Indian Abroad April 16-30, 2021 by IndianAbroad

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Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

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Delhi to be under weekend Kerala Polls: Sparks start to curfew till April 30 fly, fireworks not far behind Allahabad HC suggests complete lockdown in UP - Page 4

n order to break the chain of Covid-19 infections, the Delhi government on Thursday ordered imposition of weekend curfew in the city till April 30, except for essential activities or services. The curfew will be implemented from 10 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday from April 16.

Andhra CM wishes luck to farmers on Ugadi, prays for rains - Page 5

All shopping malls, gymnasiums, spas, auditorium, assembly halls, entertainment parks and similar places will be closed while cinema halls or theatres or multiplexes will

ith the elections over on April 6 and the long wait to continue till the declaration of results on May 2, the main political parties in Tamil Nadu are leaving no stone unturned to keep a watch on the strongrooms housing the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at the counting centres.

Accordingly, each political party has appointed agents in turn to watch the CCTV footages which show the doors of the strongrooms where EVMs are kept. The agents are working on an eight-hour shift and have been allocated a room in each in the counting centres. While the DMK

Priyanka attacks UP govt over ‘explosive’ Covid situation - Page 16

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Continued on Page 9

has been proactive in appointing agents to monitor the counting centres, all political parties of Tamil Nadu, including the ruling AIADMK, have appointed agents to watch the CCTV screens. Kokilavarnan, an agent of DMK who is in-charge of a counting centre in Chennai, told IANS, “We have agents who are registered with the Election Commission and they are employed in three shifts starting from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., and 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. We provide them food, snacks and tea for the job. These are hard-core party workers who are deputed as agents.”

ith May 2, the day of judgement for the political parties in Kerala fast approaching and a week after the crucial voting for the 140-member Assembly, sparks have started to fly between them on what could be the possible final results. Incidentally, this is perhaps the first Assembly election in which the ruling government came out with a hashtag that they will become the first government to retain office in

the state. The campaign was led by none other than Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself. Hence, contrary to the public perception about the maze of allegations flying thick and fast against the Vijayan government, the hashtag soon became the most talked about thing as many including the Congress-led Opposition leaders felt that electoral history might be re-written.

Continued on Page 9

Exhausted Yediyurappa cuts short poll campaign

arnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Thursday returned to Bengaluru, ending his campaigning for the Belgaum Lok Sabha bypolls, as he is suffering from fever and exhaustion.

Yediyurappa had been campaigning hard for the last fortnight in by-polls to three seats - the Belgaum Lok Sabha seat, the Maski Assembly seat in Raichur district, and the Basavakalyana Assembly seat in Bidar district.

People have to die when they get old, says Madhya Pradesh Minister that people have to die when they get old.

Continued on Page 3

CBSE exams for Class 10 cancelled, class 12 postponed: Education Minister

“You said that many people are dying every day. People get old and they have to die,” he said. Patel’s remarks came in reply to a question about the rising number of Covid deaths.

T Veteran actress Shashikala dies at 88 Page 35

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) issued the order on Thursday, nine days after it imposed night curfew in the city from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. till the end of April. The night curfew was imposed on April 6 to curtail the growth of Covid-19 pandemic which so far has infected over 7,67,438 people across the national capital and claimed lives of 11,540 so far.

Parties depute agents for 24hour vigil of strongrooms in TN

W Akhilesh Yadav tests Covid positive - Page 8

be permitted to open with 30 per cent of their seating capacity.

he Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) exams for Class 10 have been cancelled and the exams for Class 12 postponed in view of the exponential spike in Covid-19 cases across the country, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank

announced on Wednesday. The decision was taken in a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here amid demand from students, teachers, parents and other stakeholders to cancel it. Continued on Page 9

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n a statement set to spark off controversy, Madhya Pradesh Minister Prem Singh Patel on Thursday said no one can stop deaths due to coronavirus, and

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“I agree that these deaths are happening. But nobody can stop these deaths. Not only me, everyone in the country is talking about cooperation for protection from corona. We seek people’s cooperation. It is necessary to follow all necessary Covid precautionary measures including wearing masks, washing hands, following social distancing and getting treated by a doctor,” he said.

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

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LEAD STORIES

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Assembly Elections 2021 EC to deploy heavy security for April 17 Parties depute agents for 24- repoll at Velachery hour vigil of strongrooms in TN Continued from Page 1

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Congress have also deployed agents to monitor the counting centres. Abdul Latheef, a leader of the IUML at Vaniyambadi, the party’s stronghold, told IANS, “We have many workers who are ready to be vigilant round the clock. So our agents are there in the counting centres watching the CCTV footages of the strongrooms just to be sure that no manipulation is taking place.” Tamil Nadu Congress chief and senior leader K.S. Alagiri also confirmed that the party has posted

agents to monitor the counting

stations.

Record seizures made in Bengal polls include Hilsa fish, pan masala, sarees

he seizures made in West Bengal in this election season so far has surpassed the captures made in the recent polls in the state, making it obvious that money power has started making its footprints in the state.

The different agencies working under the Election Commission of India have made seizures worth more than Rs 290 crore, which is far more than the seizures made in the past elections. The data released by the Commission show that the different agencies cumulatively made seizures worth Rs 290.4 crore till date from the date of announcement of the polls.

the official said.

According to the EC officials, this is highest seizure made in any election season in the state so far. During the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, there was a cumulative seizure of Rs 177.5 crore, including Rs 65.9 crore in cash and liquor worth Rs 111.6 crore. There was negligible recovery in the last Assembly polls in 2016 when there was a seizure of only Rs 8.2 crore during the entire elections, including cash recovery of Rs 7.8 core and liquor worth Rs 40.5 lakh. “There were no financially sensitive constituencies in the state

because of the low recovery in 2016, but after this election the Commission will have to think in a different manner. The recent trend shows that like Tamil Nadu and Assam, money power has started making its footprints in the state,” the official added.

After the polls were notified on February 26, all constituencies in Bengal had formed special surveillance teams (SSTs) and flying squads. The police in Kolkata also played a crucial role working on the leads. The STF and the detective department also made several interventions. Many gun runners have been nabbed across the state,” said a police officer.

This seizures include cash recoveries of Rs 47.8 crore, liquor worth Rs 28.3 crore, narcotics worth Rs 118.2 crore, gold and silver worth Rs 11.8 core and freebies worth Rs 84.3 crore. “Polling has not yet been concluded in the state, but the huge amount of seizures made by the agencies show that large amounts are involvement in these elections, which are mainly used to influence the voters,” a senior Election Commission official said. The list of seizures also includes certain surprising items such as Hilsa fish, sarees, readymade garments, tobacco and pan masala, and mobile phones, among others.

Three Corporation employees were suspended from service after the incident.

The Election Commission has ordered a repolling for booth no 92-M of Velachery assembly constituency after four men including three corporation employees were caught carrying 2 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and VVPAT machines in two wheelers on completion of election on April 6.

Booth no 92- M of DAV public school which had 540 voters had recorded 220 votes on election day. The Election Commission had cancelled the polling under section 58(1)b of the Representation of the People Act.

enior Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) leader and Panchayat Raj Minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy alleged that the stone pelting incident was stage-managed by a desperate Nara Chandrababu Naidu to grab public attention. Reddy claimed that Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) defeat is imminent in the forthcoming Tirupati Lok Sabha bypoll.

The minister claimed that Naidu allegedly resorted to theatrics, abusive language, staged sit-in and making statements that he would complain to the district superintendent of police as well as meeting the Governor on Tuesday.

“The stage-managed show by Chandrababu shows how desperate he is to grab public attention as defeat is staring at TDP in the bypoll,” claimed Reddy after the stone pelting controversy on Monday night.

He said this incident was ‘created’ to attribute motives to the ruling YSRCP and allegedly being executed to salvage TDP from slipping into oblivion.

“The incident so happened that the stone seems to have landed at the fag end of his speech in which he (Naidu) levelled serious allegations against the Chief Minister,” claimed Reddy.

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The opposition DMK and the Congress had lodged complaints with the Election Commission of India alleging malpractices as EVMs were found callously handled. Both the parties had demanded a repoll citing serious “Procedural lapses”.

Stone pelting stage managed by desperate Naidu: YSRCP

He claimed that if a stone was really thrown at Naidu, it would have come from some direction, injuring someone but things were not so.

“These items were mainly seized along the Bangladesh border, which shows that these items were brought into the country to appease the voters. Though no one has been arrested, the recovery itself is a significant development in the polling history of the state,”

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he Election Commission of India will deploy heavy police presence at booth No 92-M of Velachery where repolling will take place on April 17. The Commission secretary Malay Mallick has written to the state police Chief to deploy heavy security at the polling booth where repolling will take place between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on April 17.

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“The sequence of events show that it was stage managed and we will also ask the police to inquire into the incident and book the guilty,” said Reddy.

The Panchayat Raj Minister urged the police to conduct a thorough probe and take action against those responsible. However, he claimed that if the incident was found to be stage managed by the TDP, action would be taken against the TDP leadership. There is no need for us to pelt stones as TDP is fast fading,” claimed the minister.

LEAD STORIES

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

RDIF sets target of Covid 2nd Wave 50m doses a month Allahabad HC suggests for Sputnik in India complete lockdown in UP

he Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to look into the viability of complete lockdown in districts where the Covid spread has increased alarmingly.

The court further directed that all public gatherings must be restricted to 50 persons immediately. “We understand that complete lockdown for weeks together may not be feasible but looking at the current surge of pandemic, we direct the government to look into the viability of complete lockdown in those districts where spread has increased alarmingly,” the court stated in its order on Tuesday. Hearing a PIL related to Covid-19, a division bench comprising Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Ajit Kumar, made it clear that if the court learns of anyone moving on roads without mask, the court shall take it as an act of contempt on the part of police and will certainly haul up the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Prayagraj and other concerned districts for the same. The court also directed the district administrations to religiously comply with the guidelines issued by the state government on April 11 to check the spread of Covid-19 in the state. The court emphasized that the immunization programme must be vigorously carried out through vaccination of a large number of people and directed the Central government and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to rethink extending the benefit of vaccination to students pursuing higher education and those appearing in board examination of high school and intermediate. “If the board and other examination conducting bodies are going for offline examination, then the government must explore viability to extend the benefit of vaccination to such students as well,” the

M court added.

makeshift structure.

Passing the above directives, the court observed, “Night curfew or corona curfew is a very small step. It can curb only night parties and large religious congregations in the coming month of Ramzan and Navratri. What we need to ensure is that there is no unnecessary public movement even during day timings. We know that when a river acquires velocity no embankment can stop it and yet efforts are made to restrict it. We need to restrict public movement at least for a week or 10 days to break the chain. If life survives one would regain wealth and improve his economy. After all, every development is for people and if there are no people, there will be no use of any development activity.”

“Arrange manpower on contract basis immediately to serve all those who are admitted to temporary level 1 Covid hospitals/ centres,” the court directed.

“The situation is so alarming that if it is not handled carefully and cautiously, we may lead to a stage of complete collapse of the public health system,” the court added. Expressing concern over insufficient infrastructure to meet the Covid patients’ requirements, the court directed the Uttar Pradesh government to acquire open places in the city areas of districts that are the worst-hit in the state, to set up temporary level 1 hospital in a

“We must give priority to public health over elections and the government is expected to streamline every department of public health and public care in the light of the observations made hereinabove,” said the bench while fixing April 19 as the next date of hearing in the case. The court directed the state government to file an affidavit of an officer not below the rank of secretary in this court by the next date fixed, detailing out the measures taken in the light of the observations made hereinabove. The court also directed that the district magistrate and chief medical officer (CMO), Prayagraj shall appear through video conferencing on the next date fixed. Besides, the court directed that a copy of this order be sent to the chief secretary, government of Uttar Pradesh, district magistrate and SSP, Prayagraj, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur and Gorakhpur within 24 hours for immediate necessary action at their end.

ore than 50 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine will be produced in India in a month over the summer in partnership with five Indian companies, Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said on Tuesday. Over 850 million doses of Sputnik V are going to be produced in India annually, which will be sufficient to vaccinate more than 425 million people around the world. India is the leading production hub for Sputnik V. RDIF has reached agreements with the leading pharmaceutical companies in the country, including Gland Pharma, Hetero Biopharma, Panacea Biotec, Stelis Biopharma and Virchow Biotech, aimed at producing more than 850 million doses per year. Dmitriev said in a media briefing that a big milestone has been reached with India giving approval for the Sputnik V vaccine on April 12. India is the most populated country to register the Russian vaccine. Total population of 60 countries where Sputnik V is approved for use is three billion people or about 40 per cent of the global population. The vaccine has been registered in India under the emergency use authorisation procedure based on the results of clinical trials in Russia as well as positive data of additional Phase III local clinical trials in India conducted in partnership with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories.

Dmitriev said the approval of the vaccine is a major milestone as Russia and India have been developing extensive cooperation on clinical trials of Sputnik V in India and its local production. The Russian vaccine has an efficacy of 91.6 per cent and provides full protection against severe cases of Covid-19, as demonstrated by the data published in The Lancet, one of the leading medical journals. Dmitriev said India is a vaccine-manufacturing hub and Russia’s strategic partner for production of Sputnik V. RDIF has created partnerships with a number of India’s leading pharmaceutical companies for the production of Sputnik V, which will provide for both vaccination of the population in India and global distribution of the Russian vaccine. He added that the clinical trials showed very high immune response in India and confirmed the very high efficacy of Sputnik V. Dmitriev said that five producers have been announced in India and a couple more will be announced in the next two weeks, including for fill and finish capability. RDIF is not buying equity stake in these companies, but will provide working capital so that they can ramp up quickly. He said some companies are already producing Sputnik V, but the real ramp up of production will take two to three months over the summer.

US vaccine prog hit by ‘pause’ on J&J vaccine after blood clot reports

resident Joe Biden’s plan to free the nation from the most onerous Covid-19 restrictions by Independence Day through mass vaccinations has been hit by the “pause” in the use of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine following reports of some people developing blood clots after being injected with it. The federal government agencies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centres for

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Disease Control (CDC), on Tuesday recommended stopping injecting the vaccine after six women who received it came down with a very rare type of brain blood clot.

The nation’s top expert on Covid-19 and Biden’s Chief Medical Advisor, Anthony Fauci, said, “This is a really rare event. If you look at what we know so far, there have been 6 out of the 6.85 million doses, which is less than one in a million.” But the action was being taken

“out of an abundance of caution” so that medical authorities can “take a good look at it.” he said.

Besides cutting down on the availability of the vaccines even if temporarily, the news of the problems with the J&J vaccine and the suspension of its use are likely to reinforce vaccine hesitancy. Before the J&J problem arose, several polls showed that about one in four people in American would not be vaccinated.

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LEAD STORIES

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Ugadi Celebrations

Andhra CM wishes luck to farmers on Ugadi, prays for rains

ndhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday prayed for abundant rains and victory over the Covid-19 pandemic, as he wished good luck to the farmers on the occasion of the Ugadi festival.

blessed Reddy and served him Ugadi pacchadi (pickle), which is made out of different ingredients to produce varied tastes such as sweetness, bitterness, sourness and others to reflect the realities of life.

Reddy participated in the Plava Nama Samvatsara Ugadi celebrations and also released the panchangam (almanac) for the new year.

The CM also felicitated government priest Kappaganthula Subbaraju Somayajulu, and chief priest of the Durga Malleshwara Swami temple, Lingambatla Durga Prasad, among others.

“The Siddanthi (priest) has said that the upcoming year will be good,” the Chief Minister said. After the ceremony, the priest

TN Guv, CM wish people on Ugadi

amil Nadu Governor Bhanwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Tuesday wished the people of the state on the occasion of Ugadi. In his address, the Governor said: “On the auspicious occasion of Ugadi, Gudi Padava and Cheti Chand, I extend my best wishes and heartiest greetings to the Telugu, Kannada, Marathi and Sindhi speaking people in Tamil Nadu.”

university.

On the occasion, Reddy released the government calendar, along with the Vyavasaya Panchangam prepared by the agriculture

Priests from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams also blessed the CM amid chants of vedic hymns and presented him with TTD almanac and prasadam.

welcomed the end of fall and the beginning of spring season.

encounters in daily life,” said the Telangana CM.

“It is also part of the age-old tradition that on Ugadi festival day people consume the special preparation, the Ugadi Pacchadi. It is made of fresh neem flowers, tamarind, raw mango, sugarcane and other ingredients which symbolizes various tastes from sweet, sour to bitter and this itself signifies various divergent experiences one

Along with Ugadi greetings, Soundararajan exuded confidence that ‘Sri Plava Nama Samvatsaram’ will usher in a healthy and pandemic free life to all the people across the globe.

Telugu CMs, Governors extend warm Ugadi greetings

Meanwhile, the Chief minister said that “let the New year bring prosperity and happiness to all Telugu and Kannada speaking people of Tamil Nadu”. AIADMK leader and Deputy Chief Minister O.Panneerselvam, AMMK General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran, BJP state president L. Murugan, TN

Congress Committee President K.S. Alagiri and other senior leaders have extended their wishes to the Telugu and Kannada speaking people of Tamil Nadu. The BJP women’s wing national President Vanathi Srinivasan also extended her Ugadi wishes.

oth the Telugu states, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Chief Ministers, Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and K. Chandrasekhar Rao, and Governors Biswa Bhusan Harichandan and Tamilisai Soundararajan extended Ugadi greetings on Monday.

“On this happy and auspicious occasion of “Ugadi”, the Telugu New Year Day, I extend my heartiest felicitations and greetings to the people of Andhra Pradesh and to the Telugu people living all over the world,” said Harichandan. He said Ugadi is a festival of joy and happiness as the New Year brings new hope of a bright future for the people. “I hope that ‘Sri Plava Nama Samvatsara Ugadi’ will usher in peace, prosperity, harmony and happiness among all the people and all sections of the society,” he greeted. Rao said Ugadi is known as the beginning of agriculture year and primarily a festival of farmers and

Similarly, Reddy extended his Ugadi greetings and wished for abundant rains, bounteous crops and prosperity to farmers.

‘RRR’ makers launch new poster on Ugadi

n the occasion of Ugadi, the makers of “RRR “ unveiled the new poster of the film on Tuesday. Wishing fans a Happy New Year, the team took to social media to share the new poster.

The poster features the film’s lead actors Ram Charan and Jr NTR and it seems to be a celebration scene. The two are seen amidst a sea of people. “I wish everyone a happy and

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prosperous year ahead...” posted Ram.

life of freedom fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sita Ramaraju.

Jr NTR wrote: “Here’s wishing you and your family a great year ahead.”

Ram’s look as Alluri Sita Ramaraju and lead actress Alia Bhatt’s look as Sita were unveiled on social media last month.

Actor Ajay Devgn, who is also part of the film, shared the poster and wrote: “My best wishes to all who are celebrating #GudiPadwa, #Baisakhi and #Ugadi.” The film is set against the backdrop of the independence era. The period drama centres around the

The film is expected to have a worldwide release on Dussehra October 13. It will be released in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and several other Indian languages.

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FOOD & CUISINE

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Ragda Patties - Salt to taste Method - Soak the dry peas overnight, in a big bowl with enough water. - In the morning wash peas again, and preferably cook it in the pressure cooker until they are soft with 4 cups water and some salt. - Or if you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can cook it in a big pan with lots of water until it’s soft.

By Mrs Lata Modi Hello friends, we are back with another starter recipe. Today we are doing a vegetarian dish which is very popular in Maharashtra as a street food. The dish is called: RAGDA PATTIES Ragda is the white dry peas or in Australia it’s known as blue dry peas. And the Patties is the humble evergreen “Aaloo Tikki”. We will be serving it with sweet chutney and hot green chutney. RAGDA Ingredients For 4-6 people - 2 cups of dry white peas or in Australia it’s known as blue peas

- Once the peas are cooked, give it a big stir and try and mash some of it. - Keep it aside. PATTIES Ingredients - 6-8 medium sized potatoes - Two tea spoon cumin powder

- Wet your hands with little oil and make small round balls of this mixture. (you will get around 12). - Now in a big non-stick frying pan heat about 4 table spoon oil. - While it’s starting to get hot, quickly arrange your round shape balls in the oil and cook until golden brown on both sides. - Once brown, softly press it to flatten the Patty. SWEET CHUTNEY Normally the sweet chutney is made with tamarind, jaggery and spices, but today we will be doing a quick sweet chutney using Amchoor powder, instead of tamarind. Ingredients - 6 tablespoon of Amchoor powder - 8 tablespoon of sugar - 1/4 cup water - Salt to taste - Pinch of hing (aisfotida powder)

Ingredients

smooth paste.

- 1/4 spoon chilli powder Method

- One bunch fresh coriander leaves (washed and chopped)

Plate It

- In a saucepan put all the above ingredients and bring to boil.

- 1/2 bunch mint leave - 2-3 fresh green chillies chopped

- Take a quarter plate (snack size).

- Oil for shallow frying

- Turn the heat off (Do not boil it too much).

- 2 table spoon fresh lemon juice

Method

MINT AND CORIANDER CHUTNEY

- Firstly, boil potatoes, peel and grate them.

This is a very versatile chutney that you can serve with lots of Indian snacks.

- Salt to taste

- Two tea spoon Amchoor powder (it is dry raw mango powder) - Salt to taste - Chili powder to taste - 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves

- Now add salt and rest of the spices and coriander leaves.

- 2 tea spoon cumin seeds Method -In a blender put all the above ingredients and blend them to a

There is a special way of serving it - Arrange two potato patties. - Put couple of spoons full of cooked Ragda on each Tikki. - Garnish with finely chopped onions, sweet chutney and green chutney. Serve hot!

Say hello to Adding a pinch of modernity to ‘mithais’ healthy mocktails D on’t settle for your usual soft drinks when you can prepup for something fancy in little to no time! why not add some lip-smacking healthy mocktails to the list? Yes, with a pinch of the fruity element, your mocktails can be safe and healthy! The key is to use high-quality ingredients and fresh fruit pulp. Most of these mocktails require similar ingredients like lime juice, mint leaves, ice cubes, soda or sparkling water. And trust us; it’s as easy as you could think of! So, make a toast, with these easy-peasy mocktails, shared by Kimaye Health, INI Farms.

ny celebration in India is incomplete without a box of ‘mithai’. Laddoo, barfi, gulab jamun, halwa etc are age-old recipes that are staples in any Indian household. But with time, traditional Indian sweets have also seen some changes, with the addition of a little modernity -- read ‘fusion mithais’. Not just the taste but also its presentation, techniques, platting style etc add to this concept of ‘fusion mithais’, says Bharti Sanghi, Founder, Life Artisanal Food. “Nowadays people tend to make things customised, even sweets. With the advancement and customisation, fusion sweets have become popular and the need of the hour,” she says.

Adding: “Though we consider such fusion sweets to be modern still they are desi inside i.e., with the same methods and traditions of preparing which has been followed for centuries. All that has changed in the name of modernisation is the name of the dish, its detailing, way of presenting, packaging, and decoration which makes it more appealing and attractive.” Some of these recipes are more than 100 years old. Say the ‘halwa’:

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the method of presenting and adding an alternative layer of pumpkin and pineapple and make it with lots of khoya, ghee, and of course sugar and dried fruits define a new method of having halwa today. “Not only this but also the name of dishes like Badami burfi has been replaced with almond-hazelnut methia. We are at that state of being modern where rasmalai is catered ricotta cheese and gajar ka halwa and faluda as carrot and faluda truffle. The new generation is getting more creative by bringing more flavours and methods to it.”

She says: “Fusion sweets have become popular and we as mithai manufacturers receive a lot of orders for mithai with a modern twist. Hazelnut mithai replacing badam burfi, mewa dhamaka badam with rose petals giving it a good aroma as well as a natural colourful look. Our Apple crumbles gujjiya are the most popular Gujjiya mithai in the festive season. Mithais are used to break fasts or eaten during a fast bearing in mind that the term mithai has no religious significance. This old tradition has been kept alive for centuries and mithai will always be served at times of celebrations.”

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Here’s how to go about it in 4 simple steps: - Muddle the fruit and lime juice with a few mint leaves - Pour the mixture in a glass with 2-3 ice cubes, and honey if needed - Add soda or sparkling water to the brim and mix - Garnish them with a fruit slice and mint leaves to make them festive ready! Some of the fruits that go well are: Peppy Pomegranate Goes perfectly with the winter vibe as the blend of maroon with soda looks splendid for a celebration drink. Along with pomegranate juice, you can also throw in a

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few seeds to garnish and add sweetness to your mocktails. The best part is that you don’t need any added sugar as the natural flavour of pomegranate makes it a wonderful delight! Tangy Orange In this citrusy mocktail, you can mix up multiple citrus fruits to flavour up the taste. Oranges are abundant during winter, so make full use of this tangy winter fruit! The fresh orange pulp is a healthier escape from your regular soft drinks or alcohol. A thin slice of orange on the brim will surely make it an insta-worthy click! Blissful Blueberry Go all blue with your winter theme! The delicious blueberries have always been a sweet delight. Crush and blend them into a smooth mixture. This is something new that you can easily try for your next family get-together. Pair it up with blueberry cheesecake and get into the celebration mode! Cucumber lemonade While cucumbers are most adored in summers for their cooling effect and they also make a refreshing drink during the winters. The freshness of cucumbers with lime soda is surely something you wouldn’t want to miss. Don’t just slide them into your salads, instead turn them into a sweet fresh mocktail!

AUSTRALIA

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Young Aus women most Aus to convene resistant to Covid vax: Poll national women’s safety summit Y oung women are the most reluctant group in Australia to get vaccinated against Covid-19, a new survey revealed on Thursday.

Researchers from Australian National University (ANU) published the latest edition of the survey that has tracked the experiences and attitudes of 3,030 Australians during the pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency. It found that only 43 per cent of women aged 18 to 24 said they were willing to get vaccinated as soon as possible compared to 63 per cent of the rest of the population. “Young women were less willing than other groups to receive the vaccine,” Diana Cardenas, the lead author of the survey, said. “More than half of Australia’s young men, aged 18-24, are keen to get vaccinated as soon as possible - 62 per cent.” People aged over 65 were most willing to get vaccinated, with 80 per cent saying they will volunteer

for it as soon as possible. “We found people, regardless of ethnicity, age and gender, who have greater confidence in state and the federal governments are more willing to be vaccinated,” Kate Reynolds from ANU’s Research School of Psychology said. “Social cohesion also mattered. We found key drivers of getting vaccinated for Covid-19 included when people had a sense of belonging in their neighbourhood, and a belief that people are being treated fairly.”

Less than a third, 30 per cent, of young women said they had confidence in the federal government compared to 47 per cent of the rest of the population. In mid-2020, 18 per cent of respondents said they were unsure if they would be willing to get vaccinated. By October 2020 that figure had risen to 20 per cent. The survey found 21 per cent of Australians were concerned about serious risks of being vaccinated.

Ex-Aus PM mistaken as Uber driver

ormer Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd briefly stepped into a new role as an Uber driver in Queensland state, giving a lift to a group of “tipsy” diners who mistakenly piled into his car.

“Four young Melburnians getting drenched in a Queensland subtropical downpour at Noosa last night with no Uber in sight... So what’s a man to do?” he said in the tweet

“Dad just dropped us off at a restaurant in Noosa then went to find a park because it’s raining,” she wrote. “Then I thought I saw some people pile into his car, told myself it

The announcement came after federal, state and territory ministers recently agreed to the terms on the National Women’s Safety Summit, reports Xinhua news agency. “This summit will further elevate the important national discussion we are having about women’s safety and ensure that we bring all people along with us as we develop the next national plan,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement on Wednesday evening.

“Guilty as charged,” Rudd tweeted in response to a media report on the incident on Wednesday.

The former Prime Minister’s daughter Jessica Rudd had tweeted the series of events as it happened, reports dpa news agency.

he Australian government announced that it will convene a national summit on women’s safety in July, which will shape a new plan to prevent all kinds of violence, including domestic and sexual, against women and children.

It comes three years after the last summit, which was attended by about 100 delegates and secured A$328 million in funding for the current plan that ends in 2021.

wasn’t, must be a similar looking Uber. It wasn’t. It was Dad’s car.” She said the “lovely but tipsy crew had been at the restaurant since lunch”. When the former leader told them he wasn’t an Uber they offered to pay him to drive them to a nearby street anyway.

His daughter said it took the group half the ride to realise their driver was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia.

The new summit on July 29 and 30 is expected to be bigger as

the government faces calls for greater action to prevent domestic violence. Anne Ruston, the Minister for Women’s Safety, Families and Social Services, said that delegates will have the opportunity to share their personal experiences and make suggestions for prevention and response measures. “We need to make sure that we move from just reducing violence against women and their children to ending violence against women and their children,” she told Nine Entertainment newspapers. “We must have a goal towards zero and the next plan will be an ambitious blueprint to stop the rot that is domestic violence across our national landscape.” According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, sexual assault is a major health and welfare issue in Australia and worldwide. Almost 2 million Australian adults have experienced at least one sexual assault since the age of 15.

Rudd was the leader of the Labor Party, serving as Australia’s Prime Minister between 2007-2010 and again from June-September in 2013.

Aus island state to get 1st int’l flight service

he Australian island state of Tasmania is set to get its first regular international flight service in 23 years starting from next week.

Air New Zealand is due to fly from the Tasmanian capital of Hobart to Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, every Thursday and Sunday beginning from April 22, reports Xinhua news agency. Up to then, flights have gone via either Australia’s largest city

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Sydney or the second largest city Melbourne.

The service will be Air New Zealand’s first new international route since the Covid-19 pandemic started. Air New Zealand Chief Executive Greg Foran said in a statement that it is exciting to be launching a new route alongside reopening the airline’s other Australian ports after a year of being predominantly a domestic airline.

He also expected the new route to be a great attraction for both Kiwis and Tasmanians. “This route will be a much-needed economic boost for New Zealand’s tourism industry. “Our Hobart-Auckland route will open a direct link between 540,000 potential Tasmanian tourists and our biggest city, with regional hot spots like Queenstown and Rotorua a short skip away,” he said.

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INDIA

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

CoBRA commando Manhas released Yogi Adityanath by Maoists, family rejoices tests Covid positive,

self-isolates

RPF commando Rakeshwar Singh Manhas, who was held captive by the Maoists in Chhattisgarh for over 100 hours after the April 3 gun battle, was released on Thursday evening, the CRPF said. Manhas, a constable of the 210th CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), an elite wing of the CRPF, was safely handed over to the state police and to Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

“Our CoBRA commando Rakeshwar Singh Manhas has reached our camp safely. He is being sent for medical examination,” CRPF’s IG, Operations, C.G. Arora told IANS. Manhas is physically fine, he added. In Jammu, family members of Manhas celebrated the news of his release. Neighbours and family members reached his residence, raised slogans and celebrated the news of his release by distributing sweets. His wife said she had not slept since he was made captive by the Maoists. “I want to thank the Prime Minister. I wasn’t able to sleep for the last six days,” said Meenu. “I am very happy that he has been released... we just got the news,” said his brother Sahil.

The trooper had gone missing during the fierce gun battle with over 300 PLGAs ultras in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on April 3 in which 22 security personnel were killed and 31 were injured. Over 1,000 security personnel of the CRPF and Chhattisgarh’s District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) took part in the operation. The gun battle took place on Saturday noon near Tekulgudem village under Tarrem

police station. The Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of the outlawed CPI-Maoist on Tuesday announced Manhas was “safe” in their custody and sought an interlocutor appointed to for his release. As the Ministry of Home Affairs, in close coordination with the Chhattisgar government, was busy in scrutinising the names of likely interlocutors, the ultras released Manhas.

Night watchman turned IIM professor, Ranjith Ramachandran’s remarkable journey

anjith Ramachandran, an Assistant Professor at IIM Ranchi, is a role model today. His struggle to get a get a good education and the fight to sustain himself to see his dream getting realised is being regarded as an inspiration to the society.

Ranjith lived in a dilapidated single room mud hut and worked as a night watchman for survival. His father is a tailor and mother a daily wage earner under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). He did his graduation at St Pious College, Kanhangad in northern most Kerala and worked as a night watchman at the BSNL exchange in Panathur, Kasargod district. He graduated in Economics honours and went on to study a doctoral degree at IIT Madras, one of the premier institutes of the country. Ranjith, who writes himself as Ranjith K. Panathur, said that he was totally desperate after getting into IIT Madras as he knew no other language other than Malayalam. As communication was difficult, he wanted to quit, said Ranjith. However Dr Subhash, his professor at IIT Madras encouraged him to

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continue, and now Ranjith has got a posting as Assistant Professor in the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ranchi.

After his doctoral degree from IIT Madras, Ranjith joined Christ University, Bangalore for two months and he got a posting at IIM Ranchi. In between he was also in the merit list for the selection of professors in Calicut university but could not make it. In a Facebook post, Ranjith wrote extensively on the trauma and the tough life he had faced to meet two ends together and dedicates his success to the poor parents, who had given everything to make him what he is now. His Facebook post turned viral with more than 37,000 likes and Ranjith while speaking to IANS said, “I never thought that my Facebook post would go this viral, I had posted it to be an inspiration for each and everyone who are fighting with their backs to the wall and I wanted to be an inspiration, nothing more.” The story of Ranjith, who comes from a remote village in the northernmost part of Kerala, is being appreciated as ahugley inspiring one, and he is being projected as a

role model.

Kerala Finance Minister and a Doctorate in Economics from the Centre For Development Studies, Dr. Thomas Issac while speaking to IANS said, “Ranjith is an inspiration and from the moment he felt he was defeated, he turned his life and achieved success. He is an inspiration and role model, we have seen the likes of former President Late K.R. Naryananan who had defeated his circumstances with extraordinary will power and attained success.” He adds, “Ranjith has used education as a tool to overcome the social and economic backwardness and climbed up the ladder of success and he is an inspiration, enabler and a role model for all

the young children who seeks to attain success in life and they

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ttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has tested positive for Covid.

of officials in his secretariat tested positive for Covid.

In a tweet, the Chief Minister said that in view of the preliminary symptoms, he had got himself tested and the report showed that he was positive for Covid-19.

The Chief Minister said on Wednesday that he would remain in home isolation and follow the instructions of the doctors. He also said that he would continue doing his work through virtual means.

The Chief Minister had stated on Tuesday evening that he is isolating himself after a number

The Chief Minister further advised those he had met in the past few days to get themselves tested.

Akhilesh Yadav tests Covid positive

amajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has tested positive for Covid-19. Akhilesh gave this information in a tweet and advised all those who had come into contact with him in recent days, to get themselves tested. He said that he had isolated himself at home and taking treatment as per prescribed protocol. Akhilesh had recently visited Haridwar where he met a number of saints and seers. Some of the saints, including Mahant Narendra Giri, later tested positive for Covid. On Tuesday, Akhilesh got himself

must understand that education is a major tool for success and to

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tested for Covid-19 and the report which came on Wednesday, showed that he is positive for the virus.

open newer pastures.”

INDIA

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Delhi to be under weekend curfew till April 30

All judicial officials or officials of courts of Delhi will be allowed to move on production of valid card. All private medical personnel such as doctors, nursing staff, paramedical and other hospital services will also be allowed on production of valid I cards. Pregnant women and patients for getting medical or health services will be exempted from the restriction. Person coming from or going to airports, railway stations or ISBTs will also be allowed to travel on production of valid ticket. Officers related to functioning offices of diplomats of various countries as well as persons holding any constitutional post will also be allowed on valid I card.

Continued from Page 1 In view of sharp increase in the Covid cases, the DDMA decided to impose weekend curfew to contain the fast spread of virus which infected over 17,000 people in the last 24 hours till Wednesday. As per the order, only one weekly market per day per zone across the Delhi will be allowed under Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and all instructions or guidelines issued from time to time by the DDMA to contain the spread of Covid. Officers of Centre, its autonomous or subordinate offices and public corporations and officers of Delhi government or Delhi autonomous bodies or Delhi corporations in-

volved in emergency services like health, medical establishments, police, prisons, Home Guards, Civil Defence, fire and emergency services will be exempted from the restriction of weekend curfew. District administration, Pay and Account office, electricity, water and sanitation, and public transport like railways, buses, air will also be exempted. Besides, all incidental services that are essential for smooth functioning of all modes of public transport (such as handling of cargo, ticketing, air freight stations, CFS, ICD), Disaster Management and related services, NIC, NCC and uninterrupted delivery of public services will also be allowed.

Electronic and print media will also be exempted from the weekend curfew on production of valid I card. There shall be no restriction of inter-state or intra-state movement or transportation of essential or non-essential goods. No separate permission or e-pass is required for such movements. Movement of persons for marriage related gatherings up to 50 persons and funeral related gathering upto 20 persons is continued to be allowed. Public transport such as Delhi Metro, buses, autos and taxis shall be allowed to function within its stipulated time.

CBSE exams for Class 10 cancelled, class 12 postponed: Education Minister Continued from Page 1

The CBSE Board exams were scheduled to be held from May 4 to June 7 and the results were to be announced by July 15. “The Board Exams for Class Xth to be held from 4th May to June 14th, 2021 are hereby cancelled. The results of Class Xth Board will be prepared on the basis of an objective criterion to be developed by the Board,” Nishank tweeted. “Any candidate who is not satisfied with the marks allocated to him or her on this basis, will be given an opportunity to sit in an exam as and when the conditions are conducive to hold the exams,” the Minister said.

Nishank further said that the Class 12 exams will be held later and the situation reviewed on June 1 by the CBSE, and the details will be shared subsequently. “A notice of at least 15 days will be given before the start of the examinations.” The Minister mentioned that the decision was taken after Prime Minister Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review the examinations to be held at various levels in view of the developing Corona situation. The chorus for cancellation of upcoming board exams for class 10 and 12 grew louder on Tuesday in the wake of the exponential rise in COVID-19 cases.

Owner reopens famous Srinagar eatery 2 months after terrorists killed son

Persons going for Covid vaccination will also be allowed.

Kerala Polls: Sparks start to fly, fireworks not far behind

Continued from Page 1

Though the Left appeared to have the initial edge, as the campaign peaked, the Congress-led UDF also was able to catch up. On the election day, the Sabarimala issue became the most talked about and when the polling ended, but the Left riding on a few pre-poll surveys expressed absolute confidence that they will rewrite electoral history in the state. However, after the initial analysis, the Left which was riding high on presumptions now appears to be jittery, when the first sparks flew from Alappuzha district, which has always been a strong bastion of the CPI-M. State PWD Minister G.Sudhakaran, who failed to get renominated, attacked his own party men and a section of the vernacular media in his hometown. He said that he has always been a loyal party man and has held many posts in his very long political career. Soon a war of words was witnessed in the CPI -- the second biggest ally in the ruling Left, when one of the candidates -- G.R Anil,

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who replaced sitting party legislator C.Divakaran at the Nedumangad Assembly constituency in the capital district, accused the latter for failing to be in the forefront of the campaign.

The war of words took place during a party meeting when both, Anil and Divakaran, came face to face, and it was only after the seniors intervened, things cooled down. In the Congress party, known for mudslinging and washing dirty linen in the public, the first shot has been fired by Kannur Lok Sabha member K. Sudhakaran demanding that there should be an overhaul in the party’s organisational structure. Likewise in the faction ridden BJP also, things are getting hotter as the present state leadership led by state president K. Surendran with the blessings of the Union Minister of State for External Affairs V.Muraleedharan can come under duress, if they fail to retain the only seat which they won in the 2016 Assembly polls. Moreover, these two will be put on the hot seat, when the votes at the

Kazahkootam Assembly constituency are counted as their arch rival Sobha Surendran’s fate will be known on May 2. A media critic on condition of anonymity said from the responses that have come so far it appears the ruling Left has got a feel of what’s in store and that’s why one heard that people like Sudhakaran and the otherwise reticent CPI are feeling restless. “Definitely the pre poll surveys predicting the Left to retain power did a world of good for them and it also worked wonders for the Congress-led UDF because they were able to put more efforts in their campaign. The situation is fluid as there are a lot of undercurrents, much more than in the past. The clincher would be which front gets more votes from the minority communities. Irrespective of which front wins, one thing is certain, it’s going to be a free for all on May 2nd, as the stakes are quite high. Should the Left loose, it could well be never before scenes, one will have to see,” said the critic.

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amesh Kumar, the owner of Srinagar city’s famous vegetarian restaurant ‘Krishna Dhaba’ resumed business on Tuesday, nearly two months after his son was killed by terrorists. Akash Mehra, son of Ramesh Kumar, was attending to customers during the busy evening hours on February 17 when motorcycle borne assassins fired at him from close range. Akash battled for life for 11 days at the city’s S.M.H.S. Hospital where he succumbed on February 28. Within 48 hours, police arrested all 3 assassins and also recovered the motorcycle used to carry out the attack. After nearly 2 months, Krishna Dhaba again started serving food

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to its clients on Tuesday which was chosen by the owner, Ramesh Kumar since the holy Navratri festival started today. Talking to reporters, Ramesh said he was born and brought up in Srinagar and it was his city and birthplace. “I have no complaint against those who killed my son. If the government wants to release them, I will not object. “But, this is my city and birthplace which I cannot leave at any cost”, he said adding that he counts heavily on the goodwill of the local people who have always stood by him. The place is usually thronged by vegetarian food lovers for its fresh, tasty and reasonably priced food.

WORLD

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Ex-SL beauty queen arrested Iran releases detained S.Korean after pageant fiasco ship: Seoul

aroline Jurie, the 2019 winner of the Mrs. Sri Lanka who tried to seize the crown of this year’s winner Pushpika De Silva leading to a brawl on stage, has been arrested over the incident, local media reported on Thursday, April 8.

without an apology. The fiasco broke out on Sunday night after De Silva was named the winner of the pageant held in Colombo. Moments later, Jurie seized De Silva’s crown, claiming she could not be awarded the title because she was divorced, the BBC reported.

Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana confirmed that along with Jurie, who is the current holder of the “Mrs World” title, former model Chula Padmendra was also arrested, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported. Rohana said the police is currently recording statements from the arrested suspects.

“There is a rule that prevents women who have already been married and are divorced, so I am taking steps to make the crown go to second place,” Jurie told the audience. She placed the crown on the runner-up, prompting a De Silva to walk off stage, a video of the incident showed. The organisers have apologised to De Silva, who says she is separated, but not divorced. The title has also been returned to her. In a Facebook

post, she said she went to hospital to be treated for head injuries after the incident.

this year’s winner Pushpika De Silva leading to a brawl on stage, has been arrested over the incident, local media reported on Thursday, April 8.

the pageant held in Colombo. Moments later, Jurie seized De Silva’s crown, claiming she could not be awarded the title because she was divorced, the BBC reported.

The Daily Mirror report said that Jurie has refused to apologize to De Silva. Meanwhile, De Silva has also refused to settle the matter

Italian PM calls Erdogan ‘dictator’

aroline Jurie, the 2019 winner of the Mrs. Sri Lanka who tried to seize the crown of

The Daily Mirror report said that Jurie has refused to apologize to De Silva. Meanwhile, De Silva has also refused to settle the matter without an apology. The fiasco broke out on Sunday night after De Silva was named the winner of

US state to allow carrying guns without permit

release via close communications with the Iranian foreign authorities after the South Korean Vice Foreign minister’s visit to Tehran in January.

The captain had remained in the vessel for the tanker’s management, reports Xinhua news agency. The Ministry said in a statement that it had called for the rapid

It noted that the captain and the sailors were healthy with the vessel being in a good condition. The South Korean ship was seized by Iran’s military in early January due to an alleged chemical pollution. On board the vessel were 20 sailors, including five South Koreans, 11 Myanmar nationals, two Indonesians and two Vietnamese.

he Foreign Ministry in Seoul said on Friday that Tehran has released a South Korean oil tanker that was detained at an Iranian port since January 4. The ship and its captain’s ‘s release came after the remaining 19 sailors of the MT Hankuk Chemi were set free on February 2, according to the Ministry.

Queen Elizabeth II’s consort, Prince Philip passes away

ennessee will become the latest US state where residents will be allowed to carry guns without a permit after Governor Bill Lee signed an “open carry” bill, a local media report said. The “constitutional carry” law which takes effect July 1 will allow most citizens over 21 years old and legally in possession of their handguns to carry them in public without further authorisation, dpa news agency quoted the Tennessean newspaper as saying in its report. The bill has been backed by the National Rifle Association (NRA). But leading law enforcement groups in Tennessee oppose it, arguing that the change could lead to increases crime and make police officers more vulnerable, according to the Tennessean report.

license, although firearms are still prohibited in specific locations in those states. President Joe Biden spoke out in favour of gun control on Thursday, April 8.

Of the 50 US states, 31 generally allow what is called open carry in public places without a permit or

“Gun violence in this country is an epidemic. Let me say it again: Gun violence in this country is an

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epidemic, and it’s an international embarrassment,” Biden said in a speech on gun violence prevention at the White House Rose Garden. “Every day in this country, 316 people are shot. Every single day. A hundred and six of them die every day,” he asserted. He urged the US Congress to pass stricter gun laws.

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Prince Philip, the consort of UK’s Queen Elizabeth II, passed away on Friday, the Buckingham Palace announced. He was 99. “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle,” the statement said, the BBC reported. He had recently been in hospital.

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Hailing from the Greek and Danish families, Prince Philip was also the nephew of Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, under whom the country became Independent. Living in Britain and joining the Royal Navy in 1939, he married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became the Queen. The couple had four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

WORLD

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Jemima Goldsmith slams ex- NZ bans arrivals from India from April 11 husband over rape remarks

he recent statement by the Pakistani premier Imran Khan about the increasing rape and sexual cases in the country has sparked uproar not within the country but also from across the globe. To add more to his criticism, his former wife Jemima Goldsmith has also slammed him over his rape remarks. In a response to Khan’s comments, Jemima did not mince words and blasted her former husband for stating that it is the women’s dress and vulgarity that has given rise to rape cases. “Say to the believing men that they restrain their eyes and guard their private parts.” Quran 24:31. The onus is on men”, maintained Jemima, citing a verse from the Holy Quran to school the Pakistani premier. Jemima also went on to express her surprise over what she called ‘a transformation’ in the viewpoints of her former spouse, hoping that it was a mistranslation. “I’m hoping this is a misquote/mistranslation. The Imran I knew used to say, put a veil on the man’s eyes

N not on the woman,” she said. Pakistani Prime Minister has come under serious criticism on social media outlets along with local and global media, after he linked fahashi (vulgarity) being practiced in female attire as the reason behind the rise in the cases of sexual violence, including rape. “The whole concept of pardah or covering up or modesty, in Islam, is to keep the temptation in check. There are many such people in society who cannot keep their willpower in check and that it had to manifest itself in some way”, he said responding to a question about his government’s planned steps to curb the increasing sexual violence, especially against children. “Divorce rates have gone up by as much as 70 per cent due to vulgarity in the society. There are some fights that government legislation alone could not win. The society must join in”, he added. Khan’s comments putting the blame on females attires, linking it to vulgarity and the root cause of rise in rape and sexual assault in

the country, sparked a widespread condemnation by the locals, who declared the statement of premier as ‘irresponsible’ and ‘insensitive’. Khan’s comments however, are not new, as he has given similar reasons for banning apps like TikTok, which he said were harming the society’s values. However, Khan has badly failed in addressing the root cause to the problem. Last year, Imran Khan had said that India’a capital New Delhi, had become the rape capital of the world due to obscenity and indecent content shown in Bollywood films. While Khan may have the habit of ignoring the root cause of increasing cases of sexual abuse and rape in Pakistan, locals are up in arms to put his statement to rest. “Such suggestions reflect a warped sense of morality, and insensitivity towards a serious problem. More dangerously, they try and provide justifications for the increasing incidence of sexual crimes in Pakistan”, stated senior journalist Zahid Hussain.

ew Zealand on Thursday announced a temporary ban on arrivals from India, which has witnessed a massive surge in new Covid-19 cases, in order to curb the spread of the virus in managed quarantine facilities. From April 11 to 28, flights from India to New Zealand will be suspended in order to reduce the number of arriving passengers from India who test positive for Covid-19, reports Xinhua news agency. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a press conference that anyone who had been in India in the past 14 days would be banned from entering New Zealand until April 28. The ban applies to anyone who has been in India, covering New Zealand citizens and residents, Ardern said. The Prime Minister said that she understood that the temporary

Among them, 17 people came from India. On Thursday, India recorded 126,789 Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day spike following the onset of the pandemic last year. The new figure increased the overall caseload to 12,928,574, the world’s third highest after the US and Brazil. The death toll from the deadly infection stands at 1,66,892, the fourth largest in the world after the US, Brazil and Mexico.

he Hong Kong government’s Department of Justice said that 10,242 people have been arrested between June 9, 2019 and February 28, 2021 over the social unrest in city, of which 2,521 are undergoing judicial proceedings.

ceedings, 883 people had to bear legal consequences, including 614 people convicted, 261 were bound over, four were sentenced to care or protection orders, and four were punished through civil proceedings for contempt of court.

In a statement on Thursday, the Security Bureau said that the 2,521 people, about 720 were charged with riots, while the rest were charged with other crimes including illegal assembly, arson and insulting the national flag, reports Xinhua news agency.

In addition, 50 people were acquitted of their charges, 186 people were acquitted after trial, and the judicial proceedings for the rest are still ongoing.

In response to questions from Legislative Council members on Thursday, the Department of Justice said that among the 2,521 people involved in judicial pro-

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The decision came as New Zealand reported 23 newly imported Covid-19 cases in managed isolation facilities on Thursday.

10,242 arrested over HK social unrest

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ban would affect New Zealand citizens and residents currently living in India, but she felt “a sense of responsibility and obligation to find ways to reduce risks that travellers are experiencing”.

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The Civil Service Bureau said that by the end of February, 26 civil servants had been arrested on suspicion of participating in illegal activities. They are now under police investigation or being prosecuted, and all have been suspended.

BUSINESS

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Epic charges Apple of monopoly, Tour operators seeks government support iPhone maker says ‘PR stunt’ for survival and revival

s the lawsuit hearing in the case of Fortnite game developer Epic and Apple is set to begin next month, the two companies have reiterated their stands before the trial, as they got themselves involved in a legal battle over the use of an in-game payment system.

While Epic Games argues about Apple’s monopoly over the app market and treats 30 per cent standard fee amount to anti-competitive behaviour that must be regulated by antitrust law, Apple contends that “the whole antitrust allegation and associated dust-kicking is little more than a PR stunt,” reports TechCrunch. “With the basic facts agreed upon, the two companies will go to battle over what they mean, and their CEOs will likely take the (virtual) stand to do so,” the report said on Thursday. Apple CEO Tim Cook as well as Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney may testify in the trial, set to begin from May 3. For Apple, the proposed witness list also includes Software Engineering Senior Vice President Craig Federighi and Apple Fellow, Phil Schiller. On team Epic, the Vice President Mark Rein is also included as wit-

ness, besides Sweeney. The Fortnite game was removed from App Store in August of last year after the company allegedly violated rules by adding an ingame payment system aimed at depriving Apple of its commission on in-app purchases from App Store. The company said that when Epic gave Fortnite players on iOS a choice between Apple payment and Epic direct payment, Apple retaliated by blocking Fortnite updates. When Epic sought to bring the

Epic Games Store to iOS, Apple declined. Apple has denied the charge of monopoly, pointing out it faces enormous competition all over the market, just not within its own App Store. The company had earlier denied that its 30 per cent commission was anti-competitive, saying it was Epic Games that violated its contract. The iPhone maker said that Epic benefited from Apple’s promotion and developer tools.

GDP still likely to grow in double digits during 2021: Moody’s

mpact on India’s economic activity is expected to be less severe than that seen in 2020 due to the focus on “micro-containment zones” to deal with the current wave of Covid infections as opposed to a nationwide lockdown, said Moody’s Investors Service. Besides, India’s very low coronavirus death count and “relatively very young population” also help mitigate risks. “GDP is still likely to grow in the double digits in 2021 given the low level of activity in 2020,” said Moody’s Investors Service. “Vaccination will be a key element in managing the second wave as the authorities balance virus management against maintaining economic activity. India began its vaccination drive in mid-January and had administered 100 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine as of April 10, becoming the fastest country to reach that threshold so far.” However, a shortage of vaccines and India’s nearly 1.4 billion person

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population, which includes many people living in rural, more remote locations, could slow progress of the vaccine rollout, it said. As of early April, around 7 per cent of the population had been inoculated. The vaccination drive was expanded to all citizens aged 45 years and above - about 25 per cent of the population as of 2019 from April 1. Furthermore, workplace vaccination centres were also launched on April 11, which the government expects to facilitate inoculation among workers, while minimising risk. “India has prioritised domestic vaccine distribution, delaying exports, amid the resurgence in coronavirus infections,” it said. “On April 11, the government also placed a temporary prohibition on the export of remdesivir, which is used in the treatment of coronavirus patients.” India has been experiencing a second wave of coronavirus infections since March.

Daily new reported cases for the month totalled 1.1 million, jumping from the 0.4 million cases reported in February, which was the lowest since the country’s 2.6 million peak in September 2020 during the first wave. “The state of Maharashtra, the epicentre of the second surge, accounted for close to 50 per cent of the active case load as of April 12. “Other states and territories including Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Karnataka have also reported a sharp rise in daily cases.”

ndia’s travel and tourism industry has once again urged the government to consider taking multiple steps to ease the pressure on the sector and help it tide over the crisis as the surge in Covid infections and re-imposition of partial travel restrictions in some major states threatens its survival. The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), the apex body of inbound tour operators, has urged the government to extend the scope of air bubble arrangements that India is having with different countries for flight operations to include movement of India-destined leisure travellers as well. This, it feels, will help the industry get some overseas tourist traffic. India has air bubble arrangements with some countries like Sri Lanka, and as per the understanding, they are allowing Indian tourists to visit their country. IATO has said that the government could permit similar arrangements for tourists from Sri Lanka and other countries with which India has air bubble arrangement. Besides, it has also requested the government to draw a timetable as per which dates for opening of visas, including e-visas, and resumption of international flights can be announced. Such a move will allow the Indian tour operators to sound their counterparts abroad in advance and bookings could be made likewise, it said.

Further countries are opening up for travel for those fully vaccinated and India can adopt the same model, the IATO added in its submission to the government. The pandemic has hit all the sectors of the economy hard but the hardest hit is the tourism sector, especially the inbound one, which is almost at zilch level since last one year. Among the financial incentive, the IATO has urged abolishment of levy of tax collection at source (TCS) on foreign tourists as they are not liable to pay income tax in India and therefore cannot claim refund as they don’t have a PAN number. IATO President Rajiv Mehra said: “We have made multiple representations to the government, bringing to their notice that the objective of the TCS levy was to bring Indians in the tax net and it was not meant for taxing international tourists and as a result we are losing business to neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and other countries where no such levy is charged.” IATO has also requested the government to urgently announce Service Export Incentive Scheme (SEIS) for financial year 2019-20 which has been delayed by almost one year now. Announcing this will lead to some cash flow for tour operators which is critical for their survival.

In addition, several states announced curfews and weekend lockdowns as India’s daily new cases crossed the 100,000 mark for the first time on April 4. “On April 5, the state of Maharashtra imposed fresh emergency measures, effectively placing one of the country’s most populous states and centers of economic activity back into a partial lockdown, with the closure of nonessential businesses, a curfew and capacity restrictions.”

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BUSINESS

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Covid Effect: Airlines demand assistance package, capacity reduction

esurgence of Covid infections along with the re-imposition of partial travel restrictions in some major states have triggered a clamour among a section of airlines for financial assistance as well as reduction of flight capacity.

Traders lose business worth Rs 46,000 cr amid curfews, curbs

Industry insiders have contended that rising Covid cases have severely impacted demand, leading to cancellations. Voicing their concerns, airline representatives at a meeting with Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola have demanded a financial assistance package from the Centre to deal with the second Covid wave. Besides, the airlines have urged the Centre to consider a reduction of flight capacity from 80 per cent to 60 per cent as bookings have fallen by as much as 50 per cent. Notably, the Centre till now has allowed airlines to operate with 80 per cent capacity. The domestic aviation sector was reopened on May 25, 2020 with a limited capacity of 33 per cent. Since then, the operational capacity has only been increased in consonance with rising passenger traffic.

“There has been absolutely no financial assistance from the government for the airlines since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. It is urgently required to save this vital and essential industry,” a senior executive with a leading private airline told IANS.

of daily Covid cases have shot up from 60,000 to over 1 lakh marking a whopping 52 per cent increase.

“Airlines have also demanded a reduction in capacity,” the official added.

According to a Mumbai-based industry insider: “All airlines are bleeding heavily, and sustaining at these levels is not viable. Many airlines are mulling pay cuts and compulsory unpaid leaves. The Centre needs to intervene again to impose calibrated capacity deployment to save the industry.”

Furthermore, some airlines have demanded that DGCA should strictly enforce compliance with lower fare limits as “many instances of tickets being sold at much cheaper fares” have come to light.

The rising number cases and re-imposition of travel restrictions are expected to have a major negative impact on the industry.

In the past few weeks, the tally

‘Global fiscal deficit tripled in 2020 to $6.5 trillion’

s governments across the world raised their spending amid the pandemic to support economies along with the healthcare system, the global fiscal deficit marked a three-fold increase in 2020 to $6.5 trillion, according to a report by Motilal Oswal Financial Services.

cent of GDP in CY19.

The report noted that although the fiscal deficit expanded everywhere, the magnitude of response was divergent in advanced economies (AEs) and emerging and developing economies (E&DEs).

Excluding China, fiscal deficit in the remaining E&DEs jumped to 4.7 per cent of GDP last year, higher than 2.9 per cent of GDP in CY19.

“Our calculations suggest that the global fiscal deficit almost tripled to $6.5 trillion (or 9.8 per cent of GDP) last year from $2.2 trillion (or 3.2 per cent of GDP) in CY19,” it said. It said that while global fiscal receipts fell to a decade low of 17.3 per cent of GDP in CY20 (2020) from 17.8 per cent a year ago, global fiscal spending surged to 27.2 per cent of GDP from 21 per

Regarding the divergence of government spending amongst countries, the report said that while fiscal deficit expanded in both advanced economies (AE) and emerging and development economies (E&DE), the stimulus in AEs was much bigger than E&Des.

“While expansion in fiscal deficit in the former was due to higher spending, the expansion in deficit in E&DEs is attributed to a fall in fiscal receipts,” it said. Fiscal deficits in AEs jumped to 12 per cent of GDP last year against 2.7 per cent of GDP in CY19. In contrast, fiscal deficit in E&DEs increased to 6.3 per cent of GDP in CY20 from 4 per cent of GDP in the previous year. The Motilal Oswal report noted that there were large differences

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It said that the containment restrictions are likely to be more targeted with impact on specific services such as food and beverages, leisure and recreation, and transport, but with limited spillovers into other sectors such as construction and manufacturing.

According to the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), retail businesses have taken a hit of Rs 32,000 crore, while wholesale businesses have suffered a loss of Rs 14,000 crore. Nearly 60 per cent of consumers are avoiding visits to markets due to the daily steep rise of Covid cases, the traders’ body said in a statement. In Maharashtra, there has been a loss of business about Rs 10,000 crore in the retail segment, while that in the wholesale segment stood at Rs 4,000 crore.

In Chhattisgarh, the retail business has suffered a loss of about Rs 1,200 crore and the wholesale trade has seen a loss of about Rs 600 crore. The retail trade in Gujarat has suffered a loss of about Rs 4,800 crore and a loss of about Rs 2,200 crore has been caused to the wholesale trade. Similarly, retail traders in Delhi have lost Rs 3,000 crore of business, and the wholesale trade has suffered a loss of about Rs 1,400 crore. Industry representatives along with the traders’ body have appealed to the Centre and state governments to not go ahead with lockdowns and instead ramp up the vaccination drive and implement stringent safety norms.

in the economic support provided by authorities in the advanced economies in comparison to that in emerging economies, with the former supporting much more than the latter. “Going forward, these differences will certainly reflect in divergent recovery trends in the two sets of nations. The future of the real world economy will be entirely dependent on how quickly these stimuli (or fiscal transfers) get converted into spending (consumption/investments),” it said.

Covid restrictions to hit economic activities in Apr-Jun: Report

he restrictions and partial lockdowns in several states and cities amid rising Covid-19 cases are likely to impact economic activities in the current quarter (April-June), according to a Goldman Sachs report.

etail and wholesale businesses across the country have taken a hit of Rs 46,000 crore in the last 10 days amid curfews and partial lockdowns across several states.

“While these restrictions are likely to hit activity in Q2, we think activity is likely to rebound sharply from Q3 onwards as containment policies normalise,” it said. “Consequently, our economists have revised down their overall

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CY21 real GDP growth forecast to 10.5 per cent (from 10.9 per cent previously) but remain above the consensus forecast of 9.4 per cent.” It also said that the domestic fiscal policy and government spending are likely to continue supporting growth in the coming months.

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Globally, Goldman Sachs’ economists remain optimistic about a rebound in the global economy and expect very strong GDP growth in 2021. A strong recovery in global growth provides a supportive backdrop for India’s macro and cyclical recovery too, it said.

BUSINESS

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Adani Ports acquire 25% of Vishwasamudra HDFC raises fixed deposit Holdings’ stake in Krishnapatnam Port rates by up to 25 bps

rivate sector ports and logistics company Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. (APSEZ) is acquiring the residual 25 per cent stake in Adani Krishnapatnam Port Ltd., (Krishnapatnam Port) for Rs 2,800 crore. With this, APSEZ will increase its stake from 75 per cent to 100 per cent in Krishnapatnam Port, the country’s second largest private sector port. The acquisition will be completed by buying 25 per cent from Vishwa Samudra Holdings. Together with the 75 per cent ownership acquired in October 2020, the acquisition implies an enterprise value of Rs 13,675 crore implying an EV/ FY21 EBITDA multiple of 10.3x.

Krishnapatnam Port is located on the east coast of India in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh (180 km from Chennai Ports) close to the border between Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. It is an all-weather, deep water port and has a multi-cargo facility with a current capacity of 64 MMTPA. With

a waterfront of 20 km and 6,800 acres of land, Krishnapatnam Port has a master plan capacity of 300 MMTPA and a 50-year concession. The port is expected to have volumes of 38 MMT, revenues of Rs 1,840 crore and EBITDA of Rs 1,325 in FY21. Since the acquisition, Krishnapatnam Port has focused on business process re-engineering which has resulted in EBITDA margins improving from 57 per cent in FY20 to 72 per cent in FY21. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd., a part of Adani Group

has evolved from a port company to Ports & Logistics Platform for India. It is the largest port developer and operator in India with 12 strategically located ports and terminals -- Mundra, Dahej, Tuna and Hazira in Gujarat, Dhamra in Odisha, Mormugao in Goa, Visakhapatnam and Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Dighi in Maharashtra and and Kattupalli and Ennore in Chennai- representing 24 per cent of the country’s total port capacity. The company is also developing a transhipment port at Vizhinjam, Kerala.

ousing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (HDFC) has increased interest rates of its various fixed deposit products with different maturities by up to 25 basis points (bps). The change came into effect on March 30. The housing finance major is offering an annual interest rate of 6.2 per cent on special fixed deposits up to Rs 2 crore and maturing in 33 months. For special fixed deposits of up to Rs 2 crore maturing at 66 months and 99 months, it is offering annual interest rates of 6.60 per cent and 6.65 per cent, respectively, showed the company website. Further, senior citizens will

get a 25bps additional rate over and above the prevailing interest rates on deposits up to Rs 2 crore, other than recurring deposits.

Hyundai sells over a million ‘Made in India’ SUVs

Reliance infra & YES Bank announce sale transaction of Reliance Centre to YES Bank

eliance Infrastructure Limited and YES Bank Limited announced a sale transaction of Reliance Centre, Santacruz, Mumbai to YES Bank. The transaction value is Rs1,200 crore. Entire proceeds from the sale of Reliance Centre, Santacruz is utilized only to repay the debt of YES Bank. Reliance infrastructure limited has reduced its exposure by 50 per cent in the last 90 days. Rinfra has closed three major transactions in the last 90 days namely sale of road assets -- Delhi Agra Toll Road, Transmission Asset-Parbati Koldam Transmission Company limited and sale of Reliance Centre, Santacruz. Rinfra exposure of YES Bank has been reduced from Rs 4,000 crore to Rs 2,000 crore. Rinfra is committed to be a debt free company in 2021. YES Bank plans to use the building as its corporate headquarters. Reliance Infrastructure Limited (RInfra) is one of the largest infrastructure companies, developing projects through various Special

utomobile major Hyundai Motor India has cumulatively sold over one million SUVs in domestic and export markets since its inception, the company said on Monday, April 5. At present, the company offers 4 SUVs in the country, namely Venue, Creta, Tucson and Kona Electric.

Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) in several high growth sectors such as Power, Roads and Metro Rail in the Infrastructure space and the Defence sector. RInfra is a major player in providing Engineering and Construction (E&C) services for developing power, infrastructure, metro and road projects. RInfra through its

SPVs has executed a portfolio of infrastructure projects such as a metro rail project in Mumbai on build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis; nine road projects on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis. RInfra is also a leading utility company having presence across the value chain of power businesses, i.e. Generation and Distribution.

“With over 1 Million cumulative SUV sales in domestic and export markets, we have reiterated the promise of Make-in-India over nearly two and a half decades of our presence in India,” said Tarun

Garg, Director (Sales, Marketing & Service), Hyundai Motor India. In terms of offerings, the company launched Creta in 2015 which has recorded a cumulative sale of over 5.9 lakh units in the domestic market and over 2.2 lakh units in the export market. Similarly, Venue was introduced in 2019 as the country’s first Connected SUV. HMIL has already sold over 1.8 lakh units of VENUE in the domestic market. The company currently has 10 car models across segments on offer.

Wipro buying Australian firm for $117M

lobal software major Wipro on April 1, 2021 announced buying Australia-based Ampion for $117 million (Rs 858 crore), as it provides cyber security, Dev Ops (software development and IT operations) and engineering services. The buyout in cash is for 100 per cent acquisition of Ampion’s shares. Headquartered in Melbourne, Ampion was formed through a merger of IT services providers ‘Revolution IT’ and Shel-

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de in 2019. Revolution IT was an IT services firm founded in 2004 and Shelde was a digital IT security company set up in 2010. “Ampion has 500 consulting and technology specialists. It posted US$85.5-million revenue for the year ending June 30, 2020,” said the filing. The Australian market is undergoing disruption through the adoption of cloud, DevOps, ana-

lytics and resilience related digital capabilities, across enterprises and public sector entities. Wipro’s operating model emphasises strategic investments in focus geographies, proximity to customers, agility, scale and localisation. Wipro has been present in the ANZ market for over two decades with client relationships across industry sectors and localised domain and delivery capabilities. Ampion Chief Executive Jamie Duffield said

clients, employees and the market would benefit from the synergies

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between the two firms.

INVESTMENT

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

ChrysCapital announces Haryana allocates investment in Corona Remedies 140 acres to Flipkart

in Manesar

hrysCapital, one of the leading private equity funds in India, has announced its investment in Corona Remedies Private Limited (Corona), one of the country’s fastest growing pharmaceutical companies, by acquiring a 27 per cent stake through an entirely secondary deal. Commenting on the investment, Kshitij Sheth, Director, ChrysCapital, said, “ChrysCapital is very excited to partner with Corona in its growth journey. The domestic pharmaceutical market is a large, attractive and resilient market with a healthy outlook. Corona is among the fastest growing companies in the Indian pharmaceutical market with presence in exciting therapeutic areas including cardiology, diabetology and gynaecology. ChrysCapital believes Corona is an excellent platform with a combination of a great management team, strong brands and superior marketing capabilities, all the ingredients to scale multi-fold and create significant value.” “We are pleased to welcome ChrysCapital as an investor and partner for the next phase of Corona’s journey. ChrysCapital has deep capabilities and an excellent track record of collaborating with entrepreneurs to build industry leading players, especially

I in pharmaceuticals. We intend to leverage our strong management capabilities and ChrysCapital’s extensive sectoral knowledge to drive Corona’s growth as we take it to new heights. Together, we are focused towards creating value for all stakeholders,” said Nirav Mehta, Founder Director of Corona Remedies. Spark Capital Advisors and Vertices Partners advised Corona while Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas advised ChrysCapital. Founded in 2004 by Kirti bhai Mehta and his two sons, Nirav and Ankur Mehta, Corona is among the fastest growing companies in the domestic formulations sector in India. Its product range includes formulations in therapeutic segments like gynaecology, cardio diabetic, nutraceuticals, anti-infective, orthopaedic and paediatrics. Corona has scaled up rapidly due to its

experienced management team, diversified product range, focus on affordable yet high-quality formulations, robust distribution network and an experienced field force of 2,000 medical representatives. ChrysCapital is one of the largest and most established India-focused investment firms. The firm has raised $4 billion across eight funds and is currently investing out of its $900 plus million eighth fund. Since inception, ChrysCapital has made 90 plus investments across a variety of sectors, including some marquee investments in the Pharmaceutical sector such as Intas Pharma, Mankind Pharma, Eris Lifesciences, Torrent Pharma, Ipca Labs, Curatio Healthcare and Zydus Cadila. The firm has realized over $5.6 billion from 70 plus full exits and has fully monetized five successive funds with strong net US dollar returns.

Nearly 72,000 housing units sold in January-March: Report

eal estate demand continued to improve in the January-March quarter, with steady rise in sales to 71,963 units across the top eight cities, according to a report by Knight Frank India. Sales during the previous quarter of October-December stood at 55,033 units. This healthy growth in sales also encouraged developers to launch new projects which is reflected in the 76,006 units launched during the quarter, a substantial growth of 38 per cent on a year-on-year (yoy) basis. Mumbai and Pune led the table

in both launches as well as sales. These two markets benefited from significant regulatory impetus in the form of discounts in stamp duty charges that led to significant improvement in sales velocity. While end users were keen on taking advantage of the reduced stamp duty regime, developers also thought it right to take advantage of the said growth to launch new projects. In the last few weeks of Q1 2021, Karnataka also doled out stamp duty sops to home buyers for residences costing upto Rs 45 lakhs. However, the impact of

n view of the increasing demand of warehousing, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday, April 6 approved the allotment of 140 acres in Manesar to Flipkart for setting up its largest fulfilling centre in Asia. The approval was granted at the meeting of the Haryana Enterprise Promotion Board presided over by Khattar here. During the meeting, the Chief Minister was apprised that the land, belonging to the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd, allotted at price of Rs 3.22 crore per acre to Insta kart Services Private Ltd, a Flipkart group company, will not only give impetus to further investments in the region but would boost market access opportunities for MSMEs. Representatives of Flipkart said Insta kart is planning to set up a series of fulfillment centres and associated logistics infrastructure across India to enable its market growth. To attain this goal, the

company aims to construct regional distribution centres across the country to strengthen its network capabilities. The company is planning to build a logistics campus in the National Capital Region, in proximity to Gurugram. The fulfillment centre will essentially cater to parcel goods, white goods and furniture. Approximately 6,000 direct and 12,000 indirect jobs will be created through this investment, a state government statement said.

Salman Khan invests in short-form video app Chingari

this may only be seen in the subsequent quarters, the report said. The increasing sales volumes have also arrested the intensity of the yoy fall in residential prices of most markets while Hyderabad and the National Capital Region (NCR) have seen a marginal growth in prices compared to a year ago. Baijal was of the view that while the sentiments have remained largely positive in the first quarter leading to consistent rise in home sales, the recent spike in Covid-19 cases in the country has to be factored in for the future.

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ollywood superstar Salman Khan has invested in homegrown short-form video app Chingari, the company announced on Friday, April 2. With Salman as global brand ambassador and investor, Chingari said it is looking to augment its position as the market leader. The company, however, did not disclose the funding amount from Salman. The news came as Bengaluru-based telecommunication firm OnMobile led a $13

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million (nearly Rs 95 crore) funding round in Chingari on Thursday. The app currently has more than 56 million users in India. Chingari allows its users to download and upload videos, chat with friends, interact with new people, share content, browse through feed, and much more. The platform is available in more than 12 vernacular languages along with English and Spanish.

POLITICS

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Kuldeep Senger’s wife is BJP Priyanka attacks UP candidate in Panchayat polls govt over ‘explosive’ Covid situation

lmost one-and-a-half-years after he was expelled from the BJP on charges of rape, former MLA Kuldeep Singh Senger’s wife, Sangeeta Senger has been made party candidate for the upcoming panchayat elections. Sangeeta will contest from Fatehpur Chaurasi in Unnao Zila Panchayat elections. Sangeeta Senger had won the zila panchayat chairperson election in 2016. Party sources said that her candidature was approved by state BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh and state general secretary (organization) Sunil Bansal. Senger was made the candidate, keeping in mind the influence that her family wields in the area and the sympathy that they have earned after Kuldeep Senger’s

arrest in April 2018. Many still believe that he is innocent and has been framed by political rivals. Kuldeep Senger, sentenced to

life in jail, was disqualified as the member of the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly last year in February. He is presently lodged in Tihar jail.

CWC to meet on Covid situation

o keep the pressure on the Centre, the Congress has called a meeting of its working committee, CWC, on Saturday to discuss the issue of Covid resurgence.

She also demanded that Rs 6,000 should be transferred every month in the accounts of those who are eligible.

and rehabilitation of the migrant workers and transfer Rs 6,000 every month to the eligible people as the curfews and curbs have been imposed to contain the virus spread.

She urged the government to put a system in place for the relief

The Congress has also started a social media campaign for ‘vacci-

nation for all’. Claiming that the country was facing a shortage of vaccines, the party said that export of the vaccine should be stopped immediately and the people of India should be vaccinated first.

Corruption allegations: Anil Deshmukh being grilled by CBI

x-home minister of Maharashtra Anil Deshmukh reached the CBI office on Wednesday morning for questioning into the allegations of corruption levelled by former Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh, officials said. Deshmukh’s grilling is part of the “preliminary enquiry” by the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) as ordered by the Bombay High Court, which has to be completed within 15 days. The senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader went to the DRDO Guest House in Kalina and is likely to be questioned by two

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Addressing a virtual meeting with party leaders on Wednesday, Priyanka said that the situation in the state had turned ‘explosive’. She said that the government was behaving in an inhuman manner and instead of increasing the capacity of hospitals, it was

increasing the capacity of cremation grounds. She said that it was the duty of the Congress as an opposition party to fight for the people and help them in whichever way it could. The meeting was attended by all divisional heads of the party, former MPs, legislators and senior office bearers. Priyanka is presently in home isolation after her husband Robert Vadra tested Corona positive.

Alka Lamba slams Kejriwal for ‘mishandling’ Covid situation in Delhi

This comes a week after the ministers and chief ministers of the Congress-ruled states met to discuss the Covid-19 crisis. The Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi had earlier written a letter to the Prime Minister demanding a waiver of GST on the drugs and equipment used for Covid treatment.

ongress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has said that the UP government is playing, not with statistics, but with the lives of people.

teams of the CBI into Singh’s charges against him.

Earlier on Monday, the CBI had quizzed and recorded the statements of Deshmukh’s two aides Kundan Shinde and Sanjeev Palande. Besides, it has also questioned Singh, the prime accused and suspended Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze, Assistant Commissioner of Police Sanjay Patil and one of the complainants Advocate Jayshri Patil, and some other witnesses. Following his transfer as Commandant-General of Home Guard

Singh had sent a ‘letter-bomb’ to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray triggering a series of developments which ultimately led to the resignation of Deshmukh.

As per the high court orders, it will be left to the CBI’s discretion whether to file a first information report in the matter after completing its ‘preliminary enquiry’ into Singh’s explosive letter which had accused Deshmukh of ordering Vaze and others to ‘collect’ Rs 100 crore per month from bars, restaurants and others, sparking off a major political row and shake-up in the police department.

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ormer MLA and Delhi Congress leader Alka Lamba on Thursday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the national capital, saying that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should shoulder the blame for the rapid spread of Covid cases in the fourth wave of the pandemic in the city. Addressing a press conference virtually, Lamba said, “Covid cases touched a record high of 17,282 on Wednesday with 104 people succumbing to the virus. The city is witnessing a terrible situation, as the hospitals have virtually run out of Covid beds, particularly ICU beds with ventilators, while the crematoriums and burial grounds are unable to cope with the rush of bodies.” The Congress leader said that when Covid cases were surging again, Delhi Congress President Anil Kumar Chaudhary had appealed to the Chief Minister to call an all-party meeting to work out a strategy to effectively check the spread of the virus, as the situation was getting grim and dangerous. She said that it was necessary to seek the advice, help and support of all sections of people for combating the pandemic, as it was beyond the capability or com-

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petence of one city or individual to manage the situation, as the entire world was affected by the pandemic. “Unfortunately, the arrogant Chief Minister did not take heed of Kumar’s appeal, but now that the pandemic has slipped out of the hands of the government, it is requisitioning the services of hotels, community centres and sports grounds to accommodate Covid patients,” she said. She also said that initially, Kejriwal had discouraged people from getting admitted to hospitals, asking them to go for home quarantine instead. Lamba said that with even doctors becoming clueless about the impact of the variants of the virus strain, Kejriwal played ‘expert’, and the people of Delhi are now bearing the brunt of the AAP government’s reckless actions.

ENVIRONMENT

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Antarctica’s ‘doomsday Ahmedabad varsity to lead will melt faster India in global climate initiative glacier’ than thought

s the world is on the path to recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, Gujarat-based Ahmedabad University has been selected to lead India in a global climate education initiative that seeks to find out what can be done this year to meet the challenge of climate change while supporting struggling communities that have faced joblessness, sickness and loss. As a part of this initiative, Ahmedabad University will host a public discourse on the topic “Communicating climate urgency: How to get our messaging right” in India on April 7, 2021. Members of the public can register at https://bit. ly/3spBSbD This will be one of 125 similar events to be held across the planet in early April focused on ambitious but feasible regional and local solutions to help meet the challenge of climate change. This event is a part of a global project called Solve Climate By 2030, in association with Bard College in New York. Worldwide, from Australia to Kyrgyzstan, Colombia to Malaysia, and South Africa to Hungary, audiences will hear from local climate experts about steps that can really help the nation solve climate change, while creating much-needed jobs and income. Ahmedabad University is the only institute to be selected from India to be part of this global initiative. “We firmly believe that sustainability is central to human existence and no discipline, today, can shy away from integrating in its thinking. For Ahmedabad, Climate change is a serious area of academic-action endeavour and we engage with all of its manifestations,” Professor Pankaj Chandra, Vice Chancellor of Ahmedabad University, said ahead of the event. Located in the urban centre of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Ahmedabad

University is building itself into a research hub that is premised on liberal education. It is a university in the global academy that is being envisioned to promote subcontinental traditions of knowledge to act as a bridge between the arts, the sciences and the professions. Interdisciplinary curriculum, experiential learning environment, and research thinking define an Ahmedabad education. At the April 7 webinar, Bhuvana Venkatesh, a Grade 10 student from Bengaluru, Bijal Vachhrajani, Author and Senior Editor at Pratham Books and Raj Shah, an MBA student of the Class of 2022 at Ahmedabad University, will participate in the interdisciplinary conversation on “Communicating climate urgency: How to get our messaging right”. Dr. Eban Goodstein, economist and Director of the Solve Climate project at Bard College, has urged climate-concerned teachers at the college, university and high school level to assign the Ahmedabad University webinar as homework – either live or recorded – and then engage students in this critical dialogue. “Ahmedabad University is taking a leadership role among global universities on education for climate solutions,” said Goodstein. “The experts they have brought together for this event have an im-

portant message about what we can and must do now to stabilise the climate.” Minal Pathak, Senior Scientist, Global Centre for Environment and Energy, Ahmedabad University, will moderate the April 7 event. “The science around climate change is unanimous - solving the climate challenge needs unprecedented and rapid action,” said Pathak. “How do we best communicate this urgency? How can we improve our messaging for the wider public – for young audiences in particular?” On April 7, 2021, the Solve the Climate movement launches at over 100 universities worldwide. “Ahmedabad University is proud and humbled to be part of this amazing initiative,” said Pathak. “We are proud to be the only institution from India to participate in this global conversation.” The Solve Climate by 2030 project comes even as the United Nations has declared the years 2021-2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The aim behind this declaration is to massively scale up the restoration of degraded and destroyed ecosystems across the world as a proven measure to fight the climate crisis and enhance food security, water supply and biodiversity.

he supply of warm water to Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, also known as the “doomsday glacier”, is larger than previously thought, triggering concerns of faster melting and accelerating ice flow -- a risk for global sea levels, say researchers. Thwaites is particularly sensitive to warm and salty ocean currents, due to its location and shape. For the first time researchers were able to take measurements beneath it, with the help of an uncrewed submarine called “Ran” that made its way under the glacier front. Among other things, it measured the strength, temperature, salinity and oxygen content of the ocean currents under the glacier and found variations. This indicates that the area under the glacier is a previously unknown active area where different water masses meet and mix with each other. Global sea level is affected by how much ice there is on land, and the biggest uncertainty in the forecasts is the future evolution of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, said lead author Anna Wahlin, Professor at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. Using the Ran results, the team mapped the ocean currents that flow below Thwaites’s floating part. The observations, published in the journal Science Advances, show

warm water approaching from all sides on pinning points, critical locations where the ice is connected to the seabed and give stability to the ice shelf. Melting around these pinning points may lead to instability and retreat of the ice shelf and, subsequently, the upstream glacier flowing off the land, the researchers said. They also discovered a deep connection to the east through which deep water flows from Pine Island Bay -- a connection previously thought to be blocked by an underwater ridge. Further, they measured the heat transport in one of the three channels that lead warm water towards Thwaites Glacier from the north. “The channels for warm water to access and attack Thwaites weren’t known to us before the research. Using sonars on the ship, nested with very high-resolution ocean mapping from Ran, we were able to find that there are distinct paths that water takes in and out of the ice shelf cavity, influenced by the geometry of the ocean floor,” said Alastair Graham, from the University of Southern Florida. Although the amount of ice that melts as a result of the hot water is not much compared to other global freshwater sources, the heat transport has a large effect locally and may indicate that the glacier is not stable over time.

One-third of Antarctic ice shelf area at risk of collapse: Study

s climate change is making temperatures soar, more than a third of the Antarctic’s ice shelf could be at risk of collapsing into the sea, and causing global sea-levels to rise, new research has shown.

Ice shelves -- Larsen C, Shackleton, Pine Island and Wilkins -- were identified as most at-risk under 4 degrees Celsius of warming, due to their geography and the significant runoff predicted in those areas.

The study, led by a researcher at the University of Reading in England, found that if global temperatures reach 4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, 34 per cent of the area of all Antarctic ice shelves -- around half a million square kilometres -- including 67 per cent of ice shelf area on the Antarctic Peninsula, would be at risk of destabilisation.

Limiting temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius, as mandated by the United Nations under the Paris Climate agreement, would halve the risk and potentially avoid significant sea level rise, said the study, published in the Geophysical Research Letters journal.

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“If temperatures continue to rise at current rates, we may lose more Antarctic ice shelves in the

coming decades,” said Ella Gilbert, a research scientist at the varsity’s Department of Meteorology. “Limiting warming will not just be good for Antarctica -- preserving ice shelves means less global sea level rise, and that’s good for us all,” she added. When melted ice accumulates on the surface of ice shelves, it can make them fracture and collapse spectacularly. Ice shelf vulnerability from this fracturing process was forecast under 1.5 degrees Celsius, 2 degrees Celsius and 4 degrees Celsius global warming scenarios, which are all possible this century.

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“Ice shelves are important buffers preventing glaciers on land from flowing freely into the ocean and contributing to sea level rise. When they collapse, it’s like a giant cork being removed from a bottle, allowing unimaginable amounts

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of water from glaciers to pour into the sea,” Gilbert said. “We know that when melted ice accumulates on the surface of ice shelves, it can make them fracture and collapse spectacularly,” Gilbert said.

OPINION

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

India, China disengagement at Ladakh: An unfinished agenda Gogra, Hot Spring and Demchok areas. It can, therefore, claim to have launched a successful incremental encroachment operation and edged forward 1959/60 claim line in ‘other areas’. The explainers of Chinese narrative will find it difficult to explain their gain by moving forward from Finger 8 to Finger 4 and then speedily withdrawing back to the same location,indicating weakness of PLA to endure winters in high altitude area, besides making Maldo Garrison vulnerable and risking war, had Indians not obliged by pulling back from heights in Pangong Tso area.

he 11th round of India China Corps Commander’s meeting has ended with good optics and pleasantly worded PIB release, with no concrete agreement (if any) disseminated so far. Post disengagement of troops in Eastern Ladakh from North and South of Pangong Tso, no disengagement in other areas to include Depsang plains, Gogra, Hot Spring, Demchok, and no further de-escalation, was well predicted by most analysts. In “Two Session” press conference last month, Wang Yi suggested China and India to strengthen cooperation instead of harboring suspicion at each other and earlier indicated to get back to business as usual, sidelining border/LAC issue. The Indian Foreign Ministry seems to be conveying that disengagement at all friction points leading to de-escalation, peace and tranquility on borders are prerequisites to progressing smooth bilateral ties.This rightful Indian stance is adversely affected by indicators like likelihood of Indian permission to progress 45 Chinese projects and 300 Crore contracts to Huawei, which is not in sync with the stance conveyed. The standoff is therefore yet to be resolved, as Indian Army Chief general Naravane puts it “the threat has only abated and it has not gone away altogether”, although domestic events in both countries have dimmed the spotlight on borders. What was China trying? Chinese political aim was and continues to be China centric Asia and forcing Indian subordination, a necessity to achieve it. This aim could not be achieved despite prolonged standoff in Ladakh so far, but will remain unchanged,even in future. Chinese strategic aim to control Eastern Ladakh was to provide depth to its National Highway G-219, Karakoram Pass and China-Pakistan

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Economic Corridor (CPEC), redraw Line of Actual Control (LAC) as per its perception and negotiate border on its terms thereafter. China can claim to have partially achieved it, with continued presence in extra kilometrage in Depsang plains, Gogra, Hot Spring, Demchok areas, where disengagement is yet to take place. The Indian aim has been to get Chinese back to pre-standoff positions as of April 2020 in all friction points, not to concede unilateral change of LAC, and pursue talks towards its demarcation, hoping to lead to border resolution. With current disengagement, status quo stands achieved in areas north and south of Pangong Tso, at the cost of losing the crucial leverage of giving up occupation of certain heights on Kailash range and north of Pangong Tso, prior to Chinese vacation of ‘Other Areas’.Pursuing disengagement and de-escalation in remaining areas will be an uphill task due to shortage of leverages,given Chinese past track record of junking agreements at will. China, having marched in areas, where it was not supposed to be, junking all CBMs, as part of overall ‘Incremental Encroachment Strategy’, exploiting first mover advantage, making unfair use of Indian engagement in combating COVID-19 pandemic.China soon found itself handicapped by strong Indian response, resistance and resolve, with proactive actions resulting newly created vulnerabilities to Maldo Garrison and its launch pad, South of Pangong Tso. Despite disengagement in Pangong Tso area, Chinese discomfort due to Indian dispositions in Sub Sector North including DBO, infrastructure development including DSDBO road, as a threat to crucial Tibet-Xinjiang-Pakistan connectivity remains. Despite proactive tactical, operational and daring actions by Indian military, its strat-

egy was reactive. Why Speedy Partial Disengagement? After getting locked in the standoff for so long, both countries realized that with such large troop density on both sides, prolonging it further will not achieve any meaningful gains. Escalation to conflict or further standoff was proving costly to both, in terms of human and financial cost, and sustenance, especially in harsh winters at high altitudes, where Chinese troops were not used to living. A very heavy troop concentration within striking distance was prone to accidental triggering of conflict, which both countries wanted to avoid.Disengagement per se, therefore, was certainly a preferred option for both countries to avoid endless standoff, but its sequencing deserves an analysis. The domestic compulsion of getting into “Two Session 2021” with vulnerable Maldo Garrison was also mounting for China. Under such circumstances a disengagement agreement involving Indian’s vacation of Heights South and North of Pangong Tso at the cost of pulling back from finger areas to its original positions, with its road intact, gave a much-desired face saver to China and it disengaged with unprecedented speed in Pangong Tso area. It was also on the lines of Indian stance of getting back to pre-standoff positions. The Two Narratives! Both countries justify disengagement process favourable to them, so far, although disengagement is yet to be done at many friction points. The Chinese narrative to its population up to “Two Session” has been that it has got Indians down from heights north and south of Pangong Tso and ensured no Indian presence from Finger 4 to Finger 8, no patrolling by declaring it as buffer zone, while retaining its presence in Depsang plains,

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The Indian narrative to its critiques is that it has been able to successfully push Chinese back to status quo ante positions as existed pre standoff in Pangong Tso area, the stance which India maintained throughout. Amongst rest areas, like Gogra, Hot Spring and Demchok, its work in progress to disengage and restore patrolling rights. Depsang is a legacy issue of decades, where patrolling points to limit ITBP/ Army patrols were designated to avoid confrontation. Willy-nilly, nearly two-thirds of Depsang Plateau remained outside the purview of physical domination by us, which allowed PLA to establish intensive infrastructure and habitat in the area.Depsang will therefore, require separate discussion. India can also draw solace from the fact that, while it is being denied patrolling to the patrol points on Depsang Plateau East of the area Bottleneck inside the Raki Nallah, it has also denied PLA patrols movement West of Bottleneck, to Chinese claimed area close to Burtse. The explainers of Indian narrative will continue to find it difficult to explain why disengagement was not sequenced on ‘first in and first out basis’, meaning thereby that India should have vacated Kailash Range heights only after China had vacated the areas,where it advanced in Depsang plains, Gogra, Hot Spring and Demchok areas, since April 2020. It is reasonable to believe that negotiators at all levels must have tried their best and may have had their compulsions, but If Chinese do not act on remaining part of the agreement, it will leave India at a disadvantage, due to shortage of worthwhile leverages. Notwithstanding the political debates over legacy of Depsang issue, it remains strategically important and a threat to DBO and DS-DBO Road; hence a concern for military professionals. Future Options with India The actual worth of disengagement agreement is yet to be seen in light of trust deficit and past track record of Chinese in junking Agreements, when it suits them, as the LAC as well as border remains un-demarcated between both countries.The relative calmness along LAC doesn’t mean a smooth

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ride ahead. With both armies preparing for annual summer exercises and stepping up deployment along LAC in high altitude region, in coming weeks, in addition to the troop deployment in ‘Other Areas’ doesn’t promise de-escalation. It does put entire surveillance plan of India to test, to avoid any ‘First movers advantage’ to China like 2020. The Indian forces and the country has given a befitting reply to Chinese misadventure, and will do so each time, with added confidence and experience of 2020. Indian aim should be not to concede Chinese attempt to redraw LAC as LAC-2020. In light of no major breakthrough in 22nd round of China-India border talks, I do not expect any worthwhile development on delineation, delimitation for demarcation of LAC, which, is necessary to prevent repeated standoffs, even if the present one sees some resolution. This is inescapable and must be insisted. A temporary solution/side-lining main issue is recipe for the next standoff, leading to LOC-ization of LAC further.Chinese will like to keep border unsettled, till the time the political cost of Not settling it, becomes higher than doing so, for CCP, China. Its efforts of bilateral border talks with Bhutan and Nepal including trijunctions, are to create further complications in the long term resolution of borders. India must be prepared for ‘Two Front War’ as a worst case scenario, and continue capacity building in all domains, including maritime arena. Ongoing infrastructure development along borders should lead to settling of locals in villages along LAC with better facilities, to ward off Chinese design of developing hundreds of new villages along LAC.Strategic partnerships with like-minded democracies and collective naval posturing to create multifront situation for China are efforts in right direction. There is a need for alternative supply chain, trade and technological ecosystem, independent of China for which some initial steps taken by Quad countries need to be pursued on strategic plane. (Major General S B Asthana is a strategic and security analyst, a veteran Infantry General. He is the Chief Instructor, United Service Institution of India. The views expressed are personal)

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

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ARTS-CULTURE

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

A weeklong spotlight on Annual crafts bazaar underway at Dilli Indian contemporary art Haat till mid-April the light of cyber realities, as seen through the use of emojis and other familiar symbols of play. Reena Saini Kallat traces the borders between countries that are in conflict over the sharing of their common river waters. By rearranging these lines of separation, she carves a new topography with a flowing river forming the landscape.

urning the spotlight on Indian contemporary art and artists for a whole week in the national capital, the Delhi Contemporary Art Week (DCAW) open on April 8 with the participation of seven city-based art galleries. The participating galleries include Blueprint 12, Exhibit 320, Gallery Espace, Latitude 28, Nature Morte, Shrine Empire and Vadehra Art Gallery. Contending that contemporary art in South Asia is more exciting than it has ever been, the seven galleries have come together in this latest edition to showcase a new wave of artists from India and the subcontinent at Bikaner House. According to the organisers, the Week was initiated as an attempt to generate discourse that befits the shifting lens of the contemporary. This year DCAW is taking place at Bikaner House to add vigour with its grand colonial era architecture and spacious exhibition spaces. There is also an additional exhibition by Reha Sodhi. The galleries will also host exhibitions at their own spaces creating a citywide fervor around contemporary art. Notably, among the exhibiting artists is Manjunath Kamath who displays a group of drawings that draw on motifs from Indian, Chinese and Persian cultures. Arun Kumar HG’s artistic engagement

with the ecology and the disharmonies created by unbridled consumerism find expression in a large sculpture in reclaimed wood that draws on the ‘samudra manthan’ (churning of ocean) myth from the Puranas. Chitra Ganesh presents three small drawings in her customary visual vocabulary interpolating Hindu and Buddhist iconography, surrealism, and popular visual culture forms such as comics, graffiti and street art, to present a culturally layered, feminist narrative. There are also works that draw inspiration from the pandemic and recent lockdown. Manisha Gera Baswani’s two pin-drawings enact a personal encounter with pain and disease. Puneet Kaushik’s series of works in black and red titled “Sacred marks of a lockdown” trace the fragile and tenuous negotiations of the self with the new realities of the lockdowned world. Emerging artist Ishita Chakrabory will present post-card sized works that articulate her feelings of homesickness and spatial alienation, living in cold, sparsely populated Switzerland far away from her home in Bengal, and Purvai Rai will present drawings titled ‘People in Prayer’, whose stark geometry evokes the concept of space ordered by culture and religion. New works by Thukral and Tagra look at the idea of ‘escape’ more in

A group show ‘Cloud Burst’ features a diverse set of expressions around the general human condition and undertakings, articulated either through more intimate mental and bodily experiences. Titled ‘Bachpan’, Vicky Roy’s collection of candid photographs examines the psychology and principles of childhood games as performed specifically by underprivileged children living in major Indian cities, who have limited access to toys and equipment. The well-curated Week is also being hailed as a much-needed restart to the city’s physical art engagements. Exhibit 320’s Director Rasika Kajaria holds that Art truly reveals itself only when we connect with it in person. “It’s important to engage with the art and the artist and to celebrate it as a community.” Latitude 28’s Founder-Director Bhavna Kakar feels that these times call for a new level of creative and collective thinking and this edition of DCAW, “which despite the times we’re going through, will give art connoisseurs an engaging interactive space to experience the best of contemporary art”. “As we mark our physical return to cultural institutions, we are enthusiastic about celebrating access and spirit through the ingenuity, diversity and sensitivity of our emerging artists and their excellent art practices,” says Roshini Vadehra, Director, Vadehra Art Gallery.

‘Once, there was a seed’ to germinate at Vadehra

he Vadehra Art Gallery in the national capital is organising a solo exhibition by artist Sachin George Sebastian, who brings new drawings and cut-out sculptures cast in metal and paper in his latest body of work titled ‘Once, there was a seed’.

an existential character as he deconstructs the aesthetic logic of his previous constructions in a deeper search for the meaning of all things, incentivised by personal experiences and new parenthood.

textualised his earlier compositions, these new works attempt to seek balance among the endless questioning that emerges from instincts to pursue storytelling along with seeking.

Sebastian has often articulated his long-standing interest in the chaos and clusters of cityscapes and its people through aerial and arterial compositions, expressing the connective tissues between people, places and infrastructural development as mimicking the life of bio-organisms.

In embracing what the artist calls the absurdity of nothingness, Sebastian replaces ideas of order with duality while considering the states and spaces of daily routines. Without the neater categorisations that logic offers, he visualises us as caught in the intersplicing fluxes of existence, or regions of constant becoming rather than just being.

In this new body of work, Sebastian’s dispositions develop

Abandoning the motivations of frenzy and chaos that have con-

For Sebastian, the physical meditations of this body of work mimic his mental quests; for meaning to transpire, he must collect and re-arrange the seemingly pointless fragments of time that when placed particularly, zoom out to frame the larger picture, at once graspable and allowing one to travel through life with direction. The exhibition is on from April 6 to May 14.

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ringing together a confluence of around 170 artisans and master craftsmen from all parts of India, the 35th edition of the Dastkari Haat Annual Craft Bazaar by Dastkari Haat Samiti is a rich showcase of Indian art, crafts and textiles. It is currently underway at INA’s Dilli Haat till April 15. The physical edition of the annual crafts bazaar hosts a special sari exhibition with 15 craftspersons under the title ‘Sari Specialists of India’. The exhibition showcases 10 new saris by each craftsman giving 150 new saris designs which have not been created before in natural block printing,dyeing, weaving, batik, shibori and others. The colourways, blocks and combinations are theme based, some are naturally dyed, some are revivals of decades old blocks and geometric explorations. All the known masters have worked to offer a rare never-before attempted treat for sari lovers, says Dastkari Haat Samiti. The collective has been working for the dignity and economic uplift of its members since 1986. The bazaar has been made possible in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic and its challenges, especially for the crafts sector.

of India, covering over 100 styles and techniques. It also announced a revamped website dastkarihaat.org that highlights 35 years of Samiti’s work, and the entire atmosphere of crafts bazaars, with videos, skill demonstrations and snippets of crafts persons’ voices. A separate crafts shopping website also entails. ‘The only way to counter the negative is to offer the positive. The work of the Dastkari Haat Samiti completes 35 years of proud and exciting interactions with our wonderful karigars which deserves a collective celebration and an announcement of new work in new areas. These are a new e-commerce platform called dastkarhaat.com, two major publications on craft skills and graphic design and an exhibition of 20 sari specialists of India offering 200 new sari designs. Never before has this been done exclusively with saris. Everyone has worked valiantly and creatively during the past horrible year. This itself is worth celebrating,” says Jaya Jaitly, President, Dastkari Haat Samiti.

A recent survey report brought out by All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association (AIACA) has also mentioned cash flow crunches, wage losses, cancellation/withholding of orders, supply disruptions in the raw material value chain and uncertainties regarding shipment (both domestic and export) as some key challenges faced by craft enterprises because of the lockdown. The opening ceremony also saw the release of an e-book offering documentation of 21 art, craft and textiles skills

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ARTS-CULTURE

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

‘Jharokha’: India’s rich Assaulted by humans & nature, Taj needs better care architectural heritage captured on canvas

he 17th century monument of love, the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra, is feeling the heat of abruptly rising temperature, sand blasting by seasonal dust storms and human apathy.”The temperature has gone up steeply in the last few days and there have been a series of sand storms,” said Surendra Sharma, President of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.

Despite a series of directions by the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal, successive governments have been dragging their feet to rejuvenate the Yamuna river by containing pollution and maintaining flow of water round the year, complained green activist Shravan Kumar Singh. After a brief respite during the 180-day lockdown triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic last year, the Taj is again looking pale, notwithstanding the mud therapy and other measures to beautify the monument. Heritage conservationists in Agra say that if the monument looks pale to the visitors, the reason is the dry and heavily polluted Yamuna that once formed an integral part of the Taj Mahal complex. Standing tall in the scorching summer sun, the monument of love is enveloped in yellowish sand from the neighbouring Rajasthan deserts. Any discernible visitor can tell that the summer heat is taking its toll on the Taj Mahal, blasted by sand from the dry Yamuna bed and the dust-laden winds from the Rajasthan deserts. The gaps left by illegal mining in the Aravali ranges has raised the SPM (suspended particulate matter) in Agra. Against a standard of 100 microns per cubic metre, it remains as high as 300, touching 500 during the summer months. The problem is that sandy particles rub against the monument and leave pox marks, making the surface rough, as has been pointed out in many studies. However, conservationists say that the crisis the Taj confronts comes not merely from nature and pollution, but also from the people -- with too many tourists and vehicles visiting Agra. The number

of vehicles in the city has shot up from around 40,000 in 1985 when Firozabad too was part of the Agra district, to more than a million now. The opening of the Yamuna Expressway has increased vehicular traffic. The pressure of heavy vehicles on the Delhi-Kolkata, Delhi-Mumbai and Lucknow-Agra National Highways passing through Agra has increased phenomenally. Adding to its fatigue is the ever-increasing human load. From a few hundred tourists some decades ago, the Taj is now daily visited by thousands of people. The tourism industry that thrives on milking the Taj Mahal wants more sops for the visitors to attract them to Agra, but the conservationists want restrictions imposed to gradually reduce the human load. Visitors who see the Taj Mahal for the first time never forget to ask the guides, “Is it turning yellow?” The explanation given by the guides is that it is the outcome of the natural ageing process and has nothing to do with industrial pollution, as all polluting industries in Agra region have been shut down by the Supreme Court. To ensure its dazzling whiteness and remove the stains left behind by the pollutants on the Taj Mahal, originally called ‘Bagh e Baahist’, the Archaeological Survey of India carries out periodic ‘multani mitti’ (Fuller’s earth) treatment. The white marble surface is washed with soap and water too on Fridays when the monument breathes freely to enjoy its weekly off.

When thousands of tourists ‘invade’ the serene monument every day, leaving behind hand and foot marks on the white stones, and tonnes of noxious gases through breathing, the cumulative effect on the fragile structure is huge. Only a few tourists are genuinely aware of the historic significance of the monument and its great heritage value, but there are hordes of others who care nothing for the sanctity of the Taj. While the problem of human load will be sorted out shortly, as a number of studies are being conducted by the ASI, the sad state of the Yamuna river at the rear is a huge problem that defies solution. According to Ved Goutam, a tour guide, Agra has already become a desert. “When you see the camels moving around on the dry river bed, you get the impression that Agra is in a desert, a part of the Rajasthan state,” he said. The Archaeological Survey of India has restored the Mehtab Bagh at the rear of the Taj Mahal and the state forest department has developed a dense green buffer along the river bank on the opposite side. But the major problem is the Yamuna, which has been reduced to a ‘sewage canal’. Fears are being raised that if there is no fresh supply of water in the river that touches the Taj foundation to provide a shock-absorbing buffer to insulate the building from seismic movements, the monument could tilt, cave in or struggle for stability.

RSS chief Bhagwat to launch Sanskar Bharti art and culture campus

n April 2, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat will inaugurate the Sanskar Bharati Kala Sankul (campus) to be located at 33, Deendayal Upadhyay Marg.

a number of disciplines including the arts, literature and theatre. An exhaustive library equipped with books on art and culture; an art gallery, auditorium, studio and conference room will be available in the campus.

The Sanskar Bharati ‘Kala Sankul’ is an eclectic art and culture complex, which will bring together

The initiative will be pursued in close collaboration with Sanskar Bharati, a cultural organisation

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which is committed to implant national values in people’s lives through traditional, classical, folk, and modern arts of India. The objective of Sanskar Bharti is development of a person through value-based art and entertainment.

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ringing to the fore, that too effectively, the deep connect between art and architecture, is the ongoing solo exhibition of Smita Jain, “Jharokha”. Her 21 works -- all acrylic on canvas -are on view at Uchaan Art Gallery in Gurugrams Souk Mall till April 1. That Jain has always been fascinated by historical architecture is not difficult to surmise. She was born in a haveli called Devashram located in Bihar’s Bhojpur district, which also happens to be one of the works in the show. The huge structure in brown, surrounded by verdant greenery, looks warm and welcoming! “It was a culturally rich household filled with artists. A vibrant house which was always filled with laughter, joy, childhood dreams and sometimes tears.” Though decrepit today, it still tugs her heart. “It is all about those wonderful memories that I treasure as my most valuable possession!” Having studied textile designing, Jain was always moved by ancient structures like New Delhi’s Humayun’s Tomb. “It is a window through which one can experience the tales of prosperity and ruin told by a combination of ancient architecture and a myriad of colors,” she remarks. For instance, “Gateway” with imposing and intimidating walls on all sides, shows a way to enter and exit. “Symbolising the beginning and end of a dynastic journey, it is here that people from different cultures and walks of life congregate without regard to status, gender and intentions,” says Jain. “Monument” too showing a solid stone structure with lovely blue and green firmament in the background represents the indomitable spirit and vigour of the past. An arresting work of Jain is “Memories”. Stark, stony and silent, it may be mute but is more than willing to share its stories. The fine lines of the stone steps, the marks on the walls, and the beautiful designs on the parapet are truly engaging. “These structures are an encyclopedia of the entire gamut of human emotions including birth, death, happiness, love, sadness, betrayal, anger, blood, grandeur and ruins, displayed by its genera-

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tions of inhabitants,” she observes. There is a utilitarian facet of buildings, too, since time immemorial. Manmade man-made structures have shielded humankind from beasts and vagaries of nature. Jain’s “Shelter” and “Amnesty”, both highlight this aspect. The former through its massive structures, closely huddled, gives one a feel of safety in these bastions. The yellow and reddish hue of the buildings and the bright yellow sunlight on the top of them give it a touch of reality. In “Amnesty”, the blue edifices, with water at the bottom and the white and yellow skyline dominated by azure clouds brings out the beauty and functionality of these constructions. On a bigger scale the same protection is afforded by “Precipice” and “Fortress”. In the former, the yellow fort on the cliff’s edge oversees a blue waterbody, and shows swirling motion of clouds in green and white. The latter shows a lone white monument with its minarets, offering unwavering security. Jain makes a very interesting comparison between these two sets of works. “Both parents have a very important role to play in everyone’s life. While ‘Amnesty’ and ‘Shelter’ are like mother, protecting even at the cost of personal distress, ‘Precipice’ and ‘Fortress’ are like the strong Lakshman rekha of father’s protection, ensuring every possible effort till the very last, to ensure safety, security and wellbeing of all inhabitants.” Jain strives to take the viewers to a metaphysical and philosophical plane through her works “Twilight”, “Ascent”, “Faces of Summer” and “Inversion”. The bright and varied shades of red and orange in “Twilight” make one visualize the sunset while the glimmers of moonlight make its appearance. The bluish and violet tinge of “Ascent” gives a feeling of ascending from one level to the next. “The former is about accepting both happiness and sadness as part of life. Life would be incomplete and extremely uneventful, if any one emotion is missing. Whereas, ‘Ascent’ is an effort to capture one’s aspirations to excel and grow as high as heaven in all endeavours in life,” explains Jain.

INTERVIEW

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Priyanka Chopra: Oscars, Baftas are amazing but not why I pick projects ed Screenplay trophy. As soon as nominations for sundry awards ceremonies were announced this year, a section of social media began comparing it with Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire”, which belongs to the same genre as Bahrani’s film. Boyle’s film won eight Oscars and six BAFTAs in 2009, and turned its lead duo Dev Patel and Freida Pinto into overnight global stars.

ctress-producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas is understandably on cloud nine, with “The White Tiger” making an impact in the awards circuit this season. The film, co-starring and executive-produced by Priyanka, is in contention for an Oscar and two BAFTAS. “It means a lot to me, I am so proud of the whole team. We believed in the story collectively and, importantly, the story needed to be translated into a film that would

connect with a wider audience,” Priyanka tells IANS. At the upcoming Oscars, “The White Tiger”, based on Arvind Adiga’s book of the same name, has a nomination in the Best Adapted Screenplay category for writer-director Ramin Bahrani. At the BAFTAS, actor Adarsh Gourav is nominated alongside Anthony Hopkins and the late Chadwick Boseman, among others, in the Leading Actor category, while Bahrani is in the race for a Best Adapt-

At 38, Priyanka had achieved international fame long before she got down with making and acting in “The While Tiger’’. Her lead actor Adarsh Gourav stands to gain tremendously of course, if he manages to score a win at the BAFTAs, though that could be a challenge in a year when the late Boseman has been winning hearts with his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’’. While the nominations are an honour, Priyanka says her involvement with the project is not necessarily about the awards. “We had already done the hard work by the time the awards rolled

by, so I don’t think it affected my role as an actor or producer in any way for this film. For me, as an actor and a producer, the audience has always been my end goal. Nominations and wins -- especially awards like the Oscars and Baftas -- are truly amazing but it’s not why I pick projects,” she asserts. Priyanka lists “content stories, ones that resonate, ones that need to be told, ones that entertain a wide global audience” as her primary intent when it comes to filmmaking. “You will never be true to content if you make it to win at the awards,” she says. For her, the biggest boost that such nominations bring is that they push India, Indian cinema and Indian artistes towards the right direction when it comes to the conversation of inclusivity and diversity. “I think the nominations are another step towards what we have all been working so hard for -- equal

opportunity and a seat at every table. We deserve it, not because of some quota that needs to be filled but because we prove every day that we can deliver what is needed. This applies to every industry and not just entertainment,” she says. “I’m just proud to be in such august company, with women (from) across the world, working hard, breaking barriers, driving innovation, every day,” she signs off.

Strings singer Faisal Kapadia: ‘Still speechless when I think of love, we got from India

we realised there’s this whole other life that we are missing out on,” he says.

aisal Kapadia is “celebrating right now”. The singer of the iconic rock band Strings, which last week announced its break-up after going strong for 33 years, reveals a bittersweet tone of voice as he speaks. It wasn’t an “easy decision” for him, or Bilal Siddiqui -- the other half of the original band -- to “end the journey”. But, as Faisal puts it, the timing couldn’t have been better.

to come to a point where we just didn’t enjoy music anymore,” he adds.

“Bilal and I have had this discussion of when do we finish it. Of course, we could have gone on to play till we were 65-year-olds but then we didn’t really want it to come to a point where it started feeling like a chore, or we started getting bored. We didn’t want it

“Pandemic in a way helped us to get that perspective. It wasn’t as if we didn’t enjoy our tours and concerts. But for the last 30 years that’s all that we did, and we missed all our kids growing up. They are now about to graduate and go to college, and suddenly

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Hence, the decision “to pull the plug” was taken, not just because the band was worried about getting to a point where they would stop enjoying making music, but also because they realised that there’s a lot they were missing out on, and it was time to go “beyond concerts, music and Strings”.

“The decision to pull the plug, when there is life in it is very difficult. I am celebrating right now, but a roof that was there for 33 years is now suddenly gone. But we had to do it someday, and this was the best time I feel, because there’s much to life beyond just concerts, music and Strings,” he says. The reaction of people, ever since the announcement, been “overwhelming and so surprising to see”, Faisal says. Many have signed an online petition asking the band for one last performance. “Usually the kind of love (we got after announcing the break-up) people get after they die. But we got to see it while we are alive and I am just so thankful and so grateful for all of that. It has been the most overwhelming and the

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most humbling experience (to see the kind of reaction we got). It was something we did not anticipate at all,” he says. One of the many memories during this “journey” that lasted more than three decades that Faisal has, is the amount of love the band received from across the border in India -- especially since they released their third album “Duur” in 2000, after the band’s seven-year hiatus. “I am still speechless when I think about the kind of love we got from India. They never ever made us feel like we were outsiders or we were from Pakistan. In fact when they learnt that a Pakistani band called Strings was performing, they started making more noise and they started enjoying more!” he recalls. “And then we got to work with some amazing human beings

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and some awesome musicians like Hariharan, Indian Ocean, Sona Mohapatra and so many others. It was just beautiful, the entire journey,” he recalls. While the band journey ends here, Bilal and Faisal’s individual journeys go on as musicians. “I haven’t spoken to Bilal honestly about what he is going to do, but I think he wants to explore the world of music production,” he says. “As for me, I am yet to go to that bookstore and pick up the book about my life where I can know what my next chapter is going to be. I am still processing all this as of now, and I have to yet figure out what I want to really do. Of course, I have been doing music for over 40 years now, so I won’t just stop doing that,” he signs off on an open-ended note, just as the band’s timeless songs often do.

SPORTS

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

First Indian doctor mom wins Australian bodybuilding contest

Sania Mirza back in Sports Ministry’s TOPS programme

by Tanishq Ratnakar

aharashtra born Dr. Maya Rathod, a gynaecologist and IVF expert based in Sydney, has won International Federation of Bodybuilding & Fitness 2021 Australasian Championship on Sunday, 28 March, 2021. The competition was held in Sydney, Australia, where she came 1st in figure invoice category and 3rd in open. She went to Australia last year for her research and decided that she will come back only after winning. She is black belt in martial arts, kickboxing and taekwondo. She won five gold medals at national level and also won best cadet corps award in Maharashtra cadet corps while in school. In an interview with SBS Hindi she told that after her pregnancy she gained weight and her friend Shrikant Dulum inspired her to get back in shape while in Mumbai last year. That is when she started gym again. She knew that her next

8-9 months were going to be a big struggle, but she managed her home and passion gracefully. She told SBS Hindi that she goes to gym early morning at 3:304:00am, sends her daughter to school at roughly 7am and then looks after her second daughter all day. And when her husband comes back home in the evening, she again goes to gym at around 10pm and comes back at around 1am.

She said, “I used to catch up on my sleep over the weekends.” “In India, we have the luxury of domestic help and support of our family and relatives. But here you have to cook and do everything on your own,” she added. She said the best moment was when she hoisted the Indian flag on Australian stage. She is really grateful to her friends and family who supported her so much.

Shikha breaks into top 10 of ODI rankings

ndia fast bowler Shikha Pandey broke into the top 10 of the women’s ODI bowlers’ rankings while opener Smriti Mandhana and veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami remained unchanged. Smriti is seventh with 710 points, followed by Mithali Raj (709) at eighth spot in the batter’s rankings. England’s Tammy Beaumont (765) occupies the top spot. Australia’s Alyssa Healy has risen to a career-best ranking of third with 753 points. Her compatriot, all-rounder Ellyse Perry moved back above the 700-point barrier with her innings of 56 not out. Ashleigh Gardner’s unbeaten 53 from just 41 balls also took her into the top 30 of the rankings for the first time.

In the bowlers’ category for ODI, Megan Schutt’s 4/32 enabled her to move above Marizanne Kapp into second place. Tasmanian, Nicola Carey who took 3-34 move to a career-best 37th place in the

head of the Billie Jean King Cup -- formerly Fed Cup --- tie against Latvia on April 16-17, India’s tennis ace Sania Mirza got a morale boost as she was included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on April 7. The winner of six doubles Grand Slam titles, Sania had opted out of the scheme in 2017 but the 34-year-old was selected during the 56th meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell. The only Indian female player to win a WTA title, Sania has qualified for the postponed Tokyo Games based on the system of protected ranking. Though the Indian is currently ranked 157th in the world, Sania enjoys a special ranking of No. 9 as she had applied to the WTA for her ranking to be secured when she took a pregnancy break after the China Open in October 2017.

The Indian is training with compatriot Ankita Raina in Dubai for the Billie Jean King Cup World Group Play-off tie against Latvia, and the duo will fly out to join teammates Karman Kaur Thandi, Zeel Desai, and Rutuja Bhosale in the next couple of days. India made it to the World Group Play-offs for the first time by virtue of finishing second in the Asia/Oceania Group I tie, which took place in the Emirates in March 2020, while Latvia was beaten by the United States in their group. India is unlikely to have an easy outing as Latvia will be fielding a strong team that has the likes of former French Open champion and current world No. 54 Jelena Ostapenko, besides 2018 US Open semi-finalist Anastasija Sevastova, who was ranked world No. 11 at her peak. Latvia had given the Serena Williams-led United States team a tough time in the 2020 Qualifiers before losing 2-3.

ODI women’s bowler rankings. From New Zealand, Lauren Down’s previous highest ODI score was just 15, but her innings of 90 for New Zealand lifted her up 55 places to rank 62.

SRK apologises to KKR fans for MI defeat

olkata Knight Riders (KKR) fell to a stunning 10-run defeat to Mumbai Indians (MI) despite being in a dominant position for much of the match and their owner, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, ended up apologising to fans for the performance. “Disappointing performance. to say the least @KKRiders apologies to all the fans!” Shah Rukh wrote on Twitter.

Andre Russell took as many as five wickets as KKR dismissed MI for 152 runs. They were cruising for much of the chase thanks to a 72-run opening stand between Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill. While

Rana scored 57, Gill made 33 and was dismissed in ninth over. From there, however, the two-time champions went through a stun-

ning collapse with none of the rest of the batsmen managing to make a double digit score. They ended up being restricted to 142/7.

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FASHION

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Bagh Print from Madhya Pradesh makes it to Vogue Italia

orld famous Bagh print of Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh has appeared in the digital edition of Vogue Italia, giving it a new identity in the world of designing. The pictures of Sita, a tribal woman, wearing a sari in of the Bagh print are in the news in the fashion world these days. This tradition of print on clothes started from a village called Bagh in Dhar district and now is known as the Bagh print. Bagh print saris, salwar-suits, bed sheets have become quite popular. Fully natural and botanical colours are used to engrave various designs on Bagh

print. This print originally used floral and geometric patterns, keeping the original technique intact. Many of these prints are now being used on bed sheets, table covers, saris, and cushion covers. Different self-help groups are associated with the livelihood mission in Dhar district. The central government has selected Bagh print of Dhar under the one-district one product scheme (ODOP). When the girls came out wearing the saris of Bagh print prepared by the self-help group of Dhar district, the group’s photo of Sita Didi, a local tribal woman, appeared in

the digital edition of Vogue Italia. Since then, it has acquired a new identity.

Vogue Italia is the Italian edition of Vogue magazine, which provides a platform for up-and-coming designers.

of the group members are the shareholders of the company. A Bagh print hub is also proposed in the Bagh development block by connecting the artists together in the cluster activity.

At the moment, 58 members of the eight self-help groups are associated with the livelihood mission in Bagh and Kukshi blocks of Dhar district with the work of Bagh print. This Print is being promoted by creating a company. The company is provided technical support by the Aparajita self-service organisation. The families

According to local experts, Bagh print is also being recognised not only in India but across the world. For this, outlets are also being opened in many places. The participation of self-help groups is being increased in the Saras Mela, the Handicrafts Fair. Plans are also afoot to connect the groups with the local market and other cities of the country for promotion.

type include a broad and deep neckline with a clinched waist. One can opt for panel detailing along with pleats and a front placket. While choosing the bottoms, select slightly slim and sleek bottoms such as churidars or leggings to complete the look.

are dark in color, teaming up with lighter Kurtis will draw attention to the torso. Necklines that have collar patterns, boat, or square cuts will enhance the look. For sleeves, one can go for a bishop and roughed arms. Straight-long Kurtis will add length to your body

types. Pair them with palazzos and or straight-line pants and you will get a stunning look. Do not go for ill-fitted Kurtis. A flared Kurti can be the best pick as it will give a fuller look. Additionally, a streamlined cut would prove to be perfect for this body type.

Pear Shaped Body

Hourglass Shaped Body

Inverted Triangle Shaped Body

The pear-shaped body types are one with full hips and thighs along with defined waist and narrow shoulders. Wearing lowers which

This body type includes a defined waist and bust along with the bottom and hips. With this body type, you can carry off the Kurtis of all

This body type calls for a straight and squared shoulder line along with a smaller bottom. Choosing flared Kurtis that fit well on the

The ultimate guide to slay that traditional look

By Puja Gupta

Fashion trends are constantly evolving and style enthusiasts are hooked to the latest collections and options that are available on online and offline clothing stores. These traditional wears can swing from being maximalist to minimalist, going well with all body and skin types. However, the idea is to select the Kurti that can be easy to style and compliment the wearer without being overpowering. Below are some quick tips and guides based on each body type to nail the traditional look with manipulation of designs and colours. Apple Shaped Body

bust and slightly low necklines that will take away the attention from broad shoulders. Sleeves in the raglan style create an illusion of an evenly distributed look throughout the body and would be perfect for this body type. Make sure that you go for longer Kurtis and layer them with Patiala or skirt. One can avoid anything with strong shoulder detailing or high necklines to shift to an appealing style.

If your upper body is wide compared to the lower body with rounded shoulders, average to big bust or fullness around the middle, it’s best to go for darker shades with cotton and silk fabrics as they do not cling to the body. Necklines that are V-shaped or embellished will tend to draw attention to the much-endowed bust. Flared and cuffed sleeves will help in highlighting the best assets while accentuating your best features. Banana Shaped Body Banana-shaped body or the rectangular body type, is an evenly proportionate shape, which means that the shoulders, hips, and waist are evenly proportioned. The size can vary from small to medium bust but the waist is not defined. The features for the right Kurti that will compliment this body

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BEAUTY

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Guide to your pre-and postworkout hair care routine

It’s time men focus on the right styling products

s the temperature starts soaring in this part of the year, working out gets increasingly difficult. Sweating in combination with summer heat can make working out tedious and also play havoc on the health of our hair, especially for those who exercise every day. There is always a dilemma of washing your hair every day to get rid of sweat and dirt, as dealing with greasy, sweaty, messy hair is not worth it. If you are also struggling with your messy hair - Agnes Chen, Technical Head, Streax Professional, shares a pre-and post-workout hair care regime to help you achieve healthy hair too!

Pre-Workout - Always keep your hair fresh for the workout session and find a hairstyle that works with your workout plans. Relaxation exercise people prefer a loose bun to keep their mediating state comfortable. However, if you are doing cardio, something more secure like a braid or ponytail could work to keep your hair away from your face so that your workout sessions continue for a long time without any obstruction. - It’s important to tie your hair in a neat style, away from the face. Use hair accessories and headgears like sweatbands, scrunchy clips, pins & hairbands to tame flyaway caused by humidity and hold your style in place. - Traditional fragrance techniques tend to be loaded with alcohol, which can cause dryness if applied to hair. Hair perfumes have been designed pointedly for scent-

ing your tresses, so they are free from any drying ingredients. Hair perfumes give your hair a boost of fragrance and leave it smelling fresh when you need it most. Shine spray is excellent for giving your hair a lightweight polish, as well as long-lasting smoothness. Post-Workout - Your hair care after workout sessions is key to refreshing your strands – and it does not have to be complicated. Schedule hair washes, according to your workout using a gentle, purifying shampoo. It helps cleanse even those harder to reach areas like your bangs – instantly absorbing excess sweat and oil. This helps to remove all sweat, grime, and dirt from the hair & scalp. Shampoo hair twice to ensure thorough cleansing. The

temperature of the water should not be too hot or cold. Maintain between lukewarm to cool. Always use conditioner after the shampoo. Keep conditioner on the hair for 3-5 mins. Rinse with cold water. - It might be tempting to use an elastic hairband to tie up your hair but your strands deserve a little more tender love and care. Untie and loosen your hair and can use ribbon hair ties or spiralled ties to reduce the chance of hair breakages and prevent dents and kinks. - Towel dry and let hair dry naturally. Do not dry using a hairdryer as it tends to dry up the hair. Don’t forget to use a few drops of serum to remove frizz, detangle the hair and add a shine to the hair. So, you can save a little time from detangling and still have cared for hair.

Kajal Aggarwal new face of skincare brand A ctress Kajal Aggarwal has been roped as the new face skin care brand of Lacto Calamine. Speaking on her association, Kajal said, “I am delighted to associate with Piramal’s Lacto Calamine, a trusted product that I have personally grown up using. I identify with the brand’s vision of redefining how women look at their daily beauty regime – with minimal effort to enable timeless beauty.”

The brand has a range of trusted skin care products that include oil control lotions, sunscreen, facewash and facial wipes. The core of the brand offering is a daily clear, matte look by virtue of the product’s brand promise to absorb excess oil and prevent oily skin related problems like pimples, blackheads, patchy skin and dark

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spots.

“We are pleased to bring together the winning combination of Lacto Calamine, a deeply trusted and efficacious skin care brand and Kajal Aggarwal, who embodies modern-day contemporary beauty. The brand, has millions of loyal consumers in the country and Piramal is committed to continue to enhance and enrich its unique product offering,” said Nandini Piramal, Chairperson, Piramal Pharma Limited.

Over the last few decades, the brand has grown its presence across multiple channels including chemists, cosmetic and general stores, hyper-super modern retail outlets and E-commerce. The brand intends to strengthen its position in the skin care market by becoming the preferred brand

for consumers facing problems related to oily skin. Piramal’s Lacto Calamine plans to enter into newage formats of beauty and skin care, in addition to the current product range.

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owever, you wear your hair – less or more, long or short, messy or well set, wavy or straight – you’ll always carry a hairstyle. Through the ages and across, hair has been an extension of one’s persona, and a good hairstyle is as important as it can get for any man. Men today are definitely not sceptical about experimenting with their hair, given the dynamic styles right from the classic side sweeps of the 70’s to the contemporary man buns and mohawks. But what is good style without a bit of care? That worried voice at the back of your head warning about the cons of using hair styling products does deserve some attention, right? That’s why it’s important to use products that bring style and care together in equal bits. However, most hair styling products out there are made of synthetic polymers that make hair dry, brittle and prone to breakage after prolonged usage. Premium men’s care brand Phy aims to cut the chase for safe yet effective hairstyling products with its Headspace range that levels up your hairstyling quotient without compromising on haircare. Let’s take a closer look at the hairstyles men can curate with these products. For guys who’d say yes to a bit of drama in their hair! Recreate Elvis Presley’s iconic Quiff or Zac Efron’s faux mohawk with a Setting Clay that offers a strong hold and a matte finish to your

hair. Apply, set, comb, or blow dry and you’re going to end up with a hairstyle that remains intact even if Thanos snaps his fingers again! Pro Tip: Choose a Setting Clay enriched with kaolin and bentonite clays that absorb dirt and oil, plant-based waxes that lend desired hold, and oat extracts that repair damaged hair. For guys who’re into effortless styling Whether it is Beckham’s legendary pompadour you’ve been eyeing, a classic side part or a carefully curated messy bedhead – a Creme Wax is what you need with its offering of medium hold and shine. A quick run of your fingers or a comb through your hair can let you restyle your hair adding that extra element of versatility. Pro Tip: Select a Crème Wax enriched with plant-based waxes that adds hold and shine, along with olive and castor oils that condition and nourish the hair. For guys who believe in less is more A Styling Gel is your answer if you want the old school slicked-back hair or Robert Pattinson’s spikes straight outta ‘Twilight’. A gel can offer a light hold and light shine, perfect for occasions when you want to lend a more natural touch to your hair while using a styling product to keep it set in place. Pro Tip: Make sure that your Styling Gel is enriched with aloe extracts that hydrate the hair shafts and olive oil that gives extra nourishment to the hair.

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LITERATURE

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Of the power of books and The long walk home the bonds of friendship

he obsession with World War II continues -- and from all indications, is not likely to die down anytime soon. Paris, 1939: Young, ambitious, and tempestuous, Odile Souchet has it all -- Paul, her handsome police officer beau; Margaret, her best friend from England; Remy, her twin brother who she adores; and a dream job at the American Library in Paris, working alongside the library’s legendary director, Dorothy Reeder.

When World War II breaks out, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear -- including her beloved library. After the Nazi army marches into the City of Light and declares a war on words, Odile and her fellow librarians join the Resistance with the best weapons they have: books. Again and again, they risk their lives to help their fellow Jewish readers, but by war’s end, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal. Montana, 1983: Odile’s solitary existence in gossipy small-town Montana is unexpectedly interrupted by her neighbour Lily, a lonely teenager craving adventure. As Lily uncovers more about Odile’s mysterious past, they find they share not only a love of language but also the same lethal jealousy.

Odile helps Lily navigate the troubled waters of adolescence by always recommending the right book at the right time, never suspecting that Lily will be the one to help her reckon with her own terrible secret. Based on a true World War II story, Janet Skeslien Charles’ “The Paris Library” (Hachette) is an unforgettable novel about the power of books and the bonds of friendship -- and the ordinary heroes who can be found in the most perilous times and the quietest places and the courage it takes to forgive.

Janet Skeslien Charles is the award-winning author of “Moonlight in Odessa”, which was published in ten languages. Her shorter work has appeared in revues such as Slice and Montana Noir. She first became interested in the incredible true story of the librarians who stood up to the Nazi “Book Protector” Dr. Hermann Fuchs, who had full authority over intellectual activity

he says ideas are mysterious things. They come to us in many different ways and then we begin to make choices and make decisions about what we want to do with them, and shape the work. Delhi-based writer, filmmaker and teacher Samina Mishra wrote the first draft of the ‘Jamlo Walks’ (Penguin), to be released on April 19, in one sitting. A picture book for ages 7-9, but a story that she hopes children across ages will read.

during the occupation, when she worked as the program’s manager at the American Library in Paris. “The Paris Library” will be published in thirty countries. She divides her time between Montana and Paris. Visit her at JSkeslienCharles.com or connect with her on Twitter @ SkeslienCharles.

Two trend-setting books set to clear the air on Indian data

wo new books by Chennai-based data journalist Rukmini S, “Whole Numbers and Half-Truths: What Data Tells Us About Modern India” and “India in 100 Charts”, to be published by Westland, are set to release in quick succession.

The first is a sleek, ambitious book that sets out to answer 10 big questions about how India operates. Currently, most of the narrative is based on manifestly bad data, and it is to counter this that Rukmini takes a deep dive into the subject by drawing on extensive data sources and her own experiences from reporting across the length and breadth of the country. Her second book captures fundamental changes in the country through surprising data points and engaging visuals to show us what we are really all about. A fascinating read and an essential addition to the bookshelf of every student, reporter, academician, policy-maker and just about any curious mind, this will be a collaboration with the artist and illustrator Satwik Gade. Commenting on the acquisition, Rukmini S said: “I am thrilled at

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the opportunity to share what I’ve learnt from years of grappling not only with numbers, but with how they relate to lived reality. These are simply the stories of how India lives life, but with a wealth of data behind the insights. I look forward to surprising readers and for us to challenge our own dearly-held assumptions about the country.” Anish Chandy of Labyrinth Literary Agency said, “Rukmini’s books were acquired by Westland in a keenly contested auction. Her unique approach where hardto-source data meets accessible narrative will deeply enrich our understanding of India. Context has built a formidable portfolio in this genre.” Karthika V.K., Publisher, Westland Publications, said the two books are bound to change the way Indians - and the world - think about India. “Rukmini’s writing is revelatory. It draws on painstakingly unearthed and carefully plotted data to provide a precise and often startling understanding of trends as well as truths that we would all be better off knowing,” she added.

Rukmini S is the first Data Editor of an Indian newsroom. She is the recipient of several journalism awards, the most recent of which was the Emergent Ventures Covid-19 India Prize for her pandemic podcast, “The Moving Curve”. Her work focuses on data-driven storytelling around gender, politics, crime, consumption, inequality and caste.

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A book on what the lockdown did to the people, particularly its young citizen, Mishra, who wrote the book, which has illustrations by Tarique Aziz, in April last year still remembers those videos of the migrants walking through the night, out of Delhi, on the Yamuna bridge “That was such a searing image. And it was juxtaposed by the middle-class apathy all around, from what people were saying on social media about the migrant labour walking, to stories about how domestic workers were being treated at colony gates and incidents of police walking into bastis and thrashing people for being outside etc. It was all so horrible as if our humanity had completely disappeared. The working class has always been treated differently but this, it was as if they were not people. And then when Jamlo’s story was reported in the media, it was simply heart breaking. Considering I work with children and the experiences of childhood, I thought of what this divide means for all children, how are they to think about these stark differences across different childhoods, would they go on to continue institutionalising this inhumanity... So, I think the first draft just came out of a need to respond to all this,” she tells IANS. Considering the book was quite ‘visual’, the idea of it being a picture book developed. Though she wanted to, doing anything longer would not have been possible for Mishra without actually getting out on the ground. “That’s my process as I work with documentary film. And I couldn’t get out at that time. So, it remained a short story that I kept working on,” says the writer of ‘Hina in the Old City’. In fact, when Lockdown 1.0 was

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announced, she began an online art project with kids, ‘The Lockdown Art Project’, asking them to reflect on their experiences of the lockdown. Stressing that it is important to include children’s voices in all that we grapple with in the world, and making room for them to express themselves is part of her practice, she adds, “These were all middle-class children and the enormity of the gulf between those who had access to the Internet and those who didn’t was glaring everything that was present from before just became worse and more solidified. There was all this content for children being shared generously online but so many kids who couldn’t access it. Old media suddenly became important and so I recorded a set of audio stories for Radio Mewat just to create content for kids who could not access content on the internet.” For Mishra, writing, making films and teaching feed into each other and complete her. Adding that teaching creates a context for her to engage with the world, with children and young people, the author, that in both formal and non-formal spaces. She has just completed her latest film ‘Happiness Class’, which is about the Happiness Curriculum in the Delhi government schools and has been made for the Foundation for Universal Responsibility as part of the Dalai Lama’s particular interest on social and emotional learning in schools. Talk to her about her active social media handles during the CAANRC protests in Delhi and she says though an erratic social media user, she does post a lot when in the midst of something. Feeling that media mainstream or social must create space for diverse voices and varied experiences. Pleased that the children’s literature space in India is much bigger and more varied now, she feels there’s still a long way to go and we have to see how the pandemic impacts the sustained creation of new work. For someone who has done extensive work with Muslim children in Okhla’s slums, she feels there is a need for more project after the recent Delhi riots and CAA agitations.

HEALTH

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Heart health is the Dance your way to perfect mental, physical first step to health and emotional health

s the world hopes for wellness and healing in the times to come, this World Health Day (April 7), Australian-Indian choreographer and educator Ashley Lobo draws from decades of his own experience to underscore the importance of moving the body to unlock mental and physical wellness. He says, “As someone who loves dance with a passion and passes it on to my students, I can say with confidence that dance has a life-changing impact on those who embrace it. The world can be a challenging place and given the times we are living in; we can all feel a bit frightened and disoriented. When we dance though, it instantly revives our spirit and gives us a glimpse of how beautiful life can be when we are in the moment and not stressing about the future.”

Lobo, who has founded the country’s premier professional dance institutes, The Danceworx Performing Arts Academy and Navdhara India Dance Theatre, adds, “Like meditation, dance can teach us mindfulness even as it keeps us

s per global reports by the World Health Organisation, heart related ailments have remained the leading cause of mortality at the global level for the last 20 years.

in shape, improves muscle tone, heart and lung health, enhances stamina, motor and aerobic fitness. As you acquire better control of your body, you also start feeling happier and more energised. Movement is truly a secret to holistic wellness because it benefits mental, physical, psychological and emotional health.” Lobo is renowned for his Prana Paint™ technique, a unique sensitising approach developed by him

that explores movement through yoga, breath, connectivity, and touch. This notable technique has put him on the international map and led to him to get invited both to teach and choreograph overseas. His choreographic style has a strong influence of cinematic techniques combined with a clear narrative. Lobo has to his credit, over 30 Hindi films and as many stage productions; he has also been a judge on India’s Dancing Superstar on Star Plus.

How to help children cope with COVID-related stress

he COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown generated a lot of fear and stress across all age groups. Children usually thrive under predictable conditions, but disruption led by the pandemic greatly impacted them physically and emotionally.

lems, peer problems, externalising problems, and general psychological distress. When compared with children who did not exercise, children with psychical activity had lower hyperactivity-inattention and less pro-social behaviour problems.

cope with COVID-related stress:

Online schooling, isolation, quarantine at home, lack of social interactions, lack of physical sports and parental angst have developed fears, depression, and boredom among children. While most parents, were involved in dealing with the uncertainty of the pandemic and putting all efforts to keep their family safe and sustainable, the emotional needs of children were somehow ignored, points out Dr Jesal Sheth, Senior Consultant-Paediatrician, Fortis Hospital, Mulund.

Moreover, from a more emotional perspective, they have a lot going around in their head, and the biggest worry for them is whether or not they will see their friends in school or will they get sick. The joint effect between lifestyle changes and psychosocial stress caused by home confinement perhaps aggravated behavioural problems in children.

Spending time with grandparents - Children who have grandparents can decide to spend some quality time with them

The experts discusses with IANSlife the impact of the pandemic on children and how to tackle it: The impact of the pandemic on children The pandemic has changed the way children typically grow, learn, play, behave, interact, and manage emotions. Children have been observed to have conduct prob-

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In the long run, this can lead to an emotional breakdown among children, and the same may lead to these children resisting to return to school post-lockdown. This can happen primarily because children have lost their pre-lockdown routines and the loss of touch with their peers and mentors. In addition to this, the lockdown-related constraints can have a long-term negative effect on their overall psychological wellbeing. Here’s how you can help children

Addressing fears - Anxiety and emotional depression can be tackled by parents to some extent by addressing fears of children, talking about problems and possible solutions from the child’s perspective

Create a routine - Parents can maintain some routines even if confined at home. It is always good if parents and children can plan some activities together. Parents should also plan their children’s tasks one at a time, involve them in various home activities, educate them about following hygiene habits and social distancing

India is leading the race, as research reports suggest that mortality from cardiovascular disease in India has grown exponentially, from 2.26 million in 1990 to 4.77 million in 2020. “Non-Communicable Diseases, especially heart disease, are major killers and we need to be proactive about heart health and make lifestyle changes” says Dr. Shashank Joshi, Consultant, Lilavati Hospital. In a larger conversation about health, heart health is often ignored. Not because people don’t think that the heart is important, but heart health is really considered only when a problem occurs. So, if someone has high cholesterol or a more severe condition, steps are taken only then to control it. However, did you know that making small changes to our lifestyles proactively, can actually help reduce the risks to heart health in a big way? It is a known fact that an unhealthy lifestyle leads to several health issues. This is true for heart related issues too. Our fast-paced lifestyles sometimes push us to make unhealthy choices, without realising the impact it could have in the long term. Sedentary lifestyles are on the rise and that coupled with unhealthy eating habits, including skipping meals, can take a toll on one’s heart health. While these are known factors, there are also a few other factors that are not as well known; but can increase the risk to heart health. Lack of sleep is one. As per a study done by Saffola

life, 63 percent of people in top cities, who sleep less are at heart risk. Another factor that can cause heart risk is stress. The same study found that 65 percent of people in cities, who suffer from stress are at heart risk. What is interesting to note in the study is that 58 percent of people, who are at heart risk due to stress, do not consider stress among the top 3 heart risk factors, in top metros. This lack of awareness can be a huge impediment to living a heart healthy lifestyle. “Heart related issues are not confined to any one sex as both are equally at high risk due to lifestyles. However, small changes can really go a long way in reducing this risk for both men and women. Food is a very important contributor to help you stay heart healthy. Ensuring that you eat healthy by including more vegetables and fibre in your diet, choosing a good heart healthy oil to cook your food in, and making sure you eat your meals on time can really help kick start your heart healthy lifestyle. Taking some time out to exercise will also definitely help with heart health,” says the doctor. He recommends that an individual exercises for 45 minutes a day for at least 4 days a week for optimal health. Adequate sleep is also an important aspect to consider. It is recommended that one gets 7 hrs to 7.5 hrs of sleep every night. “For physical and mental health, managing your stress can make a big difference. Doing meditation and taking time to de-stress is very helpful for your heart health as well as overall health. And of course, opting for regular checkups can help enormously by keeping you informed about the state of your health.”

Play Games - Engage in indoor play and creative activities. In addition to these activities, children can be advised to be involved in household chores and understand their social responsibilities Virtual play dates – To keep them in touch with friends and classmates, plan a virtual party and playdates.

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TRAVEL

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Explore Uttarakhand

iscovery Channel in collaboration with Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) presented a new original two-part film titled ‘Explore Uttarakhand’. Providing audiences, the chance to engage through stunning visuals of Uttarakhand, the film aired on 20th February and 21st February on the channel, which explored spiritual yoga destinations and adrenaline packed adventure sports in the snow filled mountains of the state.

with its adventure sports and treasure of yoga and wellness. The film documents adventure activities that are some of the most challenging in the entire Indian subcontinent, attracting adrenaline seeking sport professionals and enthusiasts from all around the globe. Along with that, the ancient science of Yoga which was found by Indian sages thousands of years ago actually traces its beginning to Uttarakhand.

Through this two-part film, viewers get to witness the scenic Uttarakhand and familiarise themselves

Speaking about the film Satpal Maharaaz, Minister of Tourism, Uttarakhand said, “Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand

is a beautiful state which holds the privilege of being in the path of the mighty Himalayan Ranges that consist of some of nature’s most extreme and unpredictable patterns. There are many famous shrines and places here like our Chardham, Hemkund Sahib, Haridwar and Rishikesh and others that have attracted tourists from all over the world. Uttarakhand which has also become preferred film destination in past years is also attracting tourists from all around the globe. Through Explore Uttarakhand on Discovery Channel, we humbly welcome you to this divinely blissful and fabulous state

of ours.” he added.

As many as 69 percent of respondents mentioned sustainability as one of their top priority before hitting any domestic travel destination. About 49 percent respondents gave special attention to

offbeat destinations so as to avoid the travel rush to popular destinations. While 32 percent were in favour of community support to help local tourism recover amid the pandemic. A highly trained

Secretary Tourism Mr. Dilip Jawalkar said, “Uttarakhand is a heavenly destination when it comes to offering various adventure activities to tourists. From last few years we are constantly working to develop infrastructure to promote adventure and wellness tourism in Uttarakhand. The documentary film “Explore Uttarakhand’’ made by the Discovery Channel will play an important role to reach national and international audience.” “We, at Discovery, believe in bringing factual stories to our

audiences that not only entertain them but leave them with an enriching experience and a better understanding of the world. The two-part documentary is a visually stunning film that captures the tremendous beauty of the state of Uttarakhand and the Himalayan Ranges. We are delighted to join hands with the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board to bring to the fore hidden gems from the destination, aiming to inspire people to experience the mesmerizing beauty and versatility the state has to offer.” said Megha Tata, Managing Director- South Asia, Discovery Communications India.

Short driveable holidays: A travel trend here to stay

new online survey has found that 89 percent of Indians are ready to hit their favourite domestic destinations with more confidence and excitement, as India began its vaccination rollout drive.

deciding elements behind selecting a preferred hotel destination, respondents voted for high level health and safety standards, sustainability, responsible tourism and authentic and value for money as key factors.

Most respondents emphasized on preferring high-level health and safety standards at tourism spots, hotels and resorts before selecting their favourite travel destination and properties for staycations, highlighted the survey.

Roop Pratap Choudhary, Managing Director of Noor Mahal, an award-winning luxurious Palace Hotel Brand, said, “People are now preferring staycations over long holidays and short distance tours over long journeys. Travelers of the new informed world are keen to take smaller journeys, and discovering wonderful experiences closer home especially with the positive and safe environment created with the news of Covid-19 vaccination rollout. Be it bag packers, corporate groups, families or friends, people are preferring to drive down to their nearby getaways for short and relaxed staycations. In our recent survey, surprisingly 59 percent respondents preferred short driveable holidays over long distant holidays.”

Conducted by Noor Mahal, the survey also witnessed a hike in demand for domestic over foreign destinations. The survey was conducted among a sample of adults who travelled for business or leisure in the past six months, and must be planning to travel in 2021. According to the New Informed World Traveler survey, which polled more than 3,000 adults, one in three is looking forward to travel with family and friends as compared to solo travel. Decoding the

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staff on hygiene and safety protocols, more personalised experiences and automation for comfort topped the survey chart of service standard expectations from hotels and resorts.

TRAVEL

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

5 budget-friendly Indian cities to host your dreamy wedding

he novel coronavirus pandemic has altered our lives in unimaginable ways; social distancing has become the ‘new normal’ and the ‘big’ fat Indian wedding has now embraced smaller, more intimate weddings. It definitely seems small is the new big! Instead of worrying about what it used to be, couples are chasing the silver lining in this new situation. With restrictions on guest lists, many to-be-weds are leveraging this opportunity to make their dream destination wedding come true! The pandemic has given couples the chance to tie the knot against the backdrop of an exquisite location, either outside the city without worrying about going over the budget. A destination wedding that doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket is no longer just a fantasy. Expert from Weddingz.in shares the five most

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budget-friendly cities to host one’s small and dreamy wedding. Goa

With its sun-kissed beaches and breath-taking views, Goa makes for the perfect destination for an intimate and fun wedding. Couples can choose to host their wedding ceremony at a stunning beach resort without having to spend exorbitantly. Goa is host to umpteen affordable resorts with private beaches, little old-style Portuguese inns and budget-friendly homestays. Apart from being easily accessible via road, air and rail, Goa has a host a lot of restaurants which blend local and continental flavours, and this makes it a perfect destination for a small wedding. Jaipur Known as India’s Pink City, Jaipur is steeped in royal history and cul-

ture. Apart from being a favoured tourist hotspot, it is also a viable destination for weddings. Jaipur is home to an array of new-age boutique guest-houses and homestays that are pocket-friendly and ideal for wedding festivities with a limited guest list. At homestays and inns, couples can choose curated cuisine, customised dining setup and much more. Jaipur is also easily connected to all major Indian cities and towns and hence, makes for a perfect mini wedding destination. Pune Nestled in the lap of the Sahyadri Mountains, Pune makes for an ideal location for a small destination wedding. The city has tons of budget-friendly hotels, farms, resorts and holiday homes. Also, apart from its proximity to all major cities and towns in and around Mumbai,

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Pune city has the right mix of old-style Maharashtrian culture and new-age city vibes. The cool and dry weather is another upside for those looking to have outdoor weddings. Mussoorie This hill station town in the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayan range is nothing short of a paradise for couples looking to get hitched. Mussoorie provides an array of breathtaking locales and vistas that couples can choose from. The hill town is full of homestays, hotels and little rustic inns, with local vendors offering reasonable prices for all necessary wedding prep as compared to mainstream cities. This makes for a perfect destination to host a low-budget yet festive wedding. Chandigarh With a host of 3-star hotels and

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farmhouses, the city blends well for small budget-friendly weddings. Hosting an outdoor farm wedding requires minimal spending on the decor, instead one can add some DIY decor personalised as per the couple’s taste. An extremely well-connected city- Chandigarh is also home to some of North India’s cuisine and is one of the greenest and cleanest cities in India. Add up all these factors and you have your perfect micro-wedding destination! The pandemic may have played spoilsport for a lot of the couple’s grand wedding plans, but on the brighter side, it has given rise to intimate wedding ceremonies that can be celebrated with the closest friends and family. As an added perk, Weddingz.in is also offering jaw dropping offers that can be availed by couples looking to book wedding related services.

WHAT’S ON

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

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ASTROLOGY

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Is astrology important for a matrimonial relationship?

Numerology number 1

By Astrologer Rita Ratnakar

atrimony, the holiest of all alliances, in all cultures but especially in the Indian context. India’s customs and traditions lay a great emphasis on whether the stars align for your upcoming nuptials. While it is widely believed that marriages are made in heaven, they idea is that they need to go through a number of processes on earth. Astrology plays a major role when finalising a matrimonial alliance. In fact it is believed that astrology is very important for the success of any relationship. It is a very normal practice in our country for parents/families to match horoscopes of prospective brides and grooms before going ahead with any step or process related to

marriage. Whenever a matrimonial alliance is being fixed, it is imperative to have a thorough study of horoscopes and stars. There are other ways to do the same, such as face reading and reading body vibrations. All these aim at determining accurately the different ‘doshas’ or planetary defects that might exist in a prospective relationship. Some of the most common ‘doshas’ are ‘Khuja dosha’ - popularly referred to as ‘Mangal dosha’, ‘Rahu dosha’ and ‘Sarpa dosha’. Apart from these, there are a few other doshas related to the yog of two individuals and other aspects related to horoscope. The remedies of each of these

Taurus

planetary defects are determined on the basis of ‘Gochara Phala’, following which different pujas and rituals are conducted to ensure that a couple goes into the institution of marriage peacefully and amicably. Apart from this, a study is also conducted of the different ‘Guna’ (virtues) of prospective bride and groom. Out of 36 ‘Gunas’, at least 18 must match for a healthy and happy marriage. However, this too can be taken care of through a few pujas and rituals. Besides, astrology or horoscope matching also plays a crucial role in giving a heads up and preparing a couple for the challenges that they might come across in their married life.

In numerology number 1 represents the Sun. Number 1 people are creative, strong, inventive. The people who born on 1st, 10th, 19th, 28th of any month represents this category. It is believed that no 1 is sure to make energy. They have energy, they are born leaders, independent, competitive, determined, original, self reliant. As number 1 represents the sun, and the sun is the main source of energy so they are very energetic, behave like father, and are very egoistic. Physique and personality The sun gives them attractive personality as who are born under number1. They will be of normal height. Most of them wear spectacles or having some problem in eyes. As the sun represents the heart and spinal cord so they normally have problems which are related to heart and spinal cord like

blood pressure, cardiac disease etc. They have good personality to influence others. They are reliable, helpful, hardworking, loyal and generally honest. Career They can be good promoter, preachers, orator, organizer, researcher, medicine, astrology, occult, telepathy, music, art, any concentrated study, and power and authority. Compatibility They are compatible with number 5 and number 7. Lucky numbers 1,2,4, 7, 10, 11, 13, 16, 19, 20, 22, 25, 28, 29 ,31. Lucky colour Gold, brown, orange and yellow. Lucky gemstone Ruby in gold to be worn on Sunday. Wear this precious stone on the right-hand ring finger. It will give

By Astrologer Rita Ratnakar

Taurus (Vrish or Vrishabh rashi) is the second sign in the Hindu zodiac. It represents female sign. Taurus sign represented by the bull. So, it represents strength, power and ego. Taurus is ruled by venus which represents love, beauty and money. Taurus are loyal, loving, reliable, and down-to-earth people. It is an earth sign. Its direction is South. They are selfish. As they rule the neck, throat and vocal cord so they have lovely voice and normally are talented singers. Some names are Kelly Clarkson, Lizzo, Sam Smith, Bing Crossby. They have charming look with beautiful eyes and attractive personality. They have stability in their nature. They are very strong. Taurus have good business sense and can be good businessman. They are very intelligent, hard-working,

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dedicated, dependable. But they never accept compromises. They never give up until they complete the project in hands. Family is very important for them. Venus represents Taurus so they really like to enjoy the life. They are Artists or singers. They like gatherings, parties and functions as it may be kitty party, a marriage party or

some other gathering. As Venus represents money, love so they are never poor and are always rich or have enough money to fulfil their requirements. They believe in show-off. So, this creates a lot of problems to them. Overall, they know how to live a happy life.

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SCI-TECH

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Dreamcast unveils real time 2-way virtual conferencing

Facebook testing video speed dating app ‘Sparked’

ove over video meet app Zoom as leading leading virtual event platform Dreamcast has introduced a novel two-way virtual conferencing for a seamless experience. The platform replicates the exact same experience of physical events into a virtual environment where you can reach global audiences online with ease.

“Zoom is a simple video conferencing tool to host webinars or two-way video conferencing, while Dreamcast is a full-scale customised virtual event platform which transforms a physical event into a 3D virtual event,” Gautam Seth and Siddharth Shah, Co-Founders of Dreamcast, told IANS on Tuesday. The platform offers engagement features, networking features, gamification options and much more. “The platform lets you host virtual

conference sessions, webinars and meetings with seamless 2-way interaction between speakers, audiences and hosts in an immersive branded environment,” the company said in a statement. Event planners and organisers can use the two-way video conferencing to enhance 1:1 conversations

between attendees and speakers real-time during the virtual event. “The features are designed with a clear objective in mind to make the user experience seamless and convenient at virtual events to foster connections as well as engagement,” said Shah.

Huawei to pump in $1B on car tech in 2021

fter Facebook Dating, the social networking platform is now testing a video speed-dating app called Sparked that will first allow 4-minute dates to help users find if they are compatible to each other. Once you “both have a great time,” dates will then be scheduled for a 10-minute duration. After that point, Sparked can let the users exchange contact information and stay in touch via Instagram, iMessage, or email, The Verge reported on Tuesday. Sparked is developed by the company’s in-house NPE (New Product Experimentation) team. The free-to-use app will offer no public profiles, no swiping and no direct messages (DMs) but a simple video speed-chat. During the sign-up process, users need to explain what makes them a kind dater.

The responses will be “reviewed by a human at Sparked” before you can go on speed dates. “Users also have to choose whether they want to date men, women, or nonbinary people, and then are asked if they are open to dating trans people,” the report noted. In 2019, the company rolled out Facebook Dating in the US, and later to various countries, including the UK. The Dating app helps users explore potential romantic relationships within their own extended circle of friends. Facebook also quietly launched a new app last year, just for couples who can connect to each other intimately like a personal dating app. Called Tuned, the app allowed couples to share their mood, exchange music via Spotify and create a digital scrapbook.

Siri reveals next Apple event is on April 20

pple’s voice assistant Siri has apparently revealed that the company plans to hold an event on April 20, where it may launch new products including 2021 iPads.

hinese technology giant Huawei, which is focusing on optimising its portfolio to boost business resilience, will invest $1 billion in smart car technologies in 2021, the media reported. The new investment that the company is making this year will focus on building components for smart vehicles, including software platforms for self-driving cars, CGTN reported on Tuesday, citing Huawei’s Rotating Chairman Eric Xu. Speaking at Huawei’s 18th Global Analyst Summit in Shenzhen on Monday, Xu said that Huawei will

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If you ask Siri “When is the next Apple Event,” it replies with “The special event is on Tuesday, April 20, at Apple Park in Cupertino, CA. You can get all the details on Apple.com.” strengthen its software capabilities and invest more in businesses that are less reliant on advanced process techniques, as well as in components for intelligent vehicles. Huawei faced a tough year last year as restrictions imposed by the US impacted its smartphone business and increased scrutiny of its 5G technologies. Xu said that Huawei will maximise 5G value and define 5.5G with industry peers to drive the evolution of mobile communications and innovate to reduce energy consumption for a low-carbon world. “Rebuilding trust and restoring

collaboration across the global semiconductor supply chain is crucial to bringing the industry back on track,” Xu said. The Huawei’s Rotating Chairman predicted that many of the challenges the world is facing today will continue for some time to come. “Moving forward, we will continue to find ourselves in a complex and volatile global environment,” Xu said said. “Resurgence of Covid-19 and geopolitical uncertainty will present ongoing challenges for every organisation, business, and country.”

However, the company’s website did not include any information about the event, suggesting the message had been added to Siri prematurely. According to MacRumors, Siri is not providing the information in all instances and will in some cases simply refer you to Apple’s website for information on events, but multiple editors and readers have seen the premature information across Apple devices including iPhone, iPad, Mac and HomePod. Apple announced the iPad Pro in March last year and the latest models for 2021 are expected to arrive soon.

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However, according to recent media reports, Apple has delayed the production of some MacBook and iPad models due to the global chip shortage. Some iPad assembly, meanwhile, was postponed because of a shortage of displays and display components, the report said. Production plans for Apple’s iconic iPhones have so far not been affected by the supply shortage, although the supply of some components for the devices is “quite tight”.

ENTERTAINMENT

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Ranveer Singh collaborates with Shankar for the hindi remake of Vikram’s Tamil hit “Anniyan”

amil hit machine Shankar directs Bollywood star Ranveer Singh in the official adaptation of his 2005 Tamil blockbuster “Anniyan”, which stars Vikram. The film is slated to go on the floors in Mid-2022. The yet-untitled project is being announced around the auspicious time of Baisakhi in North India and Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, which marks the New Year celebrations in these respective calendars.

Ranveer says: “I am blessed to have this opportunity to be a part of the spectacular cinematic vision of Shankar sir. He is an exception to the norm, a true disruptor who has shown us that no vision is large enough to achieve on screen. I had always hoped and dreamed that I would get a chance to collaborate with him, and I have a strong feeling that we will create magic together.” Ranveer shared that to lead a film

like “Anniyan” is a dream come true for any artiste”.

“Vikram Sir, one of our country’s finest talents, an artiste who I hugely admire, gave a colossal performance in the original, one that can never be matched. I can only hope that my interpretation and rendition of the part also connects with audiences in the same way,” he said. Calling it a “once-in-a-lifetime performance piece”, Ranveer

Big B to star with Deepika Padukone in ‘The Intern’ remake

he first-look poster of the upcoming Amitabh Bachchan-Deepika Padukone comedy “The Intern” was launched on Monday. Deepika, who has co-produced the film, was earlier slated to co-star with late Rishi Kapoor. The film is a remake of the 2015 Hollywood hit of the same name, starring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway.

Sharing the poster on social media, Big B tweeted: “T 3864 - One more time .. Indian Adaptation of #TheIntern. Looking forward to working with @iAmitRSharma @ deepikapadukone @warnerbrosindia @SunirKheterpal @AthenaENM @_KaProductions @ChromePictures @DenzD @Sen_Aleya @ hemantchrome @gauravbose_ TVW.”

Big B and Deepika have shared screen space in the films “Piku” and “Aarakshan” earlier. The bright yellow poster of their new film presents the two stars in silhouette form, walking towards each other.

The film is directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma, whose previous work includes “Badhaai Ho”. The Hollywood hit was directed by Nancy Meyers.

added: “I am ready to give this role every single ounce of my being. Shankar Sir is a genius filmmaker and a true visionary. Words don’t do justice to just how excited I am at the prospect of being directed by him.” Expressing his excitement, director Shankar said: “For it to be made into a Hindi film, Anniyan needed a maverick, charismatic showman like no other to play the part. I found this in the mercurial Ranveer Singh because he is a one-in-a-generation actor who has shown us that he can immortalise a character through his stellar performance.” The director is thrilled to make

“Anniyan” for the pan-Indian audience.

“Anniyan” is a psychological action thriller that revolves around a disillusioned man, whose frustration at what he sees as increasing social apathy and public negligence leads to a split personality that attempts to right the system. Talking about the Shankar-Ranveer creative coup, Dr. Jayantilal Gada, Chairman and MD of the production house Pen Studios said: “Shankar and Ranveer are two forces of nature and them coming together is the biggest cinematic event in India.” The film will be co-produced by God Bless Entertainment.

Huma Qureshi on why ‘Bell Bottom’ feels like a comeback film

uma Qureshi says working in the upcoming Akshay Kumar-starrer spy thriller “Bell Bottom” was special for the entire unit because it was the film they shot last year when the first unlock phase started. “’Bell Bottom’ is going to be a very special film for all of us, whether it is me or the whole cast and crew for that matter, because it was the film we shot last year when the first unlock phase started,” Huma told IANS.

Jannat Zubair and Faisu’s new single ‘Lehja’ shot at real wedding

ocial media celebrity Mr Faisu, or Faisal Shaikh, and television actress Jannat Zubair have come together for a romantic single titled “Lehja”. The video has been shot at a real wedding in Nagpur. The idea was to give an authentic feel to the video, while bringing alive the chemistry between the actors. The song talks about love at first sight. It is penned by Azeem Shirazi, is composed by Vikram Montrose, and is sung by Abhi Dutt.

“It was going back to the film set for all of us. For actors, normalcy means hearing those words, ‘roll camera’, ‘action’, ‘cut’, and after that long and sudden phase of staying at home, ‘Bell Bottom’ was our first step to normalcy, it’s like a comeback for everyone. We are fortunate that we finished the shoot peacefully on time. We cannot wait to share the film with the world,” she added. Making her Bollywood debut in 2012, with Anurag Kashyap’s “Gangs Of New York”, Huma appeared in films like “D-Day”, “Dedh Ishqiya”, “Badlapur” and “Jolly LLB 2”, besides Deepa Mehta’s web series “Leila”. She looks back fondly at her debut film. “I think once ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ ended I realised

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what it takes to act in front of the camera. Since it was my debut, we all know that some of the finest actors of our country were part of the film. it was quite a wholesome experience,” she said. She has a special esteem for “Leila” Deepa Mehta. “She is one of those

people who pushed me to an end from where I rediscovered myself as an actress,” she said. Huma’s other releases coming up are the Tamil film “Valimai”, the web series “Maharani” and Zack Snyder’s OTT release, “Army Of The Dead”.

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romantic song with a beautiful ‘Indian Soul’ and I can’t wait to see if the audience will love the song as much as we did while making it.” The video has been directed and choreographed by Rahul Shetty with music by Vikram Mortrose. It is created by Mahesh Kukreja and produced by Varsha Kukreja and Lizelle Dsouza. Remo D’Souza and Sanjay Kukreja’s music label Blive released the song on April 2 on their YouTube channel.

Talking about the song, Jannat expressed: “It is a beautiful song. It was my first shoot after lockdown so I was way more excited to be on the set. We had a great time together while shooting. We hope we did justice to the song and hopefully added a sense of depth & nuance to it as well.” Singer Abhi Dutt said: “I’m really looking forward to this new song. It’s just a very simple, honest, clean

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ENTERTAINMENT

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Kangana rehearsed ‘Chali chali’ Kartik Aaryan tests song for a month: ‘Thalaivi’ director Covid negative, says

‘vanvaas khatam’

angana Ranaut prepared for the song “Chali chali” in “Thalaivi” for almost a month before shooting it, says the film’s “Thalaivi”. Kangana plays late Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa in the film, and the director A. L. Vijay says the shoot was perfect because of the abundant time they spent at rehearsals. “Jayalalithaa ji’s persona on screen was alluring and it was a great responsibility to recreate the same in ‘Thalaivi. However, given the strong screen presence of our very own four-time National Award winner Kangana ji, she worked really hard and rehearsed the song almost for a month to get utmost perfection and the shoot unfolded quite smoothly,” he says.

The song recreates the commencement of Jayalalithaa’s cinematic journey before she entered politics. The director says that a lot of research was done to make sure that the song is perfect.

ctor Kartik Aaryan is heading back to work after testing negative for Covid-19. Kartik shared his health update with an Instagram picture, where he is seen using his finger as a minus or a negative sign. “Negative… 14 din ka vanvaas khatam… Back to work,” Kartik, who had tested positive for Covid-19 on March 22, wrote as the caption.

“Jayalalithaa ji was the ruling superstar of Tamil cinema, one of the earliest reigning queens of romance and a legend who is still loved and respected dearly. We did extensive research to understand the looks and feels of

the films of Jayalalithaa ji and accordingly attempted to replicate the same on screen,” he says. Thalaivi is slated to release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on April 23.

Nora Fatehi’s scorching challenge to fans

Kartik is currently shooting for his upcoming horror comedy film “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2” where he features alongside actors Tabu and Kiara Advani. The film is a follow-up to the 2007 film “Bhool

Bhulaiyaa” and is slated to hit the theatres in November this year. Kartik would also be seen in the film “Dhamaka” which would be released on OTT.

PM Modi: ‘Rocketary: The Nambi Effect’ covers an important topic

ctress and dancer Nora Fatehi scorches social media with her new Instagram post on Friday, and challenges fans saying she doesn’t think they “can take it”. “Wet hair, bronzed skin... see i dont think that u can take it..” she wrote as the caption with a set of photos where she strikes a pose or two in a metallic silver fringed dress, doing the half split.

Nora is all geared up for her next film “Bhuj: The Pride Of India”, which revolves around the Indian Air Force pilot Vijay Karnik. The film stars Ajay Devgn with Sonakshi Sinha. The period drama looks back at the story of 300 women of Madhapar village in Gujarat’s Kutch district, who played a pivotal role during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

Sunny Leone: I want to stay here

t has been nine years now for Sunny Leone in Bollywood, almost all of it in the spotlight and, of course, she wants to stay here. After appearing in “Bigg Boss” season 5 in 2012, she made her Bollywood debut with”Jism 2” the same year. Sunny describes the stint so far as “amazing”.”I think it has been absolutely amazing. I do feel that I can follow my dreams and be in a place that is just so amazing. It is one of India’s most amazing places,” Sunny told IANS. The actress, who is a mother of children Nisha, Noah and Asher, is looking for a brighter future. “I have really put in a lot of time on myself being here, and I want to stay here. Looking forward to many many more good experiences,” said

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rime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday tweeted about actor R. Madhavan’s debut directorial “Rocketary: The Nambi Effect”, saying the film covers an important topic that people must know of. His tweet came after Madhavan and scientist S. Nambi Narayan, on whose life the film is based, met the Prime Minister earlier in the day. In his tweet, PM Modi wrote: “Happy to have met you and the brilliant Nambi Narayanan Ji. This film covers an important topic, which more people must know about. Our scientists and technicians have made great sacrifices for our country, glimpses of which I could see in the clips of Rocketry.” Madhavan replied: “Thank you so very much sir. We cannot agree more.The entire team and I will put in our best efforts to make sure Sunny, who is currently busy with “MTV Splitsvilla”. Sunny is all set to make her debut on the digital space with the fictional web show “Anamika”, which is billed as a ‘gun-fu’ action thriller and is directed by Vikram Bhatt.

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that happens. Thank you so much again.” The actor had earlier posted pictures of the meeting. The film is based on the life of scientist and aerospace engineer S. Nambi Narayanan. Apart from directing, Madhavan essays the protagonist Nambi Narayanan. As a senior official at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Narayanan was in-charge of the cryogenics division. In 1994, he was falsely charged with espionage and arrested. The charges were dismissed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 1996, and the Supreme Court declared him not guilty in 1998. “Rocketary: The Nambi Effect” will release in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, English and Kannada languages.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

Rashmika thought it was a prank Veteran actress on being told she’ll work with Big B Shashikala dies at 88

elugu star Rashmika Mandanna recently courted pan-India limelight starring in Badshah and Yuvan Shankar Raja’s new music video “Top Tucker”, and is all set for her Bollywood debut. Rashmika has a working birthday, facing the camera for the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer “Goodbye”, which she has signed even before her debut Hindi film “Mission Majnu” released. Rashmika, who is known for roles in hit Telugu films such as “Geetha Govindam” and “Dear Comrade” among others is amused that fans down South have coined the term “National Crush” to describe her. She prefers to underplay the adulation.

“I am aware of it but at the same time I am not. I know that there is so much love for me out there but I am not swayed by it. I know where my roots are and I know what all this is. I am mindful of who I am a person, so it is not that I am like ‘Oh my God! I get to be swayed away by all love, appreciation’. I am totally grounded and my team hate me for it, but that is the kind of person I am,” shares Rashmika, who shares screen space with Sidharth Malhotra in her debut film “Mission Majnu”. The film is currently on floors and the actress will wrap her shoot within a week.

eteran Bollywood actress Shashikala is no more. She was 88. The actress passed away in her Mumbai residence on Sunday, although an official confirmation from her family is awaited.

Her next film after “Mission Majnu” is the Big B-starrer “Goodbye”. Rashmika shares an interesting anecdote about the film.

“Initially when I read the script, it was just about the script because nobody told me anything about who was going to be cast beside me! I liked the script and later I was told that, Bachchan sir would be in the film and I was like, ‘wait, come again. what?!’ It sounded too good to be true and I thought someone was playing a prank,” she recalls. “Until the announcement was done, I was like, ‘ok, is this happening? what is happening, please someone tell me’. Then the announcement happened and I was like ‘ok, this is happening’,” Rashmika adds and giggles thinking about her reaction. The actress made her acting debut with the 2016 Kannada film “Kirik Party” followed by the Telugu debut “Chalo”. She recently entered the Tamil industry with “Sulthan”. Rashmika believes she is a pan-India face because language was never an obstacle in her mind. “I always believed in breaking barriers. I was never okay with films having language or any other barriers. I think a year down from de-

Mourning her demise, Senior NCP leader Praful Patel tweeted: “Deeply saddened by the demise of Veteran actress Shashikala ji. She made a noteworthy contribution to Indian cinema by portraying several pivotal roles. My heartfelt condolences to her family members. May her soul rest in peace Folded hands. #Shashikala #RIP.”

Talking about how she manages her travel schedule, Shruti tells IANS: “I’ve always been very used to travelling for shoots but it’s definitely more chaotic during these times of Covid. I get tested often, in order to make sure I’m not a risk to others, and to follow the protocol of each state and, of course, I

follow safety precautions.”

“I don’t compromise on loads of sanitisers and masks as well! Everything else comes second,” she adds.

Tara posted the picture on Instagram, where she is seen posing in an off-shoulder crop top paired with denims. She captioned it: “Fever (black and white hearts emoji)”. Aadar took to the comment section and wrote: “You give

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me (black heart).”

Tara and Aadar were first linked after they made an appearance at Malaika Arora’s party in 2019, and then at Amitabh Bachchan’s Diwali party. The actress had also penned a birthday wish for Aadar a while back, calling him her “favourite person”. Aadar, who made his Bollywood debut in 2017 with “Qaidi Band”, will next be seen in “Hello Charlie”. Tara has “Tadap” and “Ek Villain 2” coming up.

She has appeared in over 100 Bollywood films including “Nau Do Gyarah”, “Jun glee”, “Ayee Milan Ki Bela”, “Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani”, Chhote Sarkar”, “Khubsoo rat”, “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham”, “Baadshah” and “Mujhse Shaadi Karogi” among others. Shashikala was honoured with Padma Shri in 2007 for her contribution to Indian cinema.

Singer Dhvani Bhanushali: Tough to break the clutter

op singer Dhvani Bhanushali, who recently launched her track “Radha”, says it is challenging to stand out. However, the singer adds that it is important to do something different with every project.

The actress who started the year with the Ravi Teja-starrer “Krack” hitting bullseye at the box office, has already thrown herself into work for Prabhas’ “Salaar”. Her film with Vijay Sethupathi, “Laabam”, is also ready for release. She’ll also be seen in the Pawan Kalyan-starrer “Vakeel Saab”, in a guest role. Shruti recently expressed her interest in turning her stories into scripts.

Tara Sutaria gives ‘fever’ to Aadar Jain

ctress Tara Sutaria on Tuesday, April 6 shared a stunning black and white picture, and her rumoured boyfriend Aadar Jain indulged in some social media romance.

Born in August 1932, Shashikala made a mark with her performance in supporting roles and negative roles in Bollywood films.

buting in Kannada, I was already working in Telugu industry, and two years down in Telugu industry. My first Tamil film has released a year after that, I have Hindi releases now. For me, I never liked the idea of being in one industry. If an actor’s film releases only in a particular language then they are only Kannada or Tamil actors. I never liked boundaries and people know it because from day one I have been saying the same thing. I call myself a pan-face, because I think that as a person, I can build around anything and do any work in any industry or language and I can do a damn good job,” she claims.

Shruti Haasan on working in Covid times: I get tested very often

ctress Shruti Haasan has been shuttling between Chennai and Hyderabad to shoot her upcoming films. With Covid cases continuing unabated, and with places like Mumbai seeing a sharp rise, she is being extra cautious.

“Shashikala ji... RIP,” tweeted actor Rohit Roy.

“Tadap” is Milan Luthria’s remake of the Telugu hit “RX 100”.

“It’s really tough to break the clutter and do something of your own. It also gives you a lot of power in terms of expressing yourself and standing apart from the herd. I have experienced this and I am really happy that people accept me the way I am with the content that I put out. I think Indian pop music has been evolving with time and I am glad that now people are ready to accept changes,” she told IANS. She says that for her latest song, she tried to do something different. “For example, recently, I tried to do a contemporary genre for my music video with no set narration. I had always wanted to push myself and step out of the box, so it is really a blessing that the audience has accepted the song with such open arms with constant appre-

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ciation pouring in from my fans,” she says. She adds that she loves the format of music videos and enjoys the process. “Coming to the favourite part of the video, I think every process of making a video is amazing. Right from scratch, to the lyrics, to the final mixing and then busting it out as a final product on the big screen through the help of talented makers, it’s just so exciting. A music video just does not belong to an artist, it is a joint team effort,” she says. Dhvani is known for her singles “Vaaste” and “Leja re”.

Vol 1, Issue 5, April 16-30, 2021

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