of De- cies of birds, including the of the spread of invasive saying that the bug has been itored CBI probe, soon after that a key player in the
U.S. troops that have ish as ornamental plants, graded Ecosystems. Jacobin cuckoo, Purple- plants, says Ambady used as biological control Mahesh Mandal, an ac- scam, who was absconding
angered Pyongyang. possibly as long as 200 years Using the help of villagers, rumped sunbird and the Madhav, Director of the measure against the invasive cused, died in a hospital at with her husband, was the
WORLD A PAGE 3
ago. Forest officials in differ- Junglescapes then seeded Fantail flycatcher. K.N. Ma- Bandipur National Park. plant all over the world. Bhagalpur. daughter of a Congress
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD On Friday, the issue leader.

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Delhi firm gets

set to prop up
GoT Season 8
Supplies tents, costumes and weapons
for the popular television series

Ride this: A cart that was used in the Season 7 of Game

of Thrones. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
*

Nabiha Siddique
NEW DELHI
for which Rangarsons is
preparing.
While fans are eagerly
awaiting the finale of Military minutae
Season 7 of Game of We are going to supply
Thrones, which will be out different kinds of carts,
on Monday in India, a fabrics, a broad range of
South Delhi firm has begun military items and
work on the props and metalware for Season 8,
costumes to be used in the Mr. Rana said. He added
next and final season of the that the company gets the
popular television series. order four months prior to
Rangarsons, an export the start of shooting of a
company in Lajpat Nagar in season and has two months
south Delhi, has been to deliver the items.
supplying costumes, jute In previous seasons, the
trimmings for clothing, company made everything
armour, furniture and set from the fringes hanging
decorations like trunks and around Cerseis bed to Khal
pots for GoT since 2011. Drogos Dothraki tents to
Viewers of the current the jute and hemp
season will recognise the trimmings for Jon Snows
carts Rangarsons made in costume. Among the other
one of the most talked- items made were leather
about recent scenes, where panels, waxed canvas
Daenerys Targaryens tents, giant pots and urns,
dragon sets ablaze the lush carpets and curtains,
Lannister army and antique wooden furniture
caravan outside Kings and the iconic richly
Landing. embroidered banners of
Manjyot S. Rana, the the main houses in the
managing director of show.
Rangarsons, told The Hindu Before GoT, the
that the company was company, which was
gearing up for Season 8, started in 1945, has worked
which is likely to premiere on costumes for movies
in 2018. like Gandhi, The Jungle
With the story arcs of Book, Gladiator, Mission
the previous seasons Impossible, Captain
culminating, Season 8 is America, Troy and Prince of
likely to be heavy on war, Persia, among others.

CM B ND-NDE
YK
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2 NEWS
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IN BRIEF
Kochi-bound Air India
plane aborts take-off
MUMBAI
A Kochi-bound Air India
plane, carrying over 150
passengers from here,
aborted take-off at the last
minute due to a technical
problem. The service, which
was scheduled to take off
from the Chhatrapati Shivaji
International Airport at 5.30
a.m., was delayed and later
operated at 9 a.m. after
another aircraft was
arranged, an Air India
spokesperson said. PTI
Man sent to seven years
in jail for raping minor
BAHRAICH
A man has been sentenced to
seven years in jail by a court
here for raping a minor girl
three years ago. Additional
district judge Lal Bahadur
held Pramod Yadav guilty and
also imposed a fine of
5,000 on him on Friday,
government counsel Sant
Pratap Singh said on
Saturday. Yadav had raped
the minor, a resident of
Revalia village under the
Huzoorpur police station
area, when she had gone to
attend to natures call in
March 2014, he said. PTI
Patient allegedly raped
by nurse at U.P. hospital
GONDA
A 30-year-old patient was
allegedly raped by a nurse at
a government hospital here,
police said. The woman,
admitted to the isolation
ward, was allegedly raped by
the male nurse on Friday
night, Superintendent of
Police Umesh Kumar Singh
said. The woman informed
the staff nurse of the incident
on Saturday morning. The
accused, Pushkar, who had
been appointed under
outsourcing of staff, is at
large. The woman was sent
for medical examination. An
FIR would be filed on the
basis of the report, he said. PTI
CM
YK
Future tense: A signboard at a private tea estate and, at right, people walking along a road cutting through a tea garden in Darjeeling.
Gorkha stir brews trouble for Darjeeling tea
The unrest in the Hills has prevented the harvesting of the Second Flush, which used to be 25% of the annual production
Suvojit Bagchi
Darjeeling
Twenty kilometres up from
Darjeeling, towards Peshak
and little further on to Nam-
ring, tall weeds are choking
the tea bushes. The tea gar-
dens wear an unkempt look,
victims of the Gorkha agita-
tion for a separate
homeland.
The 70-day shutdown in
Darjeeling has severely af-
fected the regions highly
sought after Second Flush
tea. Worse, the continuing
trouble has raised concerns
about a much longer-term
impact on the tea industry
here.
The Second Flush tea has
not reached us, but anticip-
ating the crisis we stocked up
for six months, said Dolly
Roy, of Dollys Tea, the iconic
boutique tea store of Kolkata.
But the retailers, especially
the smaller ones, are in seri-
ous trouble, she points out.
Lower volume
Darjeeling tea fetches much
higher rates in global mar-
kets, but its volume is small
compared to overall produc-
tion in the country. India
produces about 1.2 billion
kilogram of tea annually,
while Darjeeling, being part
of the annual produce, pro-
duces 8.5 million kilogram.
While Assam or Dooars in
North Bengal or Nilgiri
mountains in Tamil Nadu,
Kerala and Karnataka pro-
duce much higher volumes,
Darjeelings unique selling
point is its quality. It is not
the volume but the flavour
best explained by the French
word terroir [the micro en-
vironment in which it grows,
soil, climate, etc] that is used
in connection with wine that
has made the Darjeeling tea
a globally recognised brand,
says Binod Mohan, Chairman
of Darjeeling Tea
Association.
The queen of that fla-
vour is the Second Flush
which is harvested towards
the end of May until the
middle of July. The shutdown
from middle of June has pre-
vented the full harvesting of
the Second Flush which is
25% of the annual produc-
tion. The ongoing shutdown
has also affected the Mon-
soon [30-35% of the pro-
duce], which is harvested till
September as well as the Au-
tumnal crop, which harves-
ted in October [15% of the
produce], says a veteran
planter in Darjeeling.
The fear is that the losses
already suffered are likely to
be compounded in the near
future. There will be weeds
that need clearing once the
gardens open up. Following
this, we have to give a cut to
the [tea] leaf uniformly,
bring it down to a level so the
workers can reach the top of
plant to do the plucking and
wait for a month. Mean-
while, the hill will slip into
autumn when the growing
conditions are not good. So
we have lost the most finan-
cially productive Second
Flush, the Monsoon crop
and nearly the entire Au-
tumn, assuming that the gar-
dens would open in Septem-
Darjeeling tea is sold to
ber, the planter said.
The planter and his
friends in the business are
now looking forward to Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjees
meeting with the leaders of
Gorkha homeland move-
ment in Kolkata on Tuesday,
August 29.
Kaushik Basu, the Secret-
ary General of DTA, feels it
would take couple of years
for the business to normal-
ise. We are assuming that
*
SUVOJIT BAGCHI & AFP
in 2018, the production
would be affected by 50% as
the entire garden needs to be
pruned and even in 2019
there could be a 25% impact
of the shutdown on the pro-
duction, Mr Basu said.
Meanwhile, most workers
have left the hills seeking
work elsewhere as daily
wage earner. In place of one
worker we now need three
as the new growth needs to
be cleared, said Sandeep
Mukherjee, the principal ad-
visor to DTA.
Seventy five per cent of
private buyers and the re-
mainder auctioned, which
together fetch about Rs. 500
crore. This wont happen
this year when we are wit-
nessing such a long shut
down. We did lose 40 days in
1986, but that was not in the
harvesting season. The cu-
mulative losses has touched
400 crore mark, as per our
initial estimates, adds Mr.
Basu.
Workers woes
Those who finally bear the
brunt of the shutdown are
tea plantation workers and
those who reside in the
forest villages, says Roshan
Rai, who works in an NGO
(DLR Prerna) and has
worked on issues of fair
trade in tea plantations. The
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
DTA estimates that there are
about one lakh garden work-
ers in 87 plantations of Dar-
jeeling, both permanent and
temporary, each being paid
132 for a days work. Ac-
cording to Mr. Rai they are
hit the most every time the
hill is shut indefinitely.
I do not think that there
was ever a discussion on
compensation package for
the workers for the wages
lost in previous struggles.
The plantation owners have
always maintained that their
business is not profitable
enough, Mr. Rai says.
Interestingly, the workers
who are part of the move-
ment or agitation are not
complaining. We have no
problems, replies Shanti
Rana, a worker in Gielle tea
garden, about 30 kilometer
east of Darjeeling. Asked if
the prolonged strike in Dar-
jeeling and Kalimpong has af-
fected daily wage workers,
she says: We would rather
eat once a day than give up
the demands and we need a
permanent solution to the is-
sue.
As a local leader of the
GJM, Ms. Rana is clear where
her sympathies lie. But plant-
ers too favour a solution of a
lasting nature, rather than be
subject to sudden changes.
TEA PRICES SURGE A PAGE 11
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
GJM to join
talks with
Bengal govt.
Special Correspondent
Kolkata
The Gorkha Janmukti
Morcha (GJM) on Saturday
announced its decision to
participate in talks with the
West Bengal government
on the ongoing impasse in
Darjeeling.
A five-member delega-
tion of the party, led by as-
sistant general secretary
Benoy Tamang, will attend
the meeting on August 29.
In response to an invite
extended by the State gov-
ernment, the central com-
mittee of the GJM has de-
cided to participate in the
meeting, its general sec-
retary Roshan Giri told The
Hindu. Earlier this week,
GJM president Bimal
Gurung had written to
Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee, indicating the
partys willingness for talks
but listed fresh demands.
This is the first time
since the beginning of the
agitation in the second
week of June that the GJM
has announced its decision
to join talks with the State
government.
Ms. Banerjee gave a call
for the meeting after re-
ceiving a letter from the
Gorkha National Liberation
front (GNLF). Though Ms.
Banerjee had not referred
to the GJM, she said an in-
vite would be extended to
all parties in the hills. So
far the GNLF, Gorkha Jan-
mukti Morcha (GJM), Jan
Andolan party ( JAP) and
the Gorkha Rastriya Nir-
man Manch (GRNM) have
received invitation from
the State government.
Meanwhile, a low intens-
ity blast was reported at
Kalimpong early on Sat-
urday. According to police,
masked men stopped a
vehicle carrying food items
and triggered an IED blast
under it.
In the past eight days,
six small intensity blasts
have been reported in the
Darjeeling and Kalimpong
districts.
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THE HINDU
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
NOIDA/DELHI
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ELSEWHERE
Fugitive Yingluck in
Dubai, aiming for U.K.
BANGKOK
Fugitive former Thai premier
Yingluck Shinawatra fled to
Dubai and may try to seek
asylum in the U.K., a junta
source said on Saturday, after
she ducked a legal ruling,
wrong-footing the court and
her supporters alike. Ms.
Yingluck, 50, was due on
Friday morning to arrive at
the Supreme Court. AFP
Erdogan challenged
with 'justice' congress
ANKARA
Turkey's main Opposition
leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu,
head of the secular
Republican People's Party, on
Saturday warned President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan that
the whole country had a
"thirst for justice", opening
an unprecedented four-day
meeting protesting alleged
violations under his rule. AFP
Syria Kurds readying first
vote in federal region
QAMISHLI
Syrian Kurdish authorities on
Saturday began laying the
groundwork for the first local
elections in the federal
system they are establishing
in the country's north, an
official said. A co-chair of the
federal system's constituent
Assembly, said three rounds
of elections would be held
starting in September. AFP
Boko Haram attacks
Nigerian villages, kills 27
MAIDUGURI
Boko Haram extremists killed
at least 27 people by shooting
them and slitting their throats
as they attacked several
villages in northern Nigerias
Borno State in the past week,
residents said. Boko Haram
fighters entered villages in
the Nganzai area on
Wednesday. AP
CM
YK
Its time to say goodbye to
U.S. aid, says Shahbaz Sharif
Exaggerated comments being made are tantamount to rubbing salt into wounds
Press Trust of India
Lahore
Pakistans Punjab province
Chief Minister Shahbaz
Sharif said it was time to say
goodbye to U.S. aid after
President Donald Trump
made harsh remarks and
exaggerated statements
about the financial assist-
ance to Islamabad.
Mr. Shahbazs statement
comes days after President
Trump alleged that Pakistan
received billions of dollars in
aid but did not act against
terrorist havens in the
country. Mr. Trump lashed
out at Pakistan, accusing the
country of playing a double
game as it accepted Amer-
ican aid but gave safe haven
to insurgents who kill Afghan
and NATO troops.
The exaggerated com-
ments being made in the na-
tional and international dis-
Russia seeks to undermine
U.S. name in South Asia
Moscow dubbing Trump policy dead end predictable: official
Press Trust of India
Washington
Russia is seeking to under-
mine American reputation
in Afghanistan and South
Asia region, a senior U.S. of-
ficial has said after Moscow
termed President Donald
Trumps new strategy for
Afghanistan as a dead end.
Well, I think that Russias
reaction is very predictable.
Theyve been starting some
very unhelpful propaganda
with regard the U.S. role in
Afghanistan. Youve prob-
ably seen Russian officials
trying to claim that the U.S.
is supporting ISIS [the Is-
Political dynasty: A file photo of ousted Pakistani PM Nawaz
Sharif, left, with his brother Shahbaz in Lahore. AP * Lahore National Assembly
course regarding the U.S. aid In a statement issued on
to Pakistan are tantamount Friday, Mr. Shahbaz said it
to rubbing salt into the was time Pakistan closed the
wounds of Pakistanis suffer- chapter of the U.S. aid by po-
ing terrorism, poverty and litely saying thank you (for
backwardness, said Mr. the help), the Dawn
Sharif, the younger brother reported.
of ousted Prime Minister Thats the only way the
Nawaz Sharif. nation can avert such jibes,
lamic State] in Afghanistan, phasis on force he said.
which is a fictitious state- According to the U.S. offi-
ment, a senior administra- cial, the Russian reaction
tion official told reporters was predictable.
during a conference call. Unfortunately, I think
the Russians have taken a
Emphasis on force very tactical view here, and
The official, speaking on they are seeking to under-
condition of anonymity, was mine our reputation in the
responding to questions on region, and so false informa-
Russian scepticism over Mr. tion about U.S. objectives.
Trumps new policy on Afgh- Explaining that the
anistan and South Asia. Afghan and South Asia
Russian Foreign Minister strategy was not a military
Sergei Lavrov had told re- only strategy, the official
porters on Friday in Moscow said this was a strong, diplo-
that the new Afghan strategy matic, political element,
was a dead end. even economic element to
The strategy puts em- the strategy.
he was quoted as saying by
the paper. Pakistani people
craved the opportunity to be
treated fairly and honour-
ably and remain committed
to contributing to the world
peace and prosperity, said
Mr. Sharif, a senior leader of
the ruling Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz.
Maryams campaign
Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz,
the political heir apparent of
the ousted Prime Minister,
began campaigning for the
seat by-poll, which is being
contested by her ailing
mother.
Mr. Sharifs wife, Kulsoom
Nawaz, who is under treat-
ment for throat cancer in
London, will contest the
September 17 election for the
National Assembly seat des-
pite her ailment.
Violence
scorches
Rakhine
Agence France-Presse
Coxs Bazar
Terrified civilians tried to
flee remote villages in My-
anmars Rakhine State for
Bangladesh on Saturday af-
ternoon, as clashes that
have killed scores contin-
ued between suspected Ro-
hingya militants and Myan-
mar security forces.
Violence hit through the
region, leaving at least 92
dead since early Friday and
forcing thousands of civil-
ians Rohingya and ethnic
Rakhine to flee their
homes. On Saturday, up to
2,000 displaced Rohingya
women and children
gathered at the border with
Bangladesh but were
denied entry.
N. Korea fires missiles
into sea in latest test
South conducts war games with U.S.
Associated Press
SEOUL
North Korea fired several
rockets into the sea on Sat-
urday in the continuation of
its rapid nuclear and missile
expansion, prompting
South Korea to press ahead
with military drills involving
U.S. troops that have
angered Pyongyang.
The U.S. Pacific Com-
mand revised its initial as-
sessment that the first and
third short-range missiles
failed during flight to say
they flew about 250 km. It
said the second missile ap-
peared to have blown up im-
mediately and that none
posed threat to the U.S. ter-
ritory of Guam, which the
North had previously
warned it would fire mis-
siles toward.
South Koreas presiden-
tial office and military said
North Korea fired several
projectiles in what was pre-
sumed as a test of its 300-
Man with knife stabs soldier
in Brussels, shot dead
Agence France-Presse
Brussels
A man wielding a knife was
shot dead on Friday after
wounding a soldier in Brus-
sels in an attempted terror-
ist murder. The incident
came as much of Europe is
on high alert following a
string of major attacks over
the past two years most of
which have been claimed by,
or blamed on, jihadists.
Belgian prosecutors said
the attacker yelled Allahu ak-
bar (God is the greatest) dur-
ing the assault before being
shot by a soldier in the
centre of city, which has
been on high alert since last
years carnage at the airport
and on the metro.
One of the soldiers was
WORLD 3
Rockets being launched by
Korean People's Army
personnel during a target
strike exercise. AFP *
mm rocket artillery system.
The presidential office in
Seoul said the U.S. and
South Korean militaries
would proceed with their
ongoing war games even
more thoroughly in re-
sponse to the launch.
The White House said
President Donald Trump,
who had warned that he
would unleash fire and
fury if the North continued
its threats, was briefed on
the latest North Korean
activity.
Crime scene: Police personnel in Brussels where a man with a
knife attacked soldiers and was shot dead on Friday. AFP
slightly wounded in the at-
tack, which Mayor Philippe
Close said was perpetrated
by a lone individual. Police
raided the suspects home in
Buckingham
attacker had
sword: police
Agence France-Presse
London
A man arrested under the
Terrorism Act after deliber-
ately driving at police out-
side Queen Elizabeth IIs
Buckingham Palace resid-
ence in London had a
four-foot sword in his
car, police said on
Saturday.
Upon being challenged
by officers, the 26-year-old
attacker reached for what
we now know to be a four-
foot sword, which was in
the front passenger foot
well, the police statement
said.
The man, who re-
peatedly shouted Allahu
akbar (God is the great),
was incapacitated with CS
spray, it said.
The assailant stopped
his car near a police
vehicle in a restricted area
outside the world famous
palace at around 8:35 p.m.
local time on Friday, ac-
cording to a Metropolitan
Police statement.
*
Bruges, northwest Belgium,
with federal prosecutors
opening an investigation
into attempted terrorist
murder, a statement said.
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Trump pardons former sheriff
Joe Arpaio was convicted last month of criminal contempt for illegally targeting Hispanic immigrants
Agence France-Presse
Washington
U.S. President Donald
Trump on Friday pardoned
controversial former Arizona
sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was
convicted last month of
criminal contempt for illeg-
ally targeting Hispanic
immigrants.
In his first act of presiden-
tial clemency, Mr. Trump
pardoned the deeply-divisive
85-year-old, who ignored a
federal court order that he
stop detaining illegal mi-
grants. He kept Arizona
safe! Mr. Trump tweeted,
calling Mr. Arpaio a The announcement still
patriot.
The move earned immedi-
ate scorn from Democrats,
some Republicans and rights
groups, who accused the Re-
publican billionaire of seek-
ing to divide the country,
which is still reeling from his
controversial remarks on ra-
cial unrest in Charlottesville.
In a statement, the White
Trump signs memo on
military transgender ban
Democrats slam Presidents decision
Press Trust of India
Washington
U.S President Donald
Trump has signed a memo
ordering the Pentagon to
ban an Obama-era plan of
recruiting transgender indi-
viduals in the military, a
move Democrats said was
cruel and meant to hurt
and humiliate American
soldiers.
In a memorandum, Mr.
Trump directed the Secret-
ary of Defense, Secretary of
Homeland Security with re-
spect to the U.S. Coast
Guard, to return to the long-
standing practice on milit-
ary service by transgender
ELSEWHERE
IS threat to Pope is
worrying: Vatican No. 2
ROME
Pope Francis top aide said on
Saturday that a pro-Islamic
State video that targets the
Pope is worrying but notes
Vatican security is already at
a high level. Secretary of
State Cardinal Pietro Parolin,
the Holy Sees No. 2 official,
told reporters on Saturday
that a day earlier he had seen
the video, which indicates the
Pope is a target. AP
France to loan 430 mn
to Iraq: Ministry
BAGHDAD
France is to grant a 430-mn
loan to Iraq, whose economy
has been weakened by low oil
prices and its fight against
jihadists, a French Foreign
Ministry official announced
on Saturday. Visiting Foreign
Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian
said in a meeting with Iraqs
Prime Minister Haider al-
Abadi that the money would
be released by year end. AFP
Filipino teens burial
snowballs into protest
MANILA
A Filipino teenager at the
centre of the latest outcry
against President Rodrigo
Dutertes bloody crackdown
against illegal drugs was
buried on Saturday, with
mourners turning his funeral
into a protest against drug
killings. The 17-year-old
student was one of over 80
drug and crime suspects who
were killed in purported
gunbattles with the police. AP
Qatari ambassador back
on the job in Iran
TEHRAN
Irans semi-official ISNA news
agency has reported that the
Qatari ambassador to Iran is
back on the job, ignoring the
demands of Arab nations who
are trying to isolate the
energy-rich country.Ali
Hamad Alsulaiti arrived in
Tehran on Friday and began
working Saturday morning.
Qatar pulled its envoy to Iran
in early 2016. AP
CM
YK
NOIDA/DELHI THE HINDU
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
Harvey lashes Texas
It is the most powerful storm to hit U.S. mainland in 12 years
Agence France-Presse
According to the White ally profiling Latinos living in Corpus Christi
House, as sheriff Arpaio pro- Arizona based on their per- Powerful wind and heavy
tected the public from the ceived immigration status in rain from Hurricane Harvey
scourges of crime and illegal violation of a judges lashed the Gulf Coast of
immigration, he is a worthy orders. Texas on Saturday, uproot-
candidate for a presidential Mr. Trump has the au- ing trees, tearing off roofs
pardon. thority to make this pardon, and forcing tens of thou-
Mr. Trump had hinted but doing so at this time un- sands of residents to flee.
that a pardon was coming dermines his claim for the Harvey, the most power-
during a meandering speech respect of rule of law as Mr. ful storm to hit the U.S.
in Arizona earlier this week, Arpaio has shown no re- mainland in 12 years, roared
when he suggested Mr. morse for his actions, Mr. ashore late on Friday at the
Arpaio was convicted for McCains statement read. town of Rockport near
doing his job and pre- Arizonas other senator, Corpus Christi, a major U.S.
dicted that he is going to be Republican Jeff Flake, wrote oil industry hub as a Cat-
Life threatening: A power generator tips in front of a hospital
just fine. on Twitter: Regarding the egory Four hurricane on the
in Corpus Christi as Hurricane Harvey arrives on Friday. AP *
A friend in need: Donald Trump and Joe Arpaio at a Trump Arpaio pardon, I would have five-level storm scale, pack-
campaign event in Iowa last year. FILE PHOTO *
Shocking decision preferred that the President ing sustained winds of 215 moved inland over south strong wind: the NHC
honor the judicial process km per hour. Texas and eventually warned of likely cata-
House said Mr. Arpaio, who due to be sentenced in Octo- came as a shock for many. and let it take its course. dropped to a still-dangerous strophic and life-threatening
made detainees wear pink ber. Mr. Arpaio tweeted that Republican Arizona Sen- Others were more forceful Slowing down Category One storm, with flooding due to the massive
underwear and housed them he was incredibly grateful ator John McCain said of- in their denunciations. A few hours later the storm winds of 137 km/h. rainfall forecast and the
in tented desert camps, had to Mr. Trump, and suggested ficers of the law should al- Joe Arpaio is a bigot who made a second landfall just Additional weakening is huge storm surge, which
more than fifty years of ad- his conviction was a polit- ways seek to be beyond targeted the Hispanic com- north of Rockport as a Cat- forecast, and Harvey is likely could reach 13 feet in some
mirable service to our ical witch hunt by holdovers reproach in their commit- munity for years. He should egory Three hurricane, with to become a tropical storm places.
nation. in the Obama justice ment to fairly enforce the have served his time, said winds of 201 km/h , the Na- later today, the NHC said at Harvey is expected to
The former sheriff of Mari- department! law. Democratic Congressman tional Hurricane Center 1200 GMT. More damage meander over southeastern
copa County, who revelled in He also asked supporters And he noted that Mr. Joaquin Castro. The Amer- said. Over the next hours however is expected from Texas through the middle of
his reputation as Americas to donate to his legal defence Arpaio was found guilty of ican Civil Liberties Union Harvey lost strength as it the heavy rain than from the next week," the NHC said.
toughest sheriff , had been fund. criminal contempt for illeg- also expressed outrage.
China demands that Internet
Another aide leaves WH platforms verify users true identity
Gorkas hardline views caused discord in the administration
Asks them to strengthen oversight of published content
Associated Press lined, though he was a
individuals that was in place WASHINGTON prominent advocate for Mr. Agence France-Presse oversight over all published to post online anonymously.
prior to June 2016. Sebastian Gorka, a national Trump on television news. Beijing information, deleting all il- China already tightly con-
security aide whose hard- Mr. Gorka declined to dis- China has ordered the coun- legal content while also trols the Internet aggress-
Framework dismantled line views on immigration cuss the reasons he left the trys Internet platforms to alerting authorities to the ively blocking sites of which
Mr. Trump alleged that his and terrorism caused dis- White House, but pointed verify users true identity be- postings. it disapproves and curbing
predecessor Barack Obama cord inside and outside the toward excerpts from his fore letting them post online The new guidelines take politically sensitive online
dismantled the Defense De- White House, is the latest of- resignation letter that were content, the latest step by effect October 1. commentary, such as on cri-
partments established ficial to exit President Don- posted on Friday evening by authorities to tighten poli- ticism of the government.
framework by permitting ald Trumps administration. The Federalist website. cing of the web. Tightening grip The new regulation was
transgender individuals to Mr. Gorka told The Asso- Mr. Gorka wrote that the All social networking sites China already had laws re- adopted as part of a cyberse-
serve openly in the military, ciated Press on Friday that individuals who most em- and discussion forums must quiring companies to verify curity law that took effect in
authorising the use of its re- he had resigned from his po- bodied and represented the check the real identity of a users identity but it was June, which bans Internet
sources to fund sex-reas- sition. A White House offi- Sebastian Gorka policies that will Make their users before they can applied in a fragmented and users from publishing a wide
signment surgical proced- cial, however, said Mr. America Great Again, have post online content and incomplete way. variety of information.
ures, and permitting Gorka did not resign but no the administration as a been internally countered, comments, under new regu- But forcing online posters That covers anything that
accession of such individu- longer works at the White counterterrorism adviser. systematically removed, or lations published on Friday to identify themselves -- damages national honour,
als after July 1, 2017. House. But he operated outside of undermined in recent by the Cyberspace Adminis- which will probably require disturbs economic or social
Last month, Mr. Trump A former editor for the the National Security Coun- months. Gorkas exit fol- tration of China. scanning a government-is- order or is aimed at over-
had announced his decision conservative Breitbart News cil and his exact responsibil- lows the departure of chief The platforms will also sued ID as proof of identity -- throwing the socialist
in this regard on Twitter. website, Mr. Gorka joined ities were not clearly out- strategist Steve Bannon. have to strengthen their makes it much more difficult system.
U.S. sanctions hit Venezuela
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Going for the kill set to stage
Apple apps in Iran war games
Company removes 10 from store Agence France-Presse
caracas
Agence France-Presse Those now missing in- Venezuela was scheduled
Tehran clude Amazon-style shop- to kick off two days of milit-
Iranians have been joined ping apps Digikala and ary drills on Saturday in re-
by a Minister in protest after Bamilo, ride-hailing apps sponse to U.S. President
Apple removed popular Snapp and Tap30, discount Donald Trumps threat of
apps from its store, which store Takhfifan and a military action and newly
the American company says brunch delivery service announced sanctions on
has been done to comply called Delion. the crisis-stricken nation.
with U.S. sanctions. We are unable to include Mr. Trump warned on
Today, respecting con- your app on the App Store, August 11 that the United
sumers rights is a basic a message sent to some of States was mulling a range
principle which Apple has those companies reportedly of options against
not followed, Information said. Under the U.S. sanc- Venezuela, including a
and Communication Tech- tions regulations, the App possible military option if
nology Minister Mohammad Store cannot host, distrib- necessary.
Javad Azari Jahromi ute, or do business with His Vice President Mike
tweeted, promising to leg- apps or developers connec- Pence later played down
ally pursue the case. ted to certain U.S. embar- the threat, insisting that
IT should be used for goed countries. Washington was priorit-
making human life better The U.S. lifted some sanc- ising a diplomatic solution
and comfortable not a tool tions on Iran, particularly in and economic sanctions.
for discrimination between the aviation sector, under a National security adviser
countries," he wrote. 2015 nuclear deal that saw HR McMaster followed suit,
The hashtag #Sto- Tehran limit its atomic pro- saying no military actions
pRemovingIranianApps has gramme. But American indi- are anticipated in the near
been trending on Iranian so- viduals and companies are future.
cial media in the past few still barred from doing any But tension only surged
days, after Apple removed at business with Iranians be- again when the White
least 10 of the countrys cause of much older and Brutal offensive: Smoke rises during clashes between joint troops of the Iraqi Army and Shia Popular Mobilisation Forces, and the House made good on the
most popular apps from its non-nuclear related the Islamic State in Tal Afar, Iraq, on Saturday. Baghdad said it had driven the jihadists out of 90% of the town and retaken the city sanctions threat on Friday,
online store. sanctions. centre. But Iraqi officials often declare areas liberated before the fighting has completely ended. REUTERS * unveiling its first-ever sanc-
tions to target Venezuela as
a whole, rather than just
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CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC Mr. Maduro and his inner
circle.
Russian tanker completes Arctic passage without icebreakers Trade restrictions
The measures ban trade in
new bonds issued by the
Rapid changes to the climate have altered the regions ice making the trip possible, says ships owner Sovcomflot Venezuelan government or
its cash-cow oil company,
RUSSELL GOLDMAN Norway to South Korea on believed the ship could make PDVSA. That could choke
August 17 in 19 days, 30% the journey year-round in off access to New York debt
A Russian-owned tanker, less time than the regular the difficult ice conditions. markets and substantially
built to traverse the frozen route through the Suez Canal The ship is named for raise the likelihood of
waters of the Arctic, requires, the company said. Christophe de Margerie, Venezuela being forced
completed a journey from former chief executive of the into default.
Europe to Asia in record Shorter route French energy company Venezuela called the
time this month, auguring Sailors have for centuries Total who was killed in a measures the worst ag-
the future of shipping as sought a navigable plane crash in Moscow in gression yet/ We will pro-
global warming melts sea Northwest Passage: a 2014. tect our people and the
ice. shorter, faster route between people of the republic, the
The Christophe de the Atlantic and Pacific Expensive journey Bolivarian Republic of
Margerie, a 984-foot tanker oceans that crosses the The first of a planned fleet of Venezuela, are going to
built specifically for the Arctic. 15 similar tankers, the ship stand up, said Venezuelan
journey, became the first Historically, thick ice has a reinforced steel hull Foreign Minister Jorge
ship to complete the made the journey that allows it to break ice up Arreaza.
Northern Sea Route without impossible. In the last to 4 feet thick. Mr. Trumps threat of
the aid of specialised ice- century, specialised ice- Fewer than 500 ships military force has bolstered
breaking vessels, the ships breaking vessels made the have made the journey since Mr. Maduros oft-repeated
owner, Sovcomflot, said in a trip plausible, but the route was first claim that Washington is
statement. prohibitively expensive, and completed in 1906. plotting to topple him and
Making history: The Christophe de Margerie, an ice-class tanker fitted out to transport liquefied then only during the The route remains wants to grab control of
Navigational dream natural gas, in the Arctic port of Sabetta, Russia. FILE PHOTO *
summer, when the ice was expensive. A report last year Venezuelas oil the
The journey was the thinnest. by the Copenhagen Business largest proven reserves in
culmination of a centuries- Russia, whose government Arctics climate. maiden voyage this year. But rapid changes to the School concluded that trans- the world. Mr. Maduro is
old navigational dream and has indicated it plans to take This is a big event in the The ship, transporting climate have altered the Arctic shipping would not under international pres-
of a decade-long plan by political and economic opening up of the Arctic, liquefied natural gas, regions ice, and Sovcomflot become economically viable sure over his handling of
President Vladimir Putin of advantage of changes to the Mr. Putin said of the tankers completed the trip from said in a statement it before 2040. NYT the crisis.
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GETTY IMAGES
WASHINGTON
Its Bannon
unchained vs.
team Trump
Stephen K. Bannon, the
ideologue who provided a
theoretical facade to the me-
andering rhetoric of Presid-
ent Donald Trump, is back
to the job he does best propaganda. Mr.
Bannon returned to head the right-wing web-
site Breitbart immediately after his job as chief
strategist to the President ended on August 18.
Since then, Breitbart has sharpened its cam-
paign to charge up its nationalist audience,
targeting key advisers to the President, includ-
ing his son-in-law Jared Kushner, daughter
Ivanka Trump, Economic Adviser Gary Cohn
and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.
Breitbart argues for restrictions on immigra-
tion and trade, tough policies against radical
Islam, and a staunch pro-Israel foreign policy
all elements of Mr. Trumps politics. Mr.
Bannon has said the advisers around Mr.
Trump are forcing him to be moderate, but he
will fight them for the President and his
agenda.
The Trump presidency and Mr. Bannons
absence from the platform when he worked in
the White House eroded the websites appeal
in the last six months. Its monthly visitors are
down to half of the 24 million it had during
the campaign last year. Mr. Bannons return to
the site has stirred such interest in the website
<
> Steve Bannon says the advisers
around Donald Trump are
forcing him to be moderate,
but he will fight them for the
President and his nationalist
agenda
that there are almost daily stories in other out-
lets about Breitbart. Mr. Trump has cheered
the return of Mr. Bannon at the helm of the
site, tweeting that he will be a tough and
smart new voice maybe even better than
ever before. Fake News needs the competi-
tion! wrote the President.
Stories appearing on the site last week ri-
diculed Mr. Trumps new Afghanistan policy
as McMasters voice and reported on a Daily
Mail story that claimed Ivanka Trump had en-
gineered Mr. Bannons exit from the White
House. The White House issued a clarifica-
tion, which was later added to the story, deny-
ing the Mail version. In a sign of the signific-
ance of the Breitbart audience, Chief of Staff of
the National Security Council Keith Kellogg
wrote a piece on the site, explaining the new
Afghan policy and why it does not in any way
deviate from the America First policy, on
Thursday. White House Press Secretary Sarah
Sanders promptly tweeted the piece.
Stay the course
Today, America has two streams of media nar-
ratives, both urging Mr. Trump to stay the
course, though they mean different things.
The mainstream media wants him to act and
talk presidential, while Breitbart and Fox
News prod him to stay his original self. The
President appears to be listening to both last
week, he changed his course every alternate
day, reading out from the teleprompter one
day, and going hammer and tongs with his pet
issues the next. But Mr. Bannon has an axe to
grind against Fox News, the Rupert Murdoch-
owned channel that supports Mr. Trump. Mr.
Murdoch had urged the President to fire Mr.
Bannon, who considers the channel a global-
ist enterprise. Mr. Bannon is reportedly toying
with the idea of a TV channel also.
Mr. Bannon is not merely promoting the
causes, but also himself in the process. Briet-
bart is advertising a Bannon fidget spinner
Proudly Made in USA. Leftists need com-
fort at times like these. Gift them this pacify-
ing item that will give them something to do in
between pulling down monuments. Or keep
one for yourself! it says. In the midst of all
this, a prankster who sent mails to senior
Breitbart staffers posing as Mr. Bannon re-
ceived scandalous replies immediately, which
he promptly passed on to the CNN. In the
mails, editor-in-chief Alex Marlow offers to do
the dirty work for the fake Bannon, and
promises to plot the exit of Ms. Trump from
the White House before the end of the year.
Varghese K. George works for The Hindu and is
based in Washington
CM
YK
*
GETTY IMAGES
LONDON
The bells
that stopped
tolling
Last Monday, several hun-
dreds of people gathered
within and outside the walls
of Parliament to hear Big
Ben, the 13.7-tonne bell that
plays the note E on the hour every day within
the Palace of Westminsters iconic Elizabeth
Tower. The tower must undergo an essential
29 million restoration work, and in order to
protect workers close to it and up the 100-
metre high scaffolding around it from its 118
decibel bong, the bell and its four accom-
panying ones will be put out of action for up
to four years. Much thought has gone into the
process, including ensuring that the Great
Clock will always have one visible face during
the entire renovation project, while the bell
would be allowed to operate on certain signi-
ficant dates such as New Years Eve and Re-
membrance Sunday.
Parliament has a duty of care to those on
site, and our priority is to ensure the safety of
those carrying out the work and in the imme-
diate vicinity, said the Parliamentary Estate,
noting that stopping and starting its operation
simply wasnt possible as it was a lengthy pro-
cess that took a half day to complete and
would not be a good use of public money. The
work includes measures to prevent the clock
mechanism from failing, the installation of a
lift and the tackling of decay to the inside and
outside of the clock.
Nevertheless, the move provoked an outcry
from politicians from across the spectrum, at
a time when issues around nationalism are
particularly strong with Britain preparing to
leave the European Union. One right wing
commentator noted that in the four years the
work was set to take place, Britain could have
got two Brexit deals, while it had managed to
liberate Europe in just 11 months during the
Second World War.
May steps in
David Davis, the Minister in charge of Brexit
who campaigned heavily to leave the
European Union, described the decision to si-
lence the bell for four years as mad. There
is hardly a health and safety argument, he ad-
ded. While one Liberal Democrat MP called
for a review of the options (including poten-
tially ringing the bell manually), even Prime
Minister Theresa May waded into the debate
<
> As Elizabeth Tower in the Palace
of Westminster undergoes
restoration work, the 13.7-
tonne Big Ben bell and its four
accompanying ones will be
put out of action for 4 years
by urging the speaker of the House of Com-
mons Commission to look into the issue ur-
gently to ensure Britain could continue to
hear Big Ben through those four years.
Yet others urged for those carrying out the
works to ensure the bell was able to strike on
March 29, 2019, as Britain would exit the EU.
It would be symbolically uplifting for it to
sound out our departure from the EU as a lit-
erally ringing endorsement of democracy,
Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg told the
Daily Mail last week. However, many also de-
plored the emphasis on the issue.
Wish those MPs who are causing such a
fuss were equally vocal about food banks, the
GP (general practice) crisis and harsh cuts (in
public expenditure), wrote Labour MP Luke
Pollard, while others drew comparisons with
the treatment of the horrific events at Grenfell
Tower. Would like to see an infographic for
the number of MPs who stood outside for Big
Ben versus the number who went to Grenfell,
wrote another on Twitter. Greg Jenner, a his-
torian, pointed to the fact that not only was
the bell not that old (it dated back to 1859), it
had fallen silent on a number of occasions, in-
cluding throughout the First World War (most
recently it was silenced for six weeks for res-
toration work in 2007).
Whatever happens next, the controversy
has stirred up sufficient interest to potentially
force a rethink. The House of Commons Com-
mission said it would reconsider the length of
time the bells would fall silent.
Vidya Ram works for The Hindu and is based in
London
*
GETTY IMAGES
BEIJING
Amid border
tensions, China
oils its strategy
Amid looming crises in its
neighbourhood, from the
Korean Peninsula to the
Doklam Plateau in the Him-
alayas, China has been beef-
ing up its strategic petroleum reserve (SPR).
The sight of huge oil tankers offloading in Chi-
nas giant ports should come as no surprise.
Earlier in August, the worlds largest active oil
tanker, TI Europe, was spotted at Chinas giant
Ningbo port in the East China Sea. The hu-
mongous vessel can ferry 3 million barrels in a
single shipment. That is nearly equal to the
total daily production of the oil-rich Kuwait.
The TI Europe is among the four largest
ships in the world, along with TI Africa, TI
Asia, and TI Oceania. All these ultra-large
crude carriers have been built by South
Koreas Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine En-
gineering. Incidentally, TI Oceania, which was
earlier called Hellespont Fairfax before it was
purchased and modified by a Belgian owner,
featured in Discovery Channels famous televi-
sion show, Superships.
Ningbo, where TI Europe docked, has been
Chinas gateway to the world since the days of
the Tang dynasty, which flourished between
the seventh and 10th centuries. Then called
Mingzhou, it was among Chinas three major
ports, the others being Guangzhou and Yang-
<
> The possibility of the Doklam
border standoff between
Indian and Chinese troops
drifting into an open conflict
has brought Chinas energy
security into sharper focus
zhou. Ningbo was destined to emerge as a
leading port in the world, when in 2006, it
merged with the neighbouring port of the
Zhoushan. Within six years, it became the
worlds largest port in terms cargo tonnage,
upstaging Shanghai for the first time. Today,
the multi-purpose deep water port hosts a
jaw-dropping 191 berths, which include 39
deep water channels. A separate oil terminal
can handle large tankers. Besides, there are
dedicated areas that take care of mineral ores
and liquid chemicals.
Dependent on energy imports, Chinas
quest for building SPR capacity is understand-
able. Chinese fears, born out of geopolitical
rivalry, are mainly centred on the Malacca
Straits the channel linking the Indian Ocean
and the Pacific through which vast volumes
of global trade flow. Nearly 80% of Chinas oil
shipments travel through the Indian Ocean or
the Strait of Malacca. Any disruption of the
two-way movement of tankers and container
shipping through this channel to Chinese
ports would be catastrophic.
Malacca trap
Unsurprisingly, China has pursued the avoid-
ance of what is called the Malacca trap. Its
huge West-East pipeline system has been
drawing Central Asian gas overland to the
shore-based industrial hubs such as Shanghai,
Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Ports such as
Gwadar in Pakistan and Kyaukpyu in Myan-
mar have been arguably set up to avoid the
tricky Malacca Straits.
There is no definitive word yet on the size
of Chinas strategic energy reserves. A Reuters
report quoting Chinas Commerce Ministry
said that by the middle of 2016, China had
33.25 million tonnes of crude oil in its SPR in-
ventory. But others, using satellite imagery
and big data processing, estimate that the
countrys capacity is much larger. The crisis in
the Doklam plateau and the possibility of the
standoff between Indian and Chinese troops
drifting into open conflict has brought Chinas
energy security into sharp focus. According to
some analysts, a China-India conflict could ac-
quire a naval dimension, affecting Chinas en-
ergy supplies.
China is playing psychological warfare...
but it should realise that even if it defeated In-
dia in a war on land, it would be impossible
for the PLA navy to break Indias maritime
containment, Antony Wong Dong, a Macau-
based military expert, was quoted as saying
by the South China Morning Post.
Atul Aneja works for The Hindu and is based in
Beijing
DESPATCHES 5
* GETTY IMAGES
KARACHI
U.S.-Pakistan
alliance at
a crossroads
The new Afghan strategy an-
nounced by U.S. President
Donald Trump, which at-
tacked Pakistan for provid-
ing safe havens to terrorists
and offered India a greater role in Afgh-
anistan, has put Islamabad in a tight spot. The
political and military leaderships, usually di-
vided on every governing issue, have come on
one page to strongly condemn Mr. Trumps
remarks. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Ab-
basi called for a joint session of Parliament to
discuss the issue. He also chaired a National
Security Committee meeting, which rejected
President Trumps Afghan strategy, and stated
that Indian policies were inimical to peace in
the region.
In the words of Foreign Minister Khawaja
Asif, the Americans are scapegoating Pakistan
for their failure in Afghanistan. Opposition
politicians also joined the government in
slamming the U.S. Imran Khan, leader of the
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, asked the country to
learn from its past mistakes. This should
teach Pak once and for all a valuable lesson:
never to fight others wars for the lure of dol-
lars. Our economy suffered over $100 billion
in losses. In addition, there were intangible
costs on our society. Time for Pakistan to say:
Never again, he tweeted.
Pakistan fought two wars for the U.S. in
Afghanistan, both under military regimes. In
the 1980s, during General Muhammad Zia-ul-
Haqs rule, the military went into covert oper-
ations in Afghanistan, along with the CIA, to
fight the Soviet Red Army. Later, after the
September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the
U.S., the Pakistani military joined the war
against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, when Gen-
eral Pervez Musharraf was the ruler. In return,
the U.S. flooded Pakistan with billions of dol-
lars in aid.
Jihadist links
Pakistans policy towards Afghanistan and In-
dia has historically been dominated by the
military. After the Soviet troops withdrew
from Afghanistan in 1989, the U.S. lost interest
in the country. But not Pakistan. Former milit-
ary chief General Aslam Beg and former Inter-
Service Intelligence chief Hameed Gul came
up with a plan to make Afghanistan its proxy
through jihadist organisations.
<
> The main goals of Pakistans
Afghan strategy were to build
leverage in the country
through militant groups and
secure its western border
from growing Indian influence
The objective was to secure the western
border from Indian influence. Though Gen.
Musharraf later joined the American-led war
against the Taliban, the security establish-
ment did not entirely sever ties with militants
as Pakistans foreign policy doctrine of retain-
ing influence in Afghanistan through milit-
ancy never changed. Past American Presid-
ents overlooked this double game and
maintained a working relationship with the
military. But the Trump administration ap-
pears to be getting tougher, raising questions
over the future of the alliance itself.
I dont think this is the end of the road,
but certainly both countries need to make
sure that how the trust deficit can be re-
duced, said Amir Rana, director of the
Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies. The U.S.
needs to give assurance to Pakistan that it will
act against terrorist groups in Afghanistan
who plan and attack inside Pakistan, while
Pakistan also needs to allay the U.S. concerns
that it will act against the groups on its soil.
The Americans know that to put pressure
on Pakistan, all they need to do is to take a
pro-India line. A senior government official
told The Hindu that the greater role the Trump
administration is offering India in South Asia
could prompt Pakistan to rethink its decades-
old policy. Yet, Pakistan is left with no choice
but to continue to fight the war in Afgh-
anistan, said the official. If the U.S. is angry,
Pakistan has got a new master and financier
China.
MUBASHIR ZAIDI writes for The Hindu and is based
in Karachi
*
GETTY IMAGES
STUTTGART
Path to war
in Africa, via
Germany
While the world is focussing
on Donald Trumps foreign
policy plans in Afghanistan
and West Asia, the U.S. is
continuing, without much
media scrutiny, its proxy wars in Africa. Re-
cently, it became evident that the U.S. milit-
arys newest ally in the region could be the
genocidal regime of Omar al-Bashir in Sudan.
This is not surprising. In fact, the U.S. has
already allied with dozens of dictatorial re-
gimes and militias on the African continent.
All of them are part of the ongoing shadow
war in the region, including regular air strikes
by drones or conventional jets, and secret op-
erations of commando units on the ground.
The heart of U.S. secret wars in Africa lies
in Stuttgart, Germany, where AFRICOM (the
United States Africa Command) has been
based since 2007. The Kelley Barracks in Stut-
tgart-Moehringen is known as AFRICOMs
command centre with 1,500 personnel, in-
cluding military and U.S. federal civilian em-
ployees. The Kelley Barracks is a huge build-
ing complex, including a sports centre, a day
nursery, a hotel and a theatre. In 2013, two
German media outlets revealed that illegal
drone strikes that were taking place in
Somalia were coordinated from Stuttgart and
that these activities were against German law.
<
> In 2016, U.S. drones carried out 14
strikes in Somalia, killing up to
292 people, while Libya,
another war-torn African
country, was bombed 496
times by the Americans
In the past, civilians have been murdered by
such attacks.
In October 2016, it was reported that
AFRICOM was expanding its drone warfare in
Africa when military personnel and un-
manned aerial vehicles were transferred to a
base in Tunisia. In 2016, U.S. drones carried
out 14 strikes in Somalia, killing up to 292
people, including five civilians. Libya, another
war-torn African country, was bombed by the
U.S. 496 times last year. The U.S. has drone
bases in Niger and Djibouti as well, while the
American shadow wars are being fought in al-
most 50 African nations.
Most of these operations are planned in
and coordinated from Stuttgart, but not many
locals seem to be aware of it. The U.S. sol-
diers are here for years. It has become some-
thing normal for us. I think that many people
dont ask themselves what the soldiers do, a
local, who lives near the Kelley Barracks, said.
In total, more than 34,000 U.S. soldiers are
deployed in difference places in Germany.
Illegal operations
The German government itself doesnt appear
to be bothered much about AFRICOMs activ-
ities. When it was revealed that illegal drone
operations were taking place from German
soil, Berlins reaction was practically non-ex-
istent. Not just the AFRICOM in Stuttgart is in-
volved in these wars but also the Ramstein Air
Base in southwestern Germany, which is con-
sidered the heart of U.S. drone warfare.
Since three years, the German Foreign
Ministry is ignoring media reports about the
involvement of the Ramstein Air Base and the
AFRICOM in extra-judicial killings that are
against international war norms, Andrej
Hunko, a German parliamentarian of the left-
wing Die Linke party, said in January. U.S.
activities at both places Ramstein and Stut-
tgart violate German laws and general hu-
man rights norms. These drone strikes are
simple murder; assisting and supporting them
makes the German government an accom-
plice in murder, Karim Popal, an Afghan-Ger-
man lawyer who represents NATO airstrike
victims from Afghanistan, told this writer.
But the German government prefers to stay
silent. In fact, it was Germanys political elite
who offered to host AFRICOM when the U.S.
was looking for a new place while other
European states rejected its request. Berlin
just had one plea when the Americans opened
the gates of their new commando centre to
do it quietly.
Emran Feroz is a freelance journalist based in
Stuttgart
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Man by day,
goddess by night
How one Kannur Theyyam practitioner leaves behind
his quotidian existence to assume the form of a goddess
whenever devotees make an offering
Text and images by Thulasi Kakkat

In the twilight hours, when the brooding environs of the sacred

groves at Neeliyar Kottam in Kannur, northern Kerala, grow even
more sombre with the relentless echo of a chenda, the Neeliyar
Bhagavathy Theyyam walks in, towering over the mud path bisect-
ing the place.
The man who has taken on the persona of a benevolent goddess
is Kanol Mangadan Haridasan Peruvannan, a Theyyam practi-
tioner for the past 40 years. Haridasan, now 51, is believed to be
the vehicle through which the goddess showers her blessings on
the devout. Childless couples seek her grace to conceive. Parents
with children of marriageable age go to her for suitable
alliances.
Lore has it that the mother goddess was a wise, beautiful Dalit
woman named Neeli, who turned into a bloodthirsty demon after
Rooted in the soil: Theyyam practitioner Haridasan Peruvannan at his village of Mangattuparamba in Kannur of Kerala. Man to goddess: Haridasan getting his face painted using organic colours for the ritual performance of Neeliyar Bhagavathi Theyyam. Fitting all elements: Haridasan comes out of the aniyara (green room) to the sacred grove to wear the headgear. a local king betrayed and murdered her. But ever since a man took
her for a compassionate mother, she turned into one. When the
ritualistic Theyyam performance is seasonal elsewhere, the belief
is that the goddess graces the Neeliyar Kottam groves whenever
someone makes an offering, coming alive in flamboyant, large
blood-red clothes, with a 20-ft bamboo-framed headgear.
Unlike other Theyyam performers, Haridasan has not opted for
Back and forth: a mainstream career. The life of this titled Theyyam artiste, a
The Theyyam
performance of member of the Vannan community, straddles the gulf between
the day over, the immortal, when he transforms into the goddess-incarnate,
Haridasan and the mortal, as a subaltern citizen with a less enviable life.
returns to the
aniyara (green
room) to shed his
divine persona
and get back to
being human.

The full
complement:
The Theyyam
in full gear.

The big arena :The

Theyyam in the
main ritual area.

Its a slow
transformation:
Members of the
community help
Haridasan remove
the headgear and
other ornaments.

The sounds change:

Haridasan removes
the chilambu
(anklets) at the
green room.
CM B ND-NDE CM B ND-NDE
YK YK
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8 BUSINESS
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The Will and Way towards
FINANCIAL CLOSURE
Meera Siva
Nalinakanthi V
Dealing with the processes
and documentation related
to investments, assets and li-
abilities is not everyones cup
of tea. While you can get by
with jumbled paper-work,
dealing with occasional re-
minders from banks and
other institutions as they
come, when you are around,
it can get pretty difficult for
your survivors if you are the
disorganised sort.
Similarly, for those dealing
with the loss of a loved one,
financial matters usually take
a back seat. But there are a
few essential procedures that
need to be followed to pre-
vent compliance and other
legal issues from impeding
smooth transfer of assets.
A will is a must
The most important docu-
ment needed to ensure a
smooth passage of inherit-
ance is a Will. A Will needs to
clearly describe the assets
and the share of each benefi-
ciary. Besides tangible assets,
intangibles such as copyright
and trademark as well as
other intellectual property
rights can also be transferred
through a Will.
While many believe that
creating a Will is all that is
needed, it is very important
to register it. This is required
Digital
assets
Unlike developed
countries, India has no
law for regulating the
protection and
inheritance of digital
assets such as websites
and digital content.
However, the principles
of intangible property
and succession can be
applied to digital
assets. Online sites
such as Facebook and
Google have their own
policies on transferring
or closing the account
and the heirs must
notify and do the
needful.
Closing accounts with institutions
Meera Siva
Nalinakanthi V
As a part of financial closure, various
financial accounts with banks,
brokerages, mutual fund houses, in-
surance must be closed or trans-
ferred. This must be done by the co-
account holder, nominee or legal
heir, as applicable, by submitting rel-
evant application forms and requis-
ite documents.
Bank accounts
The procedure for closing the sole
account in the name of the deceased
person and claiming refund of the
balance amount is fairly standard-
ised across banks. For instance, if
the nomination has already been re-
gistered with the bank, the nominee
can make a claim for closing the
account.
Once the nominee submits the
claim form, the branch will verify
the photocopy with the original
death certificate, nomination num-
ber as registered in their core bank-
ing system and nomination register.
In addition to this, one needs to
provide two witnesses. They may be
a magistrate or Judicial official, a
Government or bank official or any
two persons acceptable to the bank.
In case the nominee is a minor, an
application must be submitted by
the person appointed to act on be-
half of the minor.
In case of joint accounts with sur-
vivorship clause, the application
must be made by the survivor. The
account will be updated to exclude
the name of the deceased.
For joint account without surviv-
orship clause, the account may need
to be closed and the balance may be
paid to both the survivors and the
legal heirs. If there is no Will, banks
may consider the option of indem-
nity. In this case, all the legal heirs
together should provide proof of
their right to the asset and absolve
the bank of any future claims on the
asset.
In case the deceased individuals
account neither has survivorship
clause nor nomination, the settle-
ment will be made only to the legal
heirs.
Time deposits such as FD can be
CM
YK
to ensure that the terms in
the Will are legal and en-
forceable by law. For ex-
ample, one cannot Will an
ancestral property to a differ-
ent beneficiary.
An ancestral property is
something that has been
passed on for four genera-
tions, says Anilesh Tewari,
Advocate, Allahabad High
Court, also associated with
Kaanoon.com. These are in-
herited under the applic-
able laws and this posi-
tion cannot be changed
by a Will as the right to
a share in ancestral
or coparcenary
property accrues
by birth itself.
After the death
of the estate
owner, the Will
needs to be pro-
bated by the
legal heirs.
While authen-
ticating the
Will, the court
will send no-
tices to other
potential
claimants.
A probate is a
copy of the Will
that is certified
under the seal of a
court of a compet-
ent jurisdiction and
is conclusive evid-
ence of the validity of
the Will.
If there is no Will, i.e.,
the person dies intestate,
then the inheritance will be
based on applicable laws. In
this case, the legal heirs will
have to obtain a Succession
Certificate. The process typ-
ically takes six months to one
year, if it is not contested by
anyone. There may be long
delays if it is opposed by
someone and litigation
commences.
Key documents
The legal heirs need a Death
Certificate to start the pro-
cess of transferring owner-
ship. Also, it is mandatory to
register death within 21 days,
as per the Registration of
Births & Deaths Act, 1969. In
case of delays, there may be
additional paperwork and
charges, warns Anilesh.
The Death Certificate is
<
> Itthat
is a good idea to ensure
standing orders for
payments from accounts
you want to change or close
are shifted to another
account
held till the maturity period without
any change by the survivor. The FD
can also be split into multiple certi-
ficates by the legal heir, nominee
or representatives without attract-
ing any penalty for premature
withdrawal.
If a bank locker was maintained,
the nominee can access the locker
and remove the contents after
providing death certificate and proof
of identify.
If there is no nomination, the
legal heirs should establish their
right to the bank.
An inventory of articles is pre-
pared by the bank, in the presence
NOIDA/DELHI THE HINDU
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
When a loved one
departs, the bereaved family
needs to sort out financial
matters. Heres a check-list
to ensure a smooth transfer
of assets and liabilities
property in the Will is with the legal heir of the
someone other than the legal tenant.
heir, the lender shall engage Business interests such as
with such a beneficiary, says partnership firm must be
Anilesh. closed to avoid liabilities to
For unsecured loans such legal heirs. A partnership
as personal loans and credit firm with two partners is
card dues, the recovery de- deemed dissolved on the
pends on each banks terms death of one of them and
and conditions. In most therefore it is good to engage
cases lenders have the right with professionals such as
to claim the outstanding loan Company Secretaries to fol-
from legal heirs or suc- low due process and not
cessors. Anilesh notes leave any loose ends.
that as the loans are un-
secured, the liability Points to remember
should not be at- A few simple safeguards
tached to the per- taken early on can save a lot
sonal assets of the of time and hassle. For one,
legal heirs or ex- it is important to have agree-
ecutors of the ments for loans, even to
Will. friends and family, rather
Statutory liab- than just verbal promise. The
ilities, such as legal heirs inherit both the
outstanding in- assets and liabilities, so hav-
come tax, have ing documentation will help
the first charge them in settling and claiming
on the estate. dues. Likewise, there must
The income tax be proper paperwork such as
return of the purchase price, terms and
deceased also agreement, in any asset-re-
needs to be lated transactions.
filed by the ex- When creating a Will, it is
ecutor or legal important to let the con-
heir, and the cerned people know about
Permanent Ac- its content. The Will and
count Number of other important documents
the deceased must be organised and kept
should be returned in an accessible place so that
to the department. the inheritors can access it.
Other taxes like Also, when entering into
those on the property agreements, you must make
are passed on to the sure a nominee is always
legal heirs who inherit given. This will avoid a lot of
the property. Likewise,
any business liabilities
hassle as the transfer to the
nominee is quite straightfor-
salaries and tax dues of sole ward.
proprietorship should also
be paid by the legal heirs.
When purchasing a home,
it is also prudent to take an
gen- insurance cover on the life of
erally Getting closure the borrower for settling the
issued There may be other loose loan and avoiding unneces-
by the heirs to dis- ends to tie up. For example, sary financial burden on the
Municipal Cor- charge debts is if the deceased person had legal heirs.
poration in urban based on the pro- entered into agreements, Also, it is good to ensure
areas or Gram Pan- portion of the assets they would have to be trans- that the beneficiary of the in-
chayat in rural areas. All in- inherited by them. Before ferred. Tenancy agreements surance policy and the prop-
stitutions such as banks, mu- this Act came into force, the typically continue even after erty are the same persons
tual funds, brokerages, tion. transferring son had the pious obligation the death of the owner and and have the share in the
insurance providers and Gov- Copies of documents or closing accounts to discharge his fathers whoever inherits the prop- same proportion to avoid un-
ernment agencies would ask that establish account or as- may seem the main work, debts. erty should honour the equal share of assets and li-
for a copy of this. The pro- set ownership should also be there is another side to get- For asset-backed loans agreement. abilities.
bate or Succession Certificate provided, along with ID and ting closure handling such as home loans, the However, one should con- No matter what the Will
is another document that other proof for the person in taxes, loans and other lenders first recourse is the sult a local lawyer in this re- says, discharging liabilities
will be required to effect as- whose name it needs to be liabilities. co-borrower and then the gard as tenancy laws vary takes precedence over trans-
set transfers. These docu- transferred. The obligation to pay off guarantor, if any. Only if from State to State, says ferring assets. For example,
ments must be submitted debt rests on the legal heirs. these do not exist will the Anilesh. If the deceased was money can be given to char-
along with the claims form Handling liabilities As per the Hindu Succession lender approach the legal a tenant, the owner can ity only after loans and other
provided by the organisa- While claiming assets and Act, 2005, the liability of the heir. If the beneficiary of the enter into a new agreement dues are settled.
Surrender of PAN, Aadhaar
Meera Siva If the deceased person is a
Nalinakanthi V
taxpayer, it is important to
With identity theft rampant, file the income tax return
if PAN and Aadhaar are not before cancelling the PAN.
surrendered, it could lead to Also, as per section 159 of
misuse of the numbers. Here the Income Tax Act, 1961
is how you deal with the pro- (Act), the legal representat-
Ounce of cedural aspects to surren- ive of the deceased person
dering ID cards when shall be liable to pay any
GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCK
prevention
someone is no more. sum which the deceased
The procedure would have had to pay for
to follow if Cancelling PAN the period beginning April 1
there is no You must ensure that identi- of the year till the date of the
fication documents such as individuals death.
nominee is PAN (Permanent Account
*
quite tedious Number) are cancelled so Handling Aadhaar
and requires that there is no misuse of There is no special claim
lots of these documents by unscru- form needed to cancel
pulous individuals for tax Aadhaar. Deaths may be re-
documents. So,
it is best to do
evasion purposes. The usage
of PAN card is no longer lim-
<
> Ifperson
the deceased
is a tax
ported either by the State
Registrar of Births and
the nominee ited to just your income tax payer, it is Deaths or by a relative.
registration return filing. With PAN now important to file the In the case of the latter,
linked to your bank account, income tax return the family member must
right at the every financial transaction produce the death certific-
before cancelling
time of opening routed through the bank can ate of the deceased and also
the PAN
an account or be traced. establish that he is part of
making an Also, PAN is mandatory Officer for that jurisdiction the family through ration
for physical asset purchases providing details such as card or other document that
investment such as jewellery, immov- PAN number, name and date establishes the relationship.
able property and financial of birth. You need to men- The information on death
investments such as mutual tion the reason for surren- will be pushed to UIDAIs
funds and equity, beyond dering the PAN and attach a database by the registrar,
specified thresholds. copy of the deceaseds death along with the Aadhaar
On the demise of the PAN certificate. The procedure is number. In the database, the
of the nominee or legal heir and two The procedure is identical to that card holder, the legal heirs the same for Indian resid- record will be flagged as de-
witnesses. of a bank. For joint ownership, the must submit a letter ad-
dressed to the Income Tax
ents, NRIs (Non-Resident In-
dians) and foreign nationals.
ceased and is not deleted or
deactivated.
surviving unit holder must submit
Check before closing required documents and claim form
It is a good idea to ensure that stand- along with bank account and KYC
ing orders for payments from ac- details of the new unit holders. For
counts you want to change or close
are shifted to another account. For
instance, check for services such
sole accounts, the nominee must
submit a letter requesting transmis-
sion of units.
Dealing with special situations
as electricity, phone, subscriptions, If there is no nominee, the pro- If the person who is no more was part of a If a Trust was set up, the Will should
housing maintenance, charitable cedure may be simple, for smaller family with special needs children, a few mention the asset distribution and the
donations that may have been paid investments a document that es- additional things must be kept in mind. executor of the Will must ensure that the
from this account automatically and tablishes the claimants relationship If the deceased was the legal guardian transfer of assets to the Trust is
update these to a new account, to may be sufficient. For larger for a special needs child, the legal completed. If the deceased was one of the
avoid payment rejections and fines. amounts, more detailed documenta- guardianship must be reviewed. The next Trustees, a new trustee should be
Likewise, automatic credits tion a notarised copy of the pro- legal guardian is also generally indicated appointed.
such as bond or post office invest- bated Will or legal heir certificate or when completing the legal guardianship Jitendra says that if the deceased was a
ment interest or rentals that come Succession Certificate may be form to continue taking financial care-giver, the child will need time to
into the account also need to be shif- needed. decisions, says Jitendra P.S. Solanki, adjust to the situation. Hence, besides
ted to another account. The investment limit beyond Founder, JS Financial Advisors. financial matters, there will be logistical
which the procedure differs may The next legal guardians name should and emotional hand-holding. It is
Mutual Funds vary across fund houses. For in- be mentioned in the Will. If it is not, an important to ensure that the Will, Trust
Mutual fund units can be transferred stance, while HDFC Mutual Fund application must be filed with the court and all documents are well-maintained
by the other unit holder, nominee or has 5 lakh as the threshold limit, it for appointing a new legal guardian. and passed on to reliable hands.
legal heir. is 2 lakh for SBI Mutual Fund.
B ND-NDE
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THE HINDU
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
NOIDA/DELHI

BUSINESS 9
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TAKING COVER ALERTS

Fighting cancer with insurance SBI waives processing fee

As part of its festival season offer, State
Bank of India recently announced waiver of
up to 100 per cent of the processing fee on
Cancer-specific policies cover all stages of the disease and are cheaper than critical illness plans certain loans.
This is in addition to the existing waiver on
Rajalakshmi Nirmal processing fee on takeover of home loans
suffered cancer or had any
which have been transferred from other
Increasing lifestyle disorders symptoms of it in the past.
banks.
and burgeoning medical ex- Those who had suffered cancer
For car loans, the bank will waive 100 per
penses make a cover for health- four years back might be con-
cent of the processing fee. This will be valid
related issues very essential sidered by insurance compan-
till December 31, 2017. For personal gold
nowadays. This is specifically ies, but individuals who have
loans,50 per cent of the processing fee has
true for diseases such as can- undergone cancer treatment in
been waived till October 31, 2017.
cer. Here, we throw light on the immediate 48 months pre-
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
cancer-related policies avail- ceding the purchase of the Compulsory delisting
policy, will be not taken in. SPECIFIC
GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCK

able in the market and what Shares in which trading has remained
can be the best option for you. Some companies straight FEATURES suspended for over a decade will now be
away reject individuals who O Covers all stages of compulsorily delisted by the Bombay Stock
Options available have a family history of cancer, cancer Exchange.
To cover medical costs for can- but some accept them. For in- The BSE will compulsorily delist 200
cer treatment (provided you do stance, PNB Met Lifes Head, O Benefit of premium firms and bar their promoters from the
not suffer from it already), you Products Management, Khalid waiver when cancer markets for 10 years.
*

can buy a cancer-specific policy
from a life insurance company;
you can also buy a critical ill-
ness (CI) policy where cancer is
one of the 20-plus diseases that
will be covered. Mediclaim
policies are another alternative,
but the premium will be signi-
ficantly higher if you want a
cover for higher sums such as
20/25 lakh, which you may in-
cur in case of cancer.
More comprehensive
In CI plans, the major short-
coming is that they cover can-
cers of only specified severity.
Apollo Munichs Optima Vital
and Max Bupas CritiCare, for
instance, do not pay out if it is
carcinoma in situ (an early
stage cancer).
Many life insurance compan-
ies offer benefit plans that
cover only cancer. These are
more comprehensive and relat-
ively cheaper compared to CI
plans.
There is, but, a lot of confu-
sion around cancer-specific
policies as these come from life
insurance companies. Will
these plans pay only on death?
Is the term fixed or renewable
life-long? Will the premium in-
crease every year or is it fixed?
Regulations allow life insur-
ance companies to revise the
premium on their health
policies (here cancer products)
only in a block of three years.
But most players in the market
today give a fixed premium for
five years on their cancer
policy.
This is unlike the CI plans of
general insurers where the
premium keeps changing every
year. The other advantage with
cancer-specific policies over
most CI plans is that they waive
off premium once cancer is dia-
gnosed in the early stage. In
Max Life and ICICI Pru Lifes
cancer policies, for instance,
premium on the policy is
waived off for the rest of the
term, if cancer is diagnosed in
the early stage.
When it comes to the term of
coverage, in CI plans of general
insurers, you get a life-long re-
newability. In cancer policies
from life insurers, the policy
term is fixed. But these plans
too now offer a longer term cov-
erage. HDFC Lifes Cancer Care,
which was the first cancer plan
in the market launched two
years ago, is the only product
with a shorter 20-year term
now. Most other cancer-specific
policies now give a 40-year
term till a maximum age of 75
years. For example, ICICI Pru
Lifes Cancer Protect and Max
Lifes Cancer Insurance Plan of-
fer a 40-year term (maturity at
75 years). In Future Generalis
Cancer Protect Plan, maturity is
at the age of 80, and anyone
who is 35 years, can get a cover
for a term of 45 years under the
plan.
As far as payouts are con-
cerned, in cancer plans of life
insurance players, the sum as-
sured is paid in parts about
20/25 per cent is paid out dur-
ing the early stage of cancer
and the balance when it
reaches an advanced stage, says
Santosh Agarwal, Head Life
Insurance, Policybazaar.com. If
there is death during the term
of the policy after some portion
of the payout has been made,
the balance of the sum assured
will be paid out to the nominee.
In CI plans, however, almost
all have a 28-day survival
period clause. Most insurers
require that the policyholder
survives at least 28 days from
the time of claim to settle the
sum insured. In cancer-specific
plans launched recently, some
(PNB Met Lifes Mera Heat and
Cancer Care is one) do not have
the survival clause. In most
others, the mandatory survival
period after diagnosis of cancer
is five to seven days.
Who gets rejected?
You can buy a cancer-specific
policy only if you have not
Ahmad, says, We do a physical
underwriting of the proposals
of individuals who come with a
family history of cancer. We
might ask them to undergo a
medical test and then decide,
but we do not reject them
directly.
Best plans
Among cancer policies issued
by life insurers, Max Lifes Can-
cer Insurance Plan or ICICI Pru
Heart/Cancer Protect are the
best options now.
Both of them are similar on
most parameters. For a 35-year
female, a policy under Max
Lifes Cancer Insurance Plan,
where the no-claim bonus be-
nefit (goes up to 150 per cent of
sum assured) is in-built in the
policy, the premium works out
to 11,753 for a 20 lakh policy
for a 40-year term. If she
wishes to take ICICI Pru Cancer
Protect for the same amount
and term, assuming she also
opts for the no-claim benefit,
the premium comes to 14,080.
is detected early Among the firms to be delisted are
Eupharma Laboratories, Athena Financial
O Premium fixed for at Services, Magnus Rubber Industries,
least 3-5 years
Rajasthan Polyesters, Transpower
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC Engineering, Dupont Sportswear, Dynavox
In parts Industries and GDR Media. All these
companies will be delisted from August 23.
In cancer specific plans,
the sum assured is paid 200 note is out
in parts about 20/25 The new 200 currency note was
per cent during the introduced last week by the RBI. With
early stage and the bright yellow being the base colour, the
balance, when the note denomination has the motif of the
disease progresses Sanchi Stupa on the reverse.
These new notes are expected to be
available in select RBI offices and select
banks initially.
This issue follows the recent notification of
a new 50 note.
With fluorescent blue as its base colour, the
new 50 note will bear the picture of the
iconic stone chariot at Hampi, Karnataka,
on the reverse. This new 50 note is also
expected to be issued shortly.
The old 50 notes though will continue to
remain legal tender.
Last November, the Modi government had
announced scrapping of old 500 and
1,000 currency notes and brought out
new 500 and 2,000 notes.

REAL RETURNS

The risks of copycat investing BANK FD INTEREST RATES (%)

Bank
less than Years
1 year 1 to 2 2 to 3 3 to 5 W.E.F

If you bought a stock just because a big investor did, you could be hit when the stock goes through a bad patch FOREIGN
Citi Bank 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.25 08-17
Aarati Krishnan through thick and thin. This their hand to the markets while DBS Bank 6.10 6.30 6.50 6.70 04-17
Making money from stocks may kind of perseverance requires a theyre in the process of build- Deutsche Bank 6.00 6.90 7.00 7.50 08-17
look easy as pie in a bull mar- lot of conviction about a busi- ing or liquidating a position. On HSBC 6.00 6.50 5.00 5.00 08-17
Scotia Bank 4.00 4.50 4.50 5.00 04-16
ket, but regular investors know ness and your reasons for own- July 21, the stock of debt-laden
StanChart 6.50 6.75 6.50 6.50 08-17
that unearthing winners is far ing a piece of it. If you simply infrastructure player Jaiprakash
INDIAN- PUBLIC SECTOR
from easy. One shortcut that bought a stock because a big in- Associates soared by 17 per cent
has gained ground globally is vestor did, you could experi- after the companys sharehold- Allahabad Bank 6.50 6.60 6.50 6.50 07-17
Andhra Bank 6.25 6.75 6.50 6.25 07-17
copycat investing, also known ence a lot of mental turmoil ing for June 30, revealed a 1.03
Bank of Mah 6.00 6.50 6.25 6.00 01-17
as coat-tailing or side-car when the stock goes through a per cent stake held by Rakesh Fan sites BOB 6.40 6.65 6.50 6.50 08-17
investing. bad patch. Jhunjhunwala. BOI 6.25 6.70 6.50 6.50 08-17
Copycat investors simply SEBIs recent crackdown on The March 31 holding didnt There are many Canara Bank 6.35 6.75 6.30 6.30 08-17
keep a close eye on the invest- shell companies abruptly sus- feature this stake. Many websites dedicated to CBOI 6.50 6.60 6.50 6.50 04-17
ment moves of a renowned pended daily trading in 331 copycat investors hopped on to coat-tailing, such as Corp Bank 6.35 6.60 6.60 6.50 08-17
gurufocus.com, Dena Bank 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 08-17
market wizard, and faithfully stocks. Among the stocks that the risky infrastructure player, IDBI Bank 6.50 6.75 6.25 6.25 06-17
replicate his or her moves. were hit were Prakash Indus- believing that Jhunjhunwala alphaideas.com and
Indian Bank 6.25 6.50 6.25 6.00 02-17
They may get their tipoffs from tries, where Rakesh Jhunjhun- had picked up the stake this rakesh-jhunjhunwala.in IOB 6.25 6.75 6.25 6.00 06-17
quarterly filings of sharehold- wala owned a 1 per cent stake quarter. But it is possible that OBC 6.40 6.60 6.40 6.40 08-17
PNB 6.25 6.60 6.50 6.25 08-17
ing by companies, portfolios of ( June 30 shareholding) and J year, Warren Buffett admitted duds, while missing out on the he held a less than 1 per cent
Punjab & Sind 6.60 6.80 6.80 6.80 07-17
equity funds, bulk deals data or Kumar Infraprojects, where a to making a blooper in buying winners. position earlier, which he only SBI 6.50 6.75 6.25 6.25 07-17
even Twitter handles. clutch of top mutual funds IBM six years ago and said that topped up. Syndicate Bank 6.15 6.50 6.60 6.60 08-17
But if youre a newbie in- owned stakes. Now, when hit he had sold a third of his posi- Half knowledge UCO Bank 6.35 6.65 6.40 6.40 07-17
vestor who thinks that making with this regulatory thunder- tion in the preceding months. The price at which you acquire Stomach for risk Union Bank 6.75 6.75 6.50 6.50 08-17
United Bank 6.00 6.25 6.00 6.00 04-17
big money in the markets is as bolt, a Jhunjhunwala or a HDFC What makes Buffett or a a stock can be a big decider of Many copycat investors are
Vijaya Bank 6.25 6.50 6.50 6.50 01-17
simple as following a Rakesh Mutual Fund may decide to Jhunjhunwala ace investors is returns. Copycat investors who keen to know of penny stocks
INDIAN- PRIVATE SECTOR
Jhunjhunwala fan site, or mim- hold on, because they believe not the fact that they never look to public sources or social picked up by big-name in-
icking the bulk deals of Porinju the company has a fundament- make mistakes, but the fact that media for stock tips from their vestors, which can multiply Axis Bank 6.50 6.75 6.25 6.25 07-17
Bandhan Bank 7.00 7.25 6.90 6.90 06-17
Veliyath, Ramesh Damani or ally sound business that will they own large portfolios where gurus, are likely to get late in- money in months. Now, high Catholic Syrian 6.25 6.50 6.75 6.50 03-17
Mohnish Pabrai, youre quite shake off this crisis. winners far outnumber losers. formation on this. net-worth investors may bet on CUB 7.00 7.10 6.85 6.85 11-16
mistaken. Copycat investing But if youre a copycat in- Copycat investors are often Professional managers who distressed companies or turn- DCB 6.75 7.15 7.20 7.20 07-17
carries risks. vestor who hasnt studied the focused on the latest big bet oversee portfolios will seldom arounds as they follow a risk Dhanlaxmi Bank 6.00 6.75 6.50 6.50 01-17
business, it will be hard not to made by their idol and dont tip off the market to their de- control strategy. They may Federal Bank 6.50 6.70 6.50 7.00 07-17
HDFC Bank 6.25 6.80 6.00 6.00 NA
Not knowing the whys panic. bother to look at their entire cisions before they make them. hedge their bets, or devote a ICICI Bank 6.50 6.75 6.50 6.50 07-17
Often, big money in the stock portfolio. Doing so will move the stock part of their portfolio to risky IDFC Bank 7.00 7.50 7.25 7.20 12-16
market is made not through the Too stock-focussed In mirroring the individual price and undermine returns stocks. But copycat investors IndusInd Bank 6.50 6.85 6.75 6.50 08-17
act of swooping in on the right Even stock market wizards do buys or sells of big investors, for their investors. Even private without such risk control may J & K Bank 6.50 6.75 6.75 6.50 05-17
stock, but by holding on to it make mistakes. In May this they run the risk of picking up investors may not want to tip end up burning their fingers. Karnataka Bank 6.90 6.65 6.50 6.50 07-17
Kotak Bank 6.60 6.60 6.40 6.25 08-17
KVB 6.75 6.75 7.00 7.00 05-17
LVB 6.75 7.00 7.00 7.00 08-17
DUE DILIGENCE RBL Bank 7.10 7.40 7.50 7.35 05-17
SIB 6.00 6.75 6.50 6.50 06-17

Safeguarding your bank locker

TMB 6.75 7.00 6.90 6.90 04-17
TNSC Bank 6.50 6.75 6.50 6.50 01-17
Yes Bank 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 08-17

Data taken from respective bank's website as on 24 Aug 17.

For each year range, maximum offered interest rate is consid-
You can get compensation for loss, if any, by insuring the contents in the locker ered; Interest Rate for deposit amount below Rs 1 Cr. Contrib-
uted by BankBazaar.com, an online marketplace for compar-
ing financial products.
Meera Siva if that fails, you can file a case valuables insurance cover
A banks safe deposit locker in the consumer court, says P provides comprehensive insur-
may seem the embodiment of Jhansi, an advocate with the ance protection, irrespective of
absolute safety. But what if Madras High Court. whether they are kept in home
items stored in a locker are lost safe or bank locker or being
or damaged? As holding a Take insurance worn, says Parag Ved Execut-
locker costs money and banks A good way to ensure you get ive Vice President, Consumer
may often also request you to compensation for any loss is to Lines, TATA AIG General Insur-
insure the contents in the ance.
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
open a fixed deposit to get a
locker. The insurance agency The policy protects against SAFETY TIPS
GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCK

locker, it is important for cus-

tomers to understand what will inspect the contents and ar- any direct physical loss or dam- O Consider insurance
they are getting when renting a rive at a valuation before insur- age, including fire, theft and cover
locker. ing it. If the valuable is lost, you burglary, earthquake, flood and
can make a claim. The policies accidental breakage or damage, O Keep record of items
Banks not liable may typically charge 1-2 per worldwide. stored
When you enter into an agree- cent of the content value;
*

ment to rent a locker, the rela-
tion is that of a bailer and
bailee. The legal parlance
means that the bailer transfers
his possession of movable
goods, and not the ownership.
The locker provider has no
idea of the contents stored or
the value of the items. So,
locker providers are not held li-
able for loss or damage of
goods stored, says Saravanan
Annadurai, Advocate, Madras
High Court and Senior Partner
at Saravanan and Partners.
As per the RBI too, banks are
in no way liable for the loss of
contents kept in the locker by
the hirer. So, if there is a theft
CM
YK
and you lose your valuables, or
they are damaged, you really
do not have any recourse with
the locker provider.
What if the loss is not due to
a break-in or natural calamity
that affected multiple lockers,
but localised to your posses-
sions? You can file a complaint
with the police to investigate.
The authorities will go through
the CCTV footages.
In this case, the locker pro-
vider has to co-operate in the
investigation; but if it turns out
that employees may be in-
volved, there is still no liability
for the losses, opines
Saravanan.
That said, if you think that
the loss is due to negligence on
the part of the service provider,
you can go to court. You must
establish that proper precau-
tions were not taken or there
were slippages in procedure.
Also, if there was mis-repres-
entation of the product or ser-
vice, you can claim damage.
For example, if the lockers
were promoted as fire or water-
proof but were damaged due to
fire or water, you may seek
compensation. You must first
try to resolve it through the
banking redressal system and,
charges may be higher if the
cover is more comprehensive
covering loss not just at home
or in the locker, but any loca-
tion. Many providers such as
HDFC Ergo, Tata AIG, Oriental
Insurance and New India Insur-
ance offer coverage for jewels.
One reason why you must
keep the valuables in a locker
rather than at home is to in-
crease the chances of getting
the claims settled. For example,
most jewellery insurance
policies may not cover loss if
the house was unoccupied for
30 days. Such issues typically
do not arise with lockers.
An all-risk jewellery and
Precautions O Update your contact
When you store documents, details
jewels and other valuables in CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
the locker, it is important that Providers
you keep a record of the items.
The list must be updated, when protected
items are removed or added. Locker providers do
If the locker has not been op- not know the contents
erational and the bank has clas- stored and, hence, are
sified you as a high-risk cat- not liable for loss
egory customer for some
reason, keep in mind that the
authorities can force open the
locker after one year of inactiv-
ity. Hence, it is a good idea to
operate your locker off and on.
Also, update your contact de-
tails at the branch so that they
can reach out to you.
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10 BUSINESS
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
IN BRIEF
Enfield starts production
at plant near Chennai
NEW DELHI
Royal Enfield, a division of
Eicher Motors, started
commercial production from
its new manufacturing
facility at Vallam Vadagal
near Chennai in Tamil Nadu.
Spread over 50 acres, the
Vallam Vadagal plant will be
Royal Enfields third
manufacturing facility, and
will manufacture Royal
Enfield motorcycles for India
and international markets,
Eicher Motors said in a
statement. PTI
IISCO facility eyes 10%
of long product market
NEW DELHI
State-owned SAIL said that
its IISCO steel plant in
Burnpur will help take the
PSUs long product market
share to 10% from 7% at
present. SAILISPs (IISCO
Steel Plant) new and modern
plant will facilitate SAIL to
take its market share in long
products to 10% from the
existing 7%, the PSU said in
a statement. Steel Authority
of India Ltd (SAIL) further
said it is in the phase of
reinventing its processes. PTI
More time for blueprint
on refining capacity
NEW DELHI
The Centre has given an
expert group time till
October-end to prepare the
blueprint for raising refining
capacity by 2040 to match a
more than doubling of oil
demand. The 12-member
working group was
constituted on June 10 last
year. It was given three
months time to prepare the
roadmap but the deadline
kept extending. Expansions
will raise the refining capacity
to about 260 million tonnes
by 2018. PTI
With Nilekanis return, Infosys founders
get second chance on succession
His appointment in place of two co-chairmen streamlines the top ranks
Una Galani
MUMBAI
Infosyss founders are get-
ting a second chance to leave
behind a company that
wont crash. Nandan
Nilekani will return as non-
executive chairman of the
$32 billion Indian informa-
tion technology firm he
helped found. That is less
than ideal given it was sup-
posed to have shifted to pro-
fessional management. Still,
his appointment in place of
two co-chairmen stream-
lines the top ranks and is a
fast way to calm investors
after its first outside chief ex-
ecutive quit.
After leaving Infosys eight
years ago, Nilekani oversaw
the rollout of a biometric
identity system, which now
covers more than 1.1 billion
Indians. That has helped
New Delhi reduce waste in
paying government sub-
sidies. It also forms the back-
bone of impressive infra-
structure that enables
instant know your cus-
Gold, silver
fall on weak
demand
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
MUMBAI
Gold witnessed selling
pressure for the week due
to slackened demand from
jewellers stockists and
traders. The yellow-metal
cracked below the
29,000-mark at the do-
mestic bullion market dur-
ing the week, even as the
metal strengthened
overseas.
Traders said that the
sentiment was subdued
amid easing demand from
local jewellers and retailers
at the current level which
pulled down the gold
prices.
Silver also witnessed a
fall on sustained selling by
stockists and investors
coupled with lack of de-
mand from industrial
users. The metal cracked
below the 39,000-mark.
CM
YK
Australia keen on India as pulses hub
Island nations government, firms may aid setting up of processing facilities in the Asian country
ARUN S
New Delhi
Australia is learnt to be ex-
ploring ways to help India
transform into a pulses-pro-
cessing hub. Towards this
objective, the Australian gov-
ernment and that countrys
agri-business companies will
hold talks with the Govern-
ment of India and Indian
companies including those
into processing, retail and
imports of pulses, on the
sidelines of the Australia
Business Week in India
(ABWI), sources close to the
development told The Hindu.
The ABWI is slated to be
held from August 28 to
September 1 with an aim to
promote Australian capabil-
ity and expand Australias
trade, investment and edu-
cation relationships. During
the event, Australian agri-
business firms will be given
the latest information re-
garding the Indian pulses
market including the trends
in demand.
They will also be provided
details of opportunities avail-
able in India that Australian
Sodexo looks to expand services
Immediate focus on moving clients from paper vouchers to digital cards
N. Ravi Kumar
HYDERABAD
Meal voucher space leader
Sodexo plans to expand its
offerings in the employee be-
nefit arena and also unveil
claims management solu-
tions. The French firm,
which offers a wide range of
solutions globally and is cel-
ebrating 20 years in India,
has begun reaching out to
prospective customers in the
country to ascertain their
preferences, a senior execut-
ive said.
Claims management solu-
tions such as those related to
fuel, mobility, medical and
LTA payments are under
consideration. On the em-
Founders all: Nandan Nilekani, left, K. Dinesh, S.D. Shibulal,
N.S. Raghavan, N.R. Narayana Murthy, S. Gopalakrishnan. PTI
tomer checks and means In-
dians can securely send
money as simply as an email.
He has become Indias most
influential voice in the de-
bate about big data and fin-
ancial technology.
Those impressive creden-
tials mean he should have
wide support for an over-
haul. Operationally, Infosys
is not in bad shape, but
Nilekani might be able to ac-
celerate the companys drive
to be more innovative or de-
Come into my parlour: Australian firms can help India
improve productivity, nutritional value and packaging.
firms can take advantage of,
using their expertise in food
grain production and pro-
cessing as well as in methods
to improve productivity, nu-
tritional value and pack-
aging. The aim is to also at-
tract Australian investments
into India in processing
these items.
The ABWI is likely to see
the participation of Grain
Growers (a grain farmer rep-
resentative organisation with
ployee benefit front, the
plan is to go for services that
are an extension of its focus
on wellness of employees.
This includes passes for gym
and creche.
Within six months, we
will introduce one more
solution, said Suvodeep
*
velop a stronger consulting
capability like U.S. compet-
itor Accenture.
COMMENT
He will have less control
over other big external
factors, including the avail-
ability of U.S. worker visas.
More urgently, the new
chairman must draw a line
under concerns raised by
other founder shareholders
relating to past deal making
17,500 members across Aus-
tralia), Grain Trade Australia
(an organisation aiming to
ensure efficient facilitation
of commercial activities
across the grain supply
chain), GrainCorp Limited
(a listed public company
with business in production,
storage and processing of
grain and related commodit-
ies, as well as providing lo-
gistics, testing and marketing
services for these commodit-
Das, VP Marketing of So-
dexo Benefits and Rewards
Services India. Unlike the
meal vouchers, these ser-
vices will not have any ac-
companying tax benefits for
the end users.
Besides simplifying things
for the HR fraternity, the
proposed solutions, how-
ever, like the new Sodexo
meal cards, would be in line
with the governments thrust
on cashless economy.
In fact, the immediate fo-
cus of Sodexo, which has
11,000 clients and through
them 30 lakh users, is to mi-
grate customers from paper
vouchers to digital cards.
Though Sodexo, in Febru-
and pay. Nilekani and family,
who own 2.3% of Infosys,
avoided publicly picking
sides. Either way, the un-
usual conduct of the 10-
member board in the fallout
revealed it is ripe for a shake-
up. Four members have
resigned as part of Nilekanis
arrival. That is a good start.
A next step would be to add
to the existing independent
director positions so that
they represent a majority of
directors going forward.
Successor pick
Of course, the real measure
of success will be if Nilekani
can make himself replace-
able by ultimately picking a
successor both at the chair-
man and CEO level, who will
be able to stay the course,
and mark the companys
permanent move away from
the grasp of its founding
shareholders.
(The author is a Reuters
Breakingviews columnist. The
opinions expressed are her
own.)
ies), Southern Cross Agricul-
tural Exports (which certi-
fies sustainably grown
agricultural produce and
processing plants) and Spe-
cial One Grain (a grain mar-
keter major).
Drought impact
The Indian agriculture and
farmers welfare ministry had
informed Parliament in Feb-
ruary that production of
pulses in the country was af-
fected in 2014-15 and 2015-16
due to drought. It said the
major initiatives undertaken
for increasing pulses produc-
tion include increased alloc-
ation of funds from total al-
location of National Food
Security Mission (NFSM) for
NFSM-Pulses, as well as en-
suring additional area cover-
age under cultivation of
pulses and creation of pulses
seed hubs.
The ministry informed
Parliament in July that 150
pulses seed hubs have been
established to produce
quality seeds of important
pulse crops, as per a govern-
ment statement. Also, pro-
ary 2016, introduced cards,
which like vouchers can be
used to pay for food (grocer-
ies included) and non- alco-
holic beverages, the instru-
ment gained big push with
demonetisation.
No paper vouchers
The RBI has also directed
that pre-paid meal instru-
ments in paper voucher
form should not be accepted
beyond December 31, 2017.
The cards are PIN-based and
offer higher levels of security
and convenience to users,
Mr. Das said. These cards are
accepted at 45,000 termin-
als across 1,500 cities in the
country.
MFIs may be hit by note ban impact
Net interest margins are likely to decline by about 1% leading to negative returns
Special Correspondent
KOLKATA
Overall net interest margins
of microfinance institutions
are likely to decline by about
1% leading to negative return
on equity for the sector in
the current fiscal, according
to a ICRA report on the
sector.
It said that the growth tra-
jectory for NBFCMFIs and
small finance banks (SFBs)
changed post demonetisa-
tion with portfolio growth
slowing down from 72% in
fiscal 2016 to 29% in 2016-17.
duction of additional quant-
ity of breeder seed of
different pulses was under-
taken to attain self-suffi-
ciency in pulses, it stated.
According to an April 2016
report by International
Crops Research Institute for
the Semi-Arid Tropics, a non-
profit body doing scientific
research for development,
India is the largest producer
(18.2 million tonnes), con-
sumer (more than 22 million
tonnes) and importer (3-5
million tonnes per year) of
pulses. The current initiative
is an effort to bridge this
gap.
It further said, The target
set for production is 23.5 mil-
lion tonnes by 2020 and 27.5
million tonnes by 2025,
while the target for average
yield has been set at 900 kg
per hectare (ha) by 2020 and
1,000 kg per ha by 2025
against the current average
yield of 750 kg per ha. The
area under pulse crops is tar-
geted to reach 26 million ha
by 2020 and 27.5 million ha
by 2025, against the current
area of 24 million ha.
Tata Motors
eyes options
for Nano
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
KOLKATA
Leading automobile manu-
facturer Tata Motors is now
working on alternative
plans for its small car Nano
whose sales have fallen
making its production not
a viable proposition, an of-
ficial of the company said.
Asked about the future
of Nano, COO of Tata Mo-
tors Satish Borwankar said
going forward, alternative
plans for Nano is being
considered. For instance,
the electric version of the
car. The production of
Nano is not a viable pro-
position. he said.
Fresh disbursements slowed
down substantially in the
second half of fiscal 2017
leading to shrinkage of over-
all portfolio growth.
Based on the present re-
covery trends from delin-
quent buckets, 70-75 % of the
portfolio delinquent [for]
more than 90 days is likely to
be written off..., said Rohit
Inamdar, group head, finan-
cial sector ratings, ICRA.
The extent of the impact
will differ across MFIs based
on share of portfolio in im-
pacted geographies, their cli-
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
Ray of hope: Higher efficiency and the ability to track the
suns movement have helped get more power per unit. AP
Rising solar capability
may aid 2022 goal
Indian firms eye tech to counter China
Lalatendu Mishra
MUMBAI
A growing number of Indian
firms working on solar en-
ergy are seen enhancing
capability to counter rising
imports from China.
India has set itself a target
to generate renewable en-
ergy of 175 GW by 2022. An-
ticipating higher custom,
these companies, which
manufacture solar modules
and related equipment,
have developed technology
to maximise energy genera-
tion thereby helping meet
the target with lesser area
and infrastructure.
Though firms in the Tata
and Adani groups are lead-
ing on this front, smaller
companies are excelling
through innovation in a bid
to make India self reliant.
Rise in efficiency
Mumbai-based Waaree PV
Technologies, which has a
500 MW PV module manu-
facturing plant at Surat has
developed technology that
allows modules to generate
more power.
Through indigenous
technological advancement,
we have improved the effi-
ciency of our modules by
3.5% to 4%. Which means...,
1 MW of power can now be
generated from 4 acres of
land as against 5 acres
earlier, Pujan Doshi, busi-
ent connect , field discipline
collection frequency , IT sys-
tems and appraisal mechan-
isms.., he said.
Joint liability mechanism
Flagging an area of concern
on recoveries, the report
said that the joint liability
group mechanism , con-
sidered to be a mitigant
against asset quality related
concerns for the sector,
where group members were
willing to repay on each oth-
ers behalf in case of any
members default, is now
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU
*
ness head, Waree, said.
Now the same amount
of power can be generated
from 20% less land. We are
also working to further im-
prove the efficiency of our
modules. This will result in
bringing down the overall
capital cost of energy pro-
duction, Mr. Doshi said.
Similarly, Pune-based
Scorpius Trackers has de-
veloped technology to help
solar modules track the
movement of the sun,
thereby enabling producers
achieve at least eight hours
of output a day, compared
with four hours earlier.
Our technology is com-
pletely Made in India at
our R&D centre in Pune.
Our systems... have been in-
stalled in Japan, Africa,
Middle East and India, ac-
cording to Ritech Pothan,
senior vice president, busi-
ness development, Scorpius
Trackers.
Over ten years, the num-
ber of Indian companies
participating in our exhibi-
tion has increased from 32
to 370, said Yogesh Mudres,
MD, UBM India, which or-
ganises the annual Renew-
able Energy India Expo.
This is because the num-
ber of homegrown compan-
ies has spiralled upwards, a
natural consequence of the
Governments focus on re-
newable energy.
coming under strain.
While group guarantee
works well in case of tempor-
ary cash-flow mismatches, in
events of prolonged stress
situations with large number
of borrowers under stress,
the members may not be
able to honour the group
guarantee, the report said
Post-demonetisation, ICRA
visited more than 600 MFI
centres of 19 MFIs in 8 states
where field staff highlighted
instances of non-paying
group members discour-
aging paying members.
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THE HINDU
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
NOIDA/DELHI

BUSINESS 11
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IN BRIEF
Darjeeling tea prices surge in auctions
Industry fears that 75% of years crop is as good as lost; exporters, packers scramble to protect brands
Indrani Dutta presence in packet tea, has put of about 0.5 million kg.
KOLKATA now tapered off in tandem He said that all promo-
Amid flickering hopes of a with the declining offerings. tional schemes had been
resolution to the impasse in They buy in bulk and small withdrawn to protect the
Darjeeling, tea exporters and offerings do not serve their brand and conserve stocks.
packers are scrambling to purpose, an official said. As a producer, we have our
mop up whatever teas are own source of teas which we
Imported planes should being offered at the tea auc- Adulteration alert are now using in the blends,
have GAGAN from 2019 tions here and prices have Hindustan Unilever, which to protect our brands.
NEW DELHI breached the 1,000 per kg owns the heritage brand Demanding Statehood,
From January 2019, planes mark at three consecutive Lipton, has unveiled a cam- the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Too hot to handle? Post GST, major buyers have avoided
that are imported should be weekly sales. paign cautioning buyers has enforced a shutdown in auctions, impacting prices and offtake. GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCK
*

suitably equipped with
indigenous navigation system
GAGAN, according to aviation
regulator DGCA. The GPS-
Aided Geo Augmented
Navigation (GAGAN) system
was officially unveiled in July
2015. The national civil
aviation policy mandates all
aircraft being registered in
India from January 1, 2019, to
be GAGAN-enabled. PTI
EESL to procure smart
meters for grid projects
NEW DELHI
State-run Energy Efficiency
Services Limited (EESL) said
it has floated a tender for
procurement of 50 lakh
smart meters in July, which
will be used for smart grid
projects in Haryana and Uttar
Pradesh. This will help in
reducing AT&C (aggregate
technical and commercial)
losses, power theft and also
monitoring round the clock
power supply and 24X7
power for all, a Power
Ministry statement said. PTI
Nodal agency needed
to lift services sector
NEW DELHI
The Centre should take
The industry has been ap-
prehensive that even if the
deadlock, which has ex-
ceeded 60 days, was broken
and estates were to open by
September, production
would not commence before
October, when the onset of
winter would limit output.
About 75% of the years crop
is as good as lost, they said.
Auction prices of this
prime brew had averaged
about 300 per kg between
2012 and 2016, according to
official statistics. Officials at
the Calcutta Tea Trading As-
sociation said that in the
three rounds of auctions
Microsoft eyes late-stage start-ups
Ability to bring large customers prompted change in strategy, says India unit
Peerzada Abrar
BENGALURU
Microsoft is changing its
strategy to engage with start-
ups in India. The company,
which unveiled its acceler-
ator in Bengaluru five years
ago to support early-stage
Double take: In auctions this month, prices were 1,068-
1,200 a kg, or twice the prices from a year earlier. AFP
held this month, prices had
moved in the range of 1,068
to 1,200 per kg which is
double the prices at the Dar-
jeeling tea auctions a year
earlier.
Offerings, however, were
low, falling from 17,000 kg in
end-July to 8,700 kg in this
weeks sale, according to J.
Kalyan Sundaram, secretary
general, CTTA. He said that
GETTYIMAGES/ISTOCK
*
8,400 kg were sold at an av-
erage price of 1,164.5 a kg.
This was mainly picked up
by 2-3 exporters. According
to statistics from the Indian
Tea Association, in 2016, In-
dia exported 6 million kg out
of production of 8 million kg.
Buying by companies
such as Hindustan Unilever
Ltd. or Tata Global Bever-
ages, which have a major
against adulteration, saying
that its Darjeeling tea pack-
ets guaranteed 100% Darjeel-
ing teas sourced from certi-
fied gardens.
Ajay Misra, MD, TGB, told
The Hindu that since TGB did
not have an exclusive Dar-
jeeling brand, it was not fa-
cing any major difficulty due
to the choking off of Darjeel-
ing tea leaf supplies.
We are bracing for a 65%
crop loss, said Arun Narain
Singh, MD and CEO,
Goodricke Group Ltd. A pro-
ducer and exporter, the
group has five gardens in
Darjeeling with annual out-
you put them in front of a
customer (like a large bank),
they cant be early stage.
Slowly, we started moving to
late-stage companies, said
Mr. Girisaballa.
Sanjoe Tom Jose, co-
founder of Talview, a talent
Darjeeling since June 15.
While there appear to be
some signs of talks between
the State government and
other parties, the GJM has
persisted with its demands.
The Darjeeling Tea Associ-
ation has estimated a rev-
enue loss of 400 crore to
the industry. It also said that
the loss of second flush teas
(season from May to July )
producing the unique mus-
catel flavour would have a
cascading effect on an in-
dustry which is tottering un-
der the impact of climate
change, ageing bushes and
high production costs.
Small savings
to get legal
safeguard
Press Trust of India
Mumbai
The Maharashtra govern-
ment will come up with a
law to protect small savers
who have deposited up to
1 lakh in urban cooperat-
ive banks (UCBs), said Co-
Prices fall in southern
tea auction centres
Higher crop, GST billing hit realisation
M. Soundariya Preetha
COIMBATORE
For the last few weeks, the
average price realised at the
tea auction centres in Coim-
batore and Coonoor have
dropped, mainly because of
issues related to billing un-
der GST at auction centres
and because of higher crop.
Sources in the industry
said that for the past 10
years, buyers and sellers at
Coonoor and Coimbatore
tea auction centres had
been using the sellers bill
and not the brokers bill sys-
tem for billing. A seller is the
tea producer while a broker
takes custody of the teas
from the producer and
hands it over to the buyer
after the auction.
However, after the imple-
mentation of the GST, a
couple of major buyers have
not only in a drop in prices
but also price instability,
says Thiagaraj Hutchi
Gowder, president of the
Nilgiris Small Tea Growers
Association. About 45% of
tea produced in south India
are from small growers,
numbering more than
65,000 in the Nilgiris.
Most growers sell to
bought leaf factories, from
where the tea goes to auc-
tion centres. There is usu-
ally just one or two weeks
stock at the warehouses.
Now, some teas from even
May and June are there.
Bhojarajan Ramesh
Chandar, chairman of the
Coonoor Tea Trade Associ-
ation, said that the two ma-
jor buyers in Coonoor and
Coimbatore buy almost 20%
of the teas that come to the
auction. When they keep

various steps, including
setting up a separate
department to promote
growth of services sector in
the country, an Assocham-
Resurgent India study said.
firms, is now betting big on assessment technology solu- operation minister not been taking part in the away, prices fall. This has
late-stage start-ups. The soft- tions provider, said that the Subhash Deshmukh. Most auctions in these two resulted in the drop in aver-
ware major is helping these firm joined the Microsoft ac- of the UCBs have small de- centres, objecting to the sys- age price by 30 to 40 a kg.
companies scale up, win key celerator when it had hit a posit amounts and savers tem of invoices raised in the The market has also been
deals and go global. plateau in the Indian market. are adversely affected name of the sellers. This has on a downward trend since
We realised that our He said that Microsoft in- whenever these banks face had an impact on prices and April as the crop output is
*

It is the need of the hour
that government should set
up a nodal agency or
department for smooth
functioning of service
sector, it said. Besides,
government and Reserve
Bank should provide credit
facilities to support the
sector, it added. PTI
strength was there. We
needed to change the
strategy, said Bala Gir-
isaballa, CEO-in-Residence,
Microsoft Accelerator, India.
Average age of three
Microsoft Accelerator said
that it had selected 14 late-
stage start-ups in its 11th co-
hort to help them boost their
enterprise readiness and go-
to-market activities. These
include Simplilearn, Hotelo-
gix and Ace Turtle. The aver-
age age of start-ups of the
fresh cohort is more than
three years and among
them, have raised close to
$64 million in funding till
date, according to Microsoft.
Their company sizes average
about 80 employees and
clock an average revenue of
$2.6 million, said the firm.
We have the ability to
open them up to Fortune
1000 companies. But when
troduced the firm to some of
its largest enterprise custom-
ers in the U.S. including
Bank of America, Starbucks
and specialty beauty chain
Sephora. He said that
Talview was able to reach
the final stages of closing a
deal with one of the largest
retail chains in the U.S.
financial constraints. offtake in the auctions. on the higher side because
Deposits up to 1 lakh of rains. Each auction
in UCBs will be protected Clarity needed centre used to get approx-
with some legislation. The The Kerala High Court re- imately 15 lakh kg a week.
state government is work- cently ordered an interim The volume is now in the
ing on it. We are working stay on brokers bill. The range of 18 lakh kg-20 lakh
on some mechanism Tea Board should give a kg. Till March, average price
through the Maharashtra clear directive on the issue, realised at the auctions was
Cooperation Development the sources said. more than 100 a kg. It is
Corporation, he said. The issue has resulted about 70 a kg now, he said.

Mandate local sourcing for New solar

home rooftop solar system
Guarantee obligations cant be fixed if parts require import
TCA Sharad Raghavan
NEW DELHI
To boost use of rooftop solar
systems in residences, the
government should mandate
domestically-sourced com-
ponents which could inspire
confidence among potential
customers, according to Tata
Power Solar CEO and exec-
utive director Ashish
Khanna.
The bigger issues facing
solar power projects in India
are getting lost in the overt
focus on lower tariffs, Mr.
Khanna told The Hindu,
stressing that it was equally
important to assess the qual-
ity of projects and whether
they were meeting cost and
longevity assumptions.
If NTPC, for example, is
developing a project, then
there will be more than 200
quality engineers working
on it, Mr. Khanna said in an
interview. If somebody puts
his money on rooftop solar,
and with most of the com-
ponents coming from out-
side India, the guarantee ob-
ligations are very difficult to
enforce. So the confidence
will not be generated on the
quality.
If the rooftop segment
was reserved for domestic
manufacturing, then the
customer has a company
within the country to ad-
dress any issues that arise,
there is legislation, so that
company cannot just up and
vanish, Mr. Khanna added.
There is a quality that can
be mandated for products in
India and in the same pro-
cess, you have a sector that
is aligning their growth to
the growth of rooftop solar.
It is a win-win situation.
Another reason for the
poor adoption of rooftop
solar in India where the in-
stalled capacity is so far only
1,247 MW out of a target of
40 GW by 2022 is that the
tariffs in place do not make
business sense for residen-
tial rooftop solar systems.
In rooftops, there are
commercial rooftops and
residential, Mr. Khanna
explained.
CM
YK
Low voltage: Roof size, right of use and costs are all issues in
the residential sector, says Tata Power Solars Khanna.
The commercial solar
rooftop segment is growing.
The level that is coming
from the commercial
rooftops is lower than the
grid cost of power, so there
is a business model. In the
residential part, that busi-
ness model is not coming.
The size of the roof, the roof
rights, the cost are all issues.
In India, because the resid-
ential tariffs for power are
lower than those for com-
mercial establishments,
there is no business incent-
ive for installing residential
rooftop solar system.
The third important issue
to be addressed is how to en-
courage rooftop solar while
also helping the power dis-
tribution companies, he
said. If something (rooftop
solar) is taking away the best
clients of the discoms, why
should they promote those
after a certain point, Mr.
Khanna wondered.
Big clientele
If big companies or affluent
residential customers, which
are the biggest clients of dis-
coms, begin to install
rooftop solar, then we have
to give the discoms some-
thing. If there is no win-win
solution, then there will be a
problem. The discoms are
not in a position to give up
those revenues.
While the uncertainty
over the Goods and Services
Tax had dented the bids re-
ceived for solar projects this
year, Mr. Khanna said older
large solar utility projects
bid out at tariffs of 4.63 and
power bid
norms will
reduce risk
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
NEW DELHI
The Ministry of New & Re-
newable Energy (MNRE)
has said its guidelines for
tariff-based bidding for
procuring solar power will
reduce risk, enhance trans-
parency and increase
affordability.
The MNRE had issued
the new guidelines for tar-
iff based competitive bid-
ding process on August 3.
The guidelines have
been issued under the pro-
visions of Section 63 of the
4.34 had seen their as- Electricity Act, 2003 for
sumptions working out so long term procurement
far. However, it was too early from grid-connected Solar
to tell whether the same PV Power Projects of 5 MW
would happen with more re- and above, through com-
cent projects bid at lower petitive bidding.
tariffs such as 3.15 and New Guidelines for Tar-
2.44. Please don't miss the iff Based Competitive Bid-
point that the bids were ding Process to reduce
made on the basis of certain risk, enhance transparency
assumptions, and assump- and increase affordability
tions being assumptions, of Solar Power, the min-
can go either way, he said. istry said in a statement on
Saturday.
Cost absorption Besides, it said, the
Nobody has the margins to move would help protect
absorb costs if they are too consumer interests
much higher than the as- through affordable power.
sumptions made while bid- It will also provide
ding, Mr. Khanna said. standardisation and uni-
It is impossible for a formity in processes and a
company to absorb an input risk-sharing framework
tax rate of 18% when they between various stake-
have assumed 5% at the time holders involved in the
of bidding. Nobody was sure solar PV power procure-
of the GST rate until the gov- ment, it said.
ernment notified them, and This will also help re-
it's not like they gave a one- duce off-taker risk and en-
year period where they said courage investments, en-
that this is what the rate will hance bankability of the
be in one year's time, so Projects and improve prof-
please do your costing ac- itability for the investors.
cordingly, he pointed out. Some of the salient fea-
If we go by the number tures of the the new norms
of MW up for bid in January- include generation com-
July 2017, there are fewer pensation for off-take con-
bids this year than the same straints for reducing off-
period of last year, he ad- take risks.
ded. The must-run status for
Most of the projects are solar projects has been
being deferred as far as the stressed upon.
bidding timelines are con- Besides, to ensure lower
cerned. People are awaiting tariffs, minimum PPA
clarity on the GST effect. He (power purchase agree-
also said that apart from the ment) tenure has been kept
tariffs, the developers and at 25 years. Moreover, uni-
the government alike must lateral termination or
focus on the larger issues of amendment of PPA is not
the sector. allowed.
B ND-NDE
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12 BUSINESS ABROAD
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NOIDA/DELHI

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017

THE HINDU

IN BRIEF
No end to British wage crush Yellen sets out her stall
Fed chief bats for tighter regulation as Trump mulls a pick
despite tumbling jobless rate Gina Chon
WASHINGTON
U.S. Federal Reserve Chair
U.K. real wages suffer biggest decline in G7 since global financial crisis Janet Yellen has set out her
stall for Donald Trump. In
Reuters what may be her last set-
LONDON piece speech at the annual
Philippines will lift Uber Britains economy faces a Jackson Hole central
suspension if fine paid paradox. Unemployment bankers confab, she defen-
MANILA has fallen to its lowest since ded tighter regulation since
The Philippine transport 1975 but no end is in sight to the financial crisis 10 years
regulator said it would lift a the longest squeeze on pay ago and called for continued
one-month suspension on in more than 100 years. U.S. leadership in global for-
Uber Technologies Inc. if it Businesses and trade uni- ums. The president wants to
paid a penalty of 190 million ons think workers are un- unwind the reforms, which
pesos ($3.7 million), a fine likely to see the 3% increase could be a factor as he con- Strong pitch: Janet Yellen has reiterated her support for the
nearly 20 times greater than in average earnings that the siders who should next lead post-crisis Dodd-Frank reforms. NYT *

Uber had offered to pay. The Bank of England predicts for the central bank.
regulator said Uber must also next year, despite record em- The Fed chief reiterated Mr. Trump pledged to do a nomic Council Director Gary
collectively pay its drivers ployment levels and wide- her support for the post- big number on Dodd-Frank Cohn for the top Fed role.
nearly 20 million pesos daily spread reports of shortages crisis Dodd-Frank reforms, and seeks an America first The Financial Times quoted
as financial assistance for the of skilled workers. saying changes such as for- approach to international the former Goldman Sachs
suspension period. Reuters Wage growth has been cing banks to hold more cap- bodies. Mr. Trump also president as saying the ad-
weak in many countries over ital have substantially boos- ordered FSOC to put a hold ministration must do bet-
the past decade, but in Bri- ted resilience without on designating any more ter in condemning neo-
tain the break with what was hurting economic growth. non-banks as systemically Nazis and other racist
the norm before the 2008- She said the creation of the risky. groups remarks that could
09 global financial crisis has Financial Stability Oversight cool Mr. Trumps enthusi-
been particularly acute. Council, made up of the COMMENT asm for Mr. Cohn, at least
Shifting employment pat- heads of Americas watch- temporarily.
terns have weakened work- dogs, marked an important Mr. Trump has however, Ms. Yellen steered clear of
ers ability to demand a step in ensuring risky activit- said he might reappoint Ms. monetary policy comments
greater slice of the pie from ies dont fall through the Yellen when her term as in her speech, instead laying
employers and the size of cracks. She also said U.S. chair expires in February. out a measured, footnoted
that pie is growing more leadership of global efforts The Fed has hiked interest philosophy on regulation.
WD skirts Toshiba chip slowly than before because Hard times: Shifting employment patterns have weakened workers ability to demand a greater to coordinate regulation rates twice this year, but she Thats not Mr. Trumps style
unit management role of a slump in productivity slice of the pie from employers, and the size of the pie is growing more slowly. REUTERS * through the Basel Commit- has been cautious about the and Mr. Cohn is more in fa-
TOKYO growth. tee and the Financial Stabil- central banks path to norm- vour of deregulation but

<
> Workers
Western Digital Corp., part of do not The number of workers on the table, he said in a ity Board have made the sys- alisation. The Fed first raised he likes her dovish approach
a group offering to buy Wage stagnation redux feel confident on zero-hours contracts, speech in June. tem safer. rates in 2015 after having a on interest rates. The Fed
Toshiba Corp.s memory chip One top BoE official has even which offer no guaranteed Ms. Yellen said its worth near-zero rate policy in chair has given the president
enough to ask for a
unit, is not seeking a questioned whether Britain work and in practice often Turning point? reviewing regulations for place since 2008. It waited plenty to think about.
management role in the
pay rise
is returning to the wage stag- tie them to a single em- It is however possible Bri- example to help smaller another year before increas- (The author is a Reuters
business, people familiar with Kate Bell
nation that dogged the coun- Trades Union Congress
ployer, peaked at 905,000 tains labour market is near- banks lend to small busi- ing rates again in 2016. Breakingviews columnist. The
the matter told Reuters. try for centuries before the late last year. One million ing a turning point, and nesses but any adjust- The president is also con- opinions expressed are her
Toshiba is scrambling to sell 18th century Industrial The 2.7% fall puts Britain part-time workers also want some of the post-crisis ments should be modest. Yet sidering his National Eco- own)
its flash memory unit to cover Revolution. in bottom place among the full-time work. factors bearing down on
losses from its bankrupt U.S. For Larry Joyce, chairman worlds seven largest ad- Workers do not feel con- wages are beginning to ease.
nuclear business, of metal foundry Kimber vanced economies. In fident enough to ask for a The number of workers
Westinghouse. Reuters Mills, keeping a tight grip on Europe only Greece and Por- pay rise, said Kate Bell, a on zero-hour contracts has WEEK AHEAD IN MARKETS
wage costs is essential. tugal have fared worse. senior official at Britains fallen in the past six months,
Four percent annual pay Britains shortfall looks set Trades Union Congress. employers report increased
rises were typical in Britain
before the financial crisis.
Now Joyce tries to raise
to worsen this year because
of the pick-up in inflation
since the Brexit vote. Pay
Bank of England data
show rates of trade union
membership are the lowest
skills shortages and some re-
cruiters are finding they
must offer big pay rises to
Investors seek gems among
wages by no more than the
BoEs inflation target of 2%.
During the worst of the
grew 2.1% in the second
quarter, but inflation was up
2.7%.
since the 1930s, while the
proportion of British work-
ers who are self-employed is
tempt candidates.
The effect of a weaker
pound since the Brexit refer-
unloved U.S. small-cap stocks
crisis, pay was frozen. the highest since records endum in June 2016 and con-
In good years, most staff
can expect a bonus from a
Zero-hours contracts
What makes Britain different
began in the mid-19th
century.
cerns about Britain leaving
the EU make this a particular
Firms more reliant on U.S. policy have declined recently
profit sharing scheme. to Greece and Portugal is It was in this context that issue for sectors such as con- Reuters mood in Washington.
Settlement in Subway But its for one year. So if that, on the surface, its la- the BoEs chief economist, struction that rely on foreign NEW YORK The S&P 600 price/earn-
Footlong thrown out things dip back down again, bour market appears to be Andy Haldane, highlighted workers. U.S. small-cap stocks, ings ratio is currently 19.7
A U.S. federal appeals court you are not saddled with a booming. similarities between the Well advertise for highly sensitive to the fate compared with its long-
threw out a class-action level of wages you cant sus- Unemployment fell to weak response of wages to people and unless we put of President Donald term average of 17.3, while
settlement intended to tain, he explained. 4.4% in the three months to falls in unemployment since these increased rates on the Trumps policy ambitions, the Russell 2000 forward
resolve claims that Subway Weakness in British wages June, its lowest rate since 2013, and a much longer advert, people wont reply, may face more selling pres- P/E is 25.4 compared with
sandwich chain deceived pre-dates last years vote to 1975. period of stagnation said Simon Noakes of Be- sure, leaving small-cap in- its 21.3 historical average.
customers by selling leave the European Union Unlike in the United between 1500 and 1700. spoke Recruitment, who vestors scrambling for qual- As a result, Jefferies
Footlong subs that were but concern about Brexit is States, where unemploy- Prior to the Industrial now offers bricklayers 210 ity names and more equity strategist Steven De-
less than a foot long. The 7th among factors that make ment is similarly low, there Revolution ... most workers pounds ($269) a day, up resilient sectors. Sanctis says, the Russell
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Joyce doubt wages will rise are not large numbers of were self-employed or from 160-170 pounds last Small-caps, which are 2000 could fall 10% or
termed the settlement faster in future. people who have given up worked in small businesses. year. But official data show more reliant on U.S. policy more, bringing it below
utterly worthless. Subway Most British companies looking for a job. There were no unions. wage growth in the construc- and economic conditions where it was before Mr.
has more than 44,000 Trump trouble: Doubts that
take a similar view. The However this masks a big Hours were flexible, depend- tion sector as a whole is than are large multination- Trumps Nov. 8 election as
locations worldwide. Reuters the President can deliver on
Chartered Institute for Per- fall in job security for many ing on what work was slowing, and CIPD analyst als, have fallen recently on valuations are high and
pro-business promises have
sonnel and Development, a Britons, and a weaker bar- needed to collect the crops, Mr. Davies said trends in re- rising doubts that Mr. volatility is on the rise.
spurred losses. AFP *

professional body for human gaining position for others. milk the cows or put bread cruiters day-rates and start- Trump can deliver on pro- The bearishness is send-
resources staff, said 2% is the ing salaries did not give a business promises such as Some strategists are ing investors to seek value
most common annual in- good steer on future moves tax cuts. bearish on the small-cap in specific small-cap sectors
crease in basic pay in the in average wages. sector as a whole, citing a and stocks that still look
private sector. Moreover, faster wage Trail broader market patchier earnings outlook cheap but have strong
In the public sector, pay rises will not be sustainable After outperforming in late than for multinationals as growth prospects. For ex-
rises have been capped at 1% until British productivity 2016 after Mr. Trumps elec- well as doubts about Mr. ample smaller financial and
since 2013 as part of govern- growth improves its dismal tion, the S&P 600 index of Trumps agenda. information technology
ment austerity measures. post-crisis trend. smaller companies has And small-cap indexes, stocks are strong value con-
Employers are not under Output per hour has stag- fallen 1.4% in 2017 while the which are typically more tenders while utilities and
pressure to raise wages, nated since 2008, compared Russell 2000, which in- volatile than the S&P 500, consumer staples stocks are
Semi-automated trucks CIPD labour market analyst with an average of 2% a year cludes smaller firms, is up may face high volatility in out of favour among many
to hit U.K. roads by 2018 Gerwyn Davies said. before the crisis, and is 1.4% versus the S&P 500s coming months as U.S. law- investors.
LONDON
The result is that after in- closely correlated with wage 9.2% rise. makers debate controver- Given that the economy
Britain will begin trials of flation is taken into account, trends. With Russell 2000 and sial issues such as the debt is better, were more cyc-
semi-automated, wirelessly average pay in Britain last I cant overstate the sig- S&P 600 multiples above ceiling. lical biased. That leads us to
connected truck convoys on year was 2.7% lower than at nificance of this underlying historical averages, small- Smaller companies are companies from technology
public roads by the end of its peak in 2007, according factor behind disappointing cap investors are carefully much more at risk than to industrials, said Michael
2018, in a bid to find more to figures from the Paris- (pay) growth, Mr. Davies picking their steps. the large and more interna- Corbett, chief investment
fuel-efficient ways to based Organisation for Eco- said. Investment is not in- Theres a lot of value in tionally exposed compan- officer at Perritt Capital
transport goods. nomic Co-operation and De- creasing in terms of skills or small-cap land if you can ies, according to Michael Management, who focuses
Development of the velopment (OECD) think capital and machinery. Until look through the rubble, Purves, Chief Global on small-caps. Valuations
technology has already tank. that happens ... employers said St. Denis Villere III, Strategist at Weeden & Co., within staples look expens-
started elsewhere in Europe By contrast, average pay wont be able to afford the portfolio manager at Villere who cited concerns about ive today, whether its food
and the United rose nearly 18% in real terms Time travel: The weak response of wages to falls in 2% plus pay increases that & Co. in New Orleans, LA. the lack of a cohesive or utilities.
States. Reuters between 2000 and 2007. unemployment are similar to the 1500-1700 stagnation. * AFP we all want.

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At Fed conference, Trumponomics draws a not so subtle rebuttal

While the ECBs Draghi called for free trade and stronger multilateral institutions, researchers argued that China and Mexico are less to blame for job losses than technology
Reuters economy a decade ago, and President has criticised. policy, but they are con- financial advisor to the chief
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. economic research arguing A turn towards protec- cerned that new waves of minister of Indias Kerala.
U.S. President Donald that China and Mexico are tionism would pose a serious protectionism or reckless de- But they also agreed that
Trumps name was rarely less to blame for job losses risk for continued productiv- regulation could threaten an Mr. Trumps seemingly sin-
mentioned as top central than forces like technology. ity growth and potential economic system that is cur- gular focus on trade agree-
bankers and economists For some, memories of growth in the global eco- rently stable and that has re- ments wont fix the problem.
spent Friday mulling the fate this experience may be fad- nomy, Mr. Draghi said in a turned to growth across the Renegotiating NAFTA
of the global economy at a ing memories of just how lunch address that included world. and protectionist measures
mountain lodge here. costly the financial crisis was a defense of the World Trade against China will not save
But his presence loomed and of why certain steps Organization, the Group of Nod for workers plight jobs, University of
large at a Federal Reserve were taken, Ms. Yellen said 20 and other global groups In a panel on trade, there Pennsylvania professor Ann
symposium, and even in arguing for only modest he felt should be was more direct skepticism Harrison said, arguing that
without citing the man in the changes to existing strengthened. of Mr. Trumps approach, the decline in manufacturing
White House, the presenta- regulations. The rise of Mr. Trump, the even as economists and cent- jobs was due to labour-saving
tions from Fed chair Janet Ms. Yellen is still in the vote by Britian to leave the ral bankers here agreed they management and
Yellen, European Central running to be reappointed by European Union and the had ignored for too long how technologies.
Bank President Mario Draghi Mr. Trump to a new term. spread of opposition to glob- difficult the adjustment Policy, the economists
and a host of researchers alisation have worried cent- would be for workers. here said, should be aimed at
amounted to a broad rebuttal Risk of protectionism ral bankers and many main- We have lost the rhetoric improving job skills, local
of many of the ideas that car- Mr. Draghi, traveling from stream economists who feel on trade in terms of explain- capital investment and safety
ried Mr. Trump to office. Frankfurt and representing a that the problems associated ing to those who benefit why net programs for displaced
It was a day when the group of U.S. allies that the with globalisation have over- they do, such as cheaper workers, the sort of micro-
presidents calls for financial administration has sparred shadowed the benefits and products, while all of the fo- level efforts that can be hard
deregulation and America with over climate change, morphed into broad opposi- cus has been on those who to organise and finance and
First economic nationalism trade and other issues, gave a tion to it. have lost, said Gita Gop- take time to show results.
were countered by Ms. Yel- broad call for free trade and Remedies for these issues inath, professor of interna- It is so much easier to
lens reminder of how a deep stronger multilateral institu- may be outside the immedi- tional studies and economics bash China, Ms. Harrison Unseen presence: While Trumps name was rarely mentioned at the central bankers retreat,
financial crisis wrecked the tions of the sort that the U.S. ate sphere of monetary at Harvard University and said. remarks by Yellen, left, and Draghi broadly rejected the ideas that helped him win office. REUTERS *

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THE HINDU
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017
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Vivisecting insensitivity
The need to evolve with the other person and feel empathy even without using words
Sumit Paul
A
couple of years ago, I
was an indifferent wit-
ness to a couples tiff at
a restaurant in Vellore in
Tamil Nadu. We know of the
universal tendency of lovers
to fight in public using not-
so-polished language. Here
they were, accusing each
other of insensitivity and
other emotional shortcom-
ings which suddenly become
obvious during a round of
name-calling. This made me
wonder if the young couple
really understood the mean-
ing and gamut of
insensitivity.
Insensitivity is the emo-
tional absence of feelings. In
one word, its unfeeling and
coldness of behaviour shown
and extended towards other
person/s and things on
earth. But wait for it to un-
fold itself so that you can get
a comprehensive picture of
insensitivity vis-a-vis
sensitivity.
Once the Hindi poet Sum-
itranandan Pant witnessed a
child cry so much he asked
his mother what had
happened to the child. Why
was he crying so badly? His
mother told the great poet
that the child had seen a
truck running a cat over and
the disembowelled, gory car-
cass had made it cry hyster-
ically. Pant got the practical
images of two contrasting
emotions at the same place.
While the childs grown-up,
mature mother evinced ex-
treme insensitivity in narrat-
ing this so nonchalantly, re-
maining unmoved by the
disturbing spectacle, her
childs crying showed a sens-
itive heart that moved him to
tears, in a deluge of
emotions.
Insensitivity is something
we all keep showing, without
Selfies and the ruling self-obsession
Where will the narcissistic pursuit of turning the camera on ones own image take this generation?
Matthew Adukanil
T
he typical cultural icon
of this decade is un-
doubtedly the selfie.
With even selfie expert cell-
phones grabbing eyeballs,
the ubiquitous selfie culture
defines todays citizen, from
presidents and prime minis-
ters to picnickers and plat-
form vendors. Taking wing
on the speed-record-smash-
ing electronic media, images
reach any part of the globe
before you bat an eyelid.
The selfie obsession pays
no homage to conventional
discretion. It becomes an
overpowering urge, sending
logic and good sense into a
tizzy. Selfie addicts pose be-
fore speeding trains and take
shots from train roofs and
leave tragic memories on the
tracks. Others are thrilled by
defying heights and balance
precariously on cliffs, precip-
ices and edges of sky-
scrapers, often plunging to
the gaping depths, camera
and selfie in hand. Many of
those who have tried these
fate-defying shots have not
lived to see their selfies. Oth-
ers are not intimidated by
The technological ordeal that humankind faces
We need to ask ourselves if personal isolation is a natural concomitant of the advancement of tech
Shreelekha Singh
W
e have so much to
thank technology
for today. Life is
easier, more convenient and
faster than ever before. But
ladies and gentleman, today,
let us open our eyes, ears
and minds to consider at
what cost we have brought
forth this lifestyle.
Let me begin by making it
clear that I am not under-
mining the role technology
has played in transforming
human life, right from the in-
vention of the wheel in the
Stone Age to that of the Inter-
net in the 20th century. But,
dear reader, till when will we
remain oblivious to the role
that technology has played in
combining the antithetical
terms: social and isolation?
Blinded by the dubious ef-
ficiency of the technology
that we own, engrossed in
CM
YK
knowing what we are doing.
Insensitivity is when we har-
bour rancour and ill-feeling
while parting with someone
we once loved and adored.
Insensitivity is the retention
and preservation of silly ego
that precludes us from
reaching out to the other
person and saying a genuine
sorry to remove the bad
blood.
Behavioural faux pas
Insensitivity is the sudden
ruthlessness of a person to-
wards someone whom he/
she knew for years. Insensit-
ivity is not waiting for the
opportune time to blurt out
the things one wants to
speak out. Insensitivity is
choosing the wrong time to
divulge what one thinks or
feels (often negatively) about
a person or situation. Insens-
itivity is also when one
doesnt care for anothers
the open jaws of deadly cro-
codiles and venture to have
their selfies shot closest to
the beast. Like Tennysons
Light Brigade, they crave to
charge into the jaws of
death most eagerly. Or get-
ting extremely close to tigers
in zoos, they pose at im-
possible angles for a shot,
and take a fatal fall, unable to
escape Newtons laws of
gravity. Yet, the call of the
selfie adventure goes on in-
exorably like the seducing
voice of the enchantress in
Keatss subtly chilling poem
La Belle Dame sans Merci.
Emulating Narcissus
If the Greek mythical figure
Narcissus had a camera, he
would probably have been
the worlds first selfie expert.
Falling fatally in love with his
own reflection in the water,
he could not tear himself
away from his watery Face-
book browsing and neg-
lected distracting things like
eating and drinking, shrink-
ing day by day and vanishing
from the face of the earth.
The selfie would definitely
not have found favour with
the Greek philosopher Plato.
highlighting the so-called
best of our lives on social me-
dia, and afraid of missing out
on the distressing advance-
ment were moving towards,
we, all of us, have
wretchedly compromised
the moment were living in.
Pseudo-progress
As the descendants of mod-
ern humans, deeply focussed
on capturing the moment in-
stead of living it, we have
reached that fatal stage of
our pseudo-progress where
if we look up to face our sur-
roundings we will
see nobody
but the mali-
cious figure
of our own
isolation. And I
hold technology
responsible for it. For
the Facebook generation,
isolation has made its way
through, very easily. The so-
<
> Sensitivity is when
you can look into
the other persons
eyes and read his
mind...
T.S. Eliot
feelings and walks over to
him or her in a huff. In short,
insensitivity is an inveterate
behavioural faux pas.
Au contraire, sensitivity is
not a quality or trait. Its the
positive outcome of ones
whole persona and contains
the minutest details and nu-
ances of inherently accumu-
lated civilised behaviour in
public, and even in complete
privacy.
In April 2011, yours truly
took a lady professor out for
lunch in Cape Town, South
Africa. She was a hardcore
non-vegetarian. Having
ordered asparagus soup with
bread crumbs for myself, I
asked her to order a non-ve-
For him the real world is not
the one we live in but the
world of ideas, and things on
this earth are only poor cop-
ies or imitations of the ideal
world. And he considered art
and poetry imitation of an
imitation and therefore of
little value. The philosopher
Descartes debunked the
Maya theory of reality by
betting on his thought pro-
cess: I think, therefore I
am. If he could live in our
cial media that we own as a
form of technology has made
us so habitual of side-step-
ping, of avoiding, the social
interaction that we cant deal
with, that we are separating
ourselves from the rest on
our own. A study by the Uni-
versity of Pittsburgh repor-
ted that people spending
more than two hours of their
time a day on social me-
dia have twice
the odds of
getarian dish for herself. Or-
der anything non-veget-
arian, even alligators meat
[the restaurant indeed
served crocodile and al-
ligator meat] if you feel like
and dont consider my veget-
arian preferences even in the
west, I told her.
Her reply stayed with me
and will remain embossed
on the palimpsest of mind
till the last day. She said,
Despite being a non-veget-
arian, I cant eat it in your
presence because you come
to Cape Town once in two
years. I can sacrifice my
meat for your sake as you
visit so rarely. But the most
important point is my tem-
porary ethical sensitivity on
this count. I know youve
never touched meat in your
entire life and in spite of
your vehement insistence, I
can read into your eyes that
you feel terribly uncomfort-
times he would have said, I
click, therefore I exist.
The mirror is probably the
first artificial device that
shows our physical image. It
is the source of self-admira-
tion, handsome income for
some and of desperation to
the less-well-endowed. As
Hamlet said, God gave them
one face but they make
themselves another to earn
the compliments of the look-
ing glass. Today, plastic sur-
facing social isolation than
those who spend a half hour
a day. This is the dismal real-
ity today, and I hold techno-
logy responsible for it.
In bygone years, when
there were no shackles of
able while eating with a non-
vegetarian. Her behavioural
reply moved me to tears.
This is what we call sensit-
ivity. Despite meeting the au-
thor hardly a couple of
times, she could read the dis-
comfiture in his eyes while
eating with non-vegetarians.
T.S. Eliot said, Sensitivity
is when you can look into
the other persons eyes and
read his mind without wait-
ing for him to utter those
words.
Sensitivity is to evolve
with the other person and
feel an empathy without
words ever interfering in the
process. But for that, one
needs simultaneous evolu-
tion of mind, heart and soul.
Do we have that or ever
even expect to have, is the
million dollar question.
Ask yourself.
sumitmaclean@hotmail.com
gery has reduced many to
tears and penury.
Some have come to grief
because of dubious surgical
procedures, in the process
even losing their face in
more than one sense. Be-
lieved to have undergone nu-
merous plastic surgery ses-
sions, singer Michael
Jacksons natural look is
probably known by very few.
Images of power
The visual impact of images
is not at all lost on politi-
cians. Dictators such as
Stalin and Mao in the past,
and North Korean President
Kim Jong-Un today, have
made sure they have their
huge portraits prominently
displayed in halls and public
places to remind subjects
that everyone is under their
gaze and power.
On the other hand, dictat-
ors have banned the display
of any portraits they con-
sider dangerous to their ca-
reer. During the communist
occupation of Poland, when
young Pope John Paul II was
the auxiliary Bishop of Cra-
cow, there was a running
battle of wits between him
technology binding our
hands, interaction was valu-
able.
Words werent just words
but feelings conveyed
through letters, the wait to
meet a loved one wasnt brief
but nevertheless blissful,
public gatherings werent a
grand event once in a blue
moon but routine occur-
rences, and man wasnt isol-
ated but sociable.
Today, we have the facil-
ity of sending messages
in no time, of
landing at any
place on earth
within a few
hours, of
holding
public con-
ference
without having
to face the public, and of liv-
ing on our own, separated
from everybody else.
By making everything so
World of Chhota Bheem
This TV show for children perpetrates biases, stereotypes
Meenakshi A.
C
hhota Bheem nar-
rates the story of the
valorous nine-year-
old Bheem, a persona
loosely based on the
eponymous character in
Hindu mythology known for
strength. Little Bheem lives
in the fictional city-state of
Dholakpur, and in each tele-
vision episode, when faced
with various perils, he pro-
ceeds to tackle them with
the help of his friends
Chutki, Raju and Jaggu
Bandar, the monkey.
Despite the lifeless anima-
tion and dim plotlines, the
ILLUSTRATION: SREEJITH R KUMAR
show currently has at least
40 million viewers, and Ch-
hota Bheem merchandise
from toothpaste to toys flood
Indian stores. Though the
producers of the show have
had extraordinary success,
hardly anyone has ventured
beyond the fun and excite-
ment it offers children to
analyse the sexist, racial, lin-
guistic and other discrimina-
tion deeply embedded in the
show.
Gender bias
The gender bias is explicit:
Chutki has the fairest skin of
all the characters and has
two pink spots on her
cheeks. She loves playing
with the boys but also is very
feminine and keeps herself
busy with all sorts of arts
and household chores, de-
scribes the official website of
the show. She never parti-
cipates when physically
strenuous fighting or other
kinds of movements are in-
volved. The sheer violence
displayed by Bheem, mas-
querading as teaching the
villains a lesson, is unnerv-
ing and he is an epitome of
the macho male (or as much
of a macho male that a nine-
year-old can be).
and the communist officials.
To suppress Christian influ-
ence, the government
banned the carrying of the
famous portrait of the Black
Madonna at the Marian pro-
cession. The ecclesiastic had
the frame of the picture car-
ried during the event
without the picture and the
faithful flocked to the feast,
knowing full well whose por-
trait had been placed there.
Some religions also have
their reservations about hav-
ing images of divinity or
saints. Primitive peoples
could easily mistake image
for the reality. Moreover,
God can never be adequately
expressed in images. The Old
Testament forbade the mak-
ing or worshipping of any
image of Yahweh. Some Prot-
estant churches and Muslims
forbid sacred images.
The cultural tension
between the flash and dis-
play-all and cover and con-
ceal-all mentality is not
likely to ease any time soon.
Meanwhile, dare-all, share-
all and blare-all seems to be
ruling credo today.
adukanildb@gmail.com
easily accessible and con-
venient, we have actually
lost the essential bond with
them, the real value or
meaning of each relation.
And in doing so we have
made ourselves more discon-
nected than ever before. We
seem to be replacing all our
human physical contacts
with intangible, technolo-
gical ones.
We have to accept the
grim fact that we are living in
a world of crooked relation-
ships, fake identities and
forced communications. And
technology is to be held re-
sponsible for it.
With great power comes
a great responsibility and if
technology has made us
powerful, then it has surely
made us irresponsible
enough to create and spread
our own isolation, blindly.
sshreelekha4@gmail.com
OPEN PAGE 13
ited Kerala on an adventure.
It was interesting to note
how linguistic othering was
an important way of con-
structing the identity of
Malayalis. In the Hindi ver-
sion of the episode, the
Malayalis spoke Hindi (the
language Bheem and his
friends speak) with an ac-
Bheem has a rival in his cent that sounded odd, and
village, Kalia. It may not many of them were carica-
come as a surprise that not tures that exclaimed aiyo
only him but most other vil- from time to time, meant to
lains in the show are dark- evoke mirth. Kalia wants to
skinned. In an episode emu- learn Kathakali, a perform-
lating Jack and the Beanstalk, ance art form native to Ker-
the giant is dark-skinned and ala, and he is ridiculed.
wears tiger skin. In another episode, Dan-
cing with the Tribes, the im-
Racial prejudice age of the tribal cannot be
There is reason to believe more stereotypical, and
this racial prejudice historic- their language is gibberish.
ally comes from the antag- Bheem and his friends make
onism between the expan- fun of them by attempting to
sionist invaders of the imitate them. Bheem also
ancient times who lived in goes to meet the Incas, ali-
agricultural city-states and ens and many other groups
the dark-skinned tribes, who in various episodes. But
were forest-dwellers. Due to every visit is necessarily
this, the rakshasa, or the de- based on some sort of con-
mon, in the literature of the flict or antagonism, the mes-
civilised and settled agri- sage being, what is different
cultural communities, is is to be fought.
identified with the tribal
forest-dweller; and the giant Way to enmity
in the story, a rakshasa. From all this it seems to me
Curiously, even as Bheem that while superficially try-
saves an elephant from a ing to make other cultures
cruel hunter and is pro- familiar to viewers, all it
claimed a hero, in other does is essentialise them and
episodes he beats up hy- inculcate an intuitive aggres-
enas, fights tigers and at- sion or enmity towards
taches fireworks to a lions them. Behind the guise of
tail, simply because the last educational tales about mul-
three were threats to his tiple cultures lurks a
friends. This imposition of blatantly sexist, racist and
values of who is good and essentialist show. It claims to
who is bad on to the animal teach children values and
world no doubt makes the morals, but in truth cultiv-
little viewers internalise cer- ates biases and perpetrates
tain erroneous notions. stereotypes. Is this what we
want our children watching,
On linguistic lines especially in times such as
An episode of particular in- those we are in today?
terest to me was one where
Bheem and his friends vis- meenakshiajaykumar@gmail.com
The draping rituals
(Mrs) Y.G. Parthasarathy tioned kuppathotti.com cas-
ually. I thought she was kid-
N othing is so silly as the
expression of a man
who is being complimen-
ding. I am a strict T-totaller
(one who abstains from
techno gadgets) for the
ted, goes a quote. Ive ob- simple reason that an apple
served so many silly faces of a year (versions of the
VIPs (including mine) on iPhone become obsolete so
stage as we are smothered quickly) keeps Goddess Ma-
with silken shawls as felicita- halakshmi away.
tions amidst applause. The 3 Rs and segregation
The sheepish grin frankly of waste are discussed at
reflects their thoughts on various forums. But I have
how to effectively recycle my own dot-com in my
this nth shawl that falls on mind that has been thinking
our shoulder. This sartorial of the shawls and roses that
dilemma ends in the Hob- are mandatory during polit-
sons choice of preserving ical, social and cultural
the shawls in our wardrobe, functions. Maybe a start-up
protected by moth-balls. or a rose-bank to recycle
those faded roses from gar-
Two items lands into edible gulkand or
I have wondered what hap- fragrant perfumes is already
pens to the scores of shawls under way.
and the ephemeral roses It is taboo to place a gar-
that pile up in the VIPs land of roses that has ad-
drawing rooms! Many who orned a human torso in a
ascend the stage in parts of puja room. So, how can the
India return with two things roses be reused instead of
for sure: a glitzy shawl and a being discarded in trash?
garland.
Even the chauffeur la- Multiple options
ments the ignorance of the Regarding shawls, before
educated elite who spend they lose their sheen we can
money on them. While I was convert them into canopies
sharing my thoughts with for the terrace garden or
my assistant, she innocently transform them into ethnic
remarked that like the wall-hangings. But a more
blouse pieces given along practical thing to do is to
with vetthalai pakku that of- make these into a childs
ten come back rightfully to skirt, or frocks. Better still,
the giver, so will the shawls your own tops over suitable
go a full circle. cotton pyjamas, or fancy
My assistant also men- tops. The choice is yours!
More on the Web
thehindu.com/opinion/open-page
Living lessons from the Narmada
Some perspectives on the chequered
life-story of the amazing struggle
SUMITRA M. GAUTAMA
Hair today, none tomorrow
As allegations of a braid-chopping spree
persist, some thoughts on hirsute pursuits
VIVEK K. AGNIHOTRI
Spitters galore, without a care
The widespread habit of spitting in public
places without a care for those around, remains
ANUBHOOTI KABRA RATHI
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017

THE HINDU
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IN BRIEF
In Australian jail, prisoners and Study linking temperature,
animals help each other heal
Scheme develops life skills in offenders preparing for the outside world
Nano diamonds prevent
fires in phone batteries Agence France-Presse
Sydney
NEW YORK
Researchers have found that Australian prisoners are
nanodiamonds tiny caring for animals that have
diamond particles 10,000 been abandoned, attacked
times smaller than the by predators, hit by cars or
diameter of a hair can even seized in a drug bust as
prevent short-circuits in part of a rehabilitation
lithium batteries used in programme.
smartphones. A new process Kangaroos, emus, wom-
turns electrolyte solution in bats, snakes and cockatoos
batteries into a safeguard are just some of the native
against the chemical process creatures being nursed back
that leads to fires. IANS to health by inmates at a
wildlife centre based in the
John Morony Correctional
Complex outside Sydney.
Officials say the scheme
helps instil a sense of re-
sponsibility and develops life
skills for offenders preparing
for the outside world.
Animals show love and
Woman wins $758.7 mn respect unconditionally,
in U.S. jackpot, quits job they dont judge, so over
NEW YORK time the inmates form rela-
A 53-year-old Massachusetts tionships with the animals,
woman who scooped the the wildlife centres senior
largest single jackpot in U.S. officer Ian Mitchell said.
history $758.7 million It is a real positive impact
immediately quit her hospital and the animals can actually
job of 32 years. Mavis sometimes help people
Wanczyk said she had played heal.
the lottery as a pipe dream, Selected inmates are given
never believing that it would
one day be possible for her to
farm suicides challenged
Researchers say author incorrectly interprets suicide data
Special Correspondent They said the paper used
To have watched an an- Chennai
<
> These claims are a
consequence of
State-level data on suicides,
imal rehabilitate from some- Some academics have chal- both urban and rural. How
thing like that, its just an- lenged a recent study that uncritical use of can urban suicides be in-
other dynamic, Mr. Mitchell said that temperature dur- data, bad cluded in an analysis of agri-
says. ing Indias main agricultural- assumptions cultural suicides, they
Some former offenders growing season has a strong asked.
who have left prison con- positive effect on annual sui- claims to be baseless. The paper ignored the
tinue to work with wildlife, cide rates. These claims are a con- fact that the suicide data,
with one teaching people The paper, titled Climate sequence of the uncritical taken from the National
how to handle venomous change and agricultural sui- use of data, bad assump- Crime Records Bureau, had
snakes. cides in India and authored tions, flawed analysis and separated farmer suicides
Surrounded by about a by Tamma A. Carleton, has unacceptable neglect of the from those of other occupa-
dozen squawking white been published in the PNAS existing literature on global tional categories only after
cockatoos known for their journal (Proceedings of the warming and Indian agricul- 1995.
ability to mimic speech National Academy Sciences ture as well as farmer sui- The author did not ana-
one inmate said he had dis- of the United States). cides, they said. lyse individual crops but
Cheery hello: An inmate feeds a cockatoo at the John Morony covered a lot of caring I The study had used State- only considered a few such
Correctional Complex Wildlife Centre in Sydney. AFP * didnt know I had working level data from 1967 to 2013 Wrong premise as rice, wheat, sorghum,
with the animals. to suggest that an increase in The academics noted that sugar, maize and millet.
responsibility for a particu- brought them there. One of Tasked with feeding the temperature by a degree the author incorrectly used Cotton, closely associated
lar enclosure and are expec- the more unlikely cases the nocturnal wildlife, like the Celsius a day can cause 70 suicide data, wrongly identi- with farmer suicides, was a
ted to feed and build shelters centre handled was a python possums and wombats, he suicides. fied extreme temperatures notable omission as are a
for the animals, while being that was seized in a drug added he hopes to continue The evidence, it said, for crop production, took host of other cash crops.
taught how to care for their raid, with criminals holding to care for animals after his leads to the conclusion that only kharif as the relevant The author also ignored the
injuries or condition. the reptile as a deterrent. jail term ends. crop damage by extreme agricultural season to con- Rabi season.
Some animals never leave Im going to miss this temperatures leads to eco- sider extreme temperatures, The paper considered
as they would be vulnerable Rehabilitating a snake place, he said. nomic hardship and suicide. and wrongly identified the temperatures above 20 de-
to predators having become The snake had become Each corner you turn, In a press note, T. Jayara- relevant crops. grees Celsius as extreme
accustomed to the addicted to methamphetam- you are greeted in their man and Kamal Kumar Mur- As a result, the meaning temperatures.
enclosure. ine after absorbing the nar- way. ari of the Tata Institute of of the correlation that the This was flatly contra-
But most are later re- cotic through its skin and re- The ones that can talk Social Sciences and author claimed to find dicted by what was known
leased back into the wild, or quired treatment before it will say hello but the other Madhura Swaminathan of between extreme temperat- of the temperature depend-
found a home via the animal was released back into the ones that cant talk, they will Indian Statistical Institute ures and suicides was ence of crop production, the
rescue organisation that first wild. make a sign to say gday. said they considered these unclear. academics noted.

On Croatias coast, Uber takes its ride-hailing app to the seas

retire early. AFP

Service aimed at wealthy tourists who want personalised, on-demand service in a short time
Rick Lyman tag: 2,300 Croatian kuna, or late June in the luminous ar- ship figures for UberBOAT, destination and duration are
Split almost 23,625. We didnt chipelago of Croatias tourist- saying only that several up to the client. Mr. Tremac
Checking Google Maps dur- know what we were getting choked islands. hundred people used the said there were usually about
US, Canada to probe ing a sun-baked holiday on ourselves into, really, said Uber has previously run service in its first six weeks. 60 skippers online, waiting
deaths of whales the Dalmatian Coast, K.J. Mr. Gunnarsson, a flight en- boat services around specific Depending on the success in for customers, and that the
PORTLAND Gunnarsson and Eydis Osk, a gineer. events in Miami, Istanbul Croatia, he said, boat service goal was to have boats meet
Marine authorities in the U.S. couple from Iceland, Uber, the embattled global and Cannes, France, but could soon be available in customers within 15 minutes
and Canada have said they happened upon an ad for ride-hailing business whose company officials said the Greece, Spain, Thailand and of all requests.
will marshal resources to try something called UberBOAT. chief executive was forced to Croatia service was the first the Caribbean. Recent figures show Croa-
to find out what is behind a Soon they were enjoying a resign amid allegations of a attempt at a continuing mar- Visitors to the Croatian tia attracting 16 million tour-
string of deaths of private three-hour cruise workplace culture that ine presence. coast can book the boats ists a year.
endangered North Atlantic complete with snacks, drinks fostered discrimination and through the Uber app. There are regular ferry
right whales. The countries and sparkling turquoise sexual harassment, is taking Potential expansion Customers can choose services to the most popular
will collaborate on a report water. to the sea in one of several Davor Tremac, Ubers gen- one-way trips, or opt for an of Croatias 1,200 islands.
that could help craft future The couple enjoyed the experiments with new eral manager for Southeast adventure, which essen- UberBOAT is aimed at people
regulations that protect the jaunt but, back on shore, services. Europe, declined to provide tially means renting a craft who want a more personal- New horizons: Davor Tremac, Ubers general manager for
endangered whales. AP were stunned at the price UberBOAT was begun in specific revenue and rider- and crew for a cruise whose ised, on-demand service. Southeast Europe, and his wife in an UberBOAT. NYT *

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New antibody
Going baroque fights cancer
in dogs
Press Trust of India
Tokyo

Scientists have developed

an antibody that signific-
antly suppresses malignant
tumours in dogs.
Researchers from
Hokkaido University in Ja-
pan developed c4G12, a
chimeric anti-PD-L1 anti-
body, that induces im-
mune responses and there-
fore tumour regression in
dogs with malignant
cancers.
A pilot clinical study was
performed on seven dogs
with oral malignant melan-
oma. One of the dogs
showed obvious tumour re-
gression after 10 weeks of
Time for cosplay: People dress up in fancy costumes for the opening of the Baroque Festival in administration, said the
Gotha, Germany, on Friday. Baroque denotes European style of the 17th and 18th centuries and is study published in the
characterised by ornate detail. AP * journal Scientific Reports.

Syrian dancer uses art for peace

Ahmad Joudeh is travelling all over Europe to raise money for refugees
Nina Siegal in a collaboration with the
Amsterdam singer Sanga.
Last summer in Syria, He performed before
Ahmad Joudeh visited the 14,000 people in the Ziggo
demolished ruins of his fam- Dome in Amsterdam, in a
ily home in the Yarmouk concert to raise money for
refugee camp near Damas- refugees; and he has danced
cus to dance in the place at refugee-related events and
where his relatives had been conferences in Italy, France,
killed. Spain and Norway.
Behind him, separated At 16, totally self-taught,
only by a black curtain, was he auditioned for the main
a group of rebel snipers who Syrian ballet company, En-
occasionally fired off a shot; ana Dance Theater in Dam-
in front, Syrian military per- ascus, and was accepted.
sonnel patrolled the terrain. There he was trained in
A Dutch documentary film- Rebel with a cause: Ahmad Joudeh. * NYT ballet, gymnastics and mod-
maker, Roozbeh Kaboly, was ern dance.
there too, capturing the Kabolys 18-minute docu- next day, Brandsen started a Leaving Syria was wrench-
moment. mentary, also called Dance crowdfunding initiative to ing, Joudeh said, because he
You hear their guns? or Die, was a turning point raise at least 25,000 euros had to leave behind his
Joudeh says in Kabolys film. for Joudeh. It was broadcast to bring Joudeh to Amster- mother, brother and sister.
They told me they will last August on a Dutch show. dam. Within a few months, a Soon after he arrived in
shoot me in my leg just so Ted Brandsen, the managing visa, a residency permit, a Amsterdam, Joudeh got a
that I will lose my life as a director of the Dutch Na- program of study, housing second tattoo: the word
dancer. tional Ballet, saw it and was and a plane ticket were all ar- Free in English on his left
Joudeh, though, remains captivated. ranged. wrist, next to a picture of a
calm and shows the cameras Now, less than a year dove, a symbol of peace.
a tattoo on the back of his Complete focus since arriving in Europe, But when asked if he feels
neck: Dance or Die it He had something in his de- Joudeh has become a creat- free now, he shakes his head.
reads. This is my message, termination; a complete fo- ive spokesman for peace in You think, OK, you reach
he says. Many people are cus, Brandsen said in a re- Syria, using dance as his your freedom but all your
dead here. My uncles are cent interview. I thought: platform. people are not free, he said.
dead here; I will dance for There must be something In July he danced in front Any time that I can see my
their souls. we can do for this guy. The of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, mother I will feel free. NYT
CM B ND-NDE
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