Delhi
monday, december 12, 2016
Modi criticises
Opposition over
stalled Parliament
Page 13
• •
BRIEFLY
GST legislation may
miss winter session
NEW DELHI: The four pieces of
legislation required to be passed
by Parliament for the roll-out of
the GST law will not be tabled in
the winter session as the sixth
meeting of the GST Council on
Sunday failed to reach a
consensus, and Monday's
meeting has been shifted to
December 22-23.
쐍 BUSINESS | PAGE 15
Rs. 13 crore in cash
seized in S. Delhi
NEW DELHI: In a search which
started late on Saturday night
and continued till Sunday
evening, officials of the Delhi
Police and the I-T Department
seized over Rs. 13 crore in cash
from the office of a law firm in
Greater Kailash-I.
쐍 NEWS PAGE 13
Learning Deficit:
Teaching Quality
Part Two of the seven-part
series explores the critical
role of teachers in delivering
primary education to
nascent minds. While the
national perspective
suggests that having too
many teacher vacancies can
limit progress, the ground
report shows why teachers’
extra duties profoundly
impact teaching quality.
쐍 NATION | PAGE 9
EDUCATION PLUS
4 Pages
METROPLUS
4 Pages
Cyclone Vardah heads towards Chennai shores
Mistry takes on Tata Sons
director Vijay Singh
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
MUMBAI: The ongoing feud in
the Tata group took another
ugly turn with the oice of
Cyrus Mistry, who was ous-
ted as Tata Sons chairman,
questioning the credentials
of Vijay Singh, a former de-
fence secretary who is on the
Tata Sons board, and alleging
that Mr. Singh was “in-
volved” in the controversial
deal to purchase helicopters
from AgustaWestland.
“As defence secretary, Mr.
Vijay Singh was a key oicial
involved in the award” of the
VVIP helicopter contract to
AgustaWestland in 2010, Mr.
Mistry’s oice said in a state-
ment on Sunday. “It is a mat-
ter of public record that the
government had to cancel
the contract, dubbed “Chop-
pergate” by the media, due to
charges of corruption and
graft.”
The broadside at Mr.
Singh, a close aide of Ratan
Tata, comes in the wake of
comments made by the Tata
Sons director in an interview,
where he is said to have de-
fended the board’s decision
CM
YK
www.thehindu.in Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08 RNI No. TNENG/2012/49940 ISSN 0971 - 751X Vol. 6 No. 294 CITY EDITION 28 Pages Rs. 8.00
Printed at Chennai, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Madurai, Noida, Visakhapatnam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Vijayawada, Mangaluru, Tiruchirapalli, Kolkata, Hubballi, Mohali, Allahabad, Malappuram and Mumbai
Planes were diverted to lift RAF for Jayalalithaa funeral
Post-demonetisation, Air Force transport aircraft had been roped in to ferry new banknotes from Nashik, Mysuru mints to various parts of the country
Seven movie-goers booked in Chennai
for ‘disrespecting’ national anthem
STAFF REPORTER
CHENNAI: The Chennai police
on Sunday registered a case
against seven persons, in-
cluding a woman, for dis-
respecting the national an-
them at a cinema in the city.
The case is the first such
since the Supreme Court
made it mandatory for all
cinema halls to play the na-
tional anthem at the begin-
ning of film shows and for
people to stand up in respect.
The seven persons al-
legedly took selfies inside
Kasi Theatre near Ashok
Nagar when the national an-
them was being played, lead-
Cyrus Mistry.
to oust Mr. Mistry.
In 2013, Mr. Singh had been
invited to join the Tata Sons
board as a nominee of the
Tata Trusts at the interven-
tion of Mr. Tata, Mr. Mistry’s
oice said.
Mr. Singh has denied the
allegations in a statement is-
sued by a Tata Trusts spokes-
person. “These allegations
are untrue. Mr. Singh was
Defence Secretary between
2007 and 2009 while the
Government of India started
negotiations for buying the
choppers before 2007,” the
statement read.
“The deal was signed in
2010. So Mr. Singh has noth-
ing to do with it.”
쐍 ‘GROUP MAY FRAGMENT
IF MISTRY STAYS’ | PAGE 15
● ●
Pakistan’s new Army
chief removes ISI
head Rizwan Akhtar
Page 14
VIJAITA SINGH
NEW DELHI: The Centre pulled
out all the stops to make sure
that the news of Tamil Nadu
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s
death did not lead to any ma-
jor law and order problem in
the State, even if it meant
halting the air supply of new
currency notes.
The Indian Air Force
(IAF) had been roped in to
help cope with the currency
crisis in the aftermath of the
government’s demonetisa-
tion decision with several
This is the first such
case since the SC
made it mandatory
Nesapakkam. The police ac-
tion came after a patrol team
saw two groups of cinema
goers fighting outside the
for cinema halls to theatre. One of the men said
he had come with six others
play the anthem to watch the film Chennai 28
-II and alleged that they were
ing to a fracas with another manhandled by a group and
group of cinema-goers who threatened with dire con-
objected. sequences for not standing
up when the national anthem
Complaint filed was being played.
The police invoked provi- The police later took
sions of the Prevention of In- members of both groups to
sults to National Honour the Ashok Nagar Police Sta-
Act, 1971, against the ac- tion for an inquiry.
cused. The action was based An oicer said Vijayaku-
on a complaint filed by one mar, a member of the audi-
Vijayakumar, a resident of ence, had questioned the
STAFF REPORTER
CHENNAI: Cyclonic storm
Vardah is likely to make
landfall by Monday af-
ternoon along north Tamil
Nadu and south Andhra
Pradesh coast, close to
Chennai, accompanied by
strong winds with speeds
of 80 to 90 kmph.
S. Balachandran, dir-
ector, Area Cyclone Warn-
ing Centre in Chennai, told
the media on Sunday the
rain would gradually in-
crease from the morning of
December 12 and was ex-
pected to last until the next
day in the northern dis-
tricts of Chennai, Tiruval-
lur and Kancheepuram.
Moderate rain
S.B.Thampi, Deputy Dir-
ector General of Meteoro-
logy said, most places along
Sasikala is the tallest leader, in AIADMK posters
‘Chinna Amma’ appears bigger than Jayalalithaa in many displays, provoking the loyalists
D. SURESH KUMAR
CHENNAI: Visible symbols of
the AIADMK have
undergone a dramatic
change over the past few
days, with V.K. Sasikala
assuming a dominant
presence in posters and
banners, sometimes
overshadowing the images
of late Chief Minister
Jayalalithaa and relegating
Chief Minister O.
Panneerselvam to the
background.
From someone who kept
away from the spotlight NEW ORDER: A poster of Ms. Sasikala near Anna Salai shows
while shadowing the late the sharp reaction in the party. — PHOTO: K. PICHUMANI
Chief Minister for over
three decades, Ms. Sasikala have been supporting Ms.
has turned into the central Sasikala to lead the ruling
figure that even senior party, have put up posters
partymen are projecting. prominently carrying her
Three-time Chief images across Tamil Nadu.
Minister O. Panneerselvam, An early poster with an
in stark contrast, is not on image of a smiling Ms.
posters or hoardings even Sasikala put up by a little-
in his hometown of known functionary outside
Periyakulam in Theni the party headquarters in
district. Chennai on Wednesday,
Since Wednesday, urged her to continue the
sections of party leaders golden rule of ‘Amma’.
and functionaries, who The poster was quickly
● ●
Paolo Gentiloni
named Italy’s new
Prime Minister
Page 14
transport aircraft pressed
into service to ferry cash to
various parts of the country.
As reported earlier, the
Centre, anticipating the
news, had already made ar-
rangements to airlift 900
Rapid Action Force (RAF)
personnel from Ahmedabad,
Hyderabad and Mumbai as
soon as they got a formal re-
quest from the State govern-
ment.
Two large military
transport aircraft, C-17
Globemaster and IL-76, were
mobilised for the purpose.
persons taking selfies when
the national anthem was be-
ing played. This led to a
heated exchange ending in
fisticufs,
Taking on board Vijayaku-
mar’s complaint, the police
registered cases under the
Prevention of Insults to Na-
tional Honour Act and the
Indian Penal Code against
seven persons, including M.
Shreela, a resident of Vir-
ugambakkam. She had given
a separate complaint, accus-
ing Mr. Vijayakumar and his
friends of having threatened
and abused her for not stand-
ing up during the national
anthem.
north Tamil Nadu and
south Andhra Pradesh
coasts would get to light to
moderate rain with possib-
ilities of heavy rainfall of up
to 20 cm as the system
makes landfall. “During
landfall on Monday, Chen-
nai, Tiruvallur, Kanchee-
puram and Puducherry will
get rain and once the sys-
tem crosses, Vellore and
Dharmapuri will begin to
get rain,” he said.
Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister O. Panneerselvam
chaired a meeting in the
Secretariat on Sunday to re-
view the preparations by
government agencies.
Schools and colleges in
Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur,
Villupuram and Cuddalore
districts have been closed
on Monday.
쐍 CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
torn by some party
workers. However, a day
later, senior leaders began
expressing ‘total support’
to her.
By Sunday, a poster
campaign had been
launched by leaders who
tried to outdo each other in
expressing their loyalty. In
some posters Jayalalithaa
faded into the background,
much like party founder
MGR did, except during
● ● ● ●
It was at 9.30 p.m. on
December 5 that the State
government sent a formal re-
quest to the Centre request-
ing 70 companies (approx-
imately 8,000) of RAF to
manage the crowd in case of
any eventuality.
The public announcement
was made at 12.22 a.m. on
December 6 that Jayalalitha
had passed away at 11.30 p.m.
the previous night.
“To take care of the cash
crunch, the C-17 and IL-76
were being used to ferry cur-
rency notes from the govern-
Pak. trying to divide
India: Rajnath Singh
Home Minister warns Islamabad on waging a proxy war
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
KATHUA (J&K): Union Home
Minister Rajnath Singh on
Sunday accused Pakistan of
“conspiring” to divide India
along religious lines and
warned the neighbouring
country that it would be
“splintered” into 10 nations if
it failed to quell terrorism.
“We were divided in 1947
on religious basis. We have
not been able to forget that...
All Indians are brothers,
whether they are born from
the womb of a Hindu mother
or a Muslim mother,” he said
addressing a Martyrs’ Day
function in Kathua district.
“Pakistan came into exist-
ence after India got divided
on religious lines but it could
not keep itself united. In 1971,
it got split into two and, if it
does not mend its ways, it
will get splintered into 10
pieces and India will have no
role in it,” he said.
Accusing Pakistan of wa-
ging a proxy war against In-
dia, Mr Singh said, “We want
to live in peace with Pakistan
but it has indulged in spon-
soring a proxy war against
India. Every Prime Minister
of India wanted to mend re-
lations with Pakistan but it
did not understand the lan-
guage of peace and attacked
India four times. But our
brave soldiers gave them a
befitting reply.”
Credit for Muslims
The Home Minister went
on to say that Pakistan was
waging the proxy war
through terrorism, which is a
weapon of the weak.
election season.
The latest appeals
entreating Ms. Sasikala call
her ‘Chinna Amma’, a form
of address until now heard
only within Jayalalithaa’s
‘Veda Nilayam’ bungalow
in Poes Garden, and in
some party circles. Over
the last two days, there
have been fewer hoardings
and posters condoling
Jayalalithaa’s death than
those in support of Ms.
Sasikala.
Calendar ready
Cooperative Minister
Sellur K Raju even got
calendars with Ms.
Sasikala’s image printed for
the New Year. A huge
hoarding that was briefly
placed on Anna Salai in
Chennai, had life-size
photos of MGR,
Jayalalithaa and Ms.
Sasikala captioned ‘Then,
Now and Tomorrow’.
One of the posters
described ‘Chinna Amma’
as the one who had earned
Jayalalithaa’s trust and
blessings. The calendar
England staring
down the barrel
after India piles it on
Page 17
ment printing press at
Nashik and Mysuru, as per a
request from the Finance
Ministry,” said a senior oi-
cial.
“We decided to divert the
planes to airlift the security
personnel,” he added.
Another said the req-
uisition for RAF was only for
Chennai. The State adminis-
tration wanted the entire
force to be in Chennai to
provide security to the fu-
neral procession.
“It was the Chennai police
which had made all arrange-
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh honours family members
of martyrs, at Kathua near Jammu on Sunday.— PHOTO: PTI
Mr. Singh said while the
the whole world was worried
about the activities of the
terror group Islamic State
(IS), it had failed to spread its
roots in India because
Muslims had rejected it.
“When the entire world is
worried about IS, I can say it
as the Home Minister IS has
not been able to spread its
roots in India and the credit
for this goes to the Muslims
of the country, the followers
of Islam,” he said.
Mr. Singh said India al-
ways wanted to have friendly
relations with all its neigh-
bours but Pakistan betrayed
India and returned peace ini-
tiatives with terrorist at-
tacks. “Narendra Modi, be-
fore the formation of his
government, had held a party
meeting and we decided if
we want to make India a
powerful country, we need
cooperation of all the neigh-
bouring countries. So we de-
cided to invite all the neigh-
bouring heads of
sponsored by the
Cooperative Minister hails
her as “Ammavin
Azhumaiye” (Amma’s
personality).
Another poster calls
upon cadres to accept her
leadership as she had
served Jayalalithaa day and
night as her ‘sister,’
ignoring her kin. One
worker, who placed a huge
hoarding on Anna Salai,
described her as “Thalai
Magal” (the daughter who
leads).
Several posters were
defaced by Jayalalithaa-
loyalists.
In Periyakulam and in
Bodinayakanur
constituency, which Mr.
Panneerselvam represents,
there is not a single poster
or hoarding for him. While
this was the case even
during the two short spells
earlier, when he was Chief
Minister during 2001-02
and 2014-15, residents say
Mr. Panneerselvam had
always maintained a low
profile.
(With K. Raju in Theni)
ments. We were there to as-
sist them. The RAF men had
formed a ring around the
casket as the police feared a
stampede-like situation.
Around 900 RAF men
formed a human wall when
the funeral procession star-
ted from Rajaji Hall to Mar-
ina Beach,” said K. Durga
Prasad, Director General,
CRPF, which heads the RAF.
“We had already arranged
for 10 companies but pulled
out some more from J&K to
send them to Chennai,” said
a senior oicial.
state/government and we in-
vited Nawaz Sharif also, and
he had come,” Mr. Singh said.
“Sharif was invited not just
to shake hands but let the
hearts of the two countries to
meet,” he said, adding
Pakistan should understand
“our intentions but it has
failed to do so.”
“We got Gurdaspur, Path-
ankot and Uri where terror-
ists entered and launched
cowardly attacks on our sol-
diers,” Mr. Singh said.
Rahul reacts
Reacting to Mr. Singh’s
statement, Congress vice-
president Rahul Gandhi said
on Twitter that the Home
Minister and Prime Minister
had been doing the same [di-
viding India on religious
lines]. “Yes, Rajnath Singhji,
Pakistan is trying to divide
India along religious lines;
has it struck you that you &
your boss have been doing
the same?” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
Delhi Police ASI,
woman murdered
in Rohini; 2 held
SHUBHOMOY SIKDAR
NEW DELHI: The naked, bullet-
riddled bodies of a Delhi Police
Assistant Sub-Inspector and a
woman were found at a prop-
erty dealer’s oice in Rohini
here on Sunday.
According to the police, ASI
Joginder Lakra recently had an
argument with the stakehold-
ers of an illegal gambling and
entertainment business that
they ran together and the
murder was a fallout of that.
The woman, which whom
he was having an extra-marital
afair, was not linked to the
trade, but was killed to elimin-
ate any witness to the crime.
Though the shooting took
place at Deep Vihar on Sat-
urday night and eight rounds
were fired, the murders came
to light only on Sunday morn-
ing when a PCR call was made.
“The bodies were found in
the oice of Singh Properties
by a local. He found the two ly-
ing in a pool of blood and aler-
ted the PCR,” DCP (Rohini)
M.N. Tiwari said.
쐍 CONTINUED ON| PAGE 12
ND-ND
2|
Faced with crisis, Delhiites put up a stoic front
For a city not known for its patience, the Capital has
accepted the disruption to daily life by curtailing expenses
and hoping for the situation to improve Page 4
Children drive the change for children
The “100 million for 100 million” campaign was flagged off by the President on Sunday
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: The “100 million
for 100 million” campaign, a
global initiative that seeks to
support 100 million youth to
be the voice of the 100 mil-
lion children and youth
across the world who have
been denied basic rights and
freedom, was flagged of by
President Pranab Mukher-
jee on Sunday.
Summit
The event at Rashtrapati
Bhavan, which saw par-
ticipation by over 5,000 stu-
dents from Delhi schools,
was part of the two-day
“Laureates and Leaders for
Children Summit” orga-
nised by the Kailash Sat-
yarthi Children’s
Foundation.
Speaking on his 81st birth-
day, the President said he
was delighted to launch the
campaign as there were still
over a 100 million children
who were “out of school”
despite the progress the
world had made.
“They are being denied
their childhood and are fa-
cing exploitation in various
ways. The world must re-
alise without further delay
that there can be no progress
unless our children are safe,
secure and unless they are
provided the freedom and
opportunity to become
agents of change for the lar-
ger good of humanity,” Mr.
Mukherjee said.
Speaking about the global
efort, he said it was only ap-
propriate that the campaign
begins in India, which has
one of the largest youth pop-
ulations in the world.
The President also ex-
pressed hope that the five-
year campaign will have a
path-breaking impact on the
Christmas music from ‘Amateur photographers cannot
around the world jeopardise professional photography’
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: To usher in the Yu-
letide spirit, the Capital City
Minstrels (CCM) are
scheduled to perform a series
of concerts showcasing
Christmas music from around
the world from Tuesday to
Saturday in the National Cap-
ital Region. The events will be
held at some of the city’s most
popular concert venues. A
private concert will also be
organised for the President.
The CCM comprises peo-
ple of all ages, nationalities
and walks of life, including
students, professionals, cor-
porate executives and em-
bassy personnel, bound to-
gether by their love for music.
According to the group, the
music will include the opu-
lence of “And the Glory of the
Lord”, composed by George
Frideric Handel, the first
chorus of his glorious “Mes-
siah” written in 1741, and
Heinrich Schütz’s “Chorus of
the Angels” from “The Christ-
mas Story”.
The choir has also come up
with its own rendition of
Franz Gruber’s “Silent Night”,
which it hopes will be well-re-
ceived as it is diferent from
the most well-known version
of the carol. Other songs in-
Remembering MS
MUSICAL TRIBUTE: A Carnatic vocal concert by Ranjani and Gayatri was organised at the
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi on Sunday to commemorate
the birth centenary year of M. S. Subbulakshmi. — PHOTO: V. V. KRISHNAN
CM
YK
UNITED WE STAND: Students from schools across Delhi at the launch of the “100 million for 100 million” campaign at the
Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday. — PHOTO : R. V. MOORTHY
lives of children across the
globe and help end child la-
bour, child slavery, violence
against children and pro-
mote the right of every child
to be safe and educated.
Change
Introducing the cam-
paign, Nobel Peace laureate
Kailash Satyarthi said:
“Starting today [Sunday], let
us build the legacy we want
to leave behind. I see a world
where every child is free,
safe and educated... Where
justice guides the rule of law,
where governments and
inter-governmental agen-
cies create holistic policies
for the well-being of chil-
dren. I see a world where
The Capital City Minstrels
are scheduled to perform a
series of concerts across the
NCR. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
clude “Worship the King” by
Billy Smiley and Bill George;
Kent Newbury’s “For We
Have Seen His Star”; Felix
Bernard’s “Winter Wonder-
land” and the energetic
“Gotta Whisper Gotta Shout!”
by Victor Johnson.
Line-up
Tuesday’s concert will be
held at the Teen Murti Audi-
torium at 7 p.m. The event at
the Hungarian Information
and Cultural Centre will be
held on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Entry to both the concerts is
free. Friday’s show at the Epi-
centre in Gurgaon at 7.30 p.m.
is a ticketed event. Entry to
the concert at the Vatican Em-
bassy Chapel on Saturday at 7
p.m. is also free.
science and technology play
a pivotal role in creating sys-
tems that deter crime —
where via economic argu-
ments we make children the
beneficiaries of growth and
not slaves of it. I see a world
where young people drive
change.”
The campaign launch cul-
minated the two-day sum-
mit that brought together
around 25 laureates and
leaders, youth and more
than 150 eminent personalit-
ies from diverse walks of life.
The campaign seeks to
build partnerships between
universities, students’ orga-
nisations and teachers’ asso-
ciations to promote values of
global citizenship amongst
SHIVANI SINGH
NEW DELHI: A number of collat-
eral events, including work-
shops, film festivals and ses-
sions on sustainable
development, are being held
as part of the month-long
Habitat Photosphere 2016 ex-
hibition at India Habitat Cen-
tre here.
At one such recent work-
shop on “Curating and Think-
ing about Photography in Ex-
hibitions and Books”, Swiss
curator and art historian
Nathalie Herschdorfer
shared her thoughts on rel-
evance of professional photo-
graphers at a time when
every amateur has a platform
on social media. Essentially a
photography curator by pro-
fession, she runs a fine arts
museum at Le Locle, Switzer-
land.
She enjoys the diversity in
photography that platforms
like Instagram have brought
in and supports the concept
of “everyone is a photo-
grapher”. Despite this, she
firmly believes that the space
for professional photography
is still present prominently.
The curator also highlighted
the fine line between “taking
a picture” and “making a pic-
ture”.
CITY
100 candidates to train people in Delhi-NCR
Youngsters will soon be seen explaining cashless
transactions over several platforms to residents of
Delhi-NCR Page 5
the youth. The aim is to pri-
marily use social media for
sensitising people and build-
ing awareness about chil-
dren’s causes.
Some of the Nobel laur-
eates who participated and
adopted a “will for children”
included the Tibetan
spiritual leader Dalai Lama,
former President of Timor-
Leste José Ramos-Horta,
Liberian peace activist
Leymah Gbowee and Ye-
meni journalist and human
rights activist Tawakkol Kar-
man.
The Nobel Prize-winning
organisations included the
International Labour Orga-
nization, represented by Gil-
bert Houngbo; the Interna-
PHOTO FEST: A number of events are being held as part of the
month-long Habitat Photosphere 2016 exhibition at IHC.
— FILE PHOTO: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
“Millions of images bom-
bard us on a daily basis — be
it in print or on our gadgets. A
professional photographer
must know what is required
to distinguish himself. Ama-
teur photographers have
been around since the inven-
tion of Kodak and user-
friendly Polaroids, but they
cannot jeopardise profes-
sional photography,” said Ms.
Herschdorfer.
She also mentioned that
rise in literacy pertaining to
photography is a positive sign
and will encourage passion-
ate enthusiasts to pursue this
DMRC’s 200th puppet show
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: On Sunday, the
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
(DMRC) added another
feather to its cap by orga-
nising its 200th puppet show
in the NCR.
The DMRC has been orga-
nising puppet shows at gov-
ernment schools, Kendriya
Vidyalayas as well as private
schools for over 50,000 chil-
dren across the age group of
10-14 years and above since
July 2015 as part of its social
outreach and CSR campaign.
“These shows are organised
at all depots and residential
colonies of the DMRC net-
work, in addition to schools,
to spread awareness about
travelling etiquette,” a DMRC
spokesperson said.
Disciplined commuters
“The initiative seeks to
create a group of disciplined
tional Committee of the Red
Cross, represented by Helen
Durham; Médecins Sans
Frontières, represented by
Unni Krishnan Karunakara
and Grameen Bank, rep-
resented by Ratan Kumar
Nag.
“Abolish modern
day slavery”
The will that was adopted
read: “Two hundred years
ago, reformers came to-
gether to abolish the slavery
trade. Yet, we have come
once again to abolish mod-
ern day slavery, and make a
compassionate and child-
friendly world, where every
child is free, safe, healthy,
educated and empowered.
as a profession. For most pho-
tographers, it’s quite diicult
to establish themselves;
photo walks and exhibitions
provide a stage for budding
shutterbugs to display their
talent.
Although she isn’t aware of
the Indian context, she claims
that photographers across
the globe tend to have a lot in
common. She mentioned
Dayanita Singh, the Indian
artist and author, who has
been actively publishing her
works in Europe.
(The writer is an intern
with The Hindu)
The DMRC has been
organising puppet shows for
children since July 2015.
PHOTO : SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
metro commuters,” the
spokesperson added. The 15-
minute puppet shows are or-
ganised free of cost at schools.
Puppeteers from the Capital’s
Kathputli Colony perform at
these shows.
The Delhi Metro has also
established a museum at Patel
Chowk metro station to con-
nect better with children, the
spokesperson said.
Dilli Haat’s brush with street art
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Street art became a
worldwide trend when it
started being used as a me-
dium to raise awareness
about issues ranging from
world peace to global warm-
ing and social evils.
The less radical approach
towards street art, which is
now on the rise, is that art be-
longs to the public, and
hence should be displayed at
public spaces.
Public exhibition
Towards this end, the
Delhi Tourism and Trans-
portation Development Cor-
poration (DTTDC), in col-
laboration with the Austrian
Cultural Forum of the Aus-
trian Embassy in Delhi, inau-
gurated a public exhibition
of the works of renowned
Austrian artist Jeremias Alt-
mann at the pergola of Dilli
Haat, INA.
Altmann had first come to
Delhi in April and most of his
creations on display at the
exhibition were completed
then.
In his quest to bring art out
of conventional galleries and
into places where the public
can enjoy it, he created a
massive painting on a wall of
the amphitheatre at Dilli
Haat, where people usually
watch cultural events, within
three days.
This exhibition gave him
an opportunity to com-
municate with the crowd at
Dilli Haat daily, through the
medium of his wall painting
WEATHER WATCH: An elephant and a camel on the banks of the Yamuna on a foggy Sunday
morning in the Capital. — PHOTO : R. V. MOORTHY
Delhi likely to get some
respite from fog cover
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Delhiites may get
some respite from the ongo-
ing spell of dense fog over
the next few days, according
to the Meteorological
Department.
R.K. Jenamani, the dir-
ector-in-charge of the met-
eorological unit at Delhi’s
Indira Gandhi International
Airport, said the present
spell of dense fog in Delhi-
NCR is likely to weaken by
Monday morning or night.
“However, some smog or
shallow fog may continue to
form late at night and in the
morning. The next four to
five days may be free of
dense fog,” Mr. Jenamani
said.
Airport not impacted
Though the Delhi airport
saw a very dense spell of fog,
flight movements were not
hampered as the Instrument
Landing System helped pi-
lots land despite the poor
visibility.
“There was zero visibility
at the airport between 5.30
a.m. and 9 a.m. on Sunday,
which suddenly improved
CINEMA
ENGLISH:
DEEPWATER HORIZON: PVR
(Vasant Kunj, City Walk), Wave (Raja
Garden, Noida), Spice (Noida).
HINDI:
BEFIKRE: (New Release: Ranveer
Singh, Vaani Kapoor): Delite, Ritz,
Milan, Amba, Shiela, Regal, Eros
One, G3S (Rohini), PVR (Plaza, Rivoli,
Priya, Anupam, Sangam, 3C’s, City
Walk, Naraina, Vikaspuri, Prashant
Vihar, EDM, Mahagun, Opulent,
Cinemax), Satyam (Patel Nagar,
Janakpuri, Nehru Place), M2K
(Rohini, Pitampura), Wave (Raja
Garden, Kaushambi, Noida), JAM
Shipra, Silver City (Ghaziabad), JAM
Shipra, Movie Palace, Movie Magic,
Galaxie, Star X (Vaishali), Chaudhary
(Ghaziabad), Silver City
(Ghaziabad).
THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016
DELHI Calling all readers to connect with us for all things Delhi at
twitter - @DelhiConnect
CONNECT www.facebook.com/NewDelhiConnect
ART IN PROGRESS: Austrian artist Jeremias Altmann painting the
amphitheatre wall at Dilli Haat, INA. — PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
as well as his previous works
on display at the central
courtyard in the market here,
where people usually sit to
rest.
The crowd not only had
the pleasure of viewing his
work, but also watched him
work on the wall painting.
The present spell
of dense fog in
Delhi-NCR is likely to
weaken by Monday
morning or night
around 10 a.m.,” said Mr.
Jenamani.
He added that though the
onset of dense fog this year
on November 30 is quite
early compared to the past 16
years, it is too soon to say if
this December will the
worst hit compared to the
last few years.
“December so far has
recorded only 31 hours of
dense fog. In 2014, Decem-
ber had witnessed 76 hours
of fog, the highest since
2000. The second-highest
was 63 hours in December
2003,” he added.
Trains delayed, cancelled
The efect of dense fog on
train movement, however,
continued on Sunday, with
more than 100 trains getting
afected.
According to the North-
ern Railway spokesperson,
90 trains were reported to be
30 MINUTES: (New Release: Hiten
Paintal, Hrishitaa Bhatt): Abhishek
Cineplex, Vishal, Liberty, Spice
(Noida), Silver City (Ghaziabad).
KAHAANI – 2: (Vidya Balan, Arjun
Rampal): G3S (Rohini), Cinemax,
Eros One, Batra Reels, PVR (Plaza,
Rivoli, Priya, Saket, City Walk,
Naraina, Vikaspuri, Prashant Vihar,
EDM), M2K (Rohini, Pitampura),
Movie Time (Raja Garden,
Pitampura), FUN (Moti Nagar,
Pitampura, Laxmi Nagar,
Karkardooma), DT (Saket, Shalimar
Bagh, Vasant Kunj), Satyam (Patel
Nagar, Nehru Place, Janakpuri), BIG
(Odeon, Vaishali, Kaushambi,
Noida), Wave (Raja Garden,
Kaushambi, Noida), JAM Shipra,
M4U, Movie Palace, Movie Magic,
Galaxie, Star X (Vaishali), Chaudhary
(Ghaziabad), Movie World and Silver
City (Ghaziabad).
NOIDA/DELHI
The exhibition, inau-
gurated by Michael Heinz,
the Director of the Austrian
Cultural Forum; S. P. Singh,
the managing director and
chief executive oicer of the
DTTDC; and installation art-
ist Naresh Kuparia, will end
on Thursday.
running late by two to 29
hours as of 6.30 p.m., apart
from 44 trains that had to be
rescheduled and seven that
had to be cancelled.
The Northern Railway has
cancelled 12 trains for
Monday, three for Wednes-
day and one for Thursday.
Among the trains delayed
by many hours included the
Saryu Yamuna Express (29
hours), Lichchavi Express
(28 hours), Bihar Sam-
poorna Kranti (27 hours),
Gondwana Express (25
hours), Magadh Express (24
hours), Manduadih-New
Delhi Super Fast Express (23
hours) and Swatantrata
Senani Express (22 hours).
Clear skies ahead
The maximum tem-
perature recorded on
Sunday was 26.4 degrees
Celsius, three notches above
the normal, while the
minimum was 12.4 degrees,
also three degrees above
normal. The weatherman
has forecast clear skies with
dense to very dense fog in
the morning. Moderate to
shallow fog has been
forecast till Thursday.
DEAR ZINDAGI: (Shah Rukh Khan,
Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur): G3S
(Rohini), PVR (Plaza, Saket, City
Walk, Naraina, Vikaspuri, Prashant
Vihar, Sangam, EDM), Satyam (Patel
Nagar, Nehru Place, Janakpuri), M2K
(Rohini, Pitampura), Movie Time
(Raja Garden, Pitampura), FUN (Moti
Nagar, Pitampura, Laxmi Nagar,
Karkardooma), DT (Saket, Shalimar
Bagh, Vasant Kunj), BIG (Odeon,
Vaishali, Kaushambi, Noida), Wave
(Raja Garden, Kaushambi, Noida),
SRS Cinemas, JAM Shipra, M4U,
Movie Palace, Movie Magic, Galaxie,
Star X (Vaishali), Chaudhary
(Ghaziabad), Movie World and Silver
City (Ghaziabad).
(BOOKING ENQUIRIES: PVR
51513391; Spice Gold
012043890000; Satyam
Cinemas 25797385; Delite
23272903; Wave 51832222)
ND-ND
 CITY |3
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

D E L H I
Dec 12,Mon Dec 13, Tue Dec 14, Wed
RISE 07 05 SET 17 26 RISE 07 05 SET 17 26 RISE 07 06 SET 17 27
RISE 16 13 SET 04 48 RISE 17 07 SET 05 56 RISE 18 06 SET 07 02

TRAGIC END

One killed, 3 injured as car rams tree

The police suspect over-speeding as the car also hit the divider; injured admitted to AIIMS
STAFF REPORTER

NEW DELHI: A man was killed

and three others injured
when the car they were trav-
Two-year-old killed
elling in rammed a tree after STAFF REPORTER
hitting a divider in Saket
here on Sunday afternoon. NEW DELHI: A two-year-old
The police said they suspect girl died while her mother
over-speeding caused the was critically injured after
accident, adding that the in- a speeding car hit them in
cident was reported on M.B. east Delhi’s Vinod Nagar
Road. on Saturday night. The
accused driver has been
Critically injured CRUSHED: Witnesses said the car was cruising at at least 100 arrested. The toddler suffered GUN CONTROL: The seized pistols at the police headquarters in New Delhi on Sunday.
The deceased has been kmph when the accident happened. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT The mother, 28-year- head injuries. PHOTO: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
identified as Karan Patel, a old Poonam, was going to PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
resident of Nipun Apart- driver lost control and ap- istered at the Saket police a relative’s house with her
ments in Mehrauli. Three
others, who were also in the
car and were injured, have
plied brakes instantly. How-
ever, the car hit the divider,
further going on to ram a
station under Section 304-A
of the IPC for causing death
due to negligence, rash driv-
three children — two sons
and a daughter — when
the accident happened.
mother for a few metres.
The boys managed to get
to safety. The girl and the
Man held with illegal firearms
been identified as Ankit, So- tree that was on the central ing, and other relevant sec- They are residents of east mother were rushed to a PRERNA BAROOAH
hail Alam, and Ravi, all verge near J Block, Saket,” tions. Delhi’s Kalyanpuri. hospital, where the girl
residents of Mehrauli. Ankit said a senior police oicer. succumbed to injuries,” NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police
was critically injured and is CCTV footage Hit from behind the police said. arrested an alleged firearms
undergoing treatment at Delay in getting bodies out The CCTV footage of the The police said the traicker near Akshardham
AIIMS along with the other A PCR call was made and accident is also being accident happened near a Driver arrested Setu on Saturday and seized
two. a team rushed to the spot. scanned to check if any gurdwara on NH-24. The driver was caught 27 weapons from him. The
While Karan succumbed to other vehicle was involved,” “Eyewitnesses told us that after the locals gave him a accused has been identified
Speeding injuries on the spot, the oth- the oicer said. a speeding car hit the chase. “We have as Ram Singh.
According to eyewit- ers sustained serious injur- He added that the body woman and girl from registered a case at the The weapons were manu-
nesses, the vehicle was ies. Since the car was dam- has been sent for a post- behind. The force of Kalyanpuri police station. factured in Madhya Pradesh
cruising at a speed of at least aged badly, all four were mortem examination. collision threw the We are also looking at and were smuggled to
100 km per hour when the extracted from the car only Asked if the driver was toddler away from her CCTV footage to Delhi-NCR for supply to dif-
accident took place. A bid to after about half-an-hour and inebriated, the police said it mother’s arms. She establish the events. The ferent gangs, said the police.
overtake another car is also with help from locals. could not be established till sustained fatal injuries to child’s body has been sent
suspected, the police said. They were all rushed to late on Sunday evening as the head and neck upon for post mortem and the Tip-of GUNRUNNING: Ram Singh (centre) at the police headquarters on
“Eyewitnesses told us that AIIMS, where Karan was the injured were still under landing, while the car matter is being probed,” Deputy Commissioner of Sunday. PHOTO: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
the moment their car tried declared brought dead. treatment. went on to drag the the oicer added. Police (Special Cell)
to overtake another car, the A case has been reg- Pramod Kumar Kushwah accused had come to the city the past, is allegedly a mem-
said they had acted on a tip- to deliver illegal pistols that ber of an inter-State group
of regarding the delivery of were concealed in a bag that supplies pistols to
a consignment of illegal neatly wrapped in poly- criminals based in Delhi,
Children’s spat sparks RML doctor alleges fraud arms near the Akshardham
Setu on NH-24.
thene. This was not the first
time he had come to the
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Eforts are on to find out

communal tension Says online portal did not allow him to book flight tickets using e-wallet
Subsequently, a team was
sent to the location where
the alleged traicker, Ram
Capital for a delivery.

Convicted earlier
more about his associates in
the NCR region and Madhya
Pradesh, the police said.
STAFF REPORTER were injured during the STAFF REPORTER let, the online portal did not my e-wallet,” he told the po- Singh, was spotted with a Ram Singh, who has been (The writer is an intern
stone throwing had to be allow him to book flight lice. When he tried booking bag and apprehended. Ac- convicted in an Arms Act with The Hindu)
NEW DELHI: A Facebook post rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur NEW DELHI: Dr. Rajeev Sood, tickets. tickets on December 23, he cording to Mr. Kushwah, the case in Madhya Pradesh in
and an argument between Hospital for treatment. consultant and head, De- “I booked tickets for my was unable to do so.
children playing gilli danda “The situation was, how- partment of Urology, RML family from New Delhi to “The cost of the tickets
sparked communal tension ever, controlled,” said A.K. Hospital, has registered a Port Blair on December 22, was around Rs.1,11,182, but I
in two separate north-east Singla, Deputy Commis- police complaint against an 2015, using my credit card. wasn’t able to book tickets
Delhi localities – Seelampur sioner of Police (north- online portal over alleged despite the e-wallet show-
and Nand Nagri — in the east). Additional police de- fraud. Mail confirmation ing a balance of Rs.1,18,736,”
past 24 hours. ployment had to be done in On December 23, I got a he said in his complaint.
While the situation re- the area. A case of rioting Ticket booking mail that said my booking An FIR has been reg-
mained calm on Sunday eve- has been registered and the In his complaint, Dr. Sood was unconfirmed since istered in the matter and fur-
ning, there were reports of matter is being probed. said that despite having suf- there was a fare hike and the ther investigation is on, the
crowds resorting to vio- ficient money in his e-wal- money was transferred to police said.
lence in both cases. Objectionable content
In the Nand Nagri case, Earlier on Saturday night
reported around 2 p.m. on
Sunday, the children, who
a boy, whose age has not
been verified yet, allegedly DELHI TODAY
were from two diferent posted objectionable con-
communities, fought among tent about a prominent reli- Talk: Panel Discussion by Delhi Habitat Centre, 7 p.m. of installations and sculptures at Art
Science Forum on “Diversity, Plural- Talk: “Archaeology of Brajbhoomi” Gallery, Annexe Building, India Inter-
themselves. As elders from gious figure of another ism and Development: whither Indian by Dr. Vinay Kumar Gupta. Chair: Prof. national Centre (IIC), 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
both sides got involved, community. democracy?” Speakers: Dr. Ram R.C. Agarwal at Conference Room I, Exhibition: “Delhi Dawns”, solo pho-
things took a communal This sparked a protest as a Ramaswamy, Prof of Physics, JNU; India International Centre 6:30 p.m. tography exhibition by Sara Wadhwa
colour. massive crowd gathered Dr. Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Editor, Music: Hindustani vocal recital by at Delhi ‘o’ Delhi Foyer, India Habitat
EPW; Dr.Nandita Narain, Prof. of Sumitra Guha followed by vocal Centre (IHC), 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
outside Seelampur police Mathematics, St.Stephen’s College; recital by Shamali Mukhopadhyay Exhibition: “Maquette Mania”,
Stone pelting station and demanded that and Mr. Bezwada Wilson, National and Violin recital by Sudip Chatterjee. group show of sculptures at Chawla
Senior oicers said that strict action be taken against Convenor, Safai Karamchari Andolan Accompanists: Pt. Pradip Chatterjee Art Gallery, Square One Mall, Saket, 11
and Magsaysay Awardee at Lecture and Abhijit Aich on Tabla at Amaltas a.m. - 7 p.m
the two groups threw stones the boy. Hall I, India International Centre An- Hall, India Habitat Centre (IHC), 7 Screening: “Koi Sunta Hai: Journeys
at each other, injuring three nexe (IIC), 6 p.m. p.m. with Kumar and Kabir”, Hindi docu-
local residents. A shop in B Mob demands action Paintings: Solo painting show by mentary film screening with English
Block and a car were also Responding to the spon- Talk: 10th Annual IESHR Lecture Dhiren Kumar Saha at Convention subtitles at Gulmohar Hall, India
2016. “From Post-capitalism to Anti- Centre Foyer, India Habitat Centre Habitat Centre (IHC), 7 p.m.
vandalised by the mob, lead- taneous protests, the police capitalism: Karl Marx and the Extra- (IHC), 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. (Mail your listings for this column
ing to heavy police deploy- brought the father and the European World” by Gareth Stedman Exhibition: “iSculpt”, a group show at cityeditordelhi@thehindu.co.in)
ment in the area. brother of the boy to the po- Jones at The Stein Auditorium, India
Soon, more people from lice station. The father
the locality came out in sup- ofered an apology but the
port of the children and the angry crowds would not be
argument soon developed pacified and insisted that
into a violent scule, follow- legal action be taken against
ing which the mob vandal- the boy.
ised a shop in the locality. The police have reg-
They also damaged a car istered a case of hurting reli-
parked nearby and pelted gious sentiments and are in-
stones at each other. vestigating the matter, said
Three local residents who Mr. Singla.

Correction
A report on Rohingya (United Nations Human
refugees titled “No cash, no Rights Council) instead of
job, nowhere to go” that ap- UNHCR (United Nations
peared on Page 4 of the Delhi High Commissioner for
edition on December 11 had Refugees). The error is
inadvertently used UNHRC regretted.

Disclaimer: Readers are requested to verify &

make appropriate enquiries to satisfy
themselves about the veracity of an adver-
tisement before responding to any published in
this newspaper. Kasturi & Sons Limited, the
Publisher & Owner of this newspaper, does not
vouch for the authenticity of any advertisement
or advertiser or for any of the advertiser’s pro-
ducts and/or services. In no event can the
Owner, Publisher, Printer, Editor, Director/s,
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Published by N. Ram at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 and Printed by S. Ramanujam at HT Media Ltd. Plot No. 8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P. 201306, on behalf of KASTURI & SONS LTD., Chennai-600002. Editor: Mukund Padmanabhan (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act).

CM ND-ND
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4|
The Capital, which is not known for its patience, has accepted the disruption to daily life by curtailing expenses and hoping for the situation to improve
Faced with crisis, Delhiites put up a stoic front
SIDHARTHA ROY
JATIN ANAND
NEW DELHI: The disruption that
demonetisation has brought
to the life of the average Del-
hiite doesn’t seem to be
showing any signs of abating
any time soon.
Standing in queues out-
side banks has become a way
of life, curtailing expenses
for want of cash is a virtue,
and lack of hope in Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s
promise of the situation ex-
pected to take a turn for the
better in 50 days is now a
shared vision.
Bleak economic scenario
From small neighbour-
hood shops to retail busi-
nesses at popular markets,
and from housewives to
senior executives, demonet-
isation continues to worry
everyone as the end of what
could be the most taxing fin-
ancial quarter approaches.
In fact, the market fears
that the current bleak
economic scenario will
Delhi seems to have
gone on an austerity
drive, with most
households spending
only on basic
necessities
It’s time to change our mindset, say pensioners
EXPLORING OPTIONS: Considering the cash crunch, Air Marshal
(retd.) Kuldip Rai and his wife Usha have decided to turn to
plastic money and mobile wallets. PHOTO: R.V. MOORTHY
Amid cash shortage, family ‘I believe things will be back to normal by January 15’
manages to pull of a wedding
SHIV SUNNY
NEW DELHI: Twenty-two-
year-old Laxmi had been
planning for her
November 24 wedding
for months. Little did she
know that the last few
days before her marriage
would be spent standing
in queues outside banks
and ATMs.
Laxmi is just thankful
that the wedding wasn’t
called of, though
“demonetisation had
threatened to ruin it all”.
Residents of a slum in
Delhi Cantonment’s Kirbi
Place, Laxmi’s family of
eight runs a tiny dhaba in
the locality. An
extravagant afair would
have been way beyond
their means had it not
been for the heard-earned
savings of her parents
Mangal Singh and Mangli
Devi.
‘Marriage seemed
impossible’
Despite being prepared,
the family was confronted
with a crisis when they
woke up on November 9
to hear about the ban on
Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes.
“Laxmi’s husband’s had
not demanded dowry, but
the marriage seemed
impossible without cash
in hand,” said her father.
But just as despair
began to set in, the
neighbours stepped in.
“They said they would do
everything to make the
marriage happen. At least
half-a-dozen of our
neighbours stood in
queues day-after-day to
withdraw whatever
amount they could,” said
her mother.
The entire family, too,
CM
YK
continue for at least three
more months.
Housewives, meanwhile,
are still struggling to settle
their housemaids’ dues as re-
tailers confront minimal to
zero daily sales in the midst
of the usually hectic mar-
riage season. All this due to
the sudden lack of liquidity
that took everyone by sur-
prise on November 8.
Businesses hit
Orders placed at whole-
sale retail chains are either
being cancelled by custom-
ers who are unable to pay or
by business owners for
whom procuring raw
material, labour and other
logistics have become a ma-
jor challenge.
Jewellers, meanwhile,
continue to down shutters at
major markets due to appre-
hensions of being harassed
by tax authorities.
As a city, Delhi is known to
show-of its wealth. But now,
with not much cash in hand,
the city seems to have gone
on an austerity drive.
Most middle-class house-
holds are only spending on
basic necessities such as
vegetables, milk and grocer-
ies. Shopping and eating out
has taken a hit, despite more
people turning to plastic
money and many others dis-
covering e-wallets.
Vacations and expendit-
IN DEBT: Despite savings, Mangal Singh and Mangli Devi,
who run a dhaba in Kirbi Place, had to take a loan for their
daughter’s wedding on November 24. PHOTO: SHIV SUNNY
stood in queues from
morning to evening.
Laxmi herself waited in a
queue till a day before she
got married. “The rest of
my family waited outside
banks even on the
morning of my wedding. I
was excused that day,”
she recounted.
Uphill task
But, this was not
enough. Her family still
had to borrow a large sum
of money at an interest
rate of two per cent per
month. For a family that
barely earns Rs.500 per
day, repaying the loan
will be an uphill task,
especially with the eatery
doing less than usual
business.
Though relieved, the
family is upset with how
things turned out. They
had expected a breather
when the government
announced that a family
organising a wedding
could withdraw as much
as Rs.2.5 lakh. Though her
family visited many banks
ure on luxury items, howev-
er, are out of question for
most. For the lower middle
class, however, the going has
been tough.
Making ends meet
The poor and the home-
less, most of whom are out of
the ambit of banking and
plastic money, are struggling
to make ends meet. Accord-
ing to the Delhi govern-
ment’s estimate, nearly 40
per cent of the city’s labour
force has left the Capital
after finding no work for
days.
For many of the working
class, living in the city
without work means eking
out money for rent and food.
For them, returning to their
villages, which they had left
in hope for a better life in the
metropolis, seems to be a
better option.
For a city that is not usu-
ally known for its patience,
Delhiites have shown a lot of
stoicism in dealing with the
cash crunch. Most residents
have stood in queues outside
banks and ATMs for hours to
withdraw their own hard-
earned money.
For now, the focus is on the
last 20-odd days of the 50
days of pain people were told
about. This, despite the un-
likely scenario that life will
return to normal as the New
Year approaches.
DAMINI NATH
NOIDA: Despite the inconveni-
ence caused, the ongoing
cash crunch has given 80-
year-old Air Marshal (retd.)
Kuldip Rai and his wife Usha
a reason to rethink how they
spend their money.
Before demonetisation
came into efect, the Noida-
based couple would use
“rarely” use cards, except if
the amount involved was
large, said Ms. Rai. But, faced
with a shortage of cash, they
have decided to use plastic
money to pay for “medium”
purchases and more.
Initial hiccups
The couple, who live
alone, said Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's decision to
withdraw Rs.500 and
Rs.1,000 notes would cause
The biggest challenge
is buying milk, eggs,
vegetables, where
with the invitation card,
Laxmi said, they were
unable to withdraw the
money.
Letting go of dreams
Further, the cash
crunch meant Laxmi had
to let go of many of her
dreams. The family had to
do away with the wedding
hall, the band, and the
reception. She barely
received any shagun and
the couple’s plan of
visiting a nearby tourist
destination was put on
hold.
Dealing with loss
in business
With online payment
options such as Paytm
and Freecharge not
finding their way into the
slum yet, the family is
struggling to come to
terms with the loss in
business.
“Many of my customers
are eating one less meal a
day. So, I will not
complain,” said her
father.
CASH CRUNCH
BRAVING THE STORM: Standing in queues outside banks and ATMs has become a way of life for the average Delhiite. FILE PHOTO
problems in the short-term,
but would prove to be re-
warding for honest taxpay-
ers. Though they faced some
trouble in withdrawing
money initially, the Rais are
now making do with less
cash.
‘A bold step’
“It is a bold step. People
who pay taxes honestly
should not feel small in front
of those with black money,”
said Air Marshal Rai.
Ms. Rai added that there
was a need to change
mindsets.
“I also need to change…
Initially, when demonetisa-
tion was announced, it was
overwhelming. But, I man-
aged to get some cash being a
senior citizen,” said Ms. Rai.
Air Marshal Rai added that
people who have access to
SIDHARTHA ROY
NEW DELHI: Nine-year-old
Tushar Sinha gingerly pulls
out notes from his favourite
piggy bank, now held to-
gether by two rubber bands,
after it was smashed over a
month ago.
The day was November 8,
when Tushar’s father Ranjit,
a senior executive with a pri-
vate firm, had just learnt
about the government’s de-
monetisation move on tele-
vision.
Mr. Sinha’s first reaction
was to take stock of all the
cash available at home.
“I counted all the notes I
had in my wallet and my
wife’s purse, apart from
money tucked away in the
house. Then I checked my
son’s piggy bank, where he
keeps the money gifted to
him. But I had to break it
open as I was unable to un-
lock it,” said Mr. Sinha.
Since then, the Sinhas,
residents of Shalimar
Garden in Ghaziabad, have
been struggling to save cash
In exam season, students juggle bank queues, books
SHIVANI SINGH
NEW DELHI: “It was 2.20 p.m.
and my panic knew no
bounds. I had an exam in 10
minutes and there I was,
standing in a queue outside
the college ATM kiosk,” said
Sakshi Srivastav, a first-year
student at Indraprastha Col-
lege for Women, Delhi
University.
Staring at a crisis
Sakshi was among the
many people trying to find a
solution to the cash crunch
that stared everyone in the
face after Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s demonet-
isation announcement on
November 8.
That day, had it not been
for a man who helped her,
Sakshi would probably have
plastic money and online
payment methods must
change their attitudes.
Going the digital way
“Our local milk and vege-
table shops have started ac-
cepting digital payment. We
have to be willing to try it,”
he said, adding that they
would be trying mobile wal-
lets soon.
The Rais said they mostly
needed cash to pay salaries
of their domestic help,
gardener and others working
for them. The amount comes
to around Rs.15,000, which
the Rais managed to get from
their banks.
“We managed to withdraw
enough to take care of their
needs, but I would like to en-
courage those with bank ac-
counts to accept cheque pay-
ments,” he said.
SMALL TREASURES: According to the Sinha family, cashless
transactions will usher in transparency to the economy.
PHOTO R. V. MOORTHY
every day.
Going digital
“Earlier, I would use cards
only at petrol pumps and
while shopping for expens-
ive items. Now, I use plastic
money as much as possible. I
have also downloaded a few
e-wallet applications on my
phone,” he added.
Mr. Sinha also shared how
Outstation students
in the Capital are
having a tough time
exchanging old notes
and withdrawing cash
missed her exam.
She recalled that she had
two Rs.500 notes and one
Rs.1,000 note, which she has
been unable to use since
November 9.
‘No entry with old notes’
“I tried to exchange the old
notes at many banks. At the
ICICI Bank in Kamla Nagar,
the security guard refused
entry to people who came
with old notes. Back at my
hometown, it is com-
paratively easier to get the
old notes changed. I will
‘Apprehension is evident on all faces’
JATIN ANAND
NEW DELHI: It was past four p.m.
— just a few hours before he
shut shop – when Sanjay
Bhargava, a cloth retailer at
Chandni Chowk, made his
first sale for the day.
The customer handed him
a debit card, which Mr. Bhar-
gava returned after a swift
swipe on his POS machine,
barely managing a smile with
a polite “thank you”.
“Business is dull. This is not
how this market is during
peak marriage season,” said
Mr. Bhargava, as a couple
slowed down outside his
showroom, glanced inside
with hesitation and ultimately
walked on.
Orders being slashed
“The apprehension on the
average shopper’s face is vis-
ible. People don’t have access
luck favoured him when he
went to a bank to withdraw
cash. “I got money after
standing in a queue for only
an hour-and-a-half. I have
been lucky, if you ask me,” he
said.
His wife Parveen, a home-
maker, said the biggest chal-
lenge is to buy goods such as
milk, vegetables or eggs,
where plastic money can’t
TOUGH CALL: Demonetisation has led students to cut down on
daily expenses and increase reliance on online transactions.
PHOTO: SHIVANI SINGH
head there once my exams
are over,” said Sakshi.
Although her parents
THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016
Sanjay Bhargava, a retailer at
Chandni Chowk, said he
doesn’t expect the situation
to improve anytime soon.
PHOTO: SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY
to suicient cash. How can
they spend if they don’t have
money?” he said.
While retailers like him are
getting used to minimal sales,
those involved in other trades
across Chandni Chowk are
plastic money is
not accepted
be used.
“Our milkman, however,
agreed to take a month’s pay-
ment in advance by cheque,”
she said.
More relief came when
their neighbourhood grocer
started accepting payments
through digital wallets.
“We were also concerned
about how to pay my father-
in-law’s medical bills.
Thankfully, the doctor and
the chemist accepted card
payments,” Ms. Sinha added.
The cash crunch has also
forced the family to pri-
oritise expenses.
As a result, eating out and
going on a vacation are a
strict no-no. Recently, the
Sinhas gave a newly-married
couple a cheque instead of
cash.
Surprisingly, Tushar,
transferred extra money to
her account, Sakshi was un-
able to withdraw any cash for
NOIDA/DELHI
slashing large chunks from or-
ders due to their customers’
inability to pay.
“This is the time when the
market is chock-a-block with
customers bargaining and
making the most of the fort-
night between now and Janu-
ary, which is when the mar-
riage season resumes. But
lack of smaller denomina-
tions, especially the Rs.500
notes, has thrown a spanner in
commercial activity,” said Mr.
Bhargava, who is also the gen-
eral-secretary of the Chandni
Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal.
“Orders are being cancelled
or reduced. Recently, a cus-
tomer asked a prominent con-
fectioner to drop 200 of the
300 boxes of sweets he had
asked for. The lack of cash has
afected everyone,” he said,
adding that he didn’t expect
the situation to change in the
next three months.
doesn’t rue the fact that his
piggy bank was opened. He’s
only unhappy that he has
had no new toys for the last
one month.
‘No new toys’
“I have been asking my
father for the latest ‘Trans-
former’, but he says I will
have to wait,” said the Class
V student.
“I didn’t feel bad about my
piggy bank being broken. I
understand that my parents
needed the cash,” he added
with an air of nonchalance.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sinha said
cashless transactions will
usher in transparency into
the economy.
“Despite the hardships, I
support the move as it will
tackle fake notes and black
money, besides widening
the tax net. We face prob-
lems even while cleaning
our house and here, the gov-
ernment is trying to clean up
the country,” said Mr. Sinha,
adding that, “I believe that
by January 15, things will be
back to normal.”
about three weeks. “Of the
four ATMs nearby, only one
has been functioning. I had
to stand in a line for nearly
three hours to withdraw
Rs.2,000. Though I didn’t
want to compromise on my
studies, the situation made
me act otherwise,” she said.
Waiting it out
The demonetisation, in
fact, led Sakshi to cut down
on daily expenses like
transportation.
Until the situation settles
down students like Sakshi,
who live away from home,
are juggling between POS
and Paytm transactions. “It
will take a while to gauge the
outcome. Only time will
tell,” said Sakshi.
(The writer is an intern
with The Hindu)
ND-ND
 CITY/STATE |5
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

BIG STEP
Swaraj India to In full flight

Youth to build awareness hold rally on

black money
STAFF REPORTER

on cashless transactions
100 candidates to train people in Delhi-NCR for a month; to be paid honorarium
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Soon, youngsters
will be seen explaining cash-
less transactions over sev-
eral platforms to residents
of Delhi-NCR.
On Sunday, the Nehru
Yuva Kendra Sangathan
(NYKS), which comes un-
der the Union Ministry of
Youth Afairs and Sports,
held an event at the Major
Dhyan Chand National Sta-
dium here to shortlist all
those interested in the exer-
cise.
A team, constituted by the
NYKS, conducted tests and
interviews of nearly 600
candidates. Of these, 100
will be selected and paid an
honorarium of Rs.10,000.
Spreading awareness
Union Minister of State
for Youth Afairs and Sports
Vijay Goel, who was present
on the occasion, said the
candidates would have to
train at least 100 people on
cashless transactions every
day for a month, and their
progress would be tracked
by seniors.
Mr. Goel also hailed the
recent demonetisation
MOTIVATION: Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel addressing youngsters on digital banking at the
Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday. PHOTO : R. V. MOORTHY
move taken by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi as
a pivotal one to remove
black money.
“I salute this revo-
lutionary step taken by Mr.
Modi. He has utmost faith in
the youth of the country,
who, he believes, will
contribute immensely to-
wards promoting a digital
economy. It’s our job to co-
operate with him in taking
the nation to towering
heights,” said Mr. Goel.
“I agree that people are fa-
cing problems due to de-
monetisation. However, one
must see the long-run bene-
fits of this initiative,” Mr.
Goel added.
Low honorarium
Questions were asked by
some participants if the
honorarium — which will
fetch them as low as Rs.4 per
person trained and that too
when they will have to
spend their own mobile data
— was too low. To this, Mr.
Goel said they would do so
“for the country”.
This somewhat deterred
many including Deepak Ku-
mar, a civil defence vol-
unteer who earns Rs.487 per
day by working as guard in
DTC buses, who was look-
ing at the opportunity as an
alternative earning avenue.
Some other candidates,
such as Devesh, praised the
Ministry for initiating the
programme.
NEW DELHI: Swaraj India, led by
former Aam Aadmi Party
founders Yogendra Yadav
and Prashant Bhushan, will
hold a ‘Halla Bol’ rally on
black money at Jantar
Mantar on December 18, the
party announced on Sunday.
Mr. Bhushan is scheduled
to lead the rally which, the
party said in a statement,
sought answers to questions
regarding the efect that de-
monetisation was supposed
to have on black money.
“Will demonetisation in-
deed afect black money? Is
the government’s resolve to
take steps on black money
strong enough? Could this
demonetisation narrative be
a red herring for diverting
our attention from the bigger
questions pertaining black
money?” the statement said.
Black money, the party
said, was the talking point in
the country today, with the
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi-led government at the
Centre claiming to have con-
ducted the biggest attack on
it, but the truth “remains be-
yond these pretensions”.
‘Fight against black money’ PICTURE PERFECT: Painted storks fly past the Capital’s Old Fort, located next to the
According to the party, the National Zoological Park. The Delhi zoo has remained closed since October 19, after
people of the country need to many birds died of avian flu. PHOTO: V.V. KRISHNAN
embark on “a truthful fight
against black money and cor-
ruption, not a fixed match
between the government
and the Opposition.” CORRIDORS OF POWER

DMRC revenue will be afected if

Najeeb Jung of putting it hide their appreciation.
CM raps Health on the receiving end of a ■■■
“criminal conspiracy”, as
Minister over part of which the
Wait and watch

fares are not revised: Mangu Singh

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Metro’s
finances will be hit if its
fares, last increased in 2009,
are not revised, DMRC chief
Mangu Singh has said.
Pitching for an early im-
plementation of the fare-fix-
ation committee’s recom-
mendations, Mr. Singh said:
“Finances are being man-
aged for now. However, they
will be afected in future if
fares are not increased.”
Proposal
The committee, in its final
report submitted in Septem-
ber, had proposed an in-
crease of up to 66 per cent in
ticket prices.
Mr. Singh further said that
managing a system as large
and complex as the Delhi
Metro would not be feasible
in the long run if fares were
not revised periodically.
“Increases in fare prices is
important in the light of
AIIMS gets 53
applications for
Director’s post
BINDU SHAJAN PERAPPADAN
NEW DELHI: Fifty-three emin-
ent doctors have applied for
the post of the All India In-
stitute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS) Director so far,
with the current head, M.C.
Misra, slated to retire on
January 30.
“We have received 53 ap-
plications, 35 of which are
from candidates outside
AIIMS. Members of the
search-cum-selection com-
mittee will meet on Decem-
ber 12 to shortlist a few
names, which will then be
sent to the Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet,
headed by the Prime
Minister, for final approval,”
a source said.
Selection criteria
The upper age limit for the
post has been fixed at 62
years. Other requirements
include teaching and re-
search experience of
minimum 10 years, extensive
practical and administrative
experience in the fields of
medical relief, medical re-
search, medical education or
public health organisation,
and adequate experience of
running a scientific educa-
tional institution as its head
or head of a department.
According to oicials, the
candidates whose names are
doing the rounds include
King George’s Medical Uni-
versity Vice-Chancellor
Ravi Kant; JIPMER Director
Subhash Chandra Parija; and
Rasik Vajpayee, the nephew
of former Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
CM
YK
SUSTAINABILITY: The DMRC chief said running a system as
complex as the Delhi Metro would not be feasible in the long
run if fares were not revised periodically. FILE PHOTO
rising input costs,” he said.
Asked if a tough stand was
required on his part to nego-
Clarify stand on ‘illegal’ distilleries: NGT to Centre
BINDU SHAJAN PERAPPADAN
NEW DELHI: The National
Green Tribunal (NGT) has
directed the Centre to clarify
its stand on distilleries and
sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh
that manufacture, store and
transport ethanol without
the requisite permission.
The order came during the
hearing of a contempt plea
filed by non-government or-
ganisation SAFE alleging
that the authorities were al-
Greater Noida: properties along
Metro links to become dearer
PURUSHARTH ARADHAK
GREATER NOIDA: Properties
located along the two
Metro routes in the city
are set to become dearer.
The Greater Noida
Authority has started
levying two per cent
additional charge on
property transfer if a flat,
shop or plot is located
along the routes.
Deepak Agarwal, the
Chief Executive Oicer of
the Greater Noida
Authority, told The Hindu
that the cost would be
increased on fresh
allotments.
Cost higher for
new allotments
“We will levy 10 per cent
additional charge on new
allotments made on either
of the routes,” Mr.
Agarwal said.
The proposal to hike fee
tiate the politics over raising
ticket prices, the DMRC
chief said the process was al-
lowing these units to operate
without licences and in con-
travention of the Manufac-
ture, Storage and Import of
Hazardous Chemical Rules,
1989, putting lives at risk.
‘No licences’
Referring to an aidavit of
the Uttar Pradesh govern-
ment, the NGO had conten-
ded that only two of the 35
distilleries in the State had
requisite licences, while the
others were manufacturing
COST ESCALATES: The Greater Noida Authority has started
levying 2 per cent additional charge on property transfer if
a flat or plot is located along the two Metro routes. FILE PHOTO
was made at the
authority’s board meeting
held on October 21. It was
then sent to the State
government for final
approval.
One of the Metro routes
connects Greater Noida’s
Delta with Noida Sector 71.
Of the 30-km stretch,
around 8 km falls in
Greater Noida.
ready on and the Metro’s
suggestions had also been
factored into.
“There is no need for any
hard talk. The process is on.
The recommendations of
the fare revision committee
need to be implemented. We
hope that happens,” he said.
Pocket pinch
The panel has rec-
ommended that the lowest
fare be increased to Rs.10
from Rs.8, and the maximum
fare to Rs.50 from Rs.30.
The Delhi government
had recently approved a five-
year extension to Mr. Singh,
who had taken over as the
DMRC Managing Director
in 2012.
The decision, however,
will be put before the Urban
Development Ministry, as
the latter and the Delhi gov-
ernment have a 50-50 part-
nership in the DMRC. —PTI
ethanol illegally.
On May 9, the Tribunal
had directed that no manu-
facturer will produce abso-
lute alcohol without seeking
permission from the
Ministry of Commerce,
Chief Controller Explosives
and other authorities.
“The industries also ma-
nipulate the figures of their
production, storage and sale,
causing huge loss to the State
exchequer,” the NGO had
said.
Work on this link is 60
per cent complete and it
will be thrown open to the
public by December 2017.
The other route that has
been proposed will
connect Greater Noida’s
Knowledge Park-V with
Noida Sector 71. Around 10
km of the 15-km stretch
falls in Greater Noida.
“There are areas like
ventilator ‘shortage’
NEW DELHI: Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday
pulled up Health Minister
Satyendar Jain over reports
of shortage of ventilators at
Delhi government-run
hospitals.
A peeved Mr. Kejriwal re-
acted on Twitter after media
reports claimed that Ambu
bags (manual hand-held
devices which support
breathing) were being used
to resuscitate patients due to
an “acute shortage” of ventil-
ators at hospitals.
“Satinder, this is unaccept-
able [sic],” Mr. Kejriwal
tweeted.
The Federation of Resi-
dent Doctors’ Association
(FORDA) claimed that they
had raised the issue of short-
age of critical care facilities,
including ventilators, several
times with the Delhi govern-
ment but nothing was done.
—PTI
A Bench headed by NGT
Chairperson Justice
Swatanter Kumar then
ordered the ministries of En-
vironment and Petroleum,
Petroleum and Explosives
Safety Organisation (PESO)
and Central Pollution Con-
trol Board (CPCB) to apprise
it of what action it was
mulling to take against the
industries.
The matter has now been
listed for hearing on Decem-
ber 13.
Alpha-I, Alpha- II,
Knowledge Park-II and
Delta along the 30-km link.
By charging additional fee
along this route, we expect
to earn around Rs.300
crore. In Greater Noida
(west), where we will have
10 km of the link, we hope
to earn around Rs.1,000
crore,” said Arvind
Mohan, General Manager
(Group Housing), Greater
Noida Authority.
Revenues hit
Oicials said
demonetisation had hit
property purchase in the
city, thereby slowing
down revenue collection
for the authority.
“We hope that the
exercise will help us in
meeting the costs of the
Metro projects,” added
Mr. Agarwal.
(The writer is a
freelance journalist)
Another face-off
The alleged non-
availability of oicial
conveyance triggered yet
another political
confrontation between the
Delhi government and the
Lieutenant-Governor’s
oice on Sunday.
“There is a death in LNH
due to negligence. I
requested Sec health to
reach Hospital with me.
He refused to come saying
unavailability of car [sic]”,
complained Health
Minister Satyendar Jain on
Twitter, adding “Shameful.
LG has appointed the most
incompetent, useless n
insensitive IAS oicer as
health secy [sic]”.
Mr. Jain’s ire was directed
at an AGMUT cadre
oicer who holds charge of
both the Health and
Environment Departments
and has invited criticism
from the government on
previous occasions as well.
Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal backed his
Cabinet colleague’s
criticism on social media
saying, “Ask him why can’t
he call a taxi? Or an auto?”
The Delhi government
had, in the midst of a
vector-borne outbreak in
the Capital, accused L-G
Municipal polls: BJP to meet locals today
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) will hold
dialogues with various sec-
tions of society in a bid to
further its prospects in the
upcoming municipal
bureaucrat in question was
“deliberately sent” on a
12-day leave “by the L-G”
despite Deputy Chief
Minister Manish Sisodia’s
request to the contrary.
■■■
Welcome change
Generally in the habit of
sending press releases
filled with jargon and
hurriedly written
sequence of events of any
crime, the Delhi Police, for
a change, sounded
sensitive while sending a
press note in connection
with the murders of two
women in south Delhi.
The release carried
phrases which showed the
humane side of the police.
Simple words like “sense
of relief” on gathering vital
clues, for example, made
the diference.
The police also did not
reveal the names of two
persons who purportedly
helped them identify the
victims. This was in sharp
contrast to occasions
when the police revealed
the identities of the people
they were not supposed to.
The police also walked the
extra mile to explain the
role of each of the accused.
If a woman suspect was
described as a “silent
orchestrator”, the note
described her role in
detail.
Unsurprisingly then, the
change in the language of
the press release
immediately caught the
notice of some journalists,
who made no attempts to
elections.
Meeting in Najafgarh
On Monday, Delhi BJP
president Manoj Tiwari will
hold a dehat samvaad or vil-
lage dialogue in Najafgarh
with locals.
Housing schemes of the
Delhi Development
Authority (DDA) are a
much sought-after afair
for not only those who
dream of a house of their
own in the Capital, but
also for those trying to
invest in a flat only to sell
it at a premium later.
After 2014, the DDA was
ready with a housing
scheme this year, even
though the lion’s share of
the flats on ofer are those
rejected by the successful
applicants of the 2014
housing scheme.
The plans, however, went
kaput with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s
demonetisation
announcement on
November 8.
One of the crucial
stakeholders in the
process — banks — are
tied up with dealing with
customers and disbursing
cash.
Banks have been roped in
so that the applicants of
the scheme can not only
submit their documents
there but also avail
themselves of finance for
paying the registration
amount.
However, with banks likely
to be preoccupied with the
efects of demonetisation,
they have reportedly let
the DDA know about their
inability to be a part of the
housing scheme just as yet.
The DDA now has no
option but to wait.
(Contributed by Jatin
Anand, Shiv Sunny and
Sidhartha Roy)
“Issues like use of mobile
app banking, farmer com-
pensation, land pooling, in-
creased power tarif, and
benefits of Central govern-
ment schemes are likely to be
discussed at the meeting,”
said a party member.
ND-ND
6|
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

EDUCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL

EDUCATIONAL

PUBLIC NOTICES

SITUATIONS
VACANT
GENERAL

TENDERS

CM ND-ND
YK
 NORTHERN REGION |7
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

Cancel illegal salt pans Hardik meets Bainsla, to lend Elderly Delhi couple die in accident
CHANDIGARH: An elderly “Both the husband, aged
support to Gujjar reservation couple, hailing from a village
near Narela in Delhi, died
around 65 and his wife, who
was nearly 60 years of age,

in Sambhar Lake: NGT

Rajasthan govt directed not to make any more allotments
JAIPUR: The central zonal
bench of the National Green
Tribunal (NGT) has directed
the Rajasthan government to
cancel allotments of salt pans
in the Sambhar Salt Lake that
fall within the wetland and
run contrary to the mandate
of Wetland Rules, 2010.
A bench headed by Justice
Dalip Singh and expert
Satyawan Singh Garbyal dir-
ected the State wetland au-
thority to review the allot-
ments made so far after the
submissions of the Vinod Ka-
poor and the National Envi-
ronmental Engineering Re-
search Institute (NEERI)
Committee reports and
asked it to submit the
compliance report within six
months.
Petitioner Ajay Dubey had
alleged that in and around the
Sambhar Lake, commercial
and other activities det-
rimental to the eco-system of
the wetland were being car-
ried out contrary to the pro-
visions of the Wetland (Con-
servation and Management)
Rules framed under the Envi-
ronment Protection Acts of
1986 and 2010.
The bench, in a recent or-
der, also directed the State
government not to make any
further allotments or permit
new salt pans within the wet-
land areas or in the ‘no con-
struction zone’ identified for
the said purpose in ac-
cordance with the Wetland
Rules, 2010.
The bench, referring to the
reports on the matter, direc-
ted the authority to examine
the sensitive issue in light of
observations and recom-
mendations made by the two
expert committees in the
year 2010.
The bench gave six
months’ time to implement
the recommendations which
should not be later than the
2017 monsoon.
In 2013, a PIL was filed by
Naresh Kadyan in the Su-
preme Court accusing salt
manufacturers of digging un-
authorised borewells around
the lake and exploiting the
groundwater.
However, the court had
dismissed the PIL in August
this year directing the pet-
itioner to approach the NGT.
The illegal business of
brine extraction in the
Sambhar Lake was first high-
lighted in the Vinod Kapoor
fact-finding report in 2010.
The report had mentioned
that 15-20 borewells were op-
erating in every bigha of land
during that period and over
exploitation of water re-
sources had lowered the
groundwater level by almost
60 metres in the area.
While Sambhar Salts Ltd
(SSL), a government venture,
which has over 90 square
miles at Sambhar and Nawa,
produces two lakh tonnes of
salt per annum, private com-
panies together make around
20 lakh tonnes a year. PTI
JAIPUR: Days after the Ra-
jasthan High Court struck
down Special Backward
Classes quota to Gujjars
and five other com-
munities, Patidar leader
Hardik Patel met Gujjar
leader Kirori Singh Bainsla
at Hindaun on Sunday and
vowed to lend his support
to the community in its
fight over the issue.
“Patel met Bainsla and
vowed to support the
community,” Akhil
Bhartiya Gurjar Aarakshan
Sangharsh Samiti’s legal
advisor Shailendra Singh
said.
Mr. Bainsla and top lead-
ers of the Samiti will be
here for the next couple of
days to know the Rajasthan
government’s stand over
the issue of five per cent
Bathinda gets air connectivity
BATHINDA: Bathinda town in
south-west Punjab on
Sunday became the latest
place in the country to get
air connectivity with a new
flight connecting it with
New Delhi being started.
reservation to Gujjars and
other communities under
the Special Backward
Classes (SBC).
The court had on Friday
held that the special res-
ervation beyond the per-
missible limit of 50 per
cent cannot be made and
the report of the OBC
Commission of the State
was calculated one to fa-
vour these communities
while the court on Decem-
ber 22, 2012 had asked for
review of the entire res-
ervation granted and not
only a quantifiable report.
“We have already given
ultimatum to the state gov-
ernment to resolve the
matter,” Mr. Singh said.
Sporadic protests
Following the setback in
the high court, sporadic
protests have been repor-
ted in state capital and its
neighbouring district
when the motorcycle they
were riding was hit by a truck
on Delhi-Ambala national
highway near Ganaur in
Haryana’s Sonipat district on
were hit by the truck from
behind on the Ganaur fly-
over. The two died at the ac-
cident spot,” Sub-Inspector
S. Sethi of the Ganaur Chowk
Tonk. Sunday, the police said. police post said. - PTI
On November 28, 2012,
the Rajasthan Cabinet had
decided to provide a separ-
ate five per cent quota to
the SBCs without touching
the 21 per cent reservation
available to Other Back-
ward Classes and taking
the overall reservation in
jobs and education to 54
per cent.
This had left Gujjars dis-
satisfied as it was suscept-
ible to judicial rejection
since its inception.
The community pres-
ently enjoys OBC status
and had initially deman-
ded its inclusion in the
Scheduled Tribes. PTI

Rajasthan tackles dropouts Union Civil Aviation

Minister Ashok Gajapathi
Raju inaugurated the

in vaccination programmes newly built civil air ter-

MOHAMMED IQBAL
JAIPUR: Missing cases of vac-
cination were revealed in a
series of onsite dem-
onstrations on routine im-
munisation organised in dif-
ferent small towns of
Rajasthan, which concluded
in Dausa district over the
weekend. Experts have
called for complete coverage
of children under immunisa-
tion programme in the state.
Though the present cov-
erage of immunisation in the
desert state was 77.6 percent,
there was an inequitable dis-
tribution among diferent
diferent locations and
groups, said participants in
the workshops, which were
accompanied by street plays
conducted by artistes from
Jan Kala Sahitya Manch.
At the event organised at
Dabar Kalan village in Dausa
district, Reproductive and
Child Health Oicer
Ramphool Meena pointed
out that the villagers were
generally abstaining from
getting their children vac-
cinated against measles.
“This leads to serious
health-related complica-
tions later in their lives,” he
said. The series of pro-
grammes was organised
jointly by the United Na-
A street play depicting the significance of vaccination at a
programme at Dabar Kalan village in Dausa district. THE HINDU
tions Children's Fund
(UNICEF) and Jaipur-based
Lok Samvad Sansthan. They
were held in Jaipur, Udaipur,
Alwar, Karauli and Dausa
districts.
S.K. Garg, Project Dir-
ector, State Immunisation
Programme, said the Med-
ical and Health Department
was grappling with the chal-
lenge posed by the drop-out
rate of 19 percent. Drop-outs
in immunisation pro-
gramme are children who
receive one or two vaccines,
but do not complete the
course of full vaccination.
Lok Samvad Sansthan
secretary Kalyan Singh
Kothari said serious eforts
were required to achieve the
goals of disease elimination,
smooth introduction of new
vaccines across an expanded
life cycle, increased immun-
isation coverage and re-
duced mortality in the State.
The street plays gave the
message for getting all the
seven essential vaccines for
children during their first
five years. Artistes laid em-
pahsis on recognition of
routine immunisation as a
“fundamental platform”,
which must be directly sup-
ported and reinforced.
minal at the Bathinda air-
port and the flight for
Delhi-Bathinda-Delhi
sector.
First flight
The first flight, operated Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju in the
by Air India Regional, presence of Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha,
landed at the airport on Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Union
Sunday. The flight was Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal
welcomed with fire en- lights a lamp to inaugurate the Bathinda domestic airport on
gines spraying water on it. Sunday.PHOTO: PTI
Punjab Deputy Chief
Minister Sukhbir Singh gantic boost with the com- and Pathankot also.
Badal and Union Food mencement of flights from
Processing Industries the airport,” Mr. Badal said Birmingham flight
Minister Harsimrat Kaur on the occasion. He said that the Delhi-
Badal, who is the MP from Amritsar-Birmingham
Bathinda, were also Other airports flight has also been accor-
present. Mr.Badal said that the ded sanction by the Union
“The inauguration of Adampur airport had also government which would
this airport has brought been approved by the provide a direct link from
Bathinda on the world map Union government and ef- Amritsar to Britain.
with fanfare. Industry in forts were on to get the Bathinda is about 230 km
the area would get a gi- clearance for Ludhiana from Chandigarh.-IANS
Five killed, 12 injured in EDUCATIONAL
road accident
JAIPUR: Five members of a family were
killed and 12 injured on Sunday when the
jeep they were travelling in rammed a
truck from behind in Rajasthan’s Sirohi
district. Dayaram Jogi (45) and his family
were returning to Pali from Sirohi after EDUCATIONAL
solemnising the marriage of his son
Dinesh when the jeep he was driving
rammed a truck on the Beawar-Pindwara
Highway, police said. - PTI

J&K forms panel to look

into GST-related issues
SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir govern-
ment has formed a high-level committee to
look into issues, including the drafting of
legislation, pertaining to joining the
Centre’s proposed Goods and Services Tax
(GST) and asked the panel to submit its re-
port within three months.
“In supercession of all previous orders
on the subject, sanction is hereby accorded
to the constitution of a high-power com-
mittee... for drafting the legislation with re-
gard to joining the proposed Goods and
Services Tax in India and its extension to
Jammu and Kashmir state (proposed Con-
stitutional Amendment Bill),” an order, is-
sued by the government earlier this week,
reads.
The committee, which shall be serviced
by the Finance Department, has been
asked to submit its report with a period of
three months.
The committee was formed on Decem-
ber 7, 2016, and has up to March 6, 2017, to
submit its report.
“The committee shall draft the leg-
islation with regard to proposed GST in
the State while paramounting the mea-
sures which can protect the special Con-
sitution(al) position and taxation powers
of the state being enjoyed by it,” the order
said.
The State Legislature is likely to meet in
first week of January next year for annual
budget session.
As the session is expected to be one-
month long, the government will either
have to take the ordinance route or call a
special session of the legislature for
passing the GST Bill if the committee sub-
mits report within the stipulated time.
It will be a diicult situation for the PDP-
BJP coalition government to join, or avoid,
the GST regime.
Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu, who is
from the PDP, has in the past said the State
of Jammu and Kashmir should retain the
autonomy in taxation as is being enjoyed
by the State at present.
On the other hand, the BJP would like
the Constitutional Amendment pushed
through as early as possible. PTI
CM ND-ND
YK
8|
Two top Maoists
surrender in
Telangana
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
BHUPALPALLI DIST (TELANGANA):
Two top Maoists
surrendered before the po-
lice in the presence of Super-
intendent of Police Bhas-
karan here on Sunday.
The SP said K. Ganapati,
alias Raju, working as divi-
sional committee member of
Cherla–Venkatapur area
committee and Chennuri
Sarvakka alias Swaroopa
working as area committee
member surrendered on
Sunday.
Ganapati, a native of
Shapelli village in Eturun-
agaram mandal, went under-
ground in 1999. He worked in
Maddedu area of Chhattis-
garh and shifted back to Etur-
unagaram. In 2005, he was
promoted as ‘divisional com-
mittee member’ of Venkata-
pur area.
He was involved in an ex-
change of fire with police in
2002 at Muknoor village in
Mahadevpur area where 11
naxals and one policeman
died.
Bus blast
He was also involved in
Chintagudem bus blast in
Eturunagaram mandal. He
was part of a team that at-
tacked Mahadevpur police
station in 2003 and was in-
volved in an exchange of fire
with police at Rampur vil-
lage in Mahamuttaram
mandal.
Sarvvakka alias Swaroopa
belongs to Kankanoor vil-
lage in Mahadevpur mandal.
She went underground in
2004 motivated by
Nidikonda Prameela alias
Jilani Begum.
She was involved in an ex-
change of fire with police at
Kanchala forest area at Bot-
tem Thogu and Maraigudem
of Chhattisgarh.
The SP said many under-
ground cadre were showing
interest in leaving the path of
extremism following the ef-
forts made by the Police De-
partment in pursuing the un-
derground cadre to join the
mainstream.
CM
YK
Karnataka oicer ‘linked’
to mining baron arrested
Bhima Nayak is accused of converting black money amounting to crores of rupees
STAFF REPORTER
MANDYA/KALABURAGI: Special
Land Acquisition Oicer L.
Bhima Nayak, who was al-
legedly linked to mining
baron and former Karnataka
Minister G. Janardhan
Reddy and was accused of
converting crores of rupees
in black money into white,
was arrested by the Maddur
police in Kalaburagi on
Sunday.
Mr. Nayak and his driver,
Mohammed, went abscond-
ing after another driver, K.C.
Ramesh, committed suicide
on December 6.
Driver’s allegation
Ramesh alleged in his
suicide note that he was har-
assed by Mr. Nayak after he
came to know details of the
Kerala police compile
dossier on slain Maoist
IGNATIUS PEREIRA
KOLLAM: A detailed dossier
compiled by the police on top
CPI (Maoist) leader Kup-
pusamy Murthy, alias Kuppu
Devaraj, shows that Kuppu
was trained in arms handling
by the LTTE during the late
1980s.
Kuppu was killed by the
police in an alleged en-
counter in the Nilambur
forests on November 24.
The dossier (The Hindu
has a copy of it) has been
compiled in the wake of the
controversy triggered by the
killing and is meant for being
produced before any probe
authority.
It said Kuppu, the son of an
ex-serviceman, had 12 aliases
apart from Devaraj. He was a
graduate and began his career
with L&T Bangalore.
IN THE NET: L. Bhima Nayak (centre) after he was arrested in
Kalaburagi on Sunday. — PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
oicer’s black money trans-
actions and conversion of
old currency into new ones.
In an 11-page note,
Ramesh, who committed
suicide at a lodge in Maddur,
alleged that, among other
It was prepared in
the wake of the
controversy over
his killing in an
alleged encounter
He was sacked by the com-
pany in 1982 for “anti-man-
agement activities.” He be-
came an underground cadre
1984 along with Karnataka-
based Maoists Gangadhar
Kuppuswamy and Ujjini
Gowda presently lodged in
Bellary jail.
Kuppu was a polit bureau
member of the CPI (Maoist)
and played a key role in the
“production department” of
the Central Military Commis-
sion of the party. The dossier
said that at the time of his
death, Kuppu was serving as
the secretary of CPI (Maoist)
SOUTH
transactions, the oicer had
converted Rs. 25 crore worth
devalued currency for Mr.
Janardhan Reddy before the
grand wedding of Mr.
Reddy’s daughter.
The note also mentioned
south west region bureau in
charge of Tamil Nadu and
Kerala under the organisa-
tional address “Western
Ghats Special Zone.” Though
wanted by the police since
1984, he was not arrested. The
dossier said he was wanted in
three murder cases and at
least eight attempt-to-
murder cases.
Cases in which Kuppu was
allegedly involved include
the October 2001 Topchanchi
police camp attack in which
13 oicers of the Jharkhand
Military Police were killed,
the February 2007 Khaira po-
lice camp attack in Bihar in
which four police oicers
were killed and the August 6,
1988 heist of the Madurai
Anna Nagar branch of the
Bank of Madura in which Rs.
63 lakh from the strong room
was stolen, said the dossier.
the name of Ballari MP, B.
Sriramulu.
C.H. Sudheer Kumar
Reddy, Mandya Superin-
tendent of Police, said a team
traced Mr. Nayak, a
Karnataka Administrative
Service oicer, and his
driver near Kalaburagi and
took them into custody.
A case of abetment to
suicide was registered
against Mr. Nayak and three
teams were formed to probe
the case, Mathew Thomas,
Deputy Superintendent of
Police (Malavalli sub-divi-
sion), told The Hindu. The
Criminal Investigation De-
partment is probing the
money laundering case.
The duo will be brought to
the district and produced
before a jurisdiction court
on Monday.
School with no playground rakes in the medals
A sports newbie, the maths teacher, has produced several national-level players
R. KRISHNA KUMAR
MYSURU: At first glance, it
looks like any other rural
school — little basic
infrastructure, the
principal’s room full of
utensils for midday meals,
and no playground to
speak of.
But Sri Vidya Darshini
Convent at Kurubur, a
government-aided school,
is like no other. It serves six
villages along the
Mysuru-T. Narsipura
highway and has a rare
record: 45 out of the 250
students here excel in
sports, representing
Karnataka at national-level
‘kho-kho’ championships,
track and field events.
Testifying to its success
are trophies and cups lined
up in the principal’s
Prospects brighten for
Thalassery-Mysuru rail line
S. ANIL RADHAKRISHNAN
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
prospect of a rail corridor
The
from Thalassery to Mysuru
has brightened with the gov-
ernment giving the nod to
Delhi Metro Rail Corpora-
tion Limited (DMRC) for a
feasibility study of the pro-
posed line.
The government’s move to
take up the rail line, pro-
posed 57 years ago, and in-
clude it on the list of cost-
sharing projects between
Railways and the State is
aimed at all-round de-
velopment of the Malabar
region.
The rail line will also give
extended connectivity to the
Kannur international airport
in Keezhallur gram pan-
chayat and Mattannur mu-
nicipality.
According to a survey es-
timate submitted to the rail-
way board, the 247.5-km line
between Thalassery and
Mysuru via Wayanad will
TRAINING TO WIN: Students training in ‘kho-kho’ at Sri Vidya
Darshini Convent.
chamber and elsewhere.
This is a haul made
without a full-fledged
playground. Which is why
the role of one teacher is in
focus.
K. Manjunath, maths and
social studies teacher with
no background in physical
education, has been the
guiding force. “I came here
10 years ago and this school
THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016
State for cost-sharing of project
Project will help in all-round
development of Malabar
cost Rs. 3,209.01 crore and the
298.75 km via Coorg Rs.
3,778.71 crore.
Environmental concerns
The cash-strapped Rail-
ways did not go ahead with
the proposal stating it was
unviable.
The environmental con-
cerns over the rail corridor
through reserve forests
posed another hurdle.
The DMRC’s task will also
be to look for a new align-
ment as the Thalassery-
still does not have a
playground. During leisure
hours, I used to conduct
general physical fitness
training for students and it
yielded rich dividends,
highlighting rural talent,”
he said.
National presence
In seven years, some 45
students from the school
NOIDA/DELHI
ON TRACK
Thalassery-Mysuru
rail line was mooted 57
years ago
Survey carried out by
Railways
Railway Board terms
project unviable
Government nod for
feasibliity study at an
estimate of Rs. 50 lakh
Mysore Rail Line Action
Council has pointed out
that a corridor via Iritty and
Virajpet will be around 145.5
km and will go through only
five km of reserve forests.
The distance between
Thalassery and Mysuru via
road is 193 km.
Accepting the conditions
put forward by E. Sreed-
haran, Principal Adviser,
DMRC, the government has
given administrative sanc-
tion for the feasibility study
at an estimate of Rs. 50 lakh.
have represented the State
in ‘kho-kho’ and athletics,
while two were country
representatives. In the
south zone ‘kho-kho’
competition conducted by
the federation, eight school
students were selected for
the State team recently.
He now trains 90
students from 7.30 a.m. to 9
a.m. There’s practice for
about 90 minutes in the
evening.
What’s more, students
who trained have cleared
their SSLC in first class and
are studying further.
Old students Megha and
Veena represented India in
‘kho-kho’ and were chosen
under AAI Sports Contract
Scheme and AAI Sports
Scholarship Scheme 2016-
17, with a Rs. 25,000
scholarship.
ND-ND

NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016
A feast for the eyes
STUNNING SHOW: People were treated to a mesmerising display of the entire spectrum of Naval operations in Kochi on
Sunday during a demonstration organised as part of Navy Week celebrations. — PHOTO : THULASI KAKKAT
Kerala CM flays
M.P. government
STAFF REPORTER
KOCHI: A day after he was pre-
vented from attending an
event in Bhopal, Kerala Chief
Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on
Sunday slammed the Mad-
hya Pradesh government for
the fiasco.
Mr. Vijayan alleged that
the police refrained from
preventing the protesters as
they were RSS activists.
Though M.P. Chief
Minister Shivraj Chouhan
spoke to him and the Dir-
ector General of Police ex-
pressed his apology, Mr. Vi-
jayan said there was no point
in these gestures as the dam-
age had already been done.
CM
YK
Pilot killed as helicopter
crashes in Mumbai
STAFF REPORTER
MUMBAI: A commercial heli-
copter carrying two pas-
sengers and a technician
crashed into the city’s Aarey
Colony in Goregaon East on
Sunday, leaving the pilot
dead and others critically
injured.
The pilot, Praful Mishra,
and the survivors, Sanjay
Shankar, Ritesh Modi, and
Brinda Modi, were pulled
out of the copter by the locals
who rushed to the spot after
witnessing the crash.
“We were playing cricket
when we saw the helicopter
rushing to the ground at
great speed. There was a
loud blast and it caught fire
immediately. All of us rushed
to the spot and started
pulling out the occupants,”
said Deepak Nikule, a resi-
dent of Filter Pada. The pilot
was declared dead on arrival
at the hospital, and the sur-
vivors were admitted to the
Intensive Care Unit.
Oicials from the Airports
Authority of India, who were
present at the crash site, said
the pilot had reported a fail-
ure of the helicopter’s clutch
just before the crash, and it is
prima facie being con-
sidered as the reason for the
accident.
NATION
Prominent
Congress tribal
leader joins BJP
SYED SAJJAD ALI
AGARTALA: The Congress has
sufered a further setback in
Tripura with a prominent
tribal leader joining the BJP on
Sunday. Debabrata Kalai,
former Chief Executive Mem-
ber of the Tripura Tribal Areas
Autonomous District Council,
had earlier resigned from the
post of PCC general secretary.
A prominent dental sur-
geon and social activist Dr.
Manik Saha and several lower
rung oice bearers of the Con-
gress, the Trinamool Con-
gress and IPFT also joined the
BJP.
Tawde’s bike may have been
used during Pansare shooting
SONAM SAIGAL
MUMBAI: A black motorcycle
owned by Dr. Virendra
Tawde — the prime accused
in the murder of Communist
Party of India (CPI) leader
Govind Pansare — and used
by his family members to run
errands for the Sanathan
Sanstha, may have been the
one used during the fatal
shooting.
Dr. Tawde purchased the
bike in 1998, his wife Nidhi
told the Special Investigation
Team (SIT).
Pansare’s wife Uma, who
was also shot at along with
her husband, told the SIT
that on the day of the incid-
ent “two people on one black
motorcycle came in front of
us, turned and started shoot-
ing. If I am shown the photos,
I will identify them.”
A copy of both Ms.
Pansare’s and Dr. Nidhi
Tawde’s statements have
been accessed by The Hindu.
In 2004, Pansare organised
a march at Kolhapur against
illegal activities of the head
of the Shankaracharya
Social media post triggers clash in Nandigram
STAFF REPORTER
KOLKATA: Clashes broke out be-
tween two communities at
Nandigram in Purba Medi-
nipur district of West Bengal
over an allegedly derogatory
social media post against the
minority community.
District police sources
told The Hindu that the post
was “communal in nature,”
Govind Pansare
Peedh. Soon after, Dr. Tawde,
the leader of Sanathan San-
stha, took out a counter pro-
test march.
After the 2009 bomb blast
in Madgaon, Goa, both
Pansare and author Naren-
dra Dabholkar accused the
Sanathan Sanstha of being
involved in the attack. In re-
sponse, Dr. Tawde’s orga-
nisation promised Rs. 10
crore to anyone who found
evidence of Sanathan San-
stha’s involvement in the
blast, and filed a defamation
and a private suit against
adding that seven persons
had been arrested in the case.
The clashes took place in the
Nadigram Bazar area under
the Nandigram police sta-
tion.
According to the locals,
tension began on Thursday
evening when a “youth from
a minority community was
heckled” by the members of
a local club. “The youth then
Pansare and Dabholkar, Ms.
Pansare told the SIT.
In her statement to the
SIT, Dr. Nidhi Tawde said she
once confronted her hus-
band upon learning that he
was giving her Amisulpride,
a medicine used to treat
schizophrenia.
He told her that it was be-
cause she was facing
“spiritual hardship.”
Asked about her involve-
ment with the Sanathan San-
stha, she said that her hus-
band began discussing it
with her in August 1998.
He started talking about
spiritualism and gave her a
book titled Introduction to
Spiritual Science.
One day, sometime be-
tween 2013 and 2014, Dr.
Nidhi found out that the
tirtha [holy water] given to
her and 30-35 others daily at
the Sanstha
Risperidone, an
was
anti-
psychotic drug.
The drug, Dr. Nidhi said,
was given at the behest of Dr.
Asha Thakur, also known as
Asha Tai, from the Ramnath
Ashram in Goa.
returned to the spot with a
large group and a scule en-
sued between them. The
matter was resolved after
sometime,” a resident told
The Hindu. However, ten-
sion spread in the area again
when a local youth allegedly
posted “derogatory” com-
ments against the minority
community on social media
late on Thursday night.
|9
ISRO signs deal
for first privately
built satellite
MADHUMATHI D.S.
BENGALURU: The Indian Space
Research Organisation has
roped in a consortium of six
companies to deliver the
country’s first industry-built
spacecraft by late 2017.
The contract signed on
Friday includes assembly, in-
tegration and testing (AIT)
of two spare navigation satel-
lites consecutively in around
18 months. It was signed be-
tween M. Annadurai, Dir-
ector of ISRO Satellite Cen-
tre (ISAC), and the
consortium lead, Alpha
Design Technologies P Ltd.
ISAC assembles the coun-
try’s satellites for commu-
nication, remote sensing and
navigation.
From the third year, Indian
industry could expect com-
petitive bids for a new lot of
spacecraft of 300-500-kg
class, perhaps five a year, for
both ISRO and for export,
Col. H.S. Shankar (retd),
CMD of Alpha Design, told
The Hindu. This is the first
time that ISRO has out-
sourced an entire satellite to
industry, said Col. Shankar.
Alpha is a defence manu-
facturing contractor while
the others are small and me-
dium-sized vendors that al-
ready supply components to
ISRO. The others in the con-
sortium are Newtech Solu-
tions, Aidin Technologies
and DCX Cables of
Bengaluru, Vinyas Techno-
logies of Mysuru and Avantel
Systems of Hyderabad.
The work will start around
January and the first space-
craft will be brought out in
around nine months.
ND-ND
10 | EDITORIAL
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

Time to blow the whistle

Parliament is considering an amendment to the Prevention of Corruption Act which would only end up
helping the corrupt. Its passage would administer a big blow to our already weak anti-corruption mechanism
fearless decision-making that may involve giver in order to qualify for exemption. But
M O N D AY , D E C E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6 exercise of discretion and bona fide errors. all such ideas were rejected. The final pro-
YOGENDRA YADAV This argument is simply not true. T.S.R. Sub- posal now seeks to punish everyone and
ramanian, a retired Cabinet Secretary thereby reduces the chances of evidence
known for his integrity, has repeatedly said against the bribe-taker.
Arrest of As the nation engages in a doubtful “war on
that the existing law ofers adequate protec-
tion to honest oicers. It does not punish any
The fourth change reduces the chances of
prosecution of the corrupt. The existing

a military chief black money”, we run the risk of disengaging

ourselves from any action on corruption, the
fountainhead of black money. Indeed, we
bona fide diference or even mistake unless
it is a clear abuse of power leading to finan-
cial or other gains.
PCA requires the government’s or higher of-
ficials’ sanction before any serving public
servants can be prosecuted under the Act.

T
he arrest of Indian Air Force former chief
Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi on Friday by
the Central Bureau of Investigation is a
sobering moment. This is the first in-
stance of a serving or retired military chief being
arrested on charges of corruption. The CBI arres-
ted ACM Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and law-
yer Gautam Khaitan in connection with the pur-
chase order for VVIP helicopters in 2010 for the
IAF. In an oicial statement, the CBI said they were
arrested for alleged irregularities in the procure-
ment of a dozen AW101 VVIP helicopters from
U.K.-based AgustaWestland, part of the Italian con-
sortium Finmeccanica. The CBI claims that ACM
Tyagi “entered into criminal conspiracy with other
accused persons and in 2005” to change the service
ceiling of VVIP helicopters from 6,000 m to 4,500
m, to make AgustaWestland eligible to participate
in the tender. Twelve per cent of the total deal of
Rs.3,767 crore is alleged to have been the commis-
sion involved. After the allegations first emerged in
Italy, an embattled UPA government had moved
swiftly to order an investigation in February 2013.
The case was handed over to the CBI and the En-
forcement Directorate, which have relied substan-
tially on evidence from Italian courts. The case in
Italy has witnessed several twists and turns, with a
lower court in October 2014 acquitting ACM Tyagi,
Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi and others of
corruption charges. On April 8, 2016, the Milan
Court of Appeal overturned the order, and sen-
tenced Mr. Orsi to about four years in jail.
This is not the first time that the name of a retired
military chief has come up in a defence scandal. In
1987 the central investigation agencies had raided
Admiral S.M. Nanda, accusing him of being a
middleman in the sale of German-made HDW sub-
marines to India in the early 1980s. Two decades
later the case was formally closed by the CBI, say-
ing no concrete evidence was available. In 2006 the
CBI filed an FIR alleging kickbacks in the purchase
of the Barak missile system from Israel, naming
among others Admiral Sushil Kumar. With extens-
ive use of RTI, he contested the charge, and seven
years later the CBI told a Delhi court it couldn’t find
any evidence. This is not to suggest that defence
deals are all clean. In this case, the Indian hand in
the deal has been corroborated by an Italian court.
But a case is only as good as its conclusion. And de-
fence deal investigations have a habit of getting
complicated by the diiculties in securing the kind
of evidence that is required to secure firm convic-
tions. How this case, which has significant political
ramifications, plays out, remains to be seen.
may be moving backwards in the battle
against corruption. While everyone is busy
debating demonetisation, Parliament is all
set to change the Prevention of Corruption
Act (PCA), 1988, into a law that can only be
described as Protection of the Corrupt Act.
Worse, this move enjoys cross-party sup-
port, as in most instances where the political
establishment protects itself. All in the name
of war against black money, of course.
On the face of it, the Prevention of Corrup-
tion (Amendment) Bill, 2013, which is
pending before Parliament, merely proposes
some amendments to the PCA. This Bill was
first introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2013,
during the United Progressive Alliance regi-
me following massive anti-corruption
protests. The purpose, ostensibly, was to
tighten existing anti-corruption legislation.
But it had some worrisome provisions. The
real death knell was sounded after the Na-
tional Democratic Alliance government pro-
posed additional and fatal amendments in
2014. A Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha,
comprising members across the political es-
tablishment, has already approved these
changes. So has the Cabinet. This regressive
piece of legislation was to be taken up for
passage in the current winter session, now
nearly washed out.
Hydra-headed amendments
As it stands now in the version cleared by
the Select Committee in August this year, the
Bill serves to dilute and defeat the whole
point of anti-corruption legislation in more
ways than one. It narrows down the existing
definition of corruption, increases the bur-
den of proof necessary for punishing the cor-
rupt, makes things more diicult for the
whistle-blower, and strengthens the shield
available to oicials accused of corruption.
And it slips in a diabolic clause that would
protect the babu-neta nexus from ever facing
any serious anti-corruption probe. If this Bill
becomes law, our already weak anti-corrup-
tion mechanism would receive a fatal blow.
Let us examine how each of these key
amendments serves to protect the corrupt
rather than prevent corruption.
First, the proposed amendment narrows
down the definition of corruption, as de-
manded by the powerful lobby of civil ser-
vants. Section 13(1)(d) of the existing PCA
covers various indirect forms of corruption
including the obtaining of “any valuable
CARTOONSCAPE
The Bill may now be postponed
to the Budget session, giving us
some time to build public opinion
against this attempt to protect
the corrupt
thing or pecuniary advantage” by illegal grat-
ification or by “abusing his position as a pub-
lic servant”. The present Bill removes this
section and replaces it with a truncated
definition of criminal misconduct by a pub-
lic servant: fraudulent misappropriation of
property under one’s control, and inten-
tional, illicit enrichment and possession of
disproportionate assets. Under this new
definition, any benefit that is not economic,
that is indirect or that cannot be proven to be
intentional fraud will not be punished as cor-
ruption. The Law Commission studied this
proposed amendment carefully and dis-
agreed with the narrow definition. Instead it
proposed an even wider definition. The Law
Commission suggested that any “undue ad-
vantage” that results from “improper per-
formance of public function or activity” of a
public servant should be punishable. Yet the
government and the Parliamentary Commit-
tee disregarded this suggestion and have ob-
liged the babu lobby.
This is critical, as the existing Section 13(1)
(d) is the only provision in the PCA which
deals with corruption in high places where,
typically, no under-the-table transactions
take place. The corrupt public servant usu-
ally receives illegal gratification in an ex-
tremely clandestine manner such as of-
shore transactions or non-monetary consid-
erations such as a better posting, post
retirement benefits, etc. All major scams,
right from Bofors to the 2G scam, the Com-
monwealth Games scam, the coal scam, etc.
became criminal ofences by virtue of this
section. This is precisely why a section of bu-
reaucrats has been demanding a deletion of
this provision on the ground that it inhibits
Raising threshold of proof
Second, the Bill makes it more diicult to
hold someone guilty of disproportionate as-
sets as it raises the threshold of proof. Under
the existing law, the possession of monetary
resources or property disproportionate to
the public servant’s known sources of in-
come is enough to prove corruption. Now
the prosecutor will also have to prove that
this disproportionate asset was acquired
with the intention of the public servant to
enrich himself illicitly. Although the Select
Committee of the Rajya Sabha agrees that
proving intention should not be made man-
datory, we don’t know the government’s fi-
nal position. Besides this, currently, “known
sources of income” are limited only to those
receipts which had been “intimated in ac-
cordance with the provisions of any law,
rules or orders for the time being applicable
to a public servant”. This provision was
made in 1988 in order to cover an earlier
loophole, whereby many accused persons
would cite fresh sources of income at the
stage of trial, resulting in acquittal in a large
number of disproportionate assets cases.
Strangely, the government proposes to de-
lete this requirement without any recom-
mendation to this efect from any stake-
holder. Thus the big ofenders have secured
a vital escape route for themselves.
Third, the proposed amendment makes it
more risky for a bribe-giver to give evidence
against a bribe-taker. Under the existing law,
if a person makes a statement during a cor-
ruption trial that he gave a bribe, it would not
be used to prosecute him for the ofence of
abetment of corruption. The current Bill
omits this provision and proposes that bribe-
taking and bribe-giving will be equally puni-
shable. This would obviously deter bribe-
givers from appearing as witnesses in cases
against public oicials.
Admittedly, there is some merit in not
granting complete exemption to bribe-
givers, but there was no need to do away with
it altogether. The government had better op-
tions. The report of the Second Adminis-
trative Reforms Commission has rec-
ommended a distinction between “coercive”
and “collusive” bribing. Those who are co-
erced into bribing but report it thereafter
should be given some protection. At one
stage there was a proposal to give a seven-
day window for declaration by the bribe-
The basic idea is to protect honest public of-
ficials from harassment, persecution and
frivolous litigation. The proposed amend-
ment extends this protection to retired pub-
lic servants, if the case pertains to the period
when they were in oice. This seems a reas-
onable and necessary corollary of the
original provision. But it also adds another
unnecessary and pointless condition. If a
private person approaches the government
for sanction to prosecute a public servant for
corruption, he would now need a court order
to this efect. This additional layer of protec-
tion for the accused would discourage vic-
tims of corruption and anti-corruption ac-
tivists from prosecuting corrupt public
servants. Clearly, the government is con-
cerned more about shielding government of-
ficials than prosecuting the corrupt.
Getting the nod first
And, finally, the most deadly and diabolic
provision that the government has quietly
slipped in without much public scrutiny. It
proposes to insert a new Section 17A that
would bar investigating agencies from even
beginning an inquiry or investigating the of-
fences under this Act without prior approv-
al. The amendment proposed by the govern-
ment said this sanction was to be obtained
from a Lokayukta or Lokpal. The Select
Committee of the Rajya Sabha makes it
worse: it shifts the power to give this sanc-
tion to an “authority competent to remove”
the person from oice. Efectively, it means
that now, the political masters will decide
whether they wish to allow a corruption in-
quiry against any government employee or
not.
This defies logic. As noted earlier, Section
19 of the Act already protects oicials from
mala fide litigation. If someone wishes to
harass an innocent oicer without any cred-
ible evidence of corruption, the government
can refuse to give sanction for prosecution.
But why insist on sanction even before an in-
quiry? Surely, if there is no inquiry, there is
no credible evidence. On what basis then
would the government (or the Lokpal, if we
go by the previous proposal) give or refuse to
give the sanction? Or, how would anyone
produce evidence to secure this sanction
without an inquiry in the first place? Even if
the sanction is granted, would it not alert the
corrupt oicial about the impending inquiry
and give him time to hide evidence? This
diabolic provision can only serve one pur-
pose: make the higher bureaucracy and po-
litical bosses the ultimate arbiters in cases of
corruption. If a politician wants to protect a
corrupt oicer, he can not only save him
from prosecution (which can be challenged

A brutal victory in a court) but also prevent any evidence

gathering from taking place.

in Aleppo Reactivating the ‘Single Directive’

The babudom has thus managed to bring
back the infamous “Single Directive”. This

T
he battle for Aleppo is almost over. Syrian
government troops have captured almost
85 per cent of the eastern part of the city
which fell into rebel hands in 2012 in one
of the early setbacks to the regime of President
Bashar al-Assad in the civil war. Given the pace of
the battlefield advances, it’s only a matter of weeks,
if not days, before the Syrian army recaptures all of
Aleppo, the country’s largest city and commercial
capital before the conflict broke out. The regime
will now have direct control over all the major cit-
ies and population centres in Syria, while for the
army, which was on the brink of collapse a year ago
before the Russian intervention, the victory is cer-
tainly a morale booster. But Mr. Assad has had to
pay a heavy price for Aleppo. This military triumph
is the result of a brutal strategy the regime and the
Russians put in place earlier this year. Damascus
knew that if Aleppo were to be recaptured, it would
shift the balance of the civil war decisively. Eastern
Aleppo was the priciest catch of the rebels where
they built a parallel government. Their plan was to
expand the “revolution” to other regime-held ter-
ritories and they had the backing of regional
powers such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The Syrian
government, however, launched a relentless bomb-
ing campaign in July, imposing a siege on the rebel-
held parts of the city. After months of bombing by
Russian and Syrian jets broke the rebel supply lines,
the army, backed by Hezbollah and Iran-trained mi-
litias, moved in to make quick gains.
The battle for Aleppo has been a humanitarian
disaster. The rebels accuse the regime of indiscrim-
inate bombing and killing civilians, while the gov-
ernment says it had no option but to move in as the
city was controlled by “terrorists”. Both are par-
tially true. From the beginning of the Aleppo op-
eration, both the regime and Russia adopted
scorched earth tactics. But government troops fre-
quently opened humanitarian corridors for the
civilians to escape the war and the Russians had
even negotiated a retreat deal with the rebels under
Turkish mediation recently. But the rebels, includ-
ing Fateh al-Sham that was al-Nusra Front till Au-
gust, the al-Qaeda branch in Syria, refused to re-
treat; they also prevented residents from fleeing the
city. Now that government troops have captured
most of the city, the question is, what will President
Assad do next? Will he move troops to Idlib, anoth-
er rebel-held city, or kick of a long-awaited politi-
cal process where he could negotiate from a posi-
tion of strength? The latter option would avert
more bloodshed, while the military’s resources
could be rechannelled to fight the Islamic State.
CM
YK
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters emailed to letters@thehindu.co.in must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.
AIADMK at the crossroads
Post-Jayalalithaa, the AIADMK is
entering a new phase of uncertainty.
The reticent V.K. Sasikala may have
done a lot of behind-the-scenes
work and the former Chief Minister
may have described her as “my
surrogate sister who had taken the
place of my mother” — conferring a
certain pre-eminence on her among
partymen — but the fact remains
that she was not assigned any
political role to claim. How Ms.
Sasikala strategises to match the
DMK’s M.K. Stalin’s popularity and
Ms. Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa
Jayakumar, who has dropped a hint
of staking a claim to her aunt’s
political legacy, will now be closely
watched in political circles (“Open
to joining politics, says Deepa”,
Dec.11).
G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
It is disconcerting that the top
leadership of the AIADMK has been
making a beeline for the Poes
Garden residence of Jayalalithaa to
meet Ms. Sasikala and appealing to
her to assume the leadership of the
party (“Take over AIADMK mantle,
leaders appeal to Sasikala”,
“Panneerselvam backs Sasikala as
party chief” and “OPS visits Sasikala
ahead of Cabinet meet”, all Dec.11).
Received wisdom says that an
extraconstitutional authority in the
State is the last thing that Tamil
Nadu needs. An extraconstitutional
authority anywhere is abhorrent.
The people of Tamil Nadu should
not be belittled and taken for
granted. The cartoon “MGR
zindabad, Amma zindabad,
Chinnamma! zindabad” (Dec.11),
speaks louder than 1,000 words.
C.G. Kuriakose,
Kothamangalam, Kerala
A little known facet
We all know that former Chief
Minister and AIADMK general
secretary Jayalalithaa was a pillar of
strength and support for the
downtrodden. She was equally a
pillar for intellectuals and scholars
in whom she saw the spark of
innovation to help uplift the poor
and the needy.
At the foundation stone-laying
ceremony of the Madras Medical
Mission, she donated a personal
cheque for Rs.5,00,000. She also
ensured that there was no
bureaucratic delay at any stage of the
construction. For the inauguration,
she ordered the roads to be widened
and relaid. The approach road was
so good that visiting dignitaries, who
included Dr. Christiaan Barnard,
commented on it. The improvement
in the infrastructure of Mogappair in
the past two decades was mainly due
to this enthusiasm she showed.
At the inauguration of Frontier
Lifeline Hospital, she informed me
that she would help me to get 10
acres within the city for another
hospital. Instead, when I expressed
my interest in developing a basic
medical science park in a village, the
Thiruvallur Collector informed me
the very next day that the Chief
Minister had instructed him to
identify a site for the project.
Her support gave me the strength to
carry out research works which,
refers to an older governmental order that
no senior oicer (of the rank of Joint
Secretary or above) could be investigated
without permission from the government. In
the famous Vineet Narain judgment, the Su-
preme Court had held this order as illegal, in
1997. The government brought it back, this
time as provision of law, in 2003. Finally, as
recently as 2014, a Constitutional bench of
the Supreme Court held that this provision
was unconstitutional, as it violated the right
to equality. Such is the power of babudom
and its hold over netas that it has managed to
bring this immunity clause back for the third
time.
As the winter session of Parliament draws
to a close, it seems that this Bill may now be
postponed to the Budget session. This gives
concerned citizens another couple of
months to build public opinion against this
attempt to protect the corrupt. It is time to
revive the anti-corruption movement.
Yogendra Yadav is the National President of Swaraj India, a
new political party.
when concluded, would bring denominations. There has to be a
accolades to the Indian medical conscious attempt to restructure the
fraternity. Be it the first by-pass tax base.
heart surgery or the first paediatric
Himmath A. Hussain,
heart transplant, I went ahead secure Male, Republic of Maldives
in the feeling that there was a very
strong woman who was encouraging With the competitive claims by
me and supporting me in bringing Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister
pride to India. Narendra Modi about not being
Dr. K.M. Cherian, allowed to speak in Parliament now
Chennai being aired at public fora, it is
unfortunate that both leaders are
glossing over the fact that the
India reeling common man is still sufering
The overnight announcement to immensely due to the cash crunch in
invalidate Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes banks and ATMs (“I am not being
has only caused deep sufering. allowed to speak in House, says
Those who deal with black money Modi”, Dec.11). There seems to be no
would have already made the change respite, and the situation is made
in the form of gold, FDI, land and worse by the absence of clarity from
immovable properties. The abrupt the government. The Prime Minister
announcement has also afected should take the initiative to end the
foreign tourist inflows, impasse. Crores of rupees have
inconvenienced thousands of Indian already been lost as Parliament has
travellers, patients undergoing stalled. When will there be a
treatment in private hospitals solution to the common man’s
besides increasing the workload of diiculties in the absence of money
bank oicials. at hand?
Corruption cannot be done away K.R. Srinivasan,
with by freezing certain Secunderabad
ND-ND
 PERSPECTIVE | 11
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

FROM THE READERS’ EDITOR Legacy of a social movement

The blinkering effect of anger The AIADMK and DMK are unlikely to crumble into disarray overnight, or over a few election cycles,
There is a particular blinkering efect to anger that
denies space for reason, dialogue, and coexistence. It as Tamil parties and the masses have a connection rooted in more than half a century of identity politics
has a steamrolling capacity to undermine institutions
built over time, to describe opinions of people from ment here, and the limitations of its
whom we difer as “naïve stupidity”, and efortlessly NARAYAN transformational potential.
A.S. create a bipolar world view at a time when we need to LAKSHMAN First, as Professors Narendra Sub-
PANNEERSELVAN retain a sense of multitude with innumerable shades of ramanian and John Harriss have argued,
grey. A good newspaper is a modern-day VIBGYOR disc it ultimately remained a partial
that rotates in the reverse direction and at a meditative revolution because radical anti-Brah-
speed to reveal all the colours beneath a seemingly monochromatic white. It has been widely observed that the minism gave way to more accommodat-
Pankaj Mishra in his extended essay, “Welcome to the age of anger” (The passing of Jayalalithaa, former Chief ing populist regimes that nevertheless
Guardian, December 8), points out the contradicting outcomes of a new Minister of Tamil Nadu, on December 5, retained strong incentives to redistrib-
breed of anger. He writes: “Many people find it easy to aim their rage has left a power vacuum in the State’s ute resources toward poorer groups.
against an allegedly cosmopolitan and rootless cultural elite. Objects of ha- politics. M. Karunanidhi, 92, head of the Second, the homogeneity in Tamil so-
tred are needed more than ever during times of crisis, and rich ‘citizens of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), ciety went hand in hand with a frac-
nowhere’ — as Theresa May dubbed them — conveniently embody the who was discharged from hospital a few tured pattern of caste dominance,
vices of a desperately sought-after but infuriatingly unattainable modern- days back, may not be as active in where the sheer number of castes and
ity. And so globalisation, which promotes integration among shrewd elites, politics going forward as he has been in sub-castes did not lend itself easily to
helps incite resentment everywhere else, especially among people forced the decades past. dominance by a few, say in the manner
against their will into universal competition.” Thus there is a perception that this that the Vokkaligas and Lingayat castes
I am a daily recipient of anger — some justified and most unjustified — political low-pressure zone brings with dominated the State government in
from a section of readers. They see this newspaper’s cosmopolitanism as it the concomitant risk of fractures Karnataka for decades.
opposing their sensibilities. The change that has been happening around us emerging in the polity, which could ei- Third, fragmented caste dominance
at all levels — locally, nationally and internationally — has a strong bearing ther destabilise prospects for sustained made it inevitable, in the 1967 election,
on our language of public discourse, where anger and animosity are fast re- economic progress, or emerge as a that the DMK would rout the elites-
placing inquiry, curiosity and empathy. This is neither a nostalgic rec- once-in-a-generation opportunity for driven political mechanisms of the
ollection of some golden past nor a requiem for the present. It is an national parties such as the Bharatiya Congress by using a strategy of populist
assessment. Janata Party or Congress to expediently mobilisation that also drew heavily
reassert themselves as political forces upon emotive appeals relating to that
Diversity a pleasure, not anxiety to reckon with. sense of Tamil identity.
I do recognise the power of emotions and that people’s choices and de- Both outcomes are unlikely, and his- Finally, the very same resource redis-
cisions are a product of both emotions and rational thinking. A newspaper tory explains why this is so. Consider tribution patterns and populist mobil-
is an interactive public space where both emotion and reason play a role to first the immediate challenges faced by isation strategies that so many notable
make it magical as suggested by Martha C. Nussbaum. She has wonderfully the two main rivals in the State. Dravidian movement leaders relied on
argued for the love of diversity in one’s fellow citizens. For her, the sense of ENDURING SCHEMES: “The state has blazed a pioneering path on mass welfare policies.” ever since 1967 have come to be deeply
diversity is a source of pleasure, Path ahead for the rivals Former CM Jayalalithaa at an Amma canteen in Chennai. FILE PHOTO: S.R. RAGHUNATHAN embedded in mechanisms of state
not of anxiety. Mr. Mishra asks The process of sharing the For Jayalalithaa’s party, the All India power in Tamil Nadu today.
for greater precision in matters of Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam control of political institutions. Resource redistribution It is in this context that we must view
the soul to get our basic bearings: vulnerabilities in the (AIADMK), it is critical to hammer out Turning to the DMK, a succession the State blazing a pioneering path on
“The stunning events of our age newsgathering and production a consensus solution acceptable to the plan is already in place in the shape of patterns and populist mass welfare policies such as the mid-
of anger, and our perplexity be-
process make this newspaper a two major caste factions within it, the M.K. Stalin, though it remains to be seen mobilisation strategies have day meal scheme, innovative ped-
fore them, make it imperative Thevars and the Gounders. whether he will prove to be as capable come to be deeply embedded agogies for primary education, and so
that we anchor thought in the trustworthy site for information V.K. Sasikala, Jayalalithaa’s friend and as his father was, at a State level, of me- many more.
sphere of emotions; these up- confidant of over three decades, com- ticulous organisational strategising and in mechanisms of state power Thus Tamil Nadu today presents a
heavals demand nothing less than a radically enlarged understanding of mands a greater degree of acceptability enforcing discipline amongst party complex relationship, which inter-
what it means for human beings to pursue the contradictory ideals of free- among party cadres as the heir to the cadres. nadurai have brandished with great ef- twines a balance of power expressed
dom, equality and prosperity.” crown. In fact far more so than Jayala- These immediate considerations for fectiveness the notion of an ethno-lin- through caste, populist mobilisation
As a Readers’ Editor, I do empathise with the justifiable segment that lithaa herself did when, in the immedi- the two major parties of the State will guistic Tamil identity that was at odds based on Tamil identity, and a penchant
points out errors and factual inaccuracies. We take care to rectify them as ate aftermath of the death of her mentor, determine the shape of the political ma- with the broader Indian identity asso- for welfarism in policymaking.
early as possible and it is not done in “some obscure pages” as a few insinu- M.G. Ramachandran, in 1987, she was chine governing Tamil Nadu in the ciated with Brahminism and Hindi. This makes it unlikely that the AI-
ate, but in a visible manner in the opinion pages of the newspaper. What is subject to physical attacks and political years to come. Although the early calls for secession ADMK and DMK will crumble into dis-
not justifiable is the malicious use of the Corrections and Clarifications brickbats from factions supporting from the Union ultimately withered in array overnight, or indeed over a few
column to build a case against the newspaper. This column reflects the Janaki, his wife. Surviving the flux the face of Delhi’s diplomacy blended election cycles.
newspaper’s ethos, its ethical fibre and its commitment to remain a news- So long as Ms. Sasikala, a leader from Yet there are reasons to believe that with the threat potential of the Indian Conversely those who predict that
paper of record. The correction is not only published in the print and the the dominant Thevar community, gets the distinct socio-political identifica- armed forces, the protests against the national parties such as the BJP or Con-
Web editions; the actual text is also rectified to give a more accurate pic- her maths right and is able to co-opt tion of Tamil society and the even more imposition of Hindi as an oicial lan- gress will quickly gain an unassailable
ture. If a rare story is wrong, the newspaper has the courage to not only apo- Gounder bosses of the AIADMK into a distinct pro-poor policy agenda of suc- guage and as the language of school foothold in the State despite their con-
logise but also take it down from its Web edition and the Internet archives. few plum Cabinet positions, she can cessive State regimes will ensure that textbooks found echoes in every corner trasting identity as parties of the North,
This leads to a set of basic questions for which I am searching for an- prevent the occurrence that many fear established parties of Tamil Nadu today of the State. and parties that depend on elite castes
swers. Why is the only publication that has a visible mending process tar- — defections leading to a full-fledged will survive the current state of flux and As I argued in the book Patrons of the for their power, may be disappointed.
geted? Why should a corrective mechanism be used to attack reporters and break up of the party that would be a continue to play a dominant political Poor: Caste Politics and Policymaking Whatever the criticisms about their
the newspaper? Does not the space for post-publication rectification make precursor to new political plays by the role in the years ahead. in India, this “partial revolution” in the fiscal profligacy or their tendency to
this newspaper more accountable to its readers than any other media plat- BJP seeking to enter the State in force. That Tamil Nadu was always a State State stemmed from a strong sense of throw up leaders who govern based on
form in the country? Is it fair to interpret unintended errors as malicious If Ms. Sasikala manoeuvres deftly in with a mind of its own is well known, Tamil identity held as a collective belief, centralised power of an opaque nature,
design? this manner over the coming days and even since the 1930s when the which in turn was a historical peculiar- Tamil parties and the Tamil masses
The problem gets complicated with stories that are developing and dy- weeks, she may well be able to secure Dravidian movement struck an early ity that was a function of Tamil society have a connection rooted in more than
namic in nature. For instance, the newspaper published a story “3 CMs opt half a decade in power for herself, dur- blow for greater socio-political au- in some ways being homogenous and half a century of identity politics that
out of digitisation panel” (December 2, 2016). It spoke of V. Narayanasamy wing which time, with O. Pan- tonomy for the Tamil people. the fact that the main “oppressor” since will endure the vicissitudes of leader-
(Puducherry), Nitish Kumar (Bihar) and Manik Sarkar (Tripura) who neerselvam as the nominal head of the Notwithstanding the sheer might of pre-colonial times were Brahmins, a nu- ship crises of the sort that we are wit-
turned down the Centre’s invitation to be on the sub-committee of Chief government, she would be able to rely constitutional federalism in independ- merical minority in the State. nessing presently.
Ministers. Subsequently, the Centre has asked other Chief Ministers to join on the well-worn channels of patronage ent India, Tamil leaders since the time A few facts are important to note
the panel. Those on the panel now are Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pra- distribution to consolidate State-wide of Periyar E.V. Ramasamy and C.N. An- about the power of the Dravidian move- narayan@thehindu.co.in
desh), Naveen Patnaik (Odisha), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pra-
desh), Pawan Kumar Chamling (Sikkim), and Devendra Fadnavis (Maha-

Asking the right questions

rashtra). Mr. Narayanasamy’s name continues to be on the oicial list
though he has rejected the ofer. The point of the story was that opposition
Chief Ministers did not wish to be on the panel. Now the panel has Chief
Ministers belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party and those who are either
neutral or supporters of the National Democratic Alliance government at
the Centre. The other members are oicials and experts. In this entire de-
velopment, the headline “3 CMs opt out of digitisation panel” was a sober
Just as non-cash shouldn’t mandatorily be imposed, neither should cash. Why has this not figured
statement of fact. And it is far from the angry reader’s claim that it was “a on a reform agenda between 2004 and 2014, or much earlier?
screaming headline that tries to undermine the government at the Centre
because two of three Chief Ministers mentioned in the report do not figure reason the Benami Transactions (Pro-
in the list released by NITI Aayog”. hibition) Amendment Act of 2016, cov-
I believe that the process of sharing the vulnerabilities in the newsgather- BIBEK DEBROY ering both moveable and immoveable
ing and news production process over the last decade in the Corrections property, was notified from November 1.
and Clarifications column on the opinion pages has not rendered this news- To refresh our memories, this was intro-
paper weak but has made it a trustworthy public site for information and duced in Lok Sabha in May 2015. To re-
ideas. When the present wave of irrational anger subsides, I am sure these “The road to hell is paved with good in- fresh our memories again, the Benami
angry readers, too, will accept the efectiveness of this self-regulating tentions”, mentioned Dr. Manmohan Transactions (Prohibition) Act was
mechanism. Singh in his article, “Making of a mam- passed in 1988. But successive govern-
moth tragedy”, published on December ments, presumably because they did not
readerseditor@thehindu.co.in 9 in this newspaper. If we don’t go back want to tread a road paved with good in-
to Virgil, but treat this as a proverb, there tentions, didn’t frame rules. Only one
is an alternative version too: “Hell is full logical conclusion is possible. To fight
of good meanings, but heaven is full of elections, you need black money, irre-
good works.” Some people, at least those spective of whether it is held in the form
FROM THE ARCHIVES who are economists and policymakers, of cash or property.
are familiar with the 1971 Direct Taxes
Enquiry Committee (Wanchoo Com- Cash and non-cash modes
mittee). This recommended demonet- Nor do I recall anyone in government
isation, and in Madhav Godbole’s auto- having said all cash is black money.
(dated December 12, 1966) However, there are ineiciencies asso-
this was because they had begun RESPONSE ciated with using cash, which is not the
Peking’s fantastic WIDE REACH: “According to the PRICE survey of 2016, 98.6 per cent rural households same thing as saying that cash should
to grasp the “truth” of Mao’s
claim teaching that there was “no room biography, Unfinished Innings: have bank accounts.” Fishermen in Gundayapalem village in Prakasam district, become illegal. 86.6 per cent of trans-
The Peking Radio to-day [Dec. for compromise with the running Recollections and Reflections of a Civil Andhra Pradesh. PHOTO: KOMMURI SRINIVAS actions (this is a 2012 figure) in India are
11] made the fantastic claim that dogs of imperialism and its Servant, there is an anecdote about cash-based, correlated with the in-
Indians were turning believers in accomplices.” what transpired when Y.B. Chavan took I do not recall anyone in counts and the rest would have bank ac- formal or unorganised nature of the
Mao Tse-tung’s philosophy. It The broadcast purports to be a the idea to Prime Minister Indira counts in the next two years, that is, by economy. Such a share of notes and
would have its listeners believe “report” of the “rising rebellion” Gandhi. She asked, “Chavanji, are no government having said 2014. coins to GDP is excessively high, not in
that Indian workers, peasants, by Government employees in more elections to be fought by the Con- anything about black Even if there was some slip up, this is comparison with developed countries
students and Government some 20 cities of nine States of gress Party?” Eventually, in 1978, the money being only in the 2016, not 2014. There has been the Pra- alone, but also with developing
employees throughout the India and describes it in blood- Janata Party government, not a Con- dhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana initiative, economies, including a few in South
country were rising in “rebellion” curdling terms of a struggle that is gress one, demonetised Rs.1,000, form of cash with 257.8 million accounts, 139.5 million Asia. There have been disincentives
against the “reactionary” supposed to be “sweeping across Rs.5,000 and Rs.10,000 notes. There of them Aadhaar seeded. Though I men- against using non-cash modes. Even if
Congress Government, and that the country.” may have been “good meanings” in what Economic Advisers; Finance Sec- tioned bank nationalisation, some one forgets incentives, did earlier gov-
the then Congress Party intended, but it retaries; Reserve Bank of India things have changed since then. To ernments do anything to remove disin-
wasn’t “good works”. When demonet- Governors; Deputy Chairmen, Planning spread banking services, you don’t nec- centives? I read speeches by former
isation was implemented in 1978, the Commission; Finance Ministers; and essarily need branches. There is the Prime Ministers and couldn’t find a
then Finance Secretary must have ap- Prime Ministers. They must have en- Bank Mitra infrastructure, which caters mention of this issue anywhere. Indeed,
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS proved of the decision to declare some
high denomination notes illegal
sured that the good intention behind
bank nationalisation wasn’t a road lead-
to almost four times the number of sub-
service areas addressed by bank
that is the real tragedy: talking about the
poor is not the same as doing something
>>The strapline of a report, “Land given to Patanjali faces objection from Op- overnight. The then Finance Secretary ing to hell. I prefer to believe the coun- branches. Thus we have the PRICE for the poor. It has been that way since
position” (some editions, December 10, 2016), said: “Land costing Rs.1.16 crore did not think it was a mammoth tragedy. try’s Prime Minister. “Just 10 years back (People Research on India’s Consumer the stroke of the midnight hour on Au-
was given to Patanjali at Rs.25 crore, claims Congress.” It should have been Circumstances and contexts may have only three out of every 10 households in Economy) survey in August 2016, with gust 15, 1947. If people voluntarily use
Rs.25 lakh as mentioned in the text. changed, but what was logical in 1978 our villages were benefiting from bank- more than 3,00,000 households. This cash, there is no issue. But just as non-
should continue to be logical in 2016. ing services. Today more than half of the shows 98.7 per cent of households have cash shouldn’t mandatorily be imposed,
>>In the fourth paragraph of a report, “Karnataka takes first day’s honours” rural households get the benefit of bank bank accounts (98.9 per cent urban, 98.6 neither should cash. There is a piece of
Bank account penetration accounts. It will be our endeavour to en- per cent rural), a fact worth remember- legislation known as Payment of Wages
(‘Sport’, December 8, 2016) the name of a dropped player was wrongly men-
tioned as Shreyas Iyer instead of Shreyas Gopal. Have circumstances and contexts sure that all households benefit from ing when citing dated data on house- Act, 1936. Unless an employee volun-
truly changed? In two doses, banks were bank accounts in the next two years.” holds with bank accounts, such as from tarily opts out, Section 6 of this mandat-
nationalised in 1969 and 1980. Policy- This is from the then Prime Minister’s Census 2011. Incidentally, if one has fin- orily requires wages to be paid in coin or
The Readers’ Editor’s oice can be contacted by makers and economists within the gov- Independence Day speech in 2012. The ancial inclusion in mind, total popula- currency notes. If compulsion is bad,
Telephone: +91-44-28418297/28576300 (11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to ernment supported the idea. Bank na- speech doesn’t mention towns because tion is irrelevant. After all, below an age why has this not figured on a reform
Friday); E-mail: readerseditor@thehindu.co.in; tionalisation was meant to spread there was no need to. All towns have threshold, one can’t open independent agenda between 2004 and 2014, or much
Mail: Readers’ Editor, The Hindu, Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860 Anna Salai, banking services. Is it true that more bank branches. Financial inclusion, if in- bank accounts (more than 40 per cent of earlier?
Chennai 600 002, India. than 600 million Indians live in a town terpreted as opening bank accounts, is the population is less than 18.) Yes, questions should be asked. But I
All communication must carry the full postal address and or a village with no bank? Forty-seven primarily a rural problem. In 2012, the I do not recall anyone in government am not sure of whom.
telephone number. No personal visits. The Terms of Reference for the years after 1969, that can’t be right. We then Prime Minister told us more than having said anything about black money
Readers’ Editor are on www.thehindu.com have had responsible people as Chief half of rural households have bank ac- being only in the form of cash. That’s the Bibek Debroy is a member of NITI Aayog.
CM ND-ND
YK
12 |
FROM PAGE ONE
Cyclone Vardah heads
towards Chennai
The government also is-
sued an advisory to private
undertakings and establish-
ments to permit their staf to
avail of a holiday or to work
from home.
“Due to the storm surge,
the seas are expected to be
rough and the tidal wave will
be 1 m higher than normal.
Fishermen have been
warned not to venture out
into the sea,” he said.
National Disaster Re-
sponse Force (NDRF) and
State Disaster Response
Force teams have been sta-
tioned at Chennai, Tiruval-
lur and Kancheepuram dis-
tricts as a precautionary
measure.
The Andhra Pradesh gov-
ernment remained on high
alert, monitoring the pro-
gress of cyclone Vardah with
real-time updates from the
Indian Space Research Or-
ganisation (ISRO), even as
the system changed course
towards the northern Tamil
Nadu coast. Its initial track
forecast landfall between
East Godavari (Kakinada)
and Nellore districts.
The government has been
tapping into ISRO’s data fol-
lowing an understanding re-
ached with the agency
earlier this year for weather
ASI, woman murdered
Since Lakra and the woman
were both frequent visitors to
the oice, the locals identi-
fied them.
With the help of CCTV
camera footage and call
records, the police zeroed in
on Jeet and Sandeep, who
were both known to the vic-
tim and had spoken to him on
that day.
“During interrogation, the
duo said that they ran a satta
and entertainment business
along with Lakra at Kisan
Bhawan in Azadpur. They
would take the hall on rent on
the pretext of organising mar-
riages or other functions,”
Mr. Tiwari said.
This past week, Lakra sent
his nephew and some friends
to Kisan Bhawan and instruc-
ted his partners to take good
care of them.
“Jeet said despite being
ofered the best hospitality
and service, the young man
and his friends got drunk and
Bangladesh pays
homage to BSF
heroes of 1971 war
SHILLONG: Border Guards of
Bangladesh (BGB) chief Ma-
jor General Abul Hossain
paid homage to the BSF he-
roes of the 1971 India-
Pakistan battle, at Kilapara in
Meghalaya on Sunday.
The new BGB Director-
General arrived at Kilapara
to pay homage to the mar-
tyrs, whose sacrifice denied
Pakistan strategic control
over the Dalu-Tura road dur-
ing the Liberation War of
Bangladesh, a BSF spokes-
person said.
The BGB chief laid a
wreath at the memorial. BSF
Meghalaya Frontier chief IG
P.K. Dubey was present. The
names of nine BSF martyrs
are engraved on the War Me-
morial on the border. — PTI
Cash crunch a major election issue
SMITA GUPTA
NEW DELHI: As Assembly elec-
tions in Uttarakhand draw
near, months after the Harish
Rawat government was
toppled by the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP), and sub-
sequently restored through a
court order, Congress State
chief Kishore Upadhyay said
his party was keeping a sharp
eye on the BJP’s campaign
“that was based on neg-
ativity.. and an attempt to
communalise the situation”.
In an interview with The
Hindu, Mr. Upadhyay who
was in Delhi to consult party
vice-president Rahul Gandhi
and general secretary in
charge of the State on the
party’s strategy, said, “In the
month since the Centre an-
nounced demonetisation of
high currency notes, the
State has lost Rs. 500 crore.”
Few banks, weak internet
This was the result, he
said, of tourists making last-
CM
YK
forecasting
Chief Minister N.
Chandrababu Naidu, who
cancelled his Dubai visit to
monitor the likely impact of
Vardah, held a meeting with
ISRO scientists on Saturday.
According to oicial
sources, the State govern-
ment is getting inputs from
the ISRO through its Na-
tional Remote Sensing Cen-
tre and other wings round
the clock.
Later in a teleconference,
Mr. Naidu told oicials of
various departments that
the cyclone could cross the
coast between Sriharikota
and Chennai by Monday
evening and trigger heavy
rains in Chittoor, Kadapa
and Nellore districts. He
called upon the heads of de-
partments to be prepared to
face the contingency by
drawing on their experience
during Cyclone Hudhud two
years ago. NDRF teams have
been deployed in Sullurpet
and Tada in Nellore district.
Four IAS oicers — Mukesh
Kumar Meena, B. Sridhar, M.
Ravi Chandra and Ram Go-
pal — have been deputed as
special oicers to Prakasam,
Nellore, Chittoor and
Kadapa to handle the
situation.
misbehaved and had to be
told to leave. This angered
Lakra no end and he thrashed
and abused them later that
night. He even threatened to
murder them,” said Mr.
Tiwari.
Jeet and the others felt hu-
miliated and decided to take
revenge.
The police said that Jeet,
Sandeep and four others as-
sembled at Jeet’s house and
consumed alcohol on Sat-
urday. Around 10-30 p.m.,
they all landed at the proper-
ty dealer’s oice and confron-
ted Lakra. An argument en-
sued and Jeet allegedly
opened fire, killing Lakra on
the spot. He then fired at the
woman who was present in
the room, the police said.
Incidentally, the firearm
used in the crime was
provided to Jeet by Lakra
himself a few days ago.
Jeet and Sandeep have ar-
rested.
MPs’ panel says SC showing a ‘zeal for primacy’
KRISHNADAS RAJAGOPAL
NEW DELHI: As the Supreme
Court and the Centre difer
over the delay in appoint-
ment of judges in the High
Courts, lawmakers have for
the first time joined the fray.
They have tabled a Parlia-
mentary Standing Commit-
tee report accusing the Su-
preme Court of distorting
the original constitutional
mandate and showing an
“unnecessary zeal” for
primacy in judicial
appointments.
The report, tabled in both
Houses of Parliament, con-
cludes that the judiciary’s
zeal for primacy over the
government had led to the
“present unfortunate situ-
ation”. Nearly 43 per cent of
the approved strength of
judges in High Courts is va-
GAINING STRENGTH: Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat takes part in
the Dehradun Marathon in the capital on Sunday. — PHOTO: PTI
minute cancellations, a fall in
industrial production, even
closure of factories in Ud-
hamsinghnagar that could no
longer pay wages to workers,
who had since returned to
their own States. A combina-
tion of very few bank
branches and poor internet
connectivity meant there
was both a shortage of cash
as well as diiculties in mak-
U.S. arms technologies come closer
With Major Defence Partner status, India will be offered simplified licensing requirements
DINAKAR PERI
NEW DELHI: With U.S. designat-
ing India as a Major Defence
Partner (MDP), licensing
regulations to acquire sensit-
ive military technologies,
such as those that go into the
F-16 and F-18 fighter jets, will
be simplified.
An oicial said on Friday
that the designation “institu-
tionalises” the cooperation
achieved so far between the
two countries.
This is a unique designa-
tion conferred on India, out-
side the North Atlantic
Treaty Organisation (NATO)
countries and U.S. treaty al-
lies such as Australia and Ja-
pan.
Legal framework
Earlier this week, the U.S.
Congress passed the Na-
tional Defence Authorisa-
tion Act to enhance defence
and security cooperation
with India. Defence Minister
Ramos-Horta pleads for J&K peace Zero import duty on
KALLOL BHATTACHERJEE
NEW DELHI: A global peace icon
has called upon India to al-
low the U.N. Military Ob-
server Group in India and
Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to
play a role in de-escalating
tension over the Kashmir is-
sue. Jose Ramos-Horta, who
won the 1996 Nobel Peace
Prize for his role in resolving
the violence in East Timor,
said that reducing India-
Pakistan military tension
would be diicult in the ab-
sence of impartial military
observers even as he urged
both India and Pakistan to
address the “aspirations” of
the Kashmiri people.
“The conflict over Kash-
mir is an absurdity or relic of
the past. However, we at the
high-level panel for U.N.
peacekeeping studied this
and other conflicts in Sinai
and Cyprus, and felt impar-
tial military observers prob-
ably form the only mecha-
nism that can separate the
two forces of India and
Pakistan. If there is nothing
in between [India and
Pakistan], then there can be
escalation,” said Mr. Ramos-
Horta who is visiting India to
cant. The draft Memor-
andum of Procedure for judi-
cial appointments has been
in limbo for almost a year.
The Parliamentary Stand-
ing Committee on Person-
nel, Public Grievance, Law
and Justice, headed by Con-
gress leader Anand Sharma,
has directly contradicted the
Supreme Court’s judgment
on the National Judicial Ap-
pointments Committee
(NJAC) law, which upheld
the concept of judicial
primacy.
Shared responsibility
In fact, the committee
recommends that the
original constitutional posi-
tion on judicial appoint-
ments be brought back. The
appointment of High Court
judges is “essentially” an ex-
ecutive function and a
ing digital transactions, Mr.
Upadhyay said.
The negative impact of de-
monetisation would also be a
major focus, the PCC chief
said: “Initially, people were
happy because they believed
that the rich and corrupt
would be hit. But now,
gradually, the mood is chan-
ging as the poor have begun
to realise that it is they who
NEWS
MORE AIR POWER: Boeing and Lockheed have submitted proposals to build F-18 and F-16 fighter
jets in India. Photo shows an F-16 taking off during an air show. — FILE PHOTO: AP
Manohar Parrikar and U.S.
Defence Secretary Ashton
Carter agreed on the provi-
sions of the designation in
New Delhi on Thursday.
President Barack Obama has
to sign the Bill into a law.
This comes at a time when
India is considering
Jose Ramos-Horta
participate in the child
slavery abolition pro-
gramme of an NGO.
‘No mandate’
India in 2014 had asked
UNMOGIP to wind up its
work in Kashmir and earlier
this year the External Afairs
Ministry spokesperson had
reiterated that the UNMO-
GIP did not have the man-
date to monitor the situation
in Kashmir.
Mr. Ramos-Horta said
there was no substitute to
dialogue to de-escalate ten-
sion over Kashmir and urged
India and Pakistan to address
the aspirations of the Kash-
miri people.
Standing committee
feels appointment of
High Court judges
is ‘essentially’ an
executive function
shared responsibility of the
government and the judi-
ciary.
“The distortion in the
original mandate of the
Constitution arising from
the judgments of the apex
court in the Second Judges
Case and subsequent cases
needs to be reversed and the
original constitutional posi-
tion needs to be respected in
letter and in spirit, for which
the government may take ap-
propriate measures,” the
committee recommended.
The committee had taken
suo motu cognisance of the
are the ones who are ad-
versely afected.”
Acknowledging that the
toppling efort by the BJP
had weakened the Congress,
Mr. Upadhyay said in the
months since, there had been
a concerted attempt to
strengthen the party and
make it work unitedly.
The BJP was trying to
make corruption an issue
against the Congress, but he
said the Congress would cite
in its campaign the many
cases of corruption in the
BJP-ruled States of Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan and
Chattisgarh.
Char Dham a success
The Congress, he said,
would focus on its achieve-
ments such as the successful
and uninterrupted Char
Dham Yatra this year in
which 15 lakh people par-
ticipated. “We were able to
recover from the natural
disaster of 2013 when parts of
the State were devastated.”
proposals for a new fighter
aircraft to be built under the
“Make in India” initiative, in
significant numbers, with
technology transfer. U.S.
aerospace majors Boeing
and Lockheed have submit-
ted proposals to build their
F-18 and F-16 fighter jets.
Nobel laureate says
UNMOGIP must be
allowed back as a
buffer between India
and Pakistan
“There is no substitute to
direct dialogue between In-
dia and Pakistan, and both
sides should try to de-escal-
ate the situation in Kashmir.
And as major regional
powers, they should address
the aspirations of the people
in Kashmir,” he said.
Priority issues
Mr. Ramos-Horta, howev-
er, explained that addressing
the “aspiration of the people”
does not mean support to
separatism. “In this
contemporary age where
borders are often irrelevant
due to globalisation and con-
tinuous movement of peo-
ple, there can be other op-
tions to deal with the
Kashmir issue. For example
you can address the priority
issues at the beginning and
then go into finding out what
went wrong all these years
that has created this tension
on the ground,” he said, in-
“sad state of afairs” caused
by the “inordinate delay in
filling the vacancies in the
Supreme Court and High
Courts”. The report may act
as a trigger for kick-starting
legislative eforts to over-
come the impact of the Su-
preme Court’s October 16,
2015 judgment scrapping the
NJAC law.
The committee said the
Constitution’s makers be-
lieved that only an equal in-
volvement of multiple con-
stitutional authorities in
judicial appointments would
mould an independent judi-
ciary. On this, the committee
quotes Dr. B.R. Ambedkar,
who said: “After all, the Chief
Justice is a man with all the
failings, all the sentiments
and all the prejudices which
we as common people have”.
It refers to how the Su-
Boarding a train of fun, forgetting
PEERZADA ASHIQ
SRINAGAR: For Kashmir’s
turmoil-marred children,
the journey promises
peace and fun. A free train
service launched for
students on Sunday aims to
create a recreational space
for the youngsters trapped
in their homes as the Valley
staggered through violence
in the past five months.
Clapping to famous
Kashmiri songs and
rhymes along with
students, Chief Minister
Mehbooba Mufti flagged
of the exclusive service for
children from the volatile
Qazigund area in Anantnag
district. The train will ply
between Banihal in south
Kashmir and Baramulla in
the north on alternate
Sundays.
“The aim is to create a
recreational space for the
children. They have faced
Saab of Sweden has done so
for Gripen.
“The MDP eases [the
process of] licensing for mil-
itary and dual-use items. It
streamlines the process and
reduces India’s licensing re-
quirements,” another oicial
said.
dicating at a resolution pack-
age for Kashmir.
He cautioned about the
possibility of terrorism and
extremism if old crises like
Kashmir and the Rohingya
issue between Myanmar and
Bangladesh were not re-
solved. However, he says
world peace has not bene-
fited from Nobel Peace prize
laureates like Bishop Des-
mond Tutu, Dalai Lama and
himself as states should do
the needful to address the
rise of fundamentalism and
terrorism all over the world.
However, the biggest
danger to peace, he said, was
from demagogues who were
harvesting people’s lack of
understanding of serious
global issues.
“Rapid flow of informa-
tion is creating opinion
without understanding
which is in turn exploited by
the figures like Nigel Farage
of U.K. to mislead people.
This sort of quick opinion-
making will not help build
peace. In fact, Mr. Farage is
worse than a second hand
car salesman,” he said, em-
phasising the danger that
demagogues pose to world
peace.
preme Court itself, in the
NJAC judgment, had con-
cluded that the Collegium
system lacked transparency.
The committee noted that
both the Supreme Court col-
legium and the government
reject names of judges
without showing any cogent
reasons. “Such practices are
against the principles of nat-
ural justice... the Committee
feels that Glasnost in the
process of appointment of
judges is the need of the
hour.”
The parliamentary report
may also have hinted that the
NJAC judgment was not
heard by a suicient quorum
of judges. It recommended
that the Supreme Court
ought to set up a Bench of a
minimum 11 judges while de-
ciding the validity of a con-
stitutional amendment.
SMILES ARE BACK: J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti
interacts with schoolchildren in the train that was flagged
off at Qazigund in Anantnag on Sunday. — PHOTO: NISSAR AHMAD
the worst of times. The
train can accommodate
over 500 students.
Students up to Class 8 will
get a chance to explore the
landscape and people of
the State,” State Education
Minister Nayeem Akhtar
told The Hindu.
THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016
A senior oicial of the
Pentagon, with experience in
defence acquisition and
technology, will be desig-
nated to expedite matters for
India. However, the status
will not help circumvent
multilateral control regimes.
Oicials said the designa-
tion was envisaged as a way
to bring India on the same
level as the U.S. treaty allies,
in the absence of a formal
treaty between the two
countries.
Oicials have expressed
confidence that the progress
achieved under initiatives
such as the Defence Techno-
logy Trade Initiative (DTTI)
and the India Rapid Reaction
Cell (IRRC) in the Pentagon
would continue in the next
U.S. administration as it is
now enshrined in the U.S.
law. India and the U.S. are ex-
pected to announce a major
new project under the DTTI.
An oicial said it would be
announced by year-end.
wheat will lead to
dumping: Unions
VIKAS VASUDEVA
CHANDIGARH: Farmers’ unions
and agriculture experts are
anguished over the Centre’s
decision to scrap the import
duty on wheat as they fear
that farmers’ income will be
afected and they will have to
resort to distress sale during
the rabi season.
The All India Kisan Sabha
said government agencies
had failed to procure wheat
at the minimum support
price (MSP), and without an
adequate number of open
purchasing centres, farmers
are forced to sell their crop at
lower prices.
“The decision of scrap-
ping the import duty ahead
of the winter wheat crop is
aimed at helping agri-busi-
nesses by dumping wheat
from foreign countries in In-
dia,” AIKS president Amra
Ram said.
He said that big players in
the wheat flour market had
been demanding withdrawal
of the duty, and this move
was to suit their interests.
The Centre recently an-
nounced zero import duty
from the prevailing 10 per
cent to improve domestic
availability and check rising
prices of wheat and wheat-
based products.
“Wheat traders are ex-
pecting imports to cross five
million tonnes this year. The
cost of imported wheat
would be far below the MSP
of ongoing rabi (Rs. 16,250 a
tonne), resulting in crashing
domestic wheat prices as the
government has no efective
procurement mechanism in
many States,” he said.
Detrimental step
Nirbhay Singh, leader of
the Kirti Kisan Union in Pun-
jab, said, “With easing norms
for wheat imports, the gov-
ernment has taken a det-
rimental step towards farm-
ers’ interest. We have seen it
in every season that though
the government promises to
buy crop at the MSP, yet
The train crossed the
highly volatile areas of
Baramulla, especially
Pattan, without a hitch.
The street protests, fuelled
by the killing of Hizbul
Mujahideen militant
Burhan Wani, have
inflicted severe damage to
NOIDA/DELHI
Pawan Ruia
remanded in
CID custody
STAFF REPORTER
KOLKATA: Pawan Ruia, chair-
man of the Kolkata-based
Ruia Group, was remanded
in CID custody for 14 days by
a district court on Sunday, a
day after he was arrested by
the State’s Criminal Investig-
ation Department (CID)
from Delhi.
CID counsel said the Rail-
ways had entered into an
agreement with Jessop &
Company, part of the Ruia
group, for the construction
of seven rail wagons and paid
about Rs. 50 crore. “Howev-
er, the wagons were not sup-
plied and the amount was
also not returned,” he said.
Neither did it return the
materials supplied by Steel
Authority of India Limited
(SAIL) and Bharat Heavy
Electricals Limited (BHEL).
Counsel said that during
an inspection of the Jessop
factory, some materials were
found to be set on fire in a bid
to tamper with evidence.
Farmers will be forced to sell
their harvest at lower prices,
say agriculture experts
farmers sell their produce in
distress at a lower price for
various reasons,” he said.
Agriculture experts also
expressed concern over the
Centre’s decision and appre-
hended that the move could
badly hurt farmers’ income.
“The government has
been saying that wheat sow-
ing has not been impacted by
demonetisation and the area
of cultivation has increased.
If the area has actually in-
creased, and there are no
other indications that wheat
production will be down in
the ongoing season, then
why is the government al-
lowing import of duty-free
wheat?” asks Ajay Jakhar,
chairman of Bharat Krishak
Samaj.
“It will lead to a drop in
wheat price by at least Rs.
250 per quintal in the open
market,” he added.
Devinder Sharma, noted
agricultural and food policy
analyst, said: “Scrapping
duty on wheat would be det-
rimental to Indian agricul-
ture. First, we did it with oil-
seeds then with pulses and
now with wheat. Importing
wheat will hurt our farmers.”
“Prices of wheat have been
going up due to the govern-
ment’s failure. But the farm-
ers should not be penalised
for that,” Mr. Sharma said.
railway infrastructure.
“I am happy to see the
smiles back on the faces of
the kids. Children need
more and more such
outings,” Ms. Mufti said.
In November, she
discussed starting of such a
free service with Union
Railway Minister Suresh
Prabhu in New Delhi.
The train will leave
Banihal at 8.15 a.m. and
reach Baramulla at 10.40
a.m., stopping at Qazigund,
Anantnag, Awantipora,
Srinagar, Budgam and
Sopore en route.
Over 10 lakh students in
Kashmir were confined to
their homes for over four
months as the Valley
witnessed long spells of
shutdowns and curfews.
Over 1,000 civilians
sustained eye injuries due
to pellet shotguns. Over 90
civilians were left dead in
protests since July.
ND-ND

NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016
Rs. 13 crore seized from Delhi firm
Joint raid by police and I-T officials detects Rs. 2.65 crore in notes of Rs. 2,000 denomination
SHUBHOMOY SIKDAR
NEW DELHI: In a search which
started late on Saturday
night and continued till
Sunday evening, oicials of
the Delhi Police and the In-
come-Tax Department
seized over Rs. 13 crore in
cash from the oice of a law
firm in South Delhi’s Greater
Kailash-I area.
The oice of the T&T law
firm is located in a multi-
storey building called
“White House”.
Of the money seized, Rs.
2.65 crore was in new Rs.
2,000 notes, raising ques-
tions of how the firm got
such a huge amount, despite
the withdrawal cap.
The firm’s promoter and
top lawyer, Rohit Tandon, is
learnt to have told investigat-
ors that the bundles of cash
recovered belonged to his
Bank Note
Press ropes in
retired staf
BHOPAL: The Bank Note
Press (BNP) at Dewas
in Madhya Pradesh has
roped in its retired
employees to speed up
printing of currency
notes.
The press, managed
by Security Printing
and Minting
Corporation of India
Ltd., is working round-
the-clock.
“The unit is working
at full capacity with the
help of retired and
experienced staf. The
first consignment of
new notes was sent to
Bhopal on December
1,” a senior oicer said
on condition of
anonymity.
Several
consignments of notes
have been sent to
Delhi, Chandigarh,
Kolkata, Guwahati,
Kanpur, Bengaluru,
Indore and Bhopal
since then. — PTI
Punjab Congress to move
court against cash crunch
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: Punjab Congress
president Amarinder Singh
has said that the party will
move court over deaths re-
lated to demonetisation, and
extended his full support to a
proposed strike by indus-
tries over the issue on
December 16.
“With 86 per cent of the
country’s currency being
pulled out of the market, the
Indian economy is col-
lapsing under the weight of
Grounded by fog, PM addresses rally via phone
OMAR RASHID
LUCKNOW: Amid his push for a
cashless economy and mo-
bile banking, a mobile phone
saved the day for Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on
Sunday after poor visibility
prevented his helicopter
from landing at Bahraich in
Uttar Pradesh where he was
scheduled to address a
Parivartan rally.
Since the IAF helicopter
was unable to land in the
dense fog at Bahraich on the
Indo-Nepal border, Mr Modi
returned to Lucknow and ad-
dressed the rally using his
mobile phone. He once again
used the instance to promote
mobile banking, saying, “You
can turn your mobile into
your bank.” He however add-
ed that learning to do so was
a slow process.
“Thank all those who
joined the Bahraich rally in
this weather & regret my in-
ability to be with the people,”
he later tweeted.
BJP State chief Keshav
Prasad Maurya held the
phone to the mircophone at
the rally venue as the Prime
Minister’s voice crackled on
it. “The Prime Minister will
try to come again to Bahraich
when his schedule and
weather allow,” Mr. Maurya,
Phulpur (Allahabad) MP, ex-
plained to the crowd.
CM
YK
CACHED NOTES: Stacks of notes found in a law firm in New Delhi
during a raid on Saturday night. — PHOTO: PTI
clients and was not black Rs. 100 notes and the remain-
money. The police said Rs. 7 ing in Rs. 50 and Rs. 500
crore was in Rs. 1,000 de- denominations.
nomination, three crore in Joint Commissioner of Po-
Show me the money
THE NEVER-ENDING WAIT: People brave the winter chill and stand in queue outside an ATM in Allahabad on Sunday. Despite
the government’s claims, most ATMs are running out of cash. — PHOTO: PTI
ult of the cash crunch. The
Punjab Congress will be
moving court over these
deaths,” he said here.
He extended support to
the strike called by the
Chamber of Industrial &
Commercial Undertakings,
Ludhiana, against demonet-
isation on December 16. The
Amarinder Singh impact of demonetisation on
the State’s industries, already
demonetisation. Around 100 in the doldrums because of
people have died standing in the Badal government’s an-
queues while thousands tagonistic policies had been
have been sufering as a res- devastating, he said.
REACHING OUT: Supporters of the BJP during the Parivartan rally organised by the party at
Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday. — PHOTO: PTI
In his short address, the Promoting mobile
PM stressed his govern-
ment’s commitment towards
banking, Narendra
the poor and lashed out at Modi said, “You can
opponents over their turn your mobile into
continued protest over de-
monetisation and stalling the your bank”
sessions of Parliament. “You must have noticed
how Parliament is not being
‘Discarded’ parties allowed to function. We are
Parties “discarded” by the ready for a debate on demon-
electorate were not allowing etisation... we want to put
Parliament to function and forth the government’s view-
the government to present point. But they come to the
its view on the issue, he said. Well of the House and throw
Mr. Modi reiterated that he papers at the Speaker...they
was ready for “a debate” on are not allowing us to do so,”
demonetisation. Mr. Modi said, referring to
NEWS
lice (Crime) Ravindra Yadav
said: “Only the caretaker was
present when we raided the
premises. We recovered two
currency counting ma-
chines. Further investigation
will be undertaken by the I-T
Department.”
The joint team entered the
oice around 9.30 p.m.
“There was initial re-
sistance but we told the car-
etaker that we had come to
check whether there was any
unaccounted-for cash on the
premises,” Mr. Yadav said.
Notes found in bathroom
The caretaker told them
that cash was kept in separ-
ate rooms on the ground
floor.
“Upon checking, we found
bundles of Rs. 500, 1,000 and
100, along with the new cur-
rency, ” he said.
Money, it is alleged, was
Shah asks BJP lawmakers to reveal bank transactions
NISTULA HEBBAR
NEW DELHI: The BJP’s law-
makers — members of Par-
liament and the State legis-
latures — will have to
undertake an exercise
closely resembling an annual
income-tax declaration,
thanks to demonetisation.
A letter from BJP
president Amit Shah, with an
attached form (available
with The Hindu), has made
its way into the inboxes of
the MPs, MLAs and MLCs,
asking for details of their
banking transactions from
November 9 to December 30.
the Opposition. Mr. Modi as-
sured the people that his gov-
ernment was stepping up the
heat on the corrupt and
those who have stashed
black money and said they
would be behind bars in the
next three-four months.
While referring to the dis-
ruptions faced by the people
due to demonetisation, Mr.
Modi acknowledged the
“pain” they were going
through to ensure that the
country moves towards de-
velopment. “Ours is a gov-
ernment of the poor and for
the welfare of poor,” he said.
found stufed in cupboards,
trunks and even inside a
bathroom.
The search continued till
Sunday evening when Mr.
Tandon arrived and was
quizzed. The agencies are
probing whether shell com-
panies had been used to
route funds.
Nearly two months ago,
there were reports that when
the tax department searched
the premises of Mr. Tandon it
had found documents re-
lated to Rs. 19 crore in unac-
counted money, which had
been kept as fixed deposit in
a bank.
There were also reports of
him declaring unaccounted
income of over Rs. 125 crore,
taking even the I-T oicials
by surprise.
Mr. Tandon was unreach-
able when The Hindu tried
to contact him.
The one-page form asks
for the amount of cash de-
posited in banks or post of-
fices, notes exchanged, and
the details and nature of all
accounts.
The members have been
asked to disclose the source
from which these deposits
(whether personal savings or
other sources) have been
financed.
The same information is
asked for in cases of ex-
change of old currency for
new.
The form seeks informa-
tion on transactions “in re-
spect of member or his/her
For the development of
U.P., Mr. Modi said the for-
mula was to rid it of poverty
and goonda raj — in an ap-
parent dig at the law and or-
der problems under the
present SP government and
its patronage to hooliganism.
He also said the SP and BSP,
despite their diferences,
were speaking in the “same
voice” against demonetisa-
tion as both parties were fa-
cing hardship due to the
move.
“I cannot understand what
problem the SP and the BSP
have due to our fight against
blackmoney,” the Prime
Minister said.
Mayawati’s reply
BSP chief Mayawati re-
sponded to Mr Modi, saying
that by blaming the Opposi-
tion parties, he was running
away from his “responsibil-
ity and accountability.”
“For the country’s PM and
the leader of a party that en-
joys a majority in the LS,
such attempts at shedding
tears to sway over people is
not dignified,” Ms. Mayawati
said, dubbing Mr. Modi’s
claim a “self-indictment”.
She said though 90 per
cent of the Indians were
gravely afected by demonet-
isation, Mr. Modi was refus-
ing to listen to any questions,
in or outside Parliament.
Reading demonetisation
at a book exhibition
SUVOJIT BAGCHI
KOLKATA: After walking half
a kilometre, past 50 stalls
with makeshift wooden
racks, not even one person
buying a book could be
sighted. Most of the
visitors gathered in front
of a giant stage on the
other side of the sprawling
premises, watching a local
version of Dance India
Dance.
In this book fair at
Bangur in North 24
Parganas, one of the many
held in the run-up to the
Kolkata International
Book Fair in January, such
dance numbers were
drawing more crowds than
the book stalls.
Time running out
At the centre of the fair,
sitting in one of the stalls, a
middle-aged man was
looking at his watch.
Chandan Kumar Dutta,
manager of Naya Udyog, a
Kolkata-based publisher,
said that till 7 p.m. on
Friday, they sold just one
book — at Rs. 145. “In 2014,
we sold nearly 5,000 a day,”
he said. Other publishers
said that Mr. Dutta was
“lucky” to have sold one
this time.
This unorganised sector
employs about 1.5 million
people directly in Bengal,
according to Publishers
and Booksellers Guild,
which organises such book
fairs in Kolkata and the
districts. Fairs start at the
beginning of December
and continue through the
winter. But the
booksellers, publishers
and stall owners are failing
to recover the cost, said
Tridib Chatterjee, the
general secretary of the
guild.
“When we sent the form
of intent [for Kolkata Fair]
in September, there was a
huge response as during
every year. But it was
much before the
demonetisation,” said Mr.
Chatterjee, who owns one
of the robust publishing
houses on College Street,
Amit Shah
spouse or by any of his/her
dependent children who
have no separate means and
are fully dependent on the
member”.
ICAI withdraws
controversial order
NEW DELHI: After facing criti-
cism, the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of
India has withdrawn a con-
troversial order to its mem-
bers against making public
“negative personal views” on
demonetisation. The “advis-
ory”, a copy of which was
purportedly published on
the ICAI’s website, invoked
“the spirit of the ICAI —
partner in nation building”.
It has now been pulled from
the website. — PTI
NO BUYERS: Booksellers, publishers and stall owners at the
book fair at Bangur in North 24 Parganas are failing to
recover the cost. — PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
the book hub of Bengal. In
all, 700 publishers
participated in last year’s
Kolkata International
Book Fair, while around
1,500 applied this year.
Stalls that sold
5,000 books a day
last time find it
lucky if they can
sell just one
“But till they return the
forms and confirm
participation … we may
not know how many
[publishers] will
participate,” said Mr.
Chatterjee. If the fair is
stopped, then it would be
for the first time in its
40-year-old history that it
will be halted.
“It may not be halted,
but we cannot guess the
size and turnover,” Mr.
Chatterjee said.
‘Multiple’ interests
For big and small
publishers and
booksellers, the Kolkata
fair is somewhat like what
the Academy Awards are
for the actors.
The chief of one of the
top-end bookstores of
Kolkata said, on condition
of anonymity, that book
traders associated with the
fair for “multiple” business
interests.
“For a big seller it is
At the BJP’s parliamentary
party meeting on November
30, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi asked party legislators
to undertake this exercise
and set a cut-of date of Janu-
ary 1 for all declarations to be
in.
This was in reaction to the
Opposition’s accusation that
BJP leaders had been in the
know of the demonetisation
decision and had laundered
cash holdings.
Interest of probity
“The honourable Prime
Minister had requested all
legislators to furnish details
| 13
more of promoting the
brand, while for the top-
and low-end Bengali
publishers, the Kolkata fair
is about sales through
counter. They sell nearly
as much of what they sell
throughout the year,” he
said.
Perhaps, a good reason
for smaller publishers
such as Setu to put up a
stall in the Kolkata fair.
“It is about selling our
brand and books, both, in
the Kolkata fair and thus
we will participate, even if
we are gasping now,”
Subrata Das, owner of
Setu, said.
Mr. Das said nearly all
payments were made in
cash by the small
publishers, creating the
problem. “We receive cash
from the booksellers and
pay the printer,
proofreader, binder or
even writers in cash,” he
said.
The unavailability of
cash crippled the industry.
Mr. Chatterjee said that his
counter sales dropped
from “five to six lakh a
month to a mere 60,000”
last month.
“Can’t blame the readers
as they need to buy daily
consumables before they
buy books,” said
Subhankar Dey of Dey’s
Publishing, another top-
end publishing house of
College Street.
of their accounts while talk-
ing of political probity. You,
too, have to encourage elec-
tronic exchange,” Mr. Shah’s
letter says.
Senior MPs confirmed
that they had received the
form and were “collating in-
formation”.
“There is no question of
not providing the informa-
tion, but we will wait for the
last date,” said one Lok Sabha
member.
BJP sources say that larger
declarations and deposits of
cash will help the party dis-
pel the perception that it was
in the know of the decision.
ND-ND
14 |
Mao Zedong’s birthplace emerges
as a hotspot of ‘red tourism’
ATUL ANEJA
SHAOSHAN (CENTRAL CHINA): At
the base of the abundantly
green Mount Shaofeng is
Shaoshan village — the
birthplace of Mao Zedong —
where ‘red tourism’ thrives,
channelling ideological fer-
vour into a commercial suc-
cess story. On any given day,
long queues of tourists move
towards the ticket windows,
their first stop leading to a
traditional home of modest
peasant aluence, one where
Mao was born and spent his
early years.
Mao’s ancestral home has
become a site for oicial pil-
grimage. Seven years after
the Great Helmsman’s death,
Mao’s successor, Deng
Xiaoping, placed a wooden
plaque at the entrance of the
house. It simply read: “Com-
rade Mao Zedong’s former
residence.” Today, with the
plaque in frame, visitors use
their camera phones to cap-
ture pictures of the site,
which is located within a
sprawling complex of build-
ings and open spaces — all
constructed to honour
‘Chairman Mao’.
Peasant lifestyle
Mao’s ancestral residence
comprises 13 rooms. The
concave-shaped structure,
built in traditional Tam Chai
style, has family photo-
graphs, including those of
Mao’s parents. Mao’s father,
Mao Yichang, and mother,
Wen Qimei, are buried at a
nearby hillock, which in it-
self has become an open-air
memorial, where visitors
make generous oferings of
bouquets and flowers.
Mao’s residence also
demonstrates the family’s
peasant lifestyle manifested,
for instance, in the presence
of a storehouse, which is
stocked with farm imple-
ments such as hoes, shoulder
poles and buckets.
Not far from the house, a
giant bronze statue of Mao is
Turkey mourns Istanbul blast victims
ISTANBUL: Turkey declared a
day of national mourning on
Sunday, after two bombs
killed 29 people and
wounded 166 others in a co-
ordinated attack on police
outside a soccer stadium in
Istanbul after a match be-
tween two top teams.
The blasts on Saturday
night — a car bomb outside
the Vodafone Arena, home to
Istanbul’s Besiktas soccer
team followed by a suicide
bomb attack in an adjacent
park less than a minute later
Italy’s ex-Foreign Minister named PM
ROME: Paolo Gentiloni was
named on Sunday as Italy’s
new Prime Minister follow-
ing reformist leader Matteo
Renzi’s resignation in the
wake of a crushing ref-
erendum defeat.
Mr. Gentiloni, who served
as Foreign Minister under
Mr. Renzi, was asked by
President Sergio Mattarella
to form a new Centre-Left
government that will guide
Italy to elections due by Feb-
ruary 2018.
In a brief statement, Mr.
Gentiloni said there was an
“urgent need for a fully func-
tioning government” to ad-
dress a series of pressing in-
ISI head removed
by Pakistan’s
new Army chief
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s new
Army chief General Qamar
Javed Bajwa on Sunday re-
moved the head of the coun-
try’s spy agency Inter-Ser-
vices Intelligence (ISI) as
part of a major reshule.
Gen. Bajwa, who took over
from Gen. Raheel Sharif two
weeks ago, however, did not
name Lt. Gen. Rizwan
Akhtar’s successor.
Lt. Gen. Akhtar has been
appointed president of the
National Defence University
(NDU), the Army said in a
statement.
Later, Dawn newspaper
reported Inter-Services Pub-
lic Relations (ISPR), ISI’s
media wing, as telling that Lt.
Gen. Naveed Mukhtar will
replace Lt. Gen. Akhtar as the
ISI head —PTI
CM
YK
THE HELMSMAN’S HOME: Tourists at the entrace of Mao Zedong’s home in Shaoshan; (right)
a photograph of Mao on display at a memorial museum there and (below) a bronze statue of
the late leader at a factory in the city. — PHOTOS: ATUL ANEJA, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, REUTERS
also a big draw. The iconic
structure rises to an impress-
ive height to 10.1 meters.
Thousands everyday throng
to the place to ofer flowers
and pay their respects. Stone
engravings bearing Mao’s
poems that line the vast peri-
meter around the statue
sharpen the focus on China’s
revolutionary roots.
At the square, Mao’s ex-
cesses during the Cultural
Revolution of the sixties and
seventies, and the preceding
‘Great Leap forward’, when
millions died, are largely for-
gotten, or overshadowed by
his perceived achievements.
“Without Mao we would not
have got our freedom. He
laid the foundations of our
modern nation,” says Bang
Shein Liu, a regular visitor to
Shaoshan. A visit to the Mao
Zedong Memorial Museum,
visible from the statue area,
is also part of the time ma-
chine, which enlivens the
Maoist-era — still resonating
powerfully in contemporary
China, during the presidency
of Xi Jinping.
In close proximity is also
the famous Mao Zedong Lib-
rary — a vast collection
120,000 items, including
newspapers and journals
that the former leader read,
— shook a soccer-mad na-
tion still trying to recover
from a series of deadly
bombing this year in cities
including Istanbul and the
capital Ankara.
Prime Minister Binali
Yildirim ordered flags flown
at half mast to commemorate
the victims, state-run Anad-
olu Agency said.
President Tayyip Erdogan
cancelled a planned trip to
Kazakhstan, his oice said.
Mr. Erdogan described the
blasts as a terrorist attack on
Paolo Gentiloni— PHOTO: AFP
ternational, economic and
social issues.
Chief among those is a
looming crisis in the
troubled banking sector and
How ‘islands of honesty’ can crush corruption
AMANDA TAUB
F
or more than a year, a
global mystery has
been growing: Why
are so many govern-
ments around the world col-
lapsing amid corruption
scandals?
Attention is focused on
South Korea, where the Par-
liament voted on Friday to
impeach President Park
Geun-hye.
Beneath the specifics, the
story is familiar: a corruption
scandal rocks a nation, reac-
hing the highest levels of
government and provoking a
political crisis.
It has been a common tale
in recent years. In Brazil, for
instance, the so-called ‘car-
wash’ scandal implicated
much of the country’s gov-
erning class and led indir-
ectly to the impeachment of
former President Dilma
his various manuscripts,
well-known pamphlets, and
monographs of his distilled
thoughts.
In tune with Maoist Chi-
na’s evolution, ‘Building
No.1’ at what is called Water
Dripping Cave in the
Shaoshan complex ofers a
fascinating peek into the
Chairman’s mind, especially
his concerns regarding the
physical survival of the
Chinese leadership in case of
a nuclear attack or a devas-
tating natural calamity. The
presence of an earthquake-
proof room, as well as an
atomic shelter inside the
building, demonstrates
Mao’s fixation with surviv-
ability.
“A deep security con-
sciousness is part of the
Chinese political culture. It
can be seen in the form of the
Great Wall, or in Mao’s nu-
police and civilians.
He said the aim of the
bombings, two hours after
the end of a match attended
by thousands of people, had
been to cause the maximum
number of casualties.
A Kurdish militant group,
Kurdistan Freedom Falcons
(TAK), on Sunday claimed
responsibility for the attack.
The group is seen as an
splinter group of the Kur-
distan Workers Party (PKK),
said the pro-PKK Firat news
agency. — Reuters, AFP
ongoing relief eforts after a
series of deadly earthquakes
between August and
October.
‘Not by choice’
Mr. Mattarella turned to
Mr. Gentiloni after Opposi-
tion parties rebufed over-
tures about a possible na-
tional unity government.
The President rejected op-
position demands for an im-
mediate election.
“Not by choice but out of a
sense of responsibility I will
be forming a government
based on the outgoing major-
ity,” Mr. Gentiloni said. —
AFP
POLITICAL CRISES: Governments are collapsing amid corruption
cases. Impeached S. Korean President Park Geun-hye and
(right) ex-Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. — PHOTOS: AP, AFP
Roussef in August. South
Africa seems to be heading
in the same direction after it
was revealed that President
Jacob Zuma misused public
funds, prompting calls for his
ouster. And in Argentina,
former President Cristina
Fernández de Kirchner and
four oicials from her party
were indicted in August on
corruption charges. The cav-
alcade of scandals can make
WORLD
His heritage has
emerged as a major
money-spinner for
locals in the city
of Shaoshan
clear shelter,” says a
Communist Party oicial,
who does not wish to be
named.
Mao’s heritage has
emerged as a major money-
spinner among the locals. It
is estimated that before Mr.
Xi’s recent austerity mea-
sures came into efect, an-
nual sales of Mao’s carry-
away bronze statues used to
bring locals a revenue of sev-
eral million dollars.
A restaurant chain of over
400 eateries across China is
also attributed to Shaoshan.
Tang Ruiren, the octogen-
arian owner of the enter-
prise, has been quoted as say-
ing that a picture with
Chairman Mao when he
visited her home during a
1959 trip to Shaoshan
triggered the idea of starting
the restaurant business.
Years later, that photograph
became the icon of “Mao
Family,” her restaurant chain,
which continues to rake in a
considerable fortune.
Amid Aleppo gains, regime loses Palmyra
ALEPPO/AMMAN: The Syrian
Army and its allies made new
gains in Aleppo on Sunday,
forcing rebels back into an
ever shrinking pocket
crammed with civilians, but
lost control of the desert city
of Palmyra to a swift Islamic
State (IS) attack.
Final victory in Aleppo,
Syria’s biggest city before the
civil war, would constitute
the biggest triumph yet for
President Bashar Al-Assad
and his coalition of Russian
air power, Iran and Shia
militias.
New Army gains on
Sunday south of Aleppo’s
historic citadel in the be-
sieged insurgent pocket ap-
peared to bring that end clos-
er, with a rebel oicial saying
world powers seemed to be
presenting rebels with a
choice of “death or
surrender”.
Was recaptured in March
But the Islamic State (IS)
attack on Palmyra, 200 km to
the southeast, threatens to
inflict a serious blow on both
Damascus and Moscow,
which had trumpeted their
capture of the ancient city
from the jihadist group in
March.
Syrian state radio reported
on Sunday that the Army had
it seem like the world’s poli-
ticians have suddenly be-
come greedier en masse.
But focusing on individual
wrongdoing is misleading,
said Raymond Fisman, a pro-
fessor of behavioural
economics at Boston Uni-
versity who studies systemic
corruption, which occurs
when the corruption is so
widespread and severe that it
becomes an integral part of a
Trump could pick Exxon chief
Tillerson as Secretary of State
He has close ties to Moscow, has driven his company’s expansion in Russia
WASHINGTON: ExxonMobil
president and CEO Rex
Tillerson is President-elect
Donald Trump’s likely pick
for Secretary of State, U.S.
media reported on Saturday,
with some lawmakers
quickly voicing concerns
about his ties to Russian
leader Vladimir Putin.
Mr. Tillerson (64) has ex-
tensive experience in inter-
national negotiations, over-
seeing his oil company’s
activities in more than 50
countries. His links to Russia
could be problematic with
Moscow facing renewed
scrutiny in Washington.
Mr. Trump has already de-
cided on Mr. Tillerson, ac-
cording to NBC News, citing
two unnamed sources close
to the transition process.
They cautioned, however,
that nothing was final until
Mr. Trump makes the oicial
announcement, likely next
week. Other media outlets,
including CBS News and
The Wall Street Journal, de-
scribed Mr. Tillerson as the
leading candidate for the job
of top U.S. diplomat.
Businessman as diplomat
Former UN Ambassador
John Bolton will be Mr.
Tillerson’s Deputy Secretary
of State “for day-to-day man-
agement of the department”,
NBC News added, citing one
unnamed source.
Asked in an interview with
Fox News why it makes
sense to appoint a business-
man as the nation’s top diplo-
mat, Mr. Trump said Mr.
Tillerson is “much more
than a business executive”.
“He does massive deals in
Russia. He does massive
deals for the company, not
for himself, for the com-
pany,” the President-elect
said.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Tiller-
son met for more than two
RE-ENTRY OF IS: Jihadists firing at Syrian troops north of
Palmyra city, in Homs, Syria. — PHOTO: AP
evacuated its positions in-
side Palmyra, whose Roman-
era ruins have become an
emblem of the nearly six-
year conflict. They were re-
deploying around the city in
the face of large jihadist rein-
forcements after Moscow
said its jets had killed hun-
dreds of militants.
Islamic State’s advance
around Palmyra on
Thursday and seizure of the
city centre on Sunday
despite its months of losses
elsewhere showed how far
Mr. Assad is from regaining
control of Syria, even as he
stands on the cusp of victory
in Aleppo.
Heavy shelling and air
raids pounded Aleppo’s
Investigating
institutions have
broken free of corrupt
systems and held
leaders to account
country’s economic and po-
litical life. Once systemic
corruption takes hold, he ex-
plained, it can quickly infect
an entire system, encour-
aging or even forcing bad be-
haviour. Seen through that
lens, experts say, the recent
scandals may be cautiously
good news. They show that
prosecutors and other insti-
tutions have managed to
break free of those systems
and hold their leaders to ac-
count — with overwhelming
public support for that ac-
countability when they do.
Once a corrupt equilib-
rium is in place, experts say,
it cannot be stopped until
FRIEND OF RUSSIA: Rex Tillerson, chairman of Exxon Mobil, with
Russian leader Vladimir Putin. — FILE PHOTO: AP
hours on Saturday in Trump
Tower, The New York Times
reported, adding that chief
strategist Stephen Bannon
and son-in-law Jared Kush-
ner told the President-elect
the Exxon chief is in a “difer-
ent league” from other
candidates.
If he is oicially nomi-
nated, Mr. Tillerson can ex-
pect sharp questioning dur-
ing confirmation hearings in
the U.S. Senate. Senator Bob
Menendez, a Democrat and
senior member of the
Foreign Relations Commit-
tee, slammed the idea of Mr.
Tillerson as Secretary of
State as “alarming and ab-
surd”. On the Republican
side, Senator John McCain
expressed “concerns” over
Mr. Tillerson’s links to Mr.
Putin, whom the Senator
called “a thug and a mur-
derer”. Mr. Tillerson was
awarded Russia’s Order of
Friendship by Mr. Putin fol-
lowing several years of Ex-
xon projects in the country,
including a deal to work with
state-controlled oil company
Rosneft, reports said. — AFP
rebel enclave from midnight
on Saturday and throughout
Sunday morning, a Reuters
reporter in the city said, with
explosions at a rate of more
than one a minute. Gunfire
was also heard.
Russian and U.S. oicials
were meeting in Geneva on
Sunday for more talks on an
elusive deal for civilians and
fighters to leave the city, dip-
lomats said, but the rebel of-
ficial said the Aleppo insur-
gents had had no word yet on
their progress.
Thousands of refugees are
still pouring from Aleppo’s
areas of fighting. The Syrian
Observatory for Human
Rights, a war monitoring
group, said more than
public trust in the govern-
ment’s institutions and lead-
ers is restored. That is why
the investigations that have
led to scandals in South
Korea, Brazil, and elsewhere
are so significant.
When prosecutors or
other oicials gain enough
independence to investigate
corrupt oicials, that can be-
gin to disrupt the corrupt
equilibrium.
“I call them ‘islands of
honesty,'” Christoph Stefes, a
professor of political science
at the University of Col-
orado, said. Such investiga-
tions are not suicient on
their own to eradicate cor-
ruption, he said. “But they
certainly can make a difer-
ence as soon as they start
spreading, especially when
they can connect with civil
society.” — New York Times
News Service
THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016
“CIA’s conclusion on
Russian role ridiculous”
WASHINGTON: President-elect
Donald Trump rejected the CIA’s
reported conclusion that Russia
intervened to help him win the
U.S. election, saying in an
interview broadcast on Sunday
that the idea is “ridiculous”.
“I think it’s just another
excuse. I don’t believe it,” Mr.
Trump said in an interview with
Fox News Sunday recorded on
Friday. “I think it's ridiculous,” Mr.
Trump said.
Cyber-intrusion claims
U.S. intelligence had
previously linked Russia to leaks
of damaging e-mail from
Democratic candidate Hillary
Clinton’s campaign but saw it as
a broad bid to undermine
confidence in the U.S. political
process. On Friday, however, The
Washington Post reported that
the CIA has concluded that the
aim of the cyber-intrusions was
to help Mr. Trump win the
election.
Army forced to
evacuate positions
in Palmyra, redeploy
due to jihadist
reinforcements
120,000 civilians had left the
eastern part of the city as the
government advance closed
in, but that tens of thousands
remained.
The Turkey-based oicial
from the Jabha Shamiya rebel
group, which is present in
Aleppo, said that the insur-
gents’ enclave was reduced
to a narrow strip that was full
of civilians and under very
fierce bombardment.
Without external inter-
vention, the struggle would
end badly, the oicial said:
“The result will certainly be
a complete end of the dis-
trict, in a tragic way.”
The mostly Sunni rebels
include groups supported by
the United States, Turkey
and Gulf monarchies, but
also some jihadist factions
that receive no assistance
from the West.
The Army seized the al-
Maadi district on Sunday
morning before rebels were
able to return and continue
fighting there, said the Jabha
Shamiya oicial. — Reuters
Woman joins Pak. bomb disposal squad
PESHAWAR: A 29-year-old
woman from Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa has become
the first Pakistani woman to
join the Bomb Disposal Unit
Iran signs deal to buy 80 Boeing planes
TEHRAN: Iran Air finalised a
contract to buy 80 planes
from Boeing, the U.S.
aerospace firm confirmed on
Sunday, as it seeks to renew
its ageing fleet despite
sanctions.
Boeing said the contract
— Iran’s first deal with a U.S.
aviation firm since the 1979
Islamic revolution — was
NOIDA/DELHI
“Not bound by
One-China policy
unconditionally”
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump
questioned whether the U.S. had
to be bound by its long-standing
position that Taiwan is part of
‘One China’ and brushed aside
Beijing’s concerns about his
decision to accept a phone call
from Taiwan’s President. “I fully
understand the ‘One China
policy’, but I don’t know why we
have to be bound by [it] unless
we make a deal with China
having to do with other things,
including trade,” he said on an
interview. — Reuters
Mr. Trump dismissed the
reports as an attempt by
Democrats to excuse their
election loss. He said there was
“great confusion” within the
intelligence agencies, whom he
portrayed as fighting among
themselves. “Nobody really
knows. And hacking is very
interesting. Once they hack, if
you don’t catch them in the act,
you’re not going to catch them.
They have no idea if it’s Russia or
China or somebody,” he said.
Mr. Trump, who has eschewed
traditional daily intelligence
briefings, suggested he intends
to bring in his own people to lead
the spy agencies once he
assumes office. “We’re going to
have different people coming in
because we have our people,
they have their people. And I
have great respect for them. But
if you read the stories, the
various stories, they’re disputing.
And certain groups don’t
necessarily agree.” — AFP
160 killed
after Nigerian
church collapse
WARRI (NIGERIA): Metal girders
and the roof of a crowded
church collapsed onto wor-
shippers in southern Nigeria,
killing at least 160 people
with the toll likely to rise, a
hospital director said on
Sunday. Mortuaries in the
city of Uyo were overflowing
from Saturday’s tragedy, said
medical director Etete Peters
of the University of Uyo
Teaching Hospital.
The Reigners Bible
Church International was
still under construction and
workers had been rushing to
finish it in time for Sat-
urday’s ceremony to ordain
founder Akan Weeks as a
bishop, congregants said.
Many uncounted victims
are in private mortuaries
scattered across Uyo, youth
leader Edikan Peters said. He
said some people are
secretly taking the bodies of
relatives to their homes be-
cause mortuaries are over-
crowded and some do not
have refrigeration.
The Governor’s spokes-
man, Ekerete Udoh, said the
state government will hold
an inquiry to investigate if
anyone compromised build-
ing standards. — AP
(BDU) in the restive Province
that frequently witnesses
terror attacks.
Rafia Qaseem Baig, who
joined police force as a
constable seven years ago,
will work in BDU after
completing her 15-day
training along with 31 male
members at Nowshera’s
School of Explosive Handling,
media reports said. — PTI
worth $16.6 billion.
“Fifty of the planes are 737
and the other 30 are the long
haul 777 that will be
delivered to Iran Air in a
period of 10 years,” said
Farhad Parvaresh, chief
executive of the national
carrier, who signed the
contract with Boeing officials
in Tehran. — AFP
ND-ND

NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016
LIC raises stake in Bata to 7.05 per cent
LIC has raised its stake in footwear major Bata
India by 2.03 per cent, taking its shareholding to
7.05 per cent in the company. — PTI
BRIEFLY
23% Jan Dhan accounts
still without balance
NEW DELHI: Despite a huge surge
in total deposits in Jan Dhan
accounts following
demonetisation, about one-fifth
of these still continue to have no
balance. Net addition in the 25.8
crore Jan Dhan accounts was
just Rs.288 crore during the
week ended December 7, taking
total deposits to about
Rs.74,610 crore. The percentage
of zero balance accounts,
however, remained flat at about
22.9 per cent despite the
addition of Rs.29,000 crore in
total deposits in about 30 days
after demonetisation of high
value notes took effect on
November 9. — PTI
Centre may amend
law to annul old notes
NEW DELHI: The Centre is likely to
amend the RBI Act to annul the
validity of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000
notes printed before November
9 and a reference to this effect
would be made in the Budget. As
part of the demonetisation
process, there would be a law to
make those notes invalid and it
can be made effective from
March 31, sources said. “In 1978,
when the currency was banned,
the law to annul the validity
came ahead. This time the
government acted under 26 (2),”
sources said. Higher dividend
from the RBI due to cancellation
of Rs. 500 and Rs.1000 notes
may not be applicable till the RBI
law is amended.— PTI
‘Demonetisation hits
jobs in informal sector’
NEW DELHI: The major sectors of
the economy including FMCG,
jewellery and SMEs have been
hit post demonetisation while
the unorganised sector is seeing
job losses, according to industry
body Assocham. In an interview
to PTI, Assocham president Sunil
Kanoria lamented the lack of
preparedness and the manner in
which demonetisation was
implemented, saying perhaps
the “gravity and the size of the
challenge was not really
understood.”“There is a lot to be
worked out for, the way it has
been implemented, I am sure
even the Prime Minister is not
happy,” Mr.Kanoria said.
CM
YK
‘Group may fragment if Mistry stays’
Firms don’t exist in a vacuum but benefit from being part of the conglomerate: Tata Sons
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
MUMBAI: Tata Sons on Sunday
appealed for support to
stakeholders in group com-
panies and said it was com-
pelled to move a resolution
to remove Cyrus P. Mistry
from the boards of various
Tata group companies as he
had lost the confidence of
the board and the main
shareholder.
In a letter, Tata Sons said
Mr. Mistry had misled the
Selection Committee in 2011
by making ‘lofty’ statements
about his plans for the group
but that he did not deliver on
his promise.
The appeal comes days be-
fore Extraordinary General
Meetings (EGMs) of group
firms are scheduled to take
place, to evict Mr. Mistry as
director in those firms.
Drawing shareholders’ at-
tention to points that resul-
ted in its loss of confidence
in Mr. Mistry, Tata Sons said
despite his promise, Mr.
Mistry did not maintain a
distance from his family en-
terprise - Shapoorji Pallonji
& Company and the other
Shapoorji Pallonji Group
entities.
Legislation on GST may miss Winter Session Keep record of deposit of old
The sixth meeting of
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
the Goods and
NEW DELHI: The four pieces of
Services Tax Council
legislation required to be
passed by Parliament for the
roll-out of the Goods and
Services Tax will not be
tabled in the Winter Session
as the sixth meeting of the
Goods and Services Tax
Council on Sunday failed to
reach a consensus while
Monday’s meeting has been
shifted to December 22-23.
The Winter session ends
on December 16.“Our target
is April 1 and we stand by it,”
Finance Minister Arun Jait-
ley told reporters following
the meeting on Sunday.
“The luxury of time is not
available to us. April 1 is the
first possible day for the GST
to be implemented and the
last day is constitutionally
THRUST, PARRY: Tata Sons contends that Mr. Mistry misled the
selection committee with his promises — FILE PHOTO: PTI
“This retraction created
grave concerns on Mr.
Mistry’s ability to lead the
Tata Group devoid of per-
sonal conflicts and put to risk
the high standards of self-
less governance,” the letter
said.
It said that in the past three
to four years, Mr. Mistry had
concentrated all power and
authority only in his own
hands as chairman and had
diluted the representation of
Tata Sons on the Boards of
operating companies. It also
held Mr. Mistry sorely re-
and new notes, says FinMin
on Sunday failed to
reach a consensus
defined as September 16. So
the diference is just five
months and 15 days. That’s
why we don’t have the luxury
of time.”
Cross empowerment
Kerala Finance Minister
Thomas Isaac told reporters
after the meeting that he was
not confident about meeting
that deadline saying that
since cross empowerment
had not been discussed, an
April 1 roll-out will not be
possible.
“The Budget Session this
BUSINESS
Renault to increase prices from January
Car major Renault plans to increase prices of its
vehicles in India by up to 3 per cent from next
month to offset increase in input costs. — PTI
sponsible for erosion of
shareholder value.
Tata Sons said Mr. Mistry
seems to have taken the
stand that even if he ulti-
mately had to relinquish the
positions he has been hold-
ing, he would have ‘the satis-
faction of damaging a great
institution built up over 150
years after just five years of
his tenure.’
In the appeal, Tata Sons
said “Tata companies do not
exist in a vacuum but benefit
from being part of the Tata
Group which is most evident
time starts in January,” Mr-
.Jaitley said, indicating that
the government was still
hopeful of passing the leg-
islation during the first half
of the session.
“We have discussed in de-
tail, section by section and
chapter by the chapter, the
important legislations of
Central GST and State GST,”
Mr.Jaitley said, adding that
the contentious issue of
cross-empowerment was
not on the agenda on Sunday.
The meeting, supposed to
continue on Monday, had
been truncated in order to al-
low state ministers to visit
their constituencies during
Eid, Mr.Jaitley said.
The next meeting will take
place on December 22 and
23. “We went up to clause 99
of the legislation,” he said.
in times of diiculty. All such
benefits are likely to be at
stake if Mr. Mistry continues
to remain Chairman, as his
continuance is likely to lead
to fragmentation of the Tata
Group.”
It said that as per the Gov-
ernance Guidelines Frame-
work of the Group, Mr.
Mistry should have immedi-
ately resigned from the
boards of operating compan-
ies on ceasing to be the exec-
utive chairman of Tata Sons.
Mistry’s response
Reacting to Tata Sons’
missive, the oice of Mr.
Mistry issued a statement
saying there was “no ques-
tion of any misrepresenta-
tion to the Selection Com-
mittee that appointed Mr.
Mistry to Tata Sons Chair-
manship. On the contrary, if
Tata Sons had any point at all
to make it would have com-
plied with law to form a
Committee now to logically
present charges against Mr.
Mistry.”
On Tata Sons’ allegation
that Mr. Mistry concentrated
power in his hands, it said,
“Mr. Mistry expanded the
oversight over his work by
“Some require to be re-draf-
ted. They will be discussed
during the next session. The
next session will deal with fi-
nalising the CGST and SGST
legislation,” the Finance
Minister said.
“We will also discuss the
other two smaller legis-
lations of Inter-state GST,
Compensation Law and the
issue of cross-empower-
ment. Having missed the
Winter Session, one would
hope that Centre and States
would be able to work to-
gether to make it happen in
the Budget Session,” said
Pratik Jain, Partner and
Leader, Indirect Taxes at
PwC India. “April 1, 2017
seems a stretched target now
and a minimum of three
months delay looks quite
imminent.”
focusing on better board ef-
fectiveness and getting his
work overseen by over 50 in-
dependent directors.”
Citing Tata Sons’ repre-
sentation in the boards of
group firms, Mr. Mistry’s
statement said, “On almost
all Tata Boards there was
Tata Group representation.
Mr. Ishaat Hussain on Tata
Steel and TCS, Mr. Nirmalya
Kumar and Mr. Bhaskar
Bhatt on Tata Chemicals, Mr.
N.S. Rajan on IHCL, Mr.
Harish Bhatt on TGBL, as
well as Mr. S Padhmanabhan,
Mr. Bharat Vasani and Mr.
F.N. Subedar to name a few
other Tata Sons repre-
sentatives on Board(s) of
other Tata Companies.”
The statement added that
“Mr. Mistry did not sit on a
single Board of the SP group
other than his family invest-
ment company. New engin-
eering and construction con-
tracts from the Tata Group to
the SP group came down to
nearly zero from the level of
Rs. 1,100 crore when Mr.
Mistry had assumed oice.”
It said that a written instruc-
tion to Tata firms to shun
contracts with the SP Group
was issued in October 2013.
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The Finance
Ministry has asked all the
public sector banks and
the Indian Banks
Association to ensure that
deposits of old and new
notes are properly
reflected in customers’
counterfoils.
“In a letter addressed to
all the Managing
Directors and Chief
Executive Oicers/
Chairman-cum-Managing
Directors of public sector
banks and the Chairman,
IBA, the Department of
Financial Services has
Rural sales hit by demonetisation: GCPL
The FMCG industry, which was hoping for good
sales, has been affected by demonetisation, said
Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL). — PTI
AI’s Q2 losses rise on
lease rentals, forex loss
SOMESH JHA
NEW DELHI: National carrier Air
India has, in Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s words,
turned “notorious” again.
The airline has posted its
second consecutive oper-
ational losses in the second
quarter this year.
Its operational losses rose
56 per cent to Rs.461 crore in
the second quarter of 2016-17
compared to Rs.296 crore in
the same period in the previ-
ous year, according to the
airline’s provisional results.
The airline’s operating loss
stood at Rs.246 crore in the
first quarter this year.
Terming Air India “notori-
ous” for reporting losses for
decades during his Inde-
pendence Day speech, Mr
Modi had said that the gov-
ernment had “succeeded” in
turning around the oper-
ations of Air India into an
“operational profit-making”
company during last year.
For the first time in close to a
decade, Air India reported an
operating profit of Rs.105
crore in 2015-16.
The airline’s net losses,
however, declined to Rs.508
crore in July-September this
year compared with Rs.1,197
crore a year ago.
stated that maintenance of
records regarding deposit
of SBN (Specified Bank
Notes) and Non-SBN, as
the case may be, is
essential both in the bank
record as well as the
customer’s record,” the
Ministry said.
Though most banks are
already providing the
correct information to the
customers, they must
ensure that this is done in
100 per cent of the cases.
“All the bank branches in
the country must be
alerted to reflect correctly
the cash deposit in old and
new currency and inform
| 15
“The operational losses
rose mainly on account of
additional lease rental of
Rs.200 crore in this quarter
due to sale and lease-back of
nine Boeing 787 aircraft. In
addition to this, losses on ac-
count of exchange rate fluc-
tuation (due to the weaken-
ing of the rupee) stood at
Rs.100 crore,” a senior Air In-
dia oicial said, adding 70
per cent of the airline’s ex-
penses are denominated in
dollars.
Fare wars
A fare war by competitive
airlines continued to impact
AI’s revenue yields which
declined by six per cent in
the second quarter, a senior
AI oicial said. The execut-
ive said the airline’s overall
average fares were 7-10 per
cent lower than in the previ-
ous year. However, the air-
line managed to fill more
seats due to lower fares with
76 per cent booked seats
compared to 74.5 per cent in
the same quarter last year.
Air India itself had
triggered a fare war in July-
September with its last-min-
ute ticket sale scheme under
which it ofered fares equi-
valent to AC second-class of
Rajdhani Express.
the customers about the
same,” according to the
statement.
The Ministry has asked
all the heads of the banks
to take firm action if the
instructions were not
followedscrupulously.
It asked banks to
prominently display a
sign, requesting
customers to fill-up
deposit slips clearly
indicating old and new
currency and the
denomination.The action
taken in this regard has to
be reported to the
Department of Financial
Services by December 16.
ND-ND
16 | BUSINESS THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016
NOIDA/DELHI

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‘It is time to leave the history of coal behind’ global round-up

Bitcoin rises to near three-year-

Natural gas is 50% cleaner on emissions than coal. The IGU says societies tend to decarbonise as they evolve, progress.
TCA SHARAD RAGHAVAN
NEW DELHI: Strict emission standards,
an enabling regulatory framework,
and a high price on carbon are some
of the key ways India can boost its
natural gas sector, according to the
International Gas Union, a non-
profit organisation comprising nat-
ural gas majors from around the
world.
“There is a role for the govern-
ment in enabling the right regu-
latory regime to allow the construc-
tion of the pipelines that transport
gas from where it is produced to
where the markets are,” David Car-
roll, President of the International
Gas Union (IGU) told The Hindu in
an interview. “In addition, the regu-
lation must also allow third-party
access in the way one does with
power lines or telecom lines to en-
sure that buyers, sellers and
transporters can ensure that the
product can move freely without
undue barriers.”
The more than 140 members of
the IGU are associations and cor-
porations of the gas industry rep-
resenting more than 95 per cent of
the global gas market, and they work
together to help countries, such as
India, move towards a higher share
of natural gas in their energy mix.
“Another important area to work
on is emission standards,” Menelaos
Ydreos, Executive Director of Public
Afairs at IGU added during the in-
terview. “Be stricter on those so you
have to innovate to meet those
standards. If coal can innovate to
meet them, then more power to
them. To the extent that gas can in-
novate, more power to gas.
“But that way you are not picking
a winner or loser. You are letting the
market respond to the require-
ments. However, the most eicient
instrument is to put a price on
carbon.”
“Gas is 50 per cent cleaner than
coal on carbon emissions, signific-
antly cleaner on sulphur oxides and
nitrogen oxides, and has virtually
non-existent PM 2.5 emissions,
which is the big issue with respect to
air quality,” Mr. Ydreos added. “And
this holds whether you burn impor-
ted gas or domestically produced
gas.”
Coal conundrum
India’s reliance on coal as a source
of energy is normal for a developing
economy, Mr. Carroll said, but the
need to balance economic growth
with environmental concerns
means that there are significant op-
portunities in the gas sector.
“Like much of the developing
world, you have a reliance on coal,”
he said. “Even well-developed
economies still have coal as a size-
able part of their portfolios, but it
has diminished over time. These
economies, it’s all they did, burn
CLEANER CARBON: An LNG terminal in action at Kochi, Kerala. A coal plant may be cheaper based on marginal costs. But,
subsequent healthcare costs and climate change impact make gas affordable. — FILE PHOTO
and so we’ll use those as we grow
Getting renewables to our economy’. The diiculty with
market too soon may mean that is to continue like that is
counter to some of the climate
costly and inefficient change aspirations and environ-
subsidies for technology mental issues in India. It is a histor-
ical reason why coal has been pre-
that is irrelevant ferred, but now it is time that history
coal and wood. is left behind,” he said.
“It’s an evolution, societies tend to However, despite gas’ low share in
decarbonise as they progress.” India’s energy mix compared with
“But if you couple that challenge developed countries, this aspect is
with tremendous economic growth, comparable with the energy situ-
population growth, urbanisation... it ation in other developing countries,
creates challenges but also op- especially China.
portunities,” he added.“And it cer- “China is in the same range as In-
tainly creates an environment dia is right now, with a target to
where a 6.5 per cent to 15 per cent reach 10 per cent gas by 2020 and 12
jump is not only achievable but also per cent by 2030,” Mr. Carroll said.
desirable due to the economic bene-
fits that gas can provide and also the Renewable push
environmental benefits. The Indian government has
Mr. Carroll was referring to the strongly committed to its targets of
Indian government’s commitment reducing emissions by 33 per cent by
to increase the share of gas in the en- 2030, as set out during the COP21
ergy mix from the current 6.5 per summit in Paris, and towards this it
cent to 15 per cent. The global aver- has initiated a strong push towards a
age share of gas in the energy mix is gas-based economy and has also in-
24 per cent. vested heavily in renewable energy.
“Domestic production used to The business opportunities this
meet domestic demand,” Mr. Ydreos presents has not been lost on the in-
explained. “While demand has ternational business community, ac-
steadily increased, domestic cording to Mr. Carroll. However, he
production of gas has declined. And also warned against investing too
that’s why now India has become an heavily in renewable energy at a
importer of LNG. I think it was time when the technology is not yet
largely a mentality of ‘we have a ready.
growing economy, we have “You have to bring renewables at
domestic resources such as coal, the right time so you aren’t trying to
bring them to market before they are
actually ready,” Mr. Carroll said. “In
which case, you are left with inei-
cient and costly subsidies for tech-
nologies that may be irrelevant in
the near future.”
“India has a tremendous potential
for solar energy,” he added. “We all
realise that we have to stop burning
dead dinosaurs to get our fuel. But
certain renewables are still going
through their cost curves and learn-
ing curves to get the required
amount of output and to jump into it
too big too soon leads to ineicient
subsidies.”
“There is tremendous interest in
the opportunities for natural gas in
India,” Mr. Carroll said. “There are
opportunities wherever we are see-
ing a growing population and the
vast movement of people into urban
environments, and raising stand-
ards of living, and the ensuing huge
increase in energy consumption.
But with that you need to keep in
mind the environmental challenges,
There is some early-
stage development
in shale gas which could
be a rapidly developing
source, if it takes off
David Carroll
President, IGU
so natural gas is definitely one of the
fuels there, and so are renewables.”
However, despite the sector-spe-
cific regulatory hurdles the govern-
ment can remove, the key to encour-
aging foreign investment is stability,
according to Mr. Ydreos.
“Nothing encourages investment
more than a regulatory environment
that is predictable and is stable and
ensures that there is an appropriate
risk-reward for the investor,” he
said. “If you want to attract large in-
vestments into India, that’s a pre-
condition. That’s what the invest-
ment community needs to see.”
Cost accounting
Overall, while coal is cheaper
than gas to produce, it works out to
be significantly more expensive
when externalities like health costs
and environmental costs are worked
into the equation.
“If you have two existing plants, a
combined cycle gas plant and a coal
plant, the coal plant on a marginal
cost basis is cheaper,” Mr. Ydreos
said. “Once you include the extern-
alities, though, such has healthcare
costs and climate change impacts,
then gas is the more afordable op-
tion. In new construction, gas fares
better than coal. You can construct
much faster, get approvals easier,
and the initial capital is less than
coal.”
However, even if India ramps up
its production of natural gas, it will
still need to import gas for the fore-
seeable future, Mr. Carroll said,
warning that this must not become
an over-reliance on imports.
“You will need to import,” Mr.
Carroll said. “But I was listening to
Prime Minister Modi speaking at
the Petrotech conference and he
was talking about the strategies for
energy.
He did talk about plans for en-
hanced development of India’s gas
resources, both conventional, of-
shore, and potential for shale gas de-
velopment. There was some early-
stage development in shale gas, that,
if it took of, could be a rapidly de-
veloping source. “At the same time,
there is development on your im-
port capabilities both in terms of on-
land terminals and floating termin-
als,” he added.
“But clearly work needs to be
done on the domestic production
side to keep pace, so that you don’t
become overly reliant on imports.”
Private investment in the
domestic natural gas market is set to
increase in the future due to the peg-
ging of the price of natural gas to the
international market, Mr. Ydreos
said.
“The biggest disincentive for
domestic production was price,” he
said. “That was what kept it sup-
pressed. Now that we have a new
pricing scheme in India, you will see
domestic production pick up.”
highs after India’s currency move
Web-based digital currency
bitcoin hit its highest levels in
almost three years on Friday,
extending gains since India
sparked a cash shortage by
removing high-denomination
banknotes from circulation a
month ago. Bitcoin was trading
as high as $774 on the New
York-based itBit exchange, up
almost 1 per cent on the day and
the highest since February 2014,
having climbed almost 9 percent
in the past month. Bitcoin is a
cash alternative that can be used for moving money across
the globe quickly and anonymously with no need for a central
authority to process transactions. The value has climbed
around 80 per cent so far this year, far exceeding its 35 per
cent rise in 2015. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a
shock move on November 8 to ditch 500 and 1,000 rupee
notes – worth a combined $256 billion – that he said were
fuelling corruption, being forged and even paying for attacks
by militants who target India. — Reuters
Samsung to disable Note 7 phones
in the U.S. via software update
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.
said that a software update for
Galaxy Note 7 smartphones
will be released mid-December
in the United States preventing
them from charging and
functioning as mobile
phones,rendering them
useless.The smartphone maker
said that more than 93 percent
of all recalled Galaxy Note 7
devices had been returned as a
part of its exchange
programme in the United
States. The U.S. Transportation
Department and other
agencies in October ordered
Galaxy Note 7 owners from
carrying the devices or stowing them in checked baggage
during flights following reports of fires in replacement Note 7
devices.However, Verizon Communications Inc. said it would
not take part in the update because of the added risk this
could pose to Galaxy Note7 users that do not have another
device to switch to. — Reuters
Lawyers seek to initiate fresh
Brexit challenge in Irish courts
A group of British and Irish
lawyers are seeking to challenge
Britain’s decision to leave the
European Union in the Irish High
Court to try to establish if Brexit
can be reversed once divorce
talks have been triggered. British
Prime Minister Theresa May has
said she wants to invoke Article
50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty by
the end of March,kicking off up
to two years of exit negotiations
following the vote to leave in a
referendum last June.The
lawyers hope the court in Dublin
will ask the European Court of Justice, the EU’s highest court,
to determine whether Article 50 can be revoked and also if
leaving the EU means that Britain automatically leaves the
European Economic Area (EEA), the trading club comprising
the 28 EU states plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein,
three non-EU nations who can access the bloc’s single market
in return for applying its rules and accepting the free
movement of EU citizens.EC Counicl President Donald Tusk
said Britain may ultimately decide not to leave EU. — Reuters

INTERVIEW  BIBOP GRESTA Urbanising India needs

India has just what hyperloop needs
PEERZADA ABRAR
When Bibop Gresta, chair-
man and co-founder of Hy-
perloop Transportation
Technologies, Inc. (HTT)
met Union minister of road
transport and highways
Nitin Gadkari in the Silicon
Valley, Mr. Gadkari mis-
took him for Tesla Motors
Inc.’s founder Elon Musk.
Mr. Gresta clarified his
identity and now his Cali-
fornia-based start-up is in
talks with the transport
ministry to build the hyper-
loop transportation system
in India. HTT’s system is
based on the hyperloop
concept, which was envi-
sioned by Elon Musk. It is a
new mode of passenger
transportation that pushes
a pod-like vehicle through a
near-vacuum tube at air-
line speeds. According to
Mr. Gresta, India needed
such system. He has expe-
rienced the country’s trans-
portation problem first-
hand when he landed in
Bengaluru this month and
had to travel by car from
the airport. “Oh my God, it
was crazy, I took forever.
You guys drive like there is
no tomorrow,” he said. Ed-
ited excerpts.
• Why do you want to set up
the hyperloop system in India?
India has amazing potenti-
alities right now because it
has the right density, the
lack of infrastructure and
the political willingness to
change. This combination
of factors could be disrupt-
ive in a country that we
know would be leading the
world in the next few
CM
YK
decades. India has ever-
ything in terms of the re-
sources and minds. It is a re-
sponsibility to embrace
innovation because it is the
only way to actually fix the
problem.
• Have you discussed it with
the government?
I actually met Mr. Modi (the
Prime Minister) in the Sil-
icon Valley and Mr. Gadkari
(Union minister of
transport and highways).
Mr. Gadkari demonstrated a
big interest for hyperloop
and he also said it publicly.
We have had a proposal on
his table for a couple of
weeks. We had a very long
commercial conversation
with Mr. Gadkari. He said he
wants to do it. He said that
he is ready to give us land.
So, we have to see if he
wants to do it or not.
• Considering infrastructure
challenges, can it happen in
India?
It needs to happen, this is
the country that needs it
more. How can you fix the
problem? It is not building
other roads. This system is
broken in every possible
way. The rails are not a vi-
able way to fix the problem
as you see it. They are too
expensive and are not prof-
itable and are subsidised by
the state. We need a system
that can be profitable which
is eicient and fast and that
is hyperloop and we are
ready to build it.
• We have read about such
systems in science fiction
books, how far is it from
reality?
We have the technology. We
are the only company that
owns the trademark hyper-
loop in 20 countries, includ-
ing India. We are the only
company that has licensed
technology tested by the
Lawrence Livermore Na-
tional Laboratory. We have
the vacuums made by a la-
belled company that is the
inventor of the vacuum
pumps. We have all the ele-
ments to build hyperloop.
We are not inventing any-
thing new. We are putting
together technology that al-
ready exists. We are doing it
in a very smart and eicient
way. We can actually build it
right now. There is criticism
that you will never be able
to build it right away. Well, I
have bad news for these
naysayers. Hyperloop can
be built on top of existing
infrastructure like rail, high-
way and can be built (along)
side. For example a highway
between Pune and Mum-
bai... Give us the land and
we will build.
• Globally over a
million people
die each year
as a result of
road traffic
crashes, can
this system
save lives?
You have to
understand
80 percent of the fatalities
are caused by human error.
We are completely man-
aged by computers and su-
pervised by humans. Our
system implements what
we call ‘swarm intelligence’
like the ants or the bees. The
ants are capable of forming
a line and with antennas and
pheromones, they are able
to communicate almost at
the speed of sound. We are
using a similar system. The
first capsule analyses the
tube and communicates to
the next one. It is not only
capable of controlling the
systems through sensors
and the mothership but in
the case of lost communi-
cations, the capsules are in-
telligent (enough) to react,
slow down and stop. You are
always able to stop the cap-
sule and evacuate the peo-
ple safely.
• But don’t you think
high-speed trains like in Japan
and China make more sense?
You have to imagine, in our
system, you don’t need
an electrified truck
on the ground like
the high-speed
rail that uses too
much energy. It
costs too much
because you
have to bring
the system to
superconduct-
ivity. The hyper-
loop is a
very simple system.
Imagine you have a capsule
full of people and you put it
inside a tube. You evacuate
the tube from the air so
there is no resistance.
Now you can move the
capsule at the speed of
sound with very less energy.
We are using a combination
of renewable energy to pro-
duce electricity with the
solar panel, the wind and
the capsule also generates
electricity while moving.
• Could you give the cost
comparison?
We should talk about where
you are building it. Are you
building it in Switzerland
with mountains, bridges
and tunnels or you are
building it in a desert? But
on average you can talk
about $40 million per kilo-
metre compared to high-
speed train which costs two
times (as much) when we
are lucky or six times when
we are unlucky like in
California.
• Are you working with any
partners in India on hyperloop
technology?
We have 25 people working
from India as part of our
contribution programme.
Besides our own employ-
ees, we also have a crowd-
sourcing approach. We have
a community of almost 800
people. We have a pro-
gramme called the hyper-
loop academy. We want to
launch it in India to allow
students to join our team
and compete on developing
and solving tasks related to
the real hyperloop.
sustainable solutions: Otis
LALATENDU MISHRA
Otis India, the subsidiary of
Otis Elevator Company, the
world’s leading manufac-
turer of elevators, escalators
and walkways, has entered
the high-volume elevators
market for afordable hous-
ing by introducing energy-
eicient elevators in the In-
dian market.
Called Gen2 Core, these
elevators can attain a speed
of 0.7 metres per second and
provides options of machine
room or machine-less room
arrangements. They are de-
signed for low-rise res-
idential buildings with a
height of seven floors.
Afordable homes make
up almost 90 per cent of the
demand for homes in India
and this has become one of
the focus areas for Otis, a top
oicial said.
Otis already had been de-
ploying Gen2 technology in
elevators for high-rise build-
ings since 2010 and the Gen2
Core elevators are built on
this technology platform.
This product is an upgrade
from traditional rope-geared
systems to the permanent
magnet (PM) gearless-
belted technology ensuring
energy-saving.
“The Gen2 Core uses
Otis’s patented, flexible
polyurethane-coated steel
belts, the ReGen regenerat-
ive drive, which captures en-
ergy that is normally wasted
during braking and feeds it
back into the building’s elec-
tric grid, compact gearless
machine and pulse monitor-
ing system,” said Sebi Joseph,
President, Otis India.
The Gen2 Core, he said,
ofered the afordable hous-
SMOOTH RIDE: The firm is targetting the affordable home
segment with its energy-saving products, says Sebi Joseph.
ing segment an elevator that
is ‘environmentally respons-
ible’. As India continued to
urbanise, it needed sustain-
able solutions, he said, add-
ing, “The Gen2 ofers just
that through its energy-sav-
ing and space conservation
features.”
The Gen2 Core will be
manufactured in India at
Otis’ facility in Bengaluru
with a delivery schedule of
five weeks.
Afordable Housing
The current housing defi-
cit in India stands at 19 mil-
lion units and 95 per cent of
this deficit is around the
Economically Weaker Sec-
tions and Low Income
Group segments. This seg-
ment is likely to get a boost
as the government is aiming
to provide housing for all by
2022.
“Afordable homes do not
just mean the cost accessibil-
ity of the home but also
lower operational and main-
tenance costs. Sustainable
features are key to any af-
fordable housing project.
This product will help us to
penetrate across the country
especially into tier-1 and -2
cities,” Mr. Joseph said.
Gen2 Core would cost ap-
proximately 15 per cent more
compared with products
with similar speeds in the
market.
India’s new elevator mar-
ket is estimated at 48,000
units per year and overall,
the market is growing by 7 to
8 per cent.
However, Otis India, with
a market share in the ‘mid-
teens,’ has reported 20 per
cent growth in its order book
so far this year.
This year the firm bagged
new orders from Mantri De-
velopers and Indiabulls, out-
bidding rivals. Otis will sup-
ply 1,000 elevators and escal-
ators to Mantri Developers
for its projects and 37 high-
speed elevators, including 18
SkyRise elevators to the In-
diabulls BLU Project in
Mumbai.
ND-ND

NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016
Telecast schedule
NBA: Sony Six & Six HD, 8 a.m. & 5.30 a.m. (Tuesday). India
vs. England: Fourth Test, STAR Sports 1, 3 & HD1, 3, 9.30 a.m.
Junior Hockey World Cup: STAR Sports 4 & HD4, 2 p.m.
Serie A: Sony ESPN & Sony ESPN HD, 11.30 p.m. & 1.30 a.m.
(Tuesday). La Liga: Sony Six & Six HD, 1.10 a.m. (Tuesday).
Kohli and Jayant bat England out of the match
CRICKET / The visitors go into the final day, six down and needing 49 to make India bat again
G VISWANATH
MUMBAI: Overnight batsmen
Virat Kohli and Jayant Yadav
laid the platform for an Indian
victory in the fourth Test, ex-
tending their eighth-wicket
stand to 241 runs in balmy con-
ditions at the Wankhede sta-
dium on Sunday, as the hosts
ran up a first-innings score of
631.
Kohli went on to make 235,
and Jayant got his maiden Test
century in his third game in the
India cap.
Beginning its second in-
nings 231 runs in deficit, Eng-
land went to stumps six wick-
ets down and needing 49 runs
to make India bat again.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck
in the second ball of the first
over, trapping Keaton Jen-
nings plumb in front. Alastair
Cook became Ravindra Jade-
ja’s 100th Test victim after
‘I have always been a handy batsman’
AMOL KARHADKAR
MUMBAI: Calling Jayant Yadav a
tailender would be as unjust as
referring to the Wankhede
strip as unplayable.
“In junior level, I have al-
ways been a handy batsman.
But as I came up the ranks, I al-
ways wanted to build this side
of my game and my Ranji
Trophy team (Haryana) really
helped me achieve this,” Ya-
dav said on Sunday.
The fact that the likes of R.
Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and
Yadav have emerged as the
No. 7, 8 and 9 gives the much-
needed breather for India’s
middle-order, at least in the
sub-continent conditions.
Proven performer
While Ashwin is already a
proven performer with the
willow at the international
stage, the other two have es-
tablished themselves handy
batsmen at the domestic level.
That both Jadeja and Yadav
have managed to translate it
into the Tests augurs well for
India.
So assured was Yadav with
the willow that he virtually
matches Kohli in terms of run-
scoring during Sunday’s open-
ing session.
“We have to take into ac-
count the context of the game.
They were attacking me more.
They had a very defensive
field against Virat, so that gave
me an opportunity to put away
the bad balls,” he said.
Vital breakthrough
Despite his prowess with
the bat, it has to be reiterated
that Yadav has been included
in the side primarily for his of-
break bowling.
He provided the vital break-
HOCKEY
India will look to stay unbeaten; Spain beats New Zealand
UTHRA GANESAN
LUCKNOW: With nine goals in
two games so far, India will
hope to enter the business end
of the Junior World Cup with
an all-win record when it takes
on South Africa in its final Pool
D match here on Monday.
India is all but assured of a
quarterfinal spot unless it suf-
fers a huge defeat, which on
current form looks unlikely.
The match provides a chance
for India to get disciplined with
both coach Harendra Singh and
Roelant Oltmans accepting
that the team sufered for over-
excitement in both games so
far.
The results have papered
over the cracks but the team
knows they are there. The de-
fence has been shaky and a tad
slow falling back after an at-
tack. Fouls and suspensions at
crucial moments are a concern.
Against England, Mandeep
CM
YK
COMING INTO HIS OWN: Jayant Yadav, batting at No. 9, was cautious to start off with, but went on to stamp his class against spin
and the occasional spell of seam, to notch up his maiden Test century. — PHOTO: K.R. DEEPAK
DRS confirmed that he was in-
deed leg-before, and Moeen
Ali fell to the leg trap for a
duck, his instinctive flick su-
perbly held by leg-gully M. Vi-
jay of a miscue.
Joe Root and Jonathan Bair-
stow steadied things for a
while with some free-spirited
batting that produced 92 runs
for the fourth wicket.
Bairstow did struggle ini-
tially as he sought to take the
attack to the spinners. He ben-
through on Sunday, removing
Joe Root.
Still, he appears to be far
from a finished product. He
has no qualms in admitting it.
Singh picked up a yellow card
and his absence saw the oppos-
ition score twice in five
minutes.
Oltmans was blunt in his as-
sessment when he said, “we got
a few unnecessary cards and
gave away two goals in the last
10 minutes. The tackles were
half down on the pitch and it
occurred because of over-ex-
citement.” Harendra was more
sympathetic. “They are playing
a World Cup and you have to
accept that there will be anxi-
ety,” he said.
On the positive side, the
team’s structure and move-
ment improved significantly
after the first game. The drag-
flicking duo of defenders Har-
manpreet Singh and Varun Ku-
mar have gelled well in both
departments, while Armaan
Qureshi, Gurjant Singh and
Neelkanta Sharma have kept
the feeding lines open.
Mandeep Singh and
쑺 쑺
efited from an early let-of,
when he nearly reverse-swept
R. Ashwin right into first slip
Kohli’s hands.
The two right-handers used
their feet to take the dipping
ball on the full, and employed
the sweep against both Ashwin
and Jadeja.
It was Jayant who broke the
stand, getting Root to play
back and beating the inside
edge with a clever variation in
length and pace.
“It is a journey, I have just star-
ted it. There is always room
for improvement in all three
facets (bowling, fielding and
batting),” he said.
HEARTBREAK: New Zealand’s Sam Hiha (left) consoles
teammate Kieran O’Connor after their team failed to enter the
quarterfinals. — PHOTO: RAJEEV BHATT
Parvinder Singh have been im-
pressive upfront, both in terms
of shots on goal and earning
penalty corners. Amidst all
this, captain Harjeet Singh re-
SPORT
Snodgrass’s apology
Hull winger Robert Snodgrass
apologised for winning a spot-
kick in the 3-3 draw with Crystal
Palace, insisting it “was never
a penalty”.
Ben Stokes was caught of
the boot by slip while trying to
reverse-sweep Ashwin, and
Jake Ball edged the of-spinner
into Parthiv Patel’s gloves in
the final over of the day.
Bairstow (50 batting) will re-
sume his vigil on day five with
Jos Buttler. The writing is on
the wall, though.
Coming together at the fall
of Jadeja’s wicket immediately
after tea on day three when In-
dia was still 36 runs behind, the
I prefer playing
behind the
striker: Postiga
AMITABHA DAS SHARMA
KOLKATA: Having gained the ini-
tial advantage over Mumbai
City FC in the first-leg semi-
final, Atletico de Kolkata’s
marquee player Helder
Postiga has asked the players
to keep their feet on the
ground.
“It is very important to con-
trol our emotions. The most
important thing is to focus on
the next match (the second leg
of play-of in Mumbai),”
Postiga said.
“We played with passion
against a big team like Mumbai
but we have to forget the result
and go the next match with the
proper focus,” he added.
“They (Mumbai) came into
the match with eight clean
sheets and scoring three goals
against them, I think we did a
great job,” Spanish coach Jose
Molina’s said.
“We did a great job in attack
against Mumbai, but we have a
long road ahead and need to
play with the same intensity in
Mumbai,” the coach added.
Postiga, who prefers to play
a more creative role as a with-
drawn forward, hailed the pos-
itive attacking form of his
Canadian colleague Iain
Hume, whose two goals in the
end helped ATK win.
“He showed yesterday he
can make the diference. The
team needs players of big qual-
ity and Hume showed that yes-
terday,” the Portuguese said.
“I prefer to play from the back
as it helps the team more. I be-
lieve that would ease the pres-
sure on other midfielders,”
Postiga said.
mains the beating heart of the
team.
Both England and South
Africa have three points and a
draw would be enough for the
Joshua defends title
Anthony Joshua successfully defended
his IBF world heavyweight title for a
second time by making quick work of
Eric Molina in a third round win at
Manchester on Saturday.
eighth-wicket pair built up a
formidable lead on a track af-
fording increasing help to the
spinners.
Jayant was initially cautious
but soon stamped his authority
on the spinners, and the seam-
ers as well during their short
spells. Kohli, at the other end,
sparkled on his way to a double
century, and his 235 is the
highest by an Indian captain.
The eighth wicket finally fell
after England had toiled al-
Belfort gives Blasters the advantage
Kerala Blasters 1
(Belfort 65) bt Delhi
Dynamos 0
STAN RAYAN
KOCHI: Every time Kervens
Belfort danced past defenders,
the crowd went into a frenzy.
The Haitian is an enter-
tainer. Just a few days back, he
juggled the ball a few times on
his knees as he moved past a
defender.
The striker was once again
in fine form on Sunday, scor-
ing the match winner, as Ker-
ala Blasters defeated Delhi Dy-
namos 1-0 in the first of its
two-leg Indian Super League
semifinal at the Nehru Sta-
dium here.
And once again, there was a
lovely piece of action before
Belfort’s 65th minute goal.
He went on a solo run from
his half, and as he entered the
box, Belfort dodged his way
past Spanish defender Ruben
Rocha and shot home. Anoth-
er defender Anas Edathodika
made a desperate attempt to
stop him, even as the goal-
keeper Antonio Santana
charged out but they could
nothing.
Dynamos, blessed with at-
tacking stars like Marcelinho,
Richard Gadze and Kean
Lewis who have scored plenty
of goals this season, did show
their attacking instincts early.
Missed chances
Captain Florent Malouda
found a way through the
middle in the opening minutes
but with two defenders sur-
rounding him, he passed the
ball to Kean Lewis on the left
but the Indian shot wide.
A lovely counter-attack fol-
host to retain the top spot.
A win would propel India to
the top of Pool D, taking on
Pool C’s second-placed Spain
in the quarterfinals after the
latter pushed New Zealand out
of contention on goal difer-
ence despite a 3-3 draw.
The results: Pool C: Germany 6
(Anton Boeckel 2, Constantin Staib,
Ole Thies Prinz, Timm Herzbruch, Lu-
kas Windfeder) bt Japan 1 (Ryo Oz-
awa); Spain (Llorenc Grau Piera, En-
rique Gonzalez, Jan Rosell) drew with
New Zealand 3 (Sam Hiha, Jonty
Keaney, Dylan Thomas).
Pool B: Belgium 3 (Thomas Ver-
heijen, Quentin van Lierde, Henri
Raes) bt the Netherlands 2 (Terrance
Pieters, Bram van Groessen); Malay-
sia 2 (Zulhamizan Mohamad, Khaliq
Hamirin) bt Egypt 0.
Monday’s schedule: Pool A:
Australia vs Austria (10 a.m.), Korea
vs Argentina (12 noon). Pool B: The
Netherlands vs Egypt (2 p.m.),
Malaysia vs Belgium (4 p.m.). Pool
D: India vs South Africa (6 p.m.).
most 60 overs, when Jayant at-
tempted to hit Rashid out of
the rough through the covers
and was stumped.
Kohli hit a lofted drive to
deep cover, and soon India’s
first innings came a close some
FOX IN THE BOX: Kervens Belfort, who has scored some crucial
goals for Kerala Blasters this season, is proving to be a
fantastic signing. — PHOTO: H. VIBU
lowed with Belfort racing on
the left and providing a neat
pass to C.K. Vineeth. But the
Kerala star, who has scored
five goals from six games, hit
the side-netting.
That was how the game
went, with both teams even for
a major part of the game. Ker-
ala attacked through the
flanks, with Belfort keeping
Dynamos on their toes while
right-back Sandesh Jhingan
moved up frequently on the
right.
Kerala’s target was to make
the most of the packed sta-
dium and as the team settled
down, Cedric Hengbart, cap-
tain Aaron Hughes and
Jhingan took turns in going
forward which confused Dy-
namos.
The home defenders
marked the Dynamos players
well: Hengbart kept Gadze on
a tight leash, Jhingan took care
of Lewis, Hughes handled
Ghana’s Gadze while mid-
Minerva Punjab and
Chennai City get AIFF nod
SPORTS REPORTER
CHENNAI: The All India Football Feder-
ation (AIFF) Bid Evaluation Committee
met on Sunday and decided to award
Chennai City FC & Minerva Punjab FC
the right to field their teams for the up-
coming season of the I-League, which
is slated to commence on January 7,
2017.
AIFF secretary Kushal Das said: “I
welcome Chennai City FC & Minerva
Punjab FC to the I-League family and
we all hope that we will have a com-
petitive I-League.”
Das added: “With Chennai City FC &
Minerva Punjab FC joining the fray
now, we have ten teams competing in
the next I-League. Now, we have repre-
sentatives from Chennai and Punjab,
which means we’ll reach out to more
supporters and newer markets.”
Rohit elated
CCFC owner Rohit Ramesh was
elated after getting the nod. “I am very
Walsh shows interest
Legendary West Indies fast bowler Courtney
Walsh has expressed his desire to coach the
쑺
Caribbean side, saying that he will definitely
give it a shot if he is given any offer by the
country’s cricket board.
three quarters of an hour after
lunch, with a sizeable lead.
Clearly the partnership be-
tween Kohli and Jayant has
sealed the fate of this match.
India will travel to Chennai 3-0
up in the series.
fielder Mehtab Hossain shad-
owed Malouda, the visitor’s
marquee player.
But Marcelinho, with his
marauding runs, kept left-back
Josu Currias Prieto busy. Pri-
eto picked up a yellow midway
through the first half and when
things turned hotter, coach
Steve Coppell smartly re-
placed the Spaniard with Ivory
Coast’s Didier Kadio.
On the other side, three men
were deployed to guard Vin-
eeth and they were successful
to an extent.
Just as the first half ap-
peared to finish goalless,
Belfort produced a goal only to
see it being disallowed. Belfort
was disappointed but shortly
after the hour-mark, his fine
solo run produced the
match-winner.
Delhi almost found the
equaliser in the 75th minute,
but Hengbart made a wonder-
ful goalline save, heading out a
Marcelinho’s header.
happy. It is a good opportunity to help
grow the sport in Chennai and Tamil
Nadu and promote players from here,”
Rohit said.
Elaborating on the plans, Rohit said,
“We are already part of the CFA senior
division and we have been investing at
the grassroots level for the past three
years. We have a programme in Thoot-
hoor in Kanyakumari district and with
this we hope to tap raw talents and get
the best out of them.”
The team is currently in talks with
Robin Charles Raja for a coaching role
and Rohit said the team will strive to
strike a right balance between foreign
players, Indian players and players
from the State.
Rohit also added the team will
continue to be part of the CFA senior
division and hopes to blood youngsters
that can ensure a sound feeder
system.
Chennai City FC is currently part of
the senior division in the Chennai
Football Association League.
| 17
Saha, Shami
will miss
Chennai Test
MUMBAI: Parthiv Patel’s return
to India’s Test side is set to be
prolonged as wicket-keeper
Wriddhiman Saha has been
ruled out of India’s series-con-
cluding rubber against Eng-
land, starting in Chennai on
December 16.
Mohammad Shami, who
also missed the ongoing fourth
Test, will not recover either in
time for the fifth Test.
In a statement issued on
Sunday, the BCCI stated Saha
had not recovered from a ham-
string injury that he sufered
during the second Test at Vi-
sakhapatnam.
Shami has been sidelined
due to a right knee problem
that has plagued him right
through the series.
“Shami has soreness in his
right knee and has been ad-
vised rest and rehabilitation.
He will go to the National
Cricket Academy, Bengaluru,
to start his recovery pro-
gramme,” the statement said.
Saha is undergoing rehabil-
itation at the NCA, the state-
ment said.
The BCCI has not yet an-
nounced whether Ishant
Sharma will join the squad for
the last Test.
Slammers wins
IPTL ’16
A. JOSEPH ANTONY
HYDERABAD: OUE Singapore
Slammers trounced Indian
Aces 30-14, winning every rub-
ber in the final of the Coca
Cola-International Premier
Tennis League here on
Sunday.
In the legends’ match, Car-
los Moya epitomised economy
of efort against a power-
driven Mark Philippoussis. Di-
agonal drops wrong-footed
the Australian time and again.
While ‘Scud’ had a treble of
aces, Moya had a superior
first-serve percentage.
A mere pump of the fist was
Moya’s expression of exulta-
tion for some extraordinary
winners, as the majestic Ma-
jorcan went on to win after
getting the decisive break in
the third game.
Then Kiki Bertens demol-
ished Kirsten Flipkens; Sania
Mirza, who stepped up as sub-
stitute in the last game, could
not avert a 6-3 defeat.
Broken in the fourth, Mar-
cos Baghdatis exacted revenge
in the next and never looked
back against Feliciano Lopez.
If the Cypriot was a tad erratic
in the early stages, he more
than made up for it with some
feather-touch drops that left
the Spanish southpaw with
nary a chance.
The result: Final: Singapore
Slammers bt Indian Aces 30-14 (Car-
los Moya bt Mark Philippoussis 6-4;
Kiki Bertens bt Kirsten Flipkens 6-3;
Marelo Melo & Bertens bt Ivan Dodig
& Sania Mirza 6-1; Melo & Nick Kyr-
gios bt Dodig & Feliciano Lopez 6-2,
Marcos Baghdatis bt Lopez 6-4).
Anand shares
second spot
LONDON: Five-time World
champion Viswanathan
Anand produced a beauty of a
finish to dump Maxime Vach-
ier-Lagrave in the second
round of the London Chess
Classic here.
The victory gave Anand a
share of the second spot be-
hind leader Wesley So, who
posted his second successive
victory and reached a live rat-
ing of 2800.
In the last edition of the
premier event, Anand played
white against Lagrave and lost.
On Saturday, Anand once
again sat behind white pieces
and watched Lagarave re-em-
ploy the Sicilian Najdorf. As it
turned out, a better-prepared
Anand came out stronger in 33
moves following a nice
bishop-sacrifice.
Wesley So, who defeated
Hikaru Nakamura on Friday,
doubled his tally with a 40-
move victory over local hope
Michael Adams. Caruana was
the other winner of the day
after dismissing Veselin Topa-
lov in 38 moves.
The results (second round):
Viswanathan Anand (1.5) bt Maxime
Vachier-Lagrave (0.5); Wesley So (2)
bt Michael Adams (0); Vladimir Kr-
amnik (1.5) drew with Levon Aronian
(Arm, 1.5); Anish Giri (1) drew with
Hikaru Nakamura (0.5); Veselin To-
palov (0) lost to Fabiano Caruana
(1.5). Third round pairings: Na-
kamura-Anand; Caruana-Kramnik;
Aronian-So; Lagrave-Topalov;
Adams-Giri. — Sports Bureau
ND-ND
18 | SPORT
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

A smooth transition to coaching

Ghosal loses
SURREY (ENGLAND): Giant killer
Deryl Selby of England ended
India's Saurav Ghosal's run in
the quarterfinals of the
$100,000 Chennel VAS squash
championship, a PSA world
tour event here.
Selby did not stretch much
to earn a 11-5, 11-3, 11-6 win over
the Indian, the match lasting
45 minutes.
Other result: First round:
Ghosal bt Borja Golan 11-5, 11-7, 10-
12, 11-8. — Sports Bureau
Baroda Cup for
Jindal Panther
NEW DELHI: Three goals each by
Simran Shergill and Raghav
Rao helped Jindal Panther beat
Rajnigandha Achievers 7-6 in
the final of the Baroda Cup 10-
goal polo tournament at the
Jaipur Polo ground here on
Sunday.
Mare Starline was adjudged
‘best polo pony’ while
Kartikeya Singh was declared
‘most promising player’.
The results (final): Jindal Pan-
ther 7 (Simran Shergill 3, Raghav Rao
3, Ricardo Nunes) bt Rajnigandha
Achievers 6 (Dhruvpal Godara 2,
Basheer Ali 2, Deepak Udar,
Kartikeya Singh).
Rashpal wins
Mayor’s marathon
MUMBAI: Rashpal Singh from
Army Sports Institute won the
India Bulls Home Loans Vasai
Virar Mayor’s Marathon on
Sunday, clocking 2:22.04.
A.B. Baliappa won the men’s
half marathon in 1:05.33.
The results: Men: Marathon: 1.
Raspal Singh (02:22:04), 2. Pankaj
Dhaka (02:28:55), 3. Satyabhan
(02:30:51). Half marathon: 1. A.B.
Baliappa (1:05:33), 2. Srinu Bugatha
(1:05:34), 3. Damor Mohan (1:05:51).
Women: Half marathon (21km): 1.
Sanjivani Jadhav (1:18:02), 2.
Saigeeta Naik (1:18:55), 3. Monika
Athare (1:20:06).
Injury cannot stop Thapa
BOXING / Protests against results mark day’s action
Y.B. SARANGI
GUWAHATI: World champion-
ship medallist Shiva Thapa de-
feated Ashok of All India Po-
lice and secured a place in the
60kg semifinals despite sufer-
ing an injury, here on Sunday.
It’s not sure whether Thapa
will be fit to take the ring for his
semifinal against Vijay Kumar
of Punjab.
Dominating the fight, Thapa
delivered a massive right to
floor Ashok and then landed a
few more in the opening round.
Ashok attacked in the next
round but Thapa replied well,
mixing his combinations and
uppercut, to fell the policeman
again.
Thapa sufered a cut on his
forehead and was bleeding
profusely towards the end of
the second round and ex-
pressed his unhappiness be-
fore being attended by the
ringside doctor.
As the referee allowed the
bout to continue, Ashok target-
ted Thapa’s face. But, he man-
aged to stay out of reach to as-
sure himself of at least a
bronze.
Thapa, who won the contest
on unanimous decision, was
rushed to hospital after being
given first aid.
According to his team mem-
bers, the injury was the result
of a “head-butt.”
On a day that witnessed
dramatic scenes, two losing
boxers expressed their dis-
pleasure inside the ring.
Railways' Vikas Malik beat
Durga Rao 4-1 in a keenly-
fought 60kg bout.
The jury took several
minutes to announce the de-
cision, which left the Andhra
boxer utterly disappointed.
Showing sportsman spirit, Vi-
kas picked up Durga with a
smile and carried him to his
GUTSY: Shiva Thapa of Assam won a unanimous decision against Ashok Sura of AIP in the 60kg
category despite a cut on his forehead. — PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR
corner. Later, Durga said, “I
think the result was not fair.
There is no provision to lodge a
protest.”
In a 64kg bout, Ashish of
Haryana was the aggrieved
boxer after losing 3-2 to Rail-
ways’ Rohit. He stayed put in
the ring before being chaired
by his teammates.
According to Boxing Feder-
ation of India oicials, since
the scores were tied in both
bouts the judges were asked to
nominate a boxer following
which the winners were
decided.
The results (quarterfinals):
49kg: Akshay (Mah) bt Vipin Ku-
mar (Chd) RSC; Shyam Kumar (RSPB)
bt Neeraj (Del) 5-0; Amit (Har) bt V.
Jyoti Swaroop (AP) 5-0; Bahadur
Rana (SSCB) bt Lalbikkiama (Miz)
RSC. 52kg: Devendro Singh (Man) bt
Niraj (Har) 3-2; Ananta Chopre (Mah)
bt Akash Singh (Cht) 4-1; Laldin-
mawia (Miz) bt Rahul (HP) 4-1;
Deepak Singh (Chd) bt Kavinder
Singh w/o.
56kg: Mohd. Hussamuddin
(SSCB) bt Buntee Singh (Del) 5-0;
Sheran Sandhu (Utk) bt Shashi Kant
(Mah) 3-2; Gidi Venkata (AP) bt
Hitesh (Chd) RSC; Akshay (Har) bt
Ram Singh (UP) 5-0.
60kg: Shiva Thapa (Asm) bt Ashok
(AIP) 5-0; Vijay Kumar (Pun) bt Sunil
Kumar (Bih) 4-1; Vikas Malik (RSPB) bt
Durga Rao (AP) 4-1; Ankush (Har) bt
Suraj Singh (Cht) 5-0.
64kg: Sandeep (AIP) bt Prasadulla
(AP) 5-0; Rohit (RSPB) bt Ashish (Har)
3-2; Roshan Singh (Man) bt Yogesh
(Del) 5-0; Thomans Meitei (SSCB) bt
Kalicharan (Mah) 5-0.
69kg: Ankush Hudda (Chd) bt
Andy Chauha (Miz) 5-0; Manoj Kumar
(RSPB) bt Ashish (J&K) 4-1; Prayag
Chavhan (Del) bt Manish (MP) 4-1;
Duryodhan Singh (SSCB) bt Johnson
Singh (Man) 5-0.
75kg: Venhlimpuia (Miz) bt Aditya
Mann (Har) 4-1; Sumit Kumar (Utk) bt
Prabagaran (Pud) RSC; Jaideep
(SSCB) bt Nilkamal Singh (Del) 4-1.
81kg: Manish Panwar (RSPB) bt
Vivek (Kar) RSC; Devanshu Jaiswal
(SSCB) bt Jay Saxena (Utk) 5-0;
Geetanand (HP) bt Brijesh Yadav
(Raj) 4-1; Rahul (MP) bt Zarzoliana
(Miz) 3-2.
91kg: Virender Kumar (HP) bt K.P.
Singh (Pun) 4-1; Dinesh Kumar (AIP)
bt Abhishek (Del) KO; Gaurav (MP) bt
Jasveer Singh (RSPB) RSC; Sanjeet
(SSCB) bt Deepak (Asm) RSC.
+91kg: Satish Kumar (SSCB) bt
Ajit Negi (Utk) 5-0; Akash (Del) bt
Vekuzo (Nag) 5-0; Parveen Kumar
(Har) bt Nitish (Chd) 5-0; Amritpreet
Singh (RSPB) bt Samrat Ingle (Mah)
5-0.
Y.B. SARANGI
GUWAHATI: Injury might have
forced Suranjoy Singh to hang
up his gloves in his late 20s, but
the diminutive boxer has taken
everything in his stride to
move on in life.
The former Commonwealth
Games and Asian champion-
ship gold medallist is now
working as a coach with his
employer Indian Navy and en-
joys his job of hunting for talen-
ted boxers at the National box-
ing championship here.
Suranjoy, who was in the
limelight after claiming a rare
Asian title in 51kg in 2009 and
becoming the first Indian to
achieve the feat after a gap of 15
years, had grabbed a lot of at-
tention for his gold medal win-
ning performance at the Delhi
Commonwealth Games in
2010.
However, an injury dented
his progress. “After the 2012
Olympic qualifier, I quit box-
ing due to a knee injury. I re-
Bhriguvanshi
to lead India
BENGALURU: Vishesh Bhriguvan-
shi will lead the Indian team at
the Super Kung Sheung Cup
international basketball invit-
ation championship in Hong
Kong from December 13 to 18.
Junior India captain P. Bal-
adhaneshwar and Karnataka’s
Anil Kumar will be making
their senior India debuts.
In the preliminary round,
India will first play Hong Kong
on December 13 and then Thai-
land on December 15.
The squad: Vishesh Bhriguvanshi
(capt.), Ravi Bharadwaj, B. Anil Ku-
mar, Pratham Singh, Amritpal Singh,
Yadwinder Singh, Rikin Pethani, Ara-
vind Annadurai, Baladhaneshwar
Poiyamozhi, Arvind Arumugam, S.
Prasanna Venkatesh, P. Akilan. —
Principal Correspondent
Suranjoy Singh.
— PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR
turned in 2013 but had pain in
the other leg. So I decided to
quit altogether,” Suranjoy told
The Hindu.
“I thought of grooming
youngsters. In 2015 I com-
pleted my NIS course. I have
been training boxers in Navy
for the last one year and I am
here to look for new talent.”
Suranjoy, who was nick-
named Chhota Tyson during
his active years as a boxer, is
saddened to see the decline in
the standard of the boxers due
TENNIS
Ramkumar triumphs
QATAR: Top seed Ramkumar
Ramanathan beat second seed
Sebastian Ofner of Austria 7-5,
6-3 in the final of the $10,000
ITF men’s Futures tennis tour-
nament here on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Ramkumar
won in an hour and 11 minutes,
as he converted four of 10
breakpoints.
The 249th ranked Ramku-
mar got his serve broken twice
initially but Ofner could not
close it out while serving for
the set at 5-4.
Ramkumar won seven of the
next eight games to gain a
stranglehold over the
proceedings.
It was the second singles ti-
tle in the professional circuit
for Ramkumar this season, fol-
to lack of competitions. “Box-
ers have sufered a lot due to
the ban on the federation. The
performance graph has gone
down; we did not get a medal in
the Rio Olympics.
“Boxing is not just about
fights. The boxers have to get
adequate competitions to be-
come sharp and better. Be-
cause of the lack of competi-
tions, boxers don’t look sharp
here. As a talent scout at an
elite domestic event, I look for
technique, energy and strength
in a boxer.”
Suranjoy is of the view that
Indian boxers should take time
to get back to the top. “We have
got the boxers and we know
how to do it. Two to three years
should be good enough time.”
“There has to be a nice bal-
ance between competition and
rest. Suppose you are par-
ticipating in a championship
like this where you are playing
five rounds, then you should
take a one-month break,” Sur-
anjoy said.
Ramkumar Ramanathan.
— FILE PHOTO
lowing one in Spain. It was
also the 13th singles title of his
career and he has 14 doubles ti-
tle as well. — Sports Bureau

RACING
Mr. Baahubali may score an encore
HYDERABAD: Mr. Baahubali, who
maintains form, may score an encore
in the Nirmal Plate (1,200m), the
main event of the races to be held
here on Monday (Dec. 12).
1 MALVADO PLATE (Div. II),
(1,400m), 4-y-o & over, rated 26 to
50 (Cat. III), 12.40 p.m.: 1. Moon
Walker (1) C.P. Bopanna 60, 2. The
Blue (2) Suraj Narredu 60, 3. Naam-
dhari (6) A.A. Vikrant 59, 4. Wine N
Dine (4) N.S. Rathore 58, 5. Vijays
Delight (5) K. Mukesh Kumar 57.5,
6. Exclusive Monarchy (8) K. Sai
Kiran 53, 7. Rose ‘D’ Mumtaz (3)
B.R. Kumar 52, 8. Roma Rouge (7)
Ajeeth Kumar 51.5 and 9. Hal Chal
(9) G. Naresh 51.
1. Rose ‘D’ Mumtaz, 2. Vijays
Delight, 3. The Blue
2 CLASSIC STYLE PLATE
(1,200m), (Cat. II), maiden 2-y-o
only (Terms), 1.10: 1. Face The Facts
(8) Ajeeth Kumar 55, 2. Far Sight (2)
Suraj Narredu 55, 3. Heritage (3)
Ajit Singh 55, 4. Lord Gift (4) K.
Mukesh Kumar 55, 5. Rutilant (-) (-)
55, 6. Southern Crown (5) Akshay
(1,400m), 4-y-o & over, rated 26 to
50 (Cat. III), 2.10: 1. Lavender (5)
N.S. Rathore 60, 2. Perfection (3)
P. Gaddam 60, 3. Dolce (2) B.R.
Kumar 59, 4. Kohinoor Karishma
(6) Kunal Bunde 58.5, 5. Apache
Gal (4) Gopal Singh 55.5, 6. Ry-
uzaki (7) Akshay Kumar 53.5, 7.
Forever Bullish (1) A.S. Pawar
52.5, 8. Green Olive (9) Ajeeth Ku-
mar 51 and 9. Golden Xanthus (8)
Md. Sameeruddin 50.5.
1. Perfection, 2. Dolce, 3. Ko-
hinoor Karishma
5 FLIRTING VISION PLATE
(Div. I), (1,200m), 3-y-o & over,
rated 26 to 40 (whips are permit-
ted in this race), (Cat. III), 2.45: 1.
Scooby Dooby Do (7) Ajit Singh
61, 2. Chinese Thought (1) A.A.
Vikrant 59, 3. Avantika (2)
Beuzelin 58, 4. Space Ship (8) C.P.
Bopanna 57, 5. Ragas Ajalias (9)
Kunal Bunde 56, 6. My Choice (4)
P. Gaddam 53, 7. Jayin (5) Khur-
shad Alam 51.5, 8. Yes Baby (6)
Rohit Kumar 51.5 and 9. Good
Confidence (3) B.R. Kumar 50.
1. Avantika, 2. Ragas Ajalias, 3.
B.R. Kumar 58.5, 5. Strengthand-
beauty (3) N. Rawal 58.5, 6. Fab-
ulous Jewel (6) Md. Sameeruddin
55.5, 7. George Cross (8) Neeraj
55.5, 8. Citi Colors (10) Suraj
Narredu 53.5, 9. Silver Dollar (2)
Akshay Kumar 53.5, 10. Mirfield
(7) Sai Kumar 52.5, 11. Euro Zone
(4) N.S. Rathore 52 and 12. Bharat
King (12) Ajeeth Kumar 51.5.
1. Awesome Approach, 2. Citi
Colors, 3. George Cross
8 NIRMAL PLATE (1,200m),
3-y-o & over, rated 66 to 90 (Cat.
II), 4.20: 1. Commanding Boy (4)
Suraj Narredu 60, 2. Vijay Sakhi
(7) Deep Shanker 58.5, 3. City Of
Dreams (5) P. Trevor 57.5, 4. Nu-
minous (8) K. Mukesh Kumar 57,
5. Blossom (3) Sai Kumar 56.5, 6.
Vallee Secrete (1) Akshay Kumar
56, 7. Mr. Baahubali (6) N.S.
Rathore 51.5 and 8. Princess Hina
(2) Ajeeth Kumar 51.
1. Mr. Baahubali, 2. Command-
ing Boy, 3. City Of Dreams
Galiat wins Northern Dancer Million
HYDERABAD: Galiat ((Beuzelin up)
won the Northern Dancer Million,
the main event of the races here
today. The winner is owned by M/s.
Prakash Babu, Rajesh Sanghani &
B.S. Reddy and trained by D. Netto.
1. BONZER CUP (Div. II),
(1,200m), 4-y-o & over, rated 26 to
50 (Cat. III): Astra (Akshay Kumar)
1, Poll Promise (N.S. Rathore) 2, In
Command (A.A. Vikrant) 3, Buck-
shee (G. Naresh) 4. 6, 2 and 1. 1m
12.57s. Rs. 14 (w), 6, 6 and 16 (p), SHP:
Rs. 18, Q: Rs. 25, FP: Rs. 45, Trinalla:
Rs. 197. Favourite: Astra. Owners:
M/s. Manjri Horse Breeders Farm
Private Limited rep. by Mr. & Mrs.
Shapoor P. Mistry. Trainer: L.V.R.
Deshmukh.
2. CHAITANYA RATHAM
PLATE (Div. II), (1,100m), Maiden
2-y-o only (Cat. II), (Terms): Gladi-
ator Royale (G. Naresh) 1, Sharp
Eye (Akshay Kumar) 2, Lost And
Found (C. Alford) 3, Reach The
Heights (P. Sai Kumar) 4. 3/4, 1/2
and 2-3/4. 1m 08.69s. Rs. 144 (w), 21,
6 and 6 (p), SHP: Rs. 17, Q: Rs. 186,
FP: Rs. 526, Trinalla: Rs. 2247. Fa-
vourite: Lost And Found. Owner:
Mr. K. Krishna Kumar. Trainer: K.V.
Srinivas.
3. CHAITANYA RATHAM
PLATE (Div. I), (1,100m), Maiden
2-y-o only (Cat. II), (Terms): Glad-
stone (N. Rawal) 1, Bayrd
(Beuzelin) 2, True Hymn (P. Ajeeth
Kumar) 3, Divine Silver (Mukesh
Kumar) 4. 4-3/4, 1 and 3-1/4. 1m
06.98s. Rs. 21 (w), 7, 6 and 8 (p), SHP:
Rs. 21, Q: Rs. 20, FP: Rs. 57, Trinalla:
Rs. 163. Favourite: Bayrd. Owners:
Mr. M. Sudheer Reddy & Dr. Tee-
gala Vijender Reddy. Trainer:
K.S.V. Prasad Raju.
4. NORTHERN DANCER
MILLION (1,400m), 3-y-o & over
(Terms): Galiat (Beuzelin) 1, Sat-
ellite (C. Alford) 2, Adam (N.S. Par-
mar) 3, Vijay Vidhata (Deep
Shanker) 4. Sh. hd., hd. and 2. 1m
24.90s. Rs. 43 (w), 13 and 6 (p), SHP:
Rs. 15, Q: Rs. 47, FP: Rs. 152, Trinalla:
Rs. 169. Favourite: Adam. Owners:
M/s. Prakash Babu, Rajesh Sanghani
& B.S. Reddy. Trainer: D. Netto.
5. BONZER CUP (Div. I),
(1,200m), 4-y-o & over, rated 26 to
50 (Cat. III): Act In Time (Mukesh
Kumar) 1, Sacrifice (S.S. Tanwar) 2,
Pegasus (A.A. Vikrant) 3, Back To
Business (Akshay Kumar) 4. 2-1/2,
4-3/4 and 1-12. 1m 13.16s. Rs. 21 (w), 9,
8 and 16 (p), SHP: Rs. 27, Q: Rs. 37,
FP: Rs. 85, Trinalla: Rs. 507. Favour-
ite: Sacrifice. Owners: M/s. T.
Rakesh Reddy, Premanand Sug-
andhi, Ms. Swathi Kodali & Mr.
Ashok Rupani. Trainer: Anupam
Sharma.
6. CROWN TREASURE
PLATE (1,600m), 5-y-o & over,
rated 26 to 50 (Cat. III):
Brilliant (Beuzelin) 1, Undu
Undu Undu (C. Alford) 2, Vijay
Vidyut (Akshay Kumar) 3, Sea
Change (Deepak Singh) 4. 2-1/2, 1-
1/4 and 1-1/2. 1m 40.93s. Rs. 15 (w), 7,
7 and 7 (p), SHP: Rs. 21, Q: Rs. 24, FP:
Rs. 51, Trinalla: Rs. 88. Favourite:
Brilliant. Owner & trainer: Mr. S.A.
Shehzad Abbas.
7. TRIBUTE PLATE (Div. I),
(1,200m), 5-y-o & over, rated 46 to
70 (Cat. II): Rubyonrails (C.
Alford) 1, Rock Heights (Akshay Ku-
mar) 2, Lopamudra (B.R. Kumar) 3,
Egyptian Wind (Ajit Singh) 4. 4-1/2,
1-1/4 and 3/4. 1m 11.80s. Rs. 13 (w), 7,
24 and 6 (p), SHP: Rs. 80, Q: Rs. 97,
FP: Rs. 161, Trinalla: Rs. 555. Favour-
ite: Rubyonrails. Owners: M/s. M.
Madhukar, Eswarachandra Rajago-
pal Tripuraneni & Penmethsa
Ramachandra Raju. Trainer: Faiyaz
Shaikh.
8. UMRAOLAL GUPTA ME-
MORIAL CUP (1,400m), 3-y-o &
over, rated 66 to 90 (Cat. II): Net
Champ (Beuzelin) 1, King Of Pop
(N.S. Rathore) 2, Queen Of The
Stars (Kuldeep Singh) 3, City Of
Wonders (Sai Kiran) 4. 2-3/4 , 1/4
and 3/4. 1m 25.80s. Rs. 12 (w), 7, 16
and 20 (p), SHP: Rs. 39, Q: Rs. 57, FP:
Rs. 79, Trinalla: Rs. 717. Favourite:
Net Champ. Owners: Mr. P.
Prabhakar Reddy & Dr. Peddi
Reddy Prabhakar Reddy. Trainer:
D. Netto.
9. TRIBUTE PLATE (Div. II),
(1,200m), 5-y-o & over, rated 46 to
70 (Cat. II): Oathofyourdaughter
(G. Naresh) 1, Exclusive Beauty
(Kiran Naidu) 2, Symbol Of Pride
(B.R. Kumar) 3, Khoshgel (Akshay
Kumar) 4. 1/2, 1 and 2. 1m 12.29s.
Rs.34 (w), 9, 7 and 9 (p), SHP: Rs. 17,
Q: Rs. 65, FP: Rs. 140, Trinalla: Rs.
696. Favourite: Khoshgel. Owner:
Mr. K. Krishna Kumar. Trainer: K.V.
Srinivas.
Jackpot: (30 per cent) Rs. 141 (914
tkts.); (70 per cent): Rs. 2352 (128
tkts.).
Treble: (I): Rs. 1476 (22 tkts.); (II):
Rs. 1217 (24 tkts.), (III): Rs. 225 (214
tkts.).

Kumar 55, 7. Supremo (7) Sai Ku-
mar 55, 8. Kohinoor Lucy (1) Kunal
Bunde 53.5, 9. Lady Admiral (6) G.
Naresh 53.5 and 10. Lady In Lace (9)
N. Rawal 53.5.
1. Far Sight, 2. Southern Crown,
3. Lady Admiral
3 MIRZA ZUNNUR AHMED
MEMORIAL CUP (1,200m), 3-y-o
& over, rated 46 to 70 (Cat. II), 1.40:
1. Columbus (6) C.P. Bopanna 60, 2.
Sprint Legend (3) Md. Sameerud-
din 57.5, 3. Masti (9) Akshay Kumar
57, 4. Azarenka (1) P. Trevor 54.5, 5.
Seven Colours (7) K. Mukesh Ku-
mar 53.5, 6. Aragonda Princess (4)
S.S. Tanwar 52.5, 7. Big Flash (2)
Deepak Singh 52, 8. Gangadhar (5)
G. Naresh 52, 9. Cash Landing (10)
Neeraj 51.5 and 10. Golden Angel
(8) N. Rawal 51.5.
1. Aragonda Princess, 2. Masti,
3. Azarenka
4 MALVADO PLATE (Div. I),
Space Ship
6 FLIRTING VISION PLATE
(Div. II), (1,200m), 3-y-o & over,
rated 26 to 50 (whips are not per-
mitted in this race), (Cat. III), 3.15:
1. Olympic Hero (5) Suraj Narredu
60, 2. Matica (7) P. Gaddam 58.5, 3.
Sweet March (9) Beuzelin 57.5, 4.
Royal Dynamite (4) B.R. Kumar
57, 5. Ikigai (3) N. Rawal 55.5, 6.
Prime Time (8) Akshay Kumar 53,
7. Bouncer (1) Md. Sameeruddin
52, 8. Sefarina (6) Rohit Kumar 52
and 9. Mexican Rose (2) Ajeeth
Kumar 50.
1. Sweet March, 2. Olympic
Hero, 3. Ikigai
7 GAJASIMHA RAO ME-
MORIAL CUP (1,400m), 3 & 4-y-o
only, rated 46 to 70 (Cat. II), 3.45: 1.
Awesome Approach (9) P. Trevor
60, 2. Double Charter (5) Beuzelin
60, 3. Green Image (11) A.A.
Vikrant 59, 4. Exclusive Wind (1)
9 GANGOTRI PLATE
(1,200m), maiden 3-y-o & over,
rated upto 30 (Cat. III), 4.55: 1.
Great Glory (2) A.A. Vikrant 62, 2.
Rohini (10) B.R. Kumar 62, 3.
Shandaar (13) Ajit Singh 62, 4. Aal-
ishaan (3) Akshay Kumar 61.5, 5.
District Attorney (9) A M To-
grallu 61, 6. White Rose (12) G.
Naresh 61, 7. Fortune Star (4) N.S.
Rathore 60.5, 8. Golden Joy (11) N.
Rawal 60.5, 9. Whisper (7) A. Joshi
60, 10. Princess (1) Kiran Naidu
59.5, 11. Prep One (8) Deepak Singh
58.5, 12. Play It Cool (14) Deep
Shanker 58, 13. Kohinoor Love (5)
Kunal Bunde 50.5 and 12. Rainbow
Blues (6) P. Gaddam 50.
1. Great Glory, 2. Shandaar, 3.
Kohinoor Love
Day’s best: Far Sight
Double: Avantika - Awesome
Approach
Jkt: 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9; Tr: (i): 1, 2 & 3; (ii):
4, 5 & 6; (iii): 7, 8 & 9; Tla: all races.
Mrs Patmore claims Gitanjali Indian 1000 Guineas
MUMBAI: Mrs Patmore ridden by P.
Trevor won the Gitanjali Indian
1000 Guineas (Gr.1), in a thrilling
finish from Hall Of Famer, the first
classic of the season here on Sunday
(Dec. 11). The winner is owned by
Mr. Vijay B. Shirke, Mr. Jay V. Shirke
& Mr. K.N. Dhunjibhoy rep. Five
Stars Shipping Co. Pvt. Ltd. P. Shrof
trains the winner.
1. COLE GOLD TROPHY
(1,600m), Cl. V, rated 1 to 26: Secret
Flame (Dashrath) 1, Simona (S.
Amit) 2, Kookaburra (Srinath) 3 and
Ritz (Pereira) 4. Not run: Coat Of
Arms and Sir Desmond. 1, hd. and 1-
1/4. 1m 39.94s. Rs. 26 (w), 12, 10 and 19
(p). SHP: Rs. 26, FP: Rs. 126, Q: Rs. 24,
Tanala: Rs. 99 and Rs. 28. Favourite:
Kookaburra. Owners: Mr. Vijay V.
Shah & Mrs. Pooja V. Shah rep. Vs
Zaia Thoroughbred Racing & Breed-
ing Pvt. Ltd. & Mr. Muneez Asif
Poonawalla.
Trainer: Narendra Lagad.
2. RANJIT V. BHAT ME-
MORIAL GOLD TROPHY
(1,000m), Cl. I, rated 80 and upward:
Champagne (Sandesh) 1, Deep
Diver (Dashrath) 2, Serenita
(Neeraj) 3. 1-1/2 and 2-3/4. 57.88s. Rs.
24 (w), SHP: Rs. 20, FP: Rs. 57. Fa-
vourite: Serenita. Owners: Mr. Jay-
dev M. Mody rep. J.M. Livestock Pvt.
Ltd. Trainer: Rehanullah Khan.
3. FAIZ JASDANWALLA
TROPHY (1,000m), Maiden 2-y-o
only: Wise Child (Sandesh) 1, Gol-
die’s Pet (Trevor) 2, Texas Gold (J.
Chinoy) 3 and Lilibeth (Dashrath) 4.
Lnk, 3/4 and Lnk. 59.89s. Rs. 30 (w),
19 and 14 (p), SHP: Rs. 29, FP: Rs. 49,
Q: Rs. 13, Tanala: Rs. 413 and Rs. 204.
Favourite: Goldie’s Pet. Owners: Mr.
& Mrs. Vijay B. Shirke, Mr. Jay V.
Shirke & Mr. K.N. Dhunjibhoy rep.
Five Stars Shipping Co. Pvt. Ltd.
Trainer: M.K. Jadhav.
4. M.N. NAZIR TROPHY
(1,400m), Cl. III, rated 40 to 66: Ex-
odus (J. Chinoy) 1, Hedwig (S.J.
Sunil) 2, Charging Tigress (S. Amit)
3 and Batman (C.S. Jodha) 4. Nose,
3-1/2 and Nk. 1m 24.27s. Rs. 24 (w), 15
and 22 (p), SHP: Rs. 47, FP: Rs. 138, Q:
Rs. 96, Tanala: Rs. 544 and Rs. 181. Fa-
vourite: Batman. Owners: Mr. Jay-
dev M. Mody rep. J.M. Livestock Pvt.
Ltd. Trainer: C.D. Katrak.
5. KEJRIWAL TROPHY (Div.
I), (1,200m), Cl. IV, rated 20 to 46:
Masterof balantrae (K. Kadam) 1,
Lord Arazan (Suraj Narredu) 2, Silk
Baby (Neeraj) 3 and Shape The
Scape (S. Amit) 4. Lnk, Lnk and 1-3/4.
1m 11.93s. Rs. 127 (w), 30, 14 and 18 (p),
SHP: Rs. 39, FP: Rs. 202, Q: Rs. 248,
Tanala: Rs. 1,547 and Rs. 1,105. Fa-
vourite: Lord Arazan. Owners: Mr. &
Mrs. Vijay B. Shirke, Mr. K.N.
Dhunjibhoy rep. Five Stars Shipping
Co. Pvt. Ltd. & Mr. Berjis Minoo De-
sai. Trainer: Vishal Gaikwad.
6. MAHARASHTRA, GU-
JARAT & GOA AREA TROPHY
(2,000m), Cl. IV, rated 20 to 46:
Mathaiyus (Srinath) 1, Rousseau
(Neeraj) 2, Sabiq (S. Kamble) 3 and
Flashing Honour (P.S. Chouhan) 4.
2-3/4, 1-1/2 and 4. 2m 2.59s. Rs. 22 (w),
10, 15 and 76 (p), SHP: Rs. 35, FP: Rs.
37, Q: Rs. 14, Tanala: Rs. 555 and Rs.
530. Favourite: Mathaiyus. Owners:
Mr. & Mrs. Mehernosh H. Deboo.
Trainer: P. Shrof.
7. GITANJALI INDIAN 1000
GUINEAS (1,600m), Indian Fillies,
3-y-o only:
MRS PATMORE (Holy Roman
Emperor – Eliza Gilbert) (Trevor) 1.
HALL OF FAMER (Win Legend –
Elusive Tower) (David Allan) 2.
MEKONG DELTA (Art Connois-
seur – Nessah’s Princess) (S. John) 3.
DEVOTED EYES (Multidimen-
sional – Ave Maria) (Sandesh) 4.
Hd., 3/4 and 3-1/4. 1m 36.99s. Rs. 82
(w), 30, 16 and 51 (p), SHP: Rs. 45, FP:
Rs. 377, Q: Rs. 186, Tanala: Rs. 9,668
and Rs. 12,430. Favourite: Temerity.
Owners: Mr. & Mrs. Vijay B. Shirke,
Mr. Jay V. Shirke & Mr. K.N.
Dhunjibhoy rep. Five Stars Shipping
Co. Pvt. Ltd. Trainer: P. Shrof.
8. KEJRIWAL TROPHY (Div.
II), (1,200m), Cl. IV, rated 20 to 46:
Golden Eclipse (T.S. Jodha) 1,
D’Accord (Trevor) 2, Orla (Vishal) 3
and Advance To Contact (Bhawani)
4. 1-1/2, 2 and 3-1/4. 1m 11.74. Rs. 78
(w), 22, 16 and 17 (p). SHP: Rs. 42, FP:
Rs. 270, Q: Rs. 159, Tanala: Rs. 741 and
Rs. 341. Favourite: D’Accord. Own-
ers: Mr. & Mrs. Vijay B. Shirke, Mr.
Jay V. Shirke & Mr. K.N. Dhunjibhoy
rep. Five Stars Shipping Co. Pvt. Ltd.
Trainer: M.K. Jadhav.
Jackpot: (70 per cent): Rs. 1,48,114
(four tkts.), (30 per cent): Rs. 3,135 (81
tkts.).
Treble: Rs. 2,912 (10 tkts.).
Super jackpot: (70 per cent): Rs. 6,
61,138 (carried forward).

VARIETY
THE HINDU CROSSWORD 11875 (set by Vulcan) FAITH TODAY'S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Star's new look, that which
became a fashion statement
after primarily one's selfish
pursuit (3,4)
25 Remains a new content that's
stupid (6) Significance of Pranava SOLUTIONS
9 (5,3) 14 One filled with exotic fauna and 27 Layout provided in black and E D T LS WH I N D A L L E
5 Circles around East river (6) flora (8) white as a rule (5)
E AL N S I A L
10 11 10 Symbolic of everybody's 15 Cautious, hiding a couple of 28 Indications gotten from scene
Several centuries after Avvaiyar in the Sangam period, E S N CE E V I D Y L AW B

there lived another woman poet who went by the same

U IP M L O E A
self-importance, amusing for the billions that's dirty (6) recreated with detailed video E A NS A I N O S A N N H
most part (9) 18 Attempt to block a word (9) name. She wrote a religious work titled Avvaikural. It AO V E C
12 13 11 Not going back to Georgia, the extremely vulgar (6) 29 Ultimate goal of friend/ally (3-3) describes the code of conduct for ascetics. Some even E D H TG WE I AWD R Y T

consider it a guide book for spiritual aspirants, said

E O T D A A
country (5) 20 Remained say, biased (8) 30 The wild animals finally B Y H A B F E S I L D L I W
12 Popular song with words that 22 Girl's expression of surprise assembled and made a sound Malayaman in a discourse. E C A F I
14 15 16 don't mean much (3,3) turned into expression of joy (7) (8) It says that the Pranava mantra is the aim and also the I P O T R R E G H O T A I

fruit of spiritual texts. It says that one should focus on the

R I E C M E T Y
17
13 For example, fall that comes G A T O N R I C L L E G O A
brilliance of the Pranava and turn one’s thoughts towards
SU | DO | KU
H N O I A U A W
18 19 20 21 Lord Siva. “If you understand that the Pranava is the E S A N G A T G T R AWH S

F ACROSS embodiment of jnana, and that the Pranava is Siva, then

you can attain the prerequisite qualities for attaining
22 23 24 25 jnana,” says Avvaikural.
Just as oil is contained in a sesame seed, just as ghee is
26
contained in milk, just as sweetness is inherent in
27 28 sugarcane, so also the brilliance of Lord Siva is present in
the Pranava.
Qualities like ahankara (ego) stand in the way of our
G
DOWN
29 30 acquiring jnana. Avvaikural says: “Think of Him always
with bhakti. Think of all living things as God Himself and
treat them with love. Lord Siva is the One who is present in
1 Street that appears after second 7 Individual in Greece, one beyond 17 Very bad food consumed (8) all the ten directions and in the oceans too. He is present in
bend (4) help (5) 19 Revival is critical we learn (7) every living thing born on this Earth and He is all
2 Legal principle brought about by 8 Observant woman daringly, to encompassing. That which moves and that which does not
21 So upset with party's leader
awful role models (4,2,3) start with, saved a prey in — He is present in both. Realising God is the result of Sudoku is a mind game and a
being taken in, unites to uncover
3 It's perhaps what a dog does to a trouble (5-4) facts (7) penance resorted to in previous births. If a good guru puzzle that you solve with
bird (7) 9 Top came off (4) shows you the path that leads to Him, then Siva will be by reasoning and logic.
23 Old is perhaps gold! (5) your side always. He cannot be known by reading all the Fill in the grid with digits in such a
4 Curve seen around one flat 14 What cable broadcasts should manner that every row, every
structure — that which could be? (9) 24 Sane man holding back? So be it good literature that is available.”
(4) column and every 3x3 box
fly (8) 16 Pertaining to plant's smell and Avvaikural also talks about Kundalini Yoga. With the accommodates the digits 1 to 9,
6 Ancient town against old church colour — one associated with 26 Employed by American editor mind as pedestal and consciousness as Siva Linga, focus on without repeating any.
(7) California (9) (4) Him, says Avvaikural.

CM ND-ND
YK

NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016
Vardy shreds Guardiola’s City
LONDON: Jamie Vardy broke his
three-month goal drought
with a hat-trick as Premier
League champion Leicester
City sensationally inflicted a
humiliating 4-2 defeat on Pep
Guardiola’s Manchester City
on Saturday.
EUROPEAN LEAGUES
At a rain-sodden King
Power Stadium, Vardy hit his
first top-flight treble and Andy
King also found the net to en-
sure Leicester atoned for its
5-0 Champions League maul-
ing by Porto. City replied
through Aleksandar Kolarov
and Nolito.
Chelsea back on top
On Sunday, Diego Costa
fired Chelsea back to the top as
his late winner clinched a
hard-fought 1-0 victory against
West Bromwich Albion.
Antonio Conte’s side had
been knocked out of first place
by Arsenal on Saturday, but it
reopened a three point lead
over the Gunners thanks to
BILLIARDS
Pankaj Advani through to semifinals
ASHWIN ACHAL
BENGALURU: Pankaj Advani
overcame a battling Dhruv Sit-
wala to enter the semifinals of
the IBSF World billiards
(points format) championship
at the KSBA here.
Advani began with a bang,
reeling of an unfinished 150 in
the very first frame. The home
favourite notched up a 152 in
the second, while Sitwala was
yet to score a single point. Sit-
wala got on the scoreboard
soon after, but only just.
The third frame, which star-
ted with a long period of safety
exchanges, went 151-5 to Ad-
vani. It looked like an early
finish was on the cards.
With his back to the wall,
Sitwala came out fighting. He
won a scrappy fourth frame,
and unleashed a stellar 151 in
the fifth to reduce the deficit to
2-3. Sitwala’s comeback hopes
hit a wall at this point, as Ad-
vani asserted his might by
closing out the best-of-nine
frame outing 5-2.
“Sitwala played out of his
CM
YK
SPORT
앫 Real Madrid sets a new
club record of 35 games
without defeat in all
competitions
앫 Zinedine Zidane’s men
have now surpassed Real’s
previous record of 34
unbeaten games in the
1988-89 season under
Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker
in all competitions.
Two goals in two minutes
from Joselu just after the hour
HAT-TRICK HERO: Leicester’s Jamie Vardy rounds City’s mark looked set to end Real’s
Claudio Bravo to score his third goal of the match. unbeaten streak stretching
— PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER LEE/GETTY IMAGES back to April after Alvaro
Morata’s opener. However,
Costa’s superb finish in the a 1-0 victory over Tottenham. even without the rested Cristi-
closing stages. Costa’s 12th ano Ronaldo, Real maintained
league goal in his last 15 ap- Ramos rescues Real Madrid its six-point La Liga lead as
pearances gave Chelsea a Real Madrid captain Sergio Mariano Diaz equalised six
ninth successive league win Ramos produced another mo- minutes from time before
for the first time since 2007. ment of late drama by pow- Ramos’s late intervention.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored ering home a stoppage time The results: Premier League:
his first Premier League goal winner to beat Deportivo la Sunday: Liverpool 2 (Lallana 5, Origi
for Manchester United but Coruna 3-2 as the European 48) drew with West Ham (Payet 27,
was later stretchered of as champions set a new club rec- Antonio 39); Chelsea 1 (Costa 76) bt
Jose Mourinho’s side claimed ord of 35 games without defeat West Brom 0; Manchester United 1
Haria, who edged out Chit Ko
Ko in a tense afair.
The results: Quarterfinals:
Pankaj Advani bt Dhruv Sitwala
150-0, 152-0, 151-5, 89-150, 107-151,
151-69, 150-128; Aung Htay (Mya) bt
Alok Kumar 152-65, 128-150, 151-132,
151-105, 152-91, 150-91.
Peter Gilchrist (Sin) bt Sourav
Kothari 150-144, 150-38, 150-60,
120-150, 82-150, 150-27, 152-54;
Dhvaj Haria bt Chit Ko Ko (Mya) 30-
151, 153-0, 51-152, 152-0, 152-56, 87-
151, 150-84, 151-101.
Pre-quarterfinals: Peter Gil-
christ (Sin) bt Brijesh Damani 152-0,
66-151, 150-47, 150-92, 98-150, 154-
24; Dhvaj Haria bt B. Bhaskar 151-68,
152-28, 54-151, 150-11, 153-29; Htay
FACILE WIN: Aung Htay recorded a 5-1 victory over Alok Kumar bt Rupesh Shah 151-137, 151-45, 150-
in the quarterfinals.— PHOTO: K. MURALI KUMAR 138, 150-145; Sourav Kothari bt
Thawat Sujaritthurakarn (Tha) 150-
skin, so I had to fight hard. He Alok split the first two frames, 146, 150-0, 136-150, 150-55, 150-0;
was a worthy opponent. before the former raced ahead Chit Ko Ko (Mya) bt Praprut
“He’s my good friend — it is to post a 5-1 win. Htay will face Chaithanasakun (Tha) 150-143,
never easy when we have to Advani in the semifinals, 150-9, 110-150, 150-69, 150-82.
play against each other,” Ad- which will be held on Monday Alok bt Robert Hall (Eng) 150-140,
vani said. morning. 150-91, 150-108, 80-150, 150-143;
In another quarterfinal fix- Peter Gilchrist, the long-up Sitwala bt Siddharth Parikh 56-150,
ture, Myanmar’s Aung Htay champion, punished an error- 151-19, 3-151, 152-0, 151-37, 150-109;
recorded a facile victory over prone Sourav Kothari. Gil- Advani bt Devendra Joshi 151-31,
India’s Alok Kumar. Htay and christ goes up against Dhvaj 152-5, 151-25, 150-139.
(Mkhitaryan 29) bt Tottenham 0;
Southampton 1 (Boufal 53) bt
Middlesbrough 0. Saturday:
Leicester 4 (Vardy 3, 20, 78, King 5)
bt Manchester City 2 (Kolarov 82,
Nolito 90).
La Liga: Sunday: Eibar 0 drew
with Alaves 0; Celta Vigo 0 lost to
Sevilla 3 (Iborra 51, 84, 90+2). Sat-
urday: Real Madrid 3 (Morata 50,
Mariano 84, Ramos 90+1) bt Deport-
ivo la Coruna 2 (Joselu 63, 65).
Serie A: Sunday: Cagliari 0 lost
to Napoli 5 (Mertens 34, 69, 72, Ham-
sik 45, Zielinski 51); Atalanta 1 (Kurtic
47) lost to Udinese 3 (Zapata 45,
Fofana 72, Thereau 87); Bologna 0
drew with Empoli 0; Palermo 0 lost
to Chievo 2 (Birsa 14, Pellissier 49);
Torino 1 (Belotti 16) lost to Juventus
3 (Higuain 28, 82, Pjanic 90+2).
Saturday: Crotone 2 (Palladino
24-pen, Ferrari 83) bt Pescara 1
(Campagnaro 82); Sampdoria 1
(Schick 89) lost to Lazio 2
(Milinkovic-savic 40, Parolo 45).
Bundesliga: Sunday: Borussia
Monchengladbach 1 (Christensen
76) bt Mainz 0.
Schalke 0 lost to Bayer Lev-
erkusen 1 (Kiessling 89) — AFP
Cozy billiards hall made me
change sport, says Dhvaj Haria
ASHWIN ACHAL
BENGALURU: Dhvaj Haria
chanced upon the world of cue
sports, at the Rajpath Club
(Ahmedabad).
As a child, he was an active
table tennis and tennis player.
The cozy billiards hall was the
ideal place to relax.
“When I was around 10, I
used to play many sports at the
club. I would get exhausted, so
I would go to the billiards
room to rest in the air-condi-
tioned hall (laughs). I just
picked up a cue and started
playing. It felt good, because
you don’t sweat in the air-con-
ditioned hall,” Haria says.
Under the guidance of the
markers at the club, Haria
began to spend more time on
the green baize. He was also
fortunate to learn from bil-
liards exponent and multiple
world champion, Geet Sethi,
who would visit the city to
train at the Ellisbridge
Gymkhana.
“Geet sir was my idol. He
used to make terrific breaks of
TENNIS
Not afraid of being sacked: Amritraj
PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENT
BENGALURU: India’s Davis Cup
captain Anand Amritraj has
made it clear that he would
have few qualms if the All India
Tennis Association chose to
terminate his tenure on
charges of indiscipline within
the team.
In a written statement re-
leased to the media, Amritraj
said, “If the AITA is not pre-
pared to heed the wishes of the
players and wants to use some
pretext of indiscipline or some
comment I originally made
about match timings, to ter-
minate me as captain, then so
be it.”
Amritraj had responded to
the alleged “lack of discipline”
through an interview with The
Hindu from his home in Los
Angeles last week. In addition
to further elaboration on the
points he had made then, he
also sought to address a couple
of other issues.
“It was brought up that one
of the players had his girlfriend
in the dressing room during the
Haria. — PHOTO: K. MURALI KUMAR.
500, 600 in practice. It was
amazing. I used to skip school
to watch him play. I once
asked him if I could play
against him, he said, ‘No, Just
watch my game and learn’.
“I watched for hours and
hours,” the jovial Haria says.
And what did he learn from his
idol? “He was a master of Post-
man’s Knock — the oppon-
ent’s ball would stick to the
cushion like ‘Fevicol’.
“He would score huge
Anand Amritraj. — FILE PHOTO
Serbia tie in Bangalore in 2014,”
he said.
“There is a huge diference
between someone being in the
dressing room or locker room
and the players’ lounge, which
is where she was.
“No one other than team
members and the trainers and
physios are allowed into the
dressing room. The players’
lounge is where the families,
wives and girlfriends are per-
mitted to hang out.
“I personally did not see this
incident, because I was on
court during Somdev’s
[Devvarman] singles match, as
breaks every single day,” he
says.
Haria was soon making a
mark of his own. In 2008, he
captured the National sub-ju-
nior snooker title, before go-
ing on to win four straight Na-
tional under-21 billiards titles
(from 2011 to 2014).
In the IBSF World billiards
championship underway at
the KSBA here, he claimed the
bronze medal in the long-up
format, and reached the last-
four in the points event that
followed.
The 23-year-old reveals that
he has a better chance of win-
ning medals in billiards
events, when compared to
snooker.
“It is very tough to break
into the elite level of snooker.
Only Aditya (Mehta) is doing
well. Pankaj (Advani) has
come back from the pro
snooker tour. There is a lot of
prize money, but billiards is in
our blood. You can win many
Asian and World titles in bil-
liards, but in snooker, it is very
competitive,” he says.
| 19
was the rest of the team. I’m not
sure why this incident is being
brought up more than two
years later. If it was such a
problem, it should have been
brought to my notice soon
after.”
The 63-year-old also rub-
bished allegations that during
the Asia/Oceania tie against
South Korea in Chandigarh in
early 2016, the team had gone
out drinking after sealing the
tie, with the reverse singles yet
to be played.
“The team went out to a nice
dinner to celebrate our win and
none of the players had a drink,
certainly not in front of me,” he
said. “I have always tried to
make sure the boys are in a
good frame of mind and ready
to produce their best. Having
played Davis Cup for India for
20 years and twice taken our
country to the final, I know
very well the importance of
discipline on and of the court.”
Amritraj will be in Chennai
for the Aircel Chennai Open
and is expected to address the
media upon arrival.
Milestone for
LeBron James
LOS ANGELES: LeBron James be-
came the first frontcourt
player to reach the 7,000-as-
sist milestone as he scored a
season-high 44 points to lead
Cleveland Cavaliers to a 116-
105 win over Charlotte Hor-
nets. James hit the magic num-
ber on Saturday in front of a
crowd of 20,500. The 44 points
was his best outing since re-
turning to Cleveland and
equalled the 44 points he
scored in a game one overtime
loss against Golden State War-
riors in the 2015 NBA finals.
Cavaliers delivered two
home wins this weekend, and
besides eclipsing 7,000 career
assists, James also moved into
ninth place on the all-time
scoring list during wins over
Miami Heat and Hornets.
The results: LA Clippers 133 bt
New Orleans 105; Utah 104 bt Sac-
ramento 84; San Antonio 130 bt
Brooklyn 101; Chicago 105 bt Miami
100; Memphis 110 bt Golden State
89; Houston 109 bt Dallas 87; Cleve-
land 116 bt Charlotte 105; Washing-
ton 110 bt Milwaukee 105; Denver
121 bt Orlando 113; Indiana 118 bt
Portland 111. — AFP
ND-ND
20 | LIFE
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

Wind turbines may boost crop growth Monkeys have vocal cords to speak Bacterium in chicken can cause paralysis
Wind turbines in farms not only capture Monkeys possess the vocal tracts required to Researchers have identified a bacterium, found in
renewable energy, but may also help crops grow produce human speech sounds, but what they lack undercooked chicken, that may cause Guillain-Barre
more efficiently, a new study has found. is a speech-ready brain, researchers have found. Syndrome, a cause of neuromuscular paralysis.

Dylan skips Nobel event, but sends warm words STAR TREK
‘Jack Sparrow’ springs a surprise on children
American singer-songwriter’s humble statement accepting the honour was read by the U.S. ambassador to Sweden
H
ollywood superstar Johnny Depp brightened the day of child
JOE COSCARELLI matters — “How should this surprising news, and it took followed by a fittingly imper- patients of Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in
be staged?” “Where am I go- me more than a few minutes fect Patti Smith, who de- Bloomsbury in London by
dressing up in his Pirates Of The
F or Bob Dylan, the nagging
question of whether his
songs qualify as literature
ing to get a human skull?” —
to bother with whether what
he was doing was literature.
to properly process it.”)

‘Among Greek bards’

was settled for good on Sat-
urday at the Nobel Prize cer-
emony in Stockholm — and
his presence was not re-
quired to make the case.
As the always-slippery
folk singer forewarned, he
was not there to receive the
2016 prize in literature, but
he sent a warm, humble
statement accepting the hon-
our, which was read by Azita
Dylan wrote: “I too am of-
ten occupied with the pur-
suit of my creative endeav-
ours and dealing with all
aspects of life’s mundane
matters. ‘Who are the best
musicians for these songs?’
‘Am I recording in the right
studio?’ ‘Is this song in the
right key?’ Some things never
change, even in 400 years.
“Not once have I ever had
In a speech in front of
about 1,500 guests, including
the Swedish royal family,
Horace Engdahl, a member
of the Nobel Committee,
called Dylan “a singer
worthy of a place beside the
Greek bards, beside Ovid,
beside the Romantic vision-
SING ALONG: The nagging question of whether Dylan’s songs aries, beside the kings and
qualify as literature has been settled for good. — FILE PHOTO: AP queens of the blues, beside
the forgotten masters of bril-
livered an estimable Dylan
impression on his 1963 song,
A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall,
but also proved his in-
imitable nature, flubbing a
lyric and halting the per-
formance midway through.
“I’m sorry,” she said before
resuming. “I’m so nervous.”
Still, some in the audience
could be seen crying as she
finished the song accompan-
ied by a string section.
At the same time, Dylan,
who cited only “pre-existing
Caribbean character Captain Jack
Sparrow. The actor chatted up with
the young patients in his movie
avatar, which is very popular with
kids. Depp’s daughter, Lily-Rose, was
treated for renal failure at the
hospital in 2007. One patient
captioned an image: “This is actual
Johnny Depp. Just came in to the
hospital. I’m so confused.” — PTI
‘King of Tragedy’ Dilip Kumar turns 94

Raji, the U.S. ambassador to
Sweden, at an evening ban-
quet in Stockholm.
Invoking William
Shakespeare, whom Dylan
imagined to have been too
consumed with practical
the time to ask myself, ‘Are
my songs literature?'” Dylan
(75) concluded. “So, I do
thank the Swedish Academy,
both for taking the time to
consider that very question,
and, ultimately, for providing
such a wonderful answer.”
Earlier in the day, the
Swedish Academy defended
its nontraditional selection
of a musician — and a seem-
ingly uninterested one, at
that — for the literary hon-
our. (In his prepared re-
marks, Dylan would acknow-
ledge his own inscrutable
silence for two weeks after
the prize was announced in
October: “I was out on the
road when I received this
liant standards. If people in
the literary world groan,” Mr.
Engdahl added, “one must
remind them that the gods
don’t write, they dance and
they sing.”
Mr. Engdahl’s speech was
commitments” when he fi-
nally declined the Nobel in-
vitation, was being spoken
about in near-mythical terms
outside of Stockholm, as
well. — New York Times
News Service
L
egendary actor Dilip Kumar turned 94 on Sunday but he was set
to have a low-key birthday celebration in hospital where he is
admitted following illness. Kumar, who was admitted to the
Lilavati hospital in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on Tuesday after
swelling on his right leg, was recovering well. “He is resting now. He is
in the ICU, but he is doing well, there is nothing to worry. Close family
and friends have been visiting him since morning. We will cut the cake
once he is awake. It will be a quiet birthday this time,” his wife and
veteran actor Saira Banu said. “We are thankful
to all the fans and media for their love and

Man quits job over
son’s new haircut
LONDON: A 37-year-old man
in the U.K. had to quit his
job to look after his son
who was sent home over a
new haircut which the
school said was “inappro-
priate” and could “distract
other children.”
Craig Emmanuel, sent
his son, Mackenzie (7) to
grown back to a more ap-
propriate length.
However, the school
said Mackenzie had not
been suspended and they
were working with the
parents to come up with a
solution. As a result, Em-
manuel said he handed in
his notice at Japanese sta-
Oldest known seabird lays an egg at 66 well wishes. He will be in hospital today
[Sunday], he is not getting discharged,”
she said. Last year, Kumar had a quiet
birthday celebration as a mark of
WASHINGTON: The world’s old-
est known seabird is expect-
ing, oicials at the Midway
solidarity to the victims of deluge in
Chennai. Kumar portrayed tragic roles
through the 1940s, 50s and 60s in films like
Atoll National Wildlife Ref- Mela, Devdas, Dil Diya Dard Liya
uge said on Saturday. and others, which gave him
The Laysan albatross the moniker of ‘Tragedy King
known as Wisdom — a bird of Bollywood’. Later, he
thought to be at least 66 shifted to doing lighter roles
years old — is incubating an in films. — PTI
egg once again, putting her
on track to become the old-
est breeding wild bird in the Dear Zindagi response is ‘relieving’ for Alia
world.

St. Mary’s Church of Eng-
land Primary School in
north-west London, with
the haircut. He claims that
the school called him and
his wife, Louise, and told
them it was “inappropri-
ate” and could “distract
other children” so they
wanted him to be sent
home, the metro.co.uk.
They said they were
told that he could only go
back into the classroom
once Mackenzie’s hair had
tionary firm, Muji, where
he had worked for just five
days in the warehouse, so
that he could look after
Mackenzie.
Emmanuel said: “Obvi-
ously it is not right. I had to
send a letter of resignation
because I hadn’t earned
any holiday and I didn’t
want to ask my new col-
leagues to swap shifts with
me because I’d only just
started and didn’t know
them,” he said. — PTI
‘Abuzz with the news’
Charlie Pelizza, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service
project leader at the refuge
in the middle of the North
Pacific Ocean, said in a state-
ment that Wisdom has been
returning there for six
decades.
“The staf was abuzz with
the news that Wisdom was
back and incubating,” he
said.
The bird was first banded
in 1956. Since 2006 she has
MATERNAL INSTINCT: Wisdom, the world’s oldest known seabird, tending to an egg. — PHOTO: AFP
fledged at least nine chicks,
and travelled some three
million miles over the course
of her life.
Her mate, Akeakamai, was
seen near their nest site on
November 23.
The Midway Atoll Na-
tional Wildlife Reserve is
home to the world’s largest
albatross colony.
Slow moulting
Park staf had thought
Wisdom might take a year of
from breeding, as many al-
batrosses must take time to
moult and replenish their
plumage. The birds spend al-
most 90 per cent of their
lives flying, travelling thou-
sands of kilometres every
year looking for food.
There’s an estimated 3 mil-
lion breeding birds year-
round at the Midway Atoll
refuge. — AFP
A
lia Bhatt-starrer Dear Zindagi is doing a decent business
despite the currency crisis and the actor says it is quite
“relieving.” The demonetisation move has affected the
business of several films that hit
the theatres after November 9. The
23-year-old actor says though they
were all tensed before the release
of the Gauri Shinde film, which
released on November 25, deep
down she knew it would do good.
“It’s very relieving that the film is
getting such a great response. We all were very worried about it. But, I
think if a film is good, it will always do well,” Alia said. Dear Zindagi
has marked Alia’s first ever collaboration with superstar Shah Rukh
Khan, who heaped praises on the actor during their recent appearance
in a talk show, saying the 2 States star ‘is too good too soon.’ — PTI

Soon, charge
your smartphone
with a swipe
WASHINGTON: Charging your
smartphone with just a fin-
ger swipe may soon be pos-
sible, thanks to a film-like de-
vice that can harvest energy
from human motion.
Using the device, known
as a nanogenerator, scien-
tists successfully operated
an LCD touch screen, a bank
of 20 LED lights and a flex-
ible keyboard, all with a
simple touching or pressing
motion and without the aid
of a battery. Researchers are
also developing technology
that would transmit the
power generated from the
heel strike to, say, a wireless
headset. — PTI
Start-ups steal show at Delhi Comic Con ‘Nanoceramic’ material for
NEW DELHI: Amid celebrating
pop culture in India, gaming
and entertainment, the sixth
edition of the Delhi Comic
Con that came to a close on
Sunday, also served as an at-
tractive platform for start-
ups to promote their brands.
Dubai-based couple Mo-
han and Shweta who started
‘Comic Planet’ last year in
September, decided to start
their venture and participate
in the three-day fantasy
event after they noticed the
latter’s popularity among
pop-culture fans here on an
earlier visit.
“We got the idea to display
our start-up here after we
saw the enthusiasm amongst
people for Comic Con. When
we were roaming around at
safer, cheaper nuclear reactors toys from China, Hong Kong
and Dubai, which are then
sold here at relatively higher
cost.
“We make sure that our
products are not of cheap
quality. We have been to
every Comic Con in India,
besides starting an online
portal as well,” Shweta said.
Franchise toys
Franchise toys of DC and
Marvel superheroes like Bat-
man, Spiderman, Avengers
were available at the ‘Comic
STAR WARS: Visitors pose with ‘Stormtroopers’ at the sixth Planet’ kiosk.
edition of the Delhi Comic Con. — PHOTO: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR Merchandise start-up
‘Tathya’, selling T-shirts and
an earlier Comic Con, we sold at much higher prices photoframes brought out in
found that a lot of toys which here,” they said. innovative designs was also
were actually bought from The duo now uses the at the festival to establish
online portals, were being same strategy and purchases business. — PTI
WASHINGTON: Scientists, in-
cluding one of Indian origin,
have created a nanoceramic
material, which may be used
in next-generation nuclear
reactors that will operate at
higher temperatures and ra-
diation fields, producing en-
ergy more eiciently and
economically.
Tougher under radiation
The material can not only
withstand the harsh efects
of radiation, but also be-
comes tougher under ra-
diation, researchers said.
Traditionally, water has
been used as the primary
coolant in reactors, absorb-
Traditionally, water is
used as the primary
coolant, absorbing the
heat released from
fission reactions
ing the heat released from
fission reactions.
Though water poses fewer
risks of corrosion damage to
materials, there are also
limits to the temperatures up
to which water-cooled reac-
tors can operate — and in ad-
vanced reactors, increasing
their temperature is the best
way to increase energy
production.
New coolants, such as li-
quid metals like sodium and
lead, are efective at much
higher temperatures, but
also are much more corros-
ive to the materials from
which a nuclear reactor is
made. “There is a preferred
use of metallic materials for
structural components, but
many of these materials can-
not withstand high-tem-
perature corrosion in ad-
vanced reactors,” said
Kumar Sridharan, professor
at the University of Wiscon-
sin-Madison in the U.S.
The research was pub-
lished in the journal Scien-
tific Reports. — PTI

Indian-origin teens top This artist perseveres to preserve

science contest in U.S.
HOUSTON: Three Indian-origin
teenagers, including
identical twin sisters, in the
U.S. have bagged a diagnose health
scholarship worth $2,00,000
in a science competition for
their innovative research
that will help doctors diag-
nose health problems, in-
cluding schizophrenia.
Sixteen-year-old twin sis-
ters Shriya and Adhya
Beesam, who are 11th grade
students in Plano, Texas,
shared the $1,00,000 grand
prize in the 17th annual
Siemens Math, Science and
Technology Competition on
Tuesday for their project en-
titled, ‘Linked Neuro-Fuzzy
Inference System: A Novel
Approach to Schizophrenia
Diagnosis’.
Ingestible battery
Vineet Edupuganti, a
senior at Oregon Episcopal
School, won the top
individual award worth
$100,000 for developing an
ingestible battery that could
transform the way doctors
diagnose and monitor health
problems. Edupuganti’s in-
vention was entitled ‘De-
velopment of a High-Per-
formance Biodegradable
Battery for Transient
Electronics’.
Edupuganti’s work could
simplify how medical
practitioners diagnose con-
ditions that afect internal
CM
Their research
will help doctors
problems, including
schizophrenia
organs, such as gastrointest-
inal disorders, that currently
require complex imaging or
invasive procedures to
diagnose.
“These scholars are
poised to transform the lives
of millions around the
globe... I cannot wait to see
where their dedication and
innovative thinking will lead
them and the rest of us as
well,” David Etzwiler, CEO
of the Siemens Foundation,
said.
In their research, the twins
developed a new approach
to diagnose schizophrenia
earlier in patients using both
brain scans and psychiatric
evaluations, a report said.
A loss and motivation
The Beesams lost their
uncle to schizophrenia years
ago. Their uncle was misdia-
gnosed for several years be-
fore eventually being diag-
nosed as schizophrenic.
The late diagnosis and
delay of care led to his
suicide, they say, adding that
the loss served as motivation
during their research and
work. — PTI
Christian heritage in Hamas-run Gaza
GAZA: Only about 1,200 Chris-
tians remain in Gaza — only
a tiny fraction of the popula-
tion in a territory run by
Hamas Islamists — but artist
Naser Jeldha is doing what
he can to preserve its Chris-
tian heritage through art.
In his studio in the heart of
old Gaza, not far from a 5th
century Orthodox church,
Mr. Jeldha spends his days
carving religious figurines,
chiselling low-relief
carvings of Biblical scenes
and painting portraits of Je-
sus, Mary Magdalene and the
saints.
“My message is about my
religion,” said the grey-
bearded 57-year-old, a mem-
ber of the Greek Orthodox
community.
“I want to make it visual, I
want to make people see it,
not only to be kept as texts in
church.”
Byzantine prayer music
As he works, steel-rimmed
spectacles perched on his
nose, Mr. Jeldha listens to
Byzantine prayer music that
echoes softly around the stu-
dio, creating an atmosphere
from another era.
The walls are covered in
his pictures, with more laid
out on the arms of chairs and
sofas, and others propped on
a150-year-old Russian piano
in the corner. As well as
CARVING OUT A NICHE: Naser Jeldha says he does not display his
works or offer them for sale, instead he presents them as gifts
at weddings or events on the Christian calendar. — PHOTO: REUTERS
painting and sculpture, Mr.
Jeldha plays the accordion,
piano and guitar.
In the run-up to Christ-
mas, celebrated on January 7
in the Orthodox church, Mr.
Jeldha is busy making pieces
as gifts for friends and
relatives.
While he has been an artist
for 35 years, he does not dis-
play his works or ofer them
for sale. Instead, he presents
them as gifts at weddings or
events on the Christian
calendar. He does, however,
have plans for a public show-
ing soon.
In the next two weeks, he
is also hoping he will be one
of about 800 Christians gran-
ted a permit by Israel to leave
Gaza and travel to Be-
thlehem, in the Israeli-occu-
pied West Bank, to attend
prayer services in Jesus’s
birthplace.
“We have applied for per-
mits and if we get them I in-
tend to travel with my
family,” said Mr. Jeldha, who
is determined to remain in
Gaza despite the departure
of many Christians over the
last decade in the face of
rising economic hardship.
Isolated attacks
While Gaza’s Christians
generally enjoy good rela-
tions with their Muslim
neighbours, there have been
Jeldha spends his
days carving religious
figurines & chiselling
low-relief carvings of
Biblical scenes
isolated attacks by hardline
Salafist groups on Christian
tombs and symbols.
Hamas, the Islamist move-
ment that has ruled Gaza
since 2006,is keen to ensure
the Christian community
feels safe and protected. Its
leaders occasionally visit the
heads of the three Gaza
churches to build stronger
relations.
Sufering economy
Mr. Jeldha acknowledged
that the economy was sufer-
ing, with the blockade im-
posed by Israel and Egypt, a
move to pressure Hamas,
limiting trade, driving up
costs and causing despair.
Despite that, Jeldha,
whose white front door is ad-
orned with a small cross
painted in blue, said he
would never leave. “I have
lived in this neighbourhood
for 54 years. I have brotherly
and wonderful relations with
Muslims,” said the father of
four. “Gaza is beautiful and I
will not leave it...I do not feel
I am a stranger here,” Mr.
Jeldha said. — Reuters
CHEEK BY JOWL: An Italian train making its way near the north
entrance of the Gotthard Base Tunnel. — FILE PHOTO: AFP
Longest tunnel wide
open for regular service
GENEVA: Regular rail service
through the world’s longest
tunnel began on Sunday, car-
rying passengers deep under
the Swiss Alps from Zurich
to Lugano.
The famed Gotthard Base
Tunnel (GBT) had a cere-
monial opening in June, at-
tracting European leaders
like German Chancellor An-
gela Merkel and French
President Francois Hollande
for its maiden ride.
The Swiss national rail
service (SBB) had an-
nounced that Sunday would
mark the start of normal
commercial traic through
the 57-kilometre GBT, which
took 17 years to build, at a
cost of over 12 billion Swiss
francs ($11.8 billion).
The Swiss news agency
ATS reported that the first
regular passenger train to
use the GBT pulled out of
Zurich at 6:09 am local time
(0509 GMT) and arrived in
Lugano at 8:17 am, with the
tunnel passage shaving a full
30 minutes of the previous
travel time for the same
route.
It’s Christmas: Rail chief
“It’s Christmas,” SBB chief
Andreas Meyer was quoted
as saying by ATS after the
journey was over.
The ambitious GBT pro-
ject has won praise across
Europe for its pioneering ef-
forts to improve connectiv-
ity from Rotterdam to the
Adriatic. The Swiss funded
tunnel was largely made pos-
sible by technical advances
in tunnel-boring machines,
which replaced the costly
and dangerous blast-and-
drill method. — AFP
ND-ND
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Delhi
Monday, December 12, 2016

PERSONALITY POETRY ESCAPE

JOE HARRIS SAYS COMICS ECHOES FROM ARS POETICA 2016 TO KUMAON AND
HAVE BECOME MORE WHERE HUMAN BONDS WERE DISCOVER ITS BEAUTY
INCLUSIVE P2 CELEBRATED P3 THROUGH PARAGLIDING P4

Admit two
In the pastures of creativity
MADHUR TANKHA Our camels don’t like wa-
ter, their feet gets stuck. Here

Exhibition Dance
India International Centre Gandharva Mahavidyalaya,
presents A Moveable Feast, New Delhi, is hosting a
an exhibition of paintings Kathak recital by Saberi
by Sipra Dattagupta from Misra.
Kolkata. Date: December 17
On till December 18 Time: 6 p.m.
Time: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Venue: Sannidhi,
Venue: Art Gallery, Gandharva Mahavidyalaya,
Kamaladevi Complex, Gate 212 Deen Dayal Upadhyaya
no: 1, India International Marg,
Centre New Delhi
Discussion
Panel Discussion on
“Diversity, Pluralism and
Development: whither
Indian democracy?” by
Delhi Science Forum.
Speakers include Dr.Ram
Ramaswamy,
Dr.Paranjoy Guha
Thakurta and Bezwada
Wilson, Dec. 12, IIC
Annexe, Lecture Hall #1,
6pm,l #1, 6 p.m.
Art
Neha Hooda’s art work
titled Mumbai Meri Jaan
depicts the quintessential
essence of Mumbai in
myriad colours. The
warmth and the
playfulness of the colours
can be seen on her work.
On till December 12.
Time: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Venue: Artizen Art Gallery,
Pyarelal Bhawan, ITO.
I
t has been a prolonged I saw that the camels have
and lonely journey for adapted themselves. It was a
Jo Bertini. This never- huge revelation and so spe-
say-die Australian has cial. Herders speak to camels;
been out in the desert for two they walk along the side. They
decades. As a conscientious Celebrated Australian artist Jo Bertini explains how she intends to take her communicate so that they
expedition artist, she work with Maldhari community to the world stay close by.
wanders to remote inaccess- What kind of similarities
ible lands and tries to find a exist between Maldhari
connect between big cities and Aborigines?
and nomadic existence of the Australia has long empty
indigenous inhabitants. She roads, while India has so
has been working tirelessly many people and industries.
with pastoral community of Over a million camels live in
Australia and making art
pieces that speak for them-
Australia. No interference.
They don’t milk the camels
selves. Jo recently lived with unlike the Maldhari. Some-
Maldhari community in the times they shoot to kill. On
Rann of Kutch for six weeks the other hand, Maldhari
before she created her art don’t kill camel for food; they
works which are on display at are vegetarians. They use
the ongoing exhibition at In- camel for milking and wool
dira Gandhi National Centre for making blankets, rugs.
for the Arts. Shed light on their
This award-winning artist, women
whose desert landscapes, Maldhari women are equal
places of wilderness depict partners; they get all the re-
extraordinary lives of pas- spect from men. The
toral communities, be- community has particular be-
friended shy, reticent liefs yet when it comes to
Maldharis, made them sit women they collect firewood,
with her and did their por- cook rotis and vegetables on
traits. In the process, she animal dung, look after chil-
demonstrated their closeness dren and herd their animals.
with their animals. She They even shave off hair from
looked at the project with goat, buffaloes with big scis-
great deal of passion and sors; then spin the wool and
commitment. And showcased dye them and make wedding
that cameleering tradition, a shawls.
threatened heritage world- In festivals they cut them
wide, is still alive and kicking BUCOLIC CHARM Two works depicting Maldharis at the exhibition titled “Living Lightly - Journeys with Pastoralists” into patterns. Animals are
in India. “All over the world like family, if they get hurt,
remote people have similar What fascinated you to to explore the plant and eco- animals on farm land. Now Big artists like Matisse and they cry.
issues. The world doesn’t un- work with pastoral logy. I work in remote regions farmers use machines. They Picasso got inspiration from How do you intend to
derstand that they need envi- community in India? with Aborigines; they are my don’t need herders as it takes tribal people. I wanted to mitigate their sufferings?
ronment for their culture and I grew up in pastoral family. I love the desert peo- too much time. They use fer- show my respect for their art. As a person based in Aus-
art to survive. If we lose no- community of Australia and ple and their camels. So when tilizers and not animal dung. Each tribe has its own incred- tralia, I can show my work to
madic people, rare breed of always worked in the coun- Sushma Iyengar, curator, in- The world is becoming mod- ible wedding show. Each the people. When people
animals then everything be- tryside. We walk on camels on vited me to stay with desert ernised but they are leading herding community has a dif- come to art exhibition they
comes Hollywood. People central deserts with scientists people of Rann of Kutch for their traditional lives. ferent motif. They embroider would come to know about
come to India because it is so six weeks I knew that a lot of Enlighten us about the it with appliqué. I wanted to tribal vintage. Then they
rich in art. Elsewhere ever- learning had to be done about collaborative venture paint their landscape, por- would tell me to narrate stor-
ything is made in factories, the community. So I did lot of When I made paintings I traits. So I made drawings ies. During my stay, I moved
they are not authentic. In reading of Robyn Davidson’s wanted to show how simple and water colours and took around from one camp to an-
Kutch, these people make book ‘Desert Places’. their lives are. My work in them to my studio to Aus- other and found how the Ra-
handmade, valuable art What are the difficulties water colours are simple little tralia. I made big oil paintings bari, Jats, Raika live and do
works,” she shares as our con- faced by Maldharis in their narratives which have come and attached them to textiles. their art forms. All have dis-
versation gets rolling. day-to-day lives? while sitting with them. My We are both desert people, tinct weaving and textiles art
The art works on display The first important issue oil paintings are different as who work with desert anim- forms.
are spectacular and bring for them is to feed their anim- they represent ideas. In one als. We live with very similar They wear simple clothes
alive the Maldhari com- als. The Maldharis don’t dam- of my works, I have shown a environmental problems and with colourful head caps.
munity’s rich distinct art age forest as they know that Jat woman clutching a baby both communities are keep- Maldhari simple sticks with
form. They have created tex- they need to regenerate the goat, which had got stuck in ing animals despite rampant animals. They use natural
tiles that frame the art works. grasslands. But their entry the mud. And she is now re- industrialisation. They know dyes, colours like turmeric
Jo’s paintings are on the cen- into traditional lands, which laxed in the company of the how to work with animals, and indigo are so rich.
tre. Textile has been embel- have been theirs for thou- woman who is like her when there is no vet. Milking I am not a social worker. As

,,
lished with local art, Maldhari women are sands of years, is getting more mother. They share a them, how to make cheese. an artist I would like to show
embroidery and appliqué - equal partners; they and more difficult. Restric- beautiful relationship. The Any interesting observa- beauty of their textiles, mo-
using colours and textures of tion means it is increasingly great cultural gift has to be tion that stayed with you? tifs. People need to under-
the pastoral community. get all the respect getting harder for them to get showcased to the world. I I was impressed with the stand their sophisticated art.
Each piece is a mix of Aus- from men Jo Bertini food for their animals. Second wanted to show my respect to fact that the Kharai camels They have much more art his-
tralian perspective with Indi- factor is disease; animals are these honest, simple people can swim in Indus river and tory than Australia. I would
an traditions. sick of lack of food. There is whose tradition arts go back up the Arabian Sea. Kharai like this body of work to go to
Excerpts from an inter- lot of encroachment on their thousands of years. Artistic camel is the only swimming museums, institutions in
view: land. Earlier they grazed their language feeds into world art. camel. Australia.

Transcending words
I am constantly digesting
information and I am put-
ting that into the art that I
am making as it is being
MARATHON MAN Rick Muhr made.
You started with food,
Artist Joey Foster Ellis on the language of GIFs and
In the long run... his role model
then moved on to pot-
tery, then to clay, you
worked in ice, and now
you are working with
ARVIND MANOHARAN them as a form of commu- where in between. Basically, stop motion animation.
Rick Muhr on how everyone can put nication in this day and age. I like language that tran- What does the future
“Artists are those who can GIFs are an expression scends words, because look like for you since
their running shoes to good use evade the verbose.” This which contain within it the words are barriers and I as you don’t tend to stick to
statement by Japanese au- common denominator, an artist am also commu- one medium like paint?
SIDHARTH YADAV apt. “Human body is quick to thor Haruki Murakami is which is people. I think it is nicating to everyone I don’t do the earlier
adapt. Shock is the only way especially true for New a genius way to com- through my art. work because it is static.
“No matter where you are, if forward.” According to Rick, York-born artist, craftsman municate because language Do you have any role You have to go there to
you have a pair of shoes and running with different pace, and sculptor, Joey Foster is such a barrier. I learnt models who led you into experience it. That is so
different surfaces to test testing different surfaces, Ellis whose works in stop that when I went to China. the world of art? limiting. I want my work to
yourselves, running is pos- switching between styles can motion animation and When I was learning I don’t have any specific be shared. This is why you
sible,” remarks Rick Muhr, improve performance. This contemporary art has gained Chinese, there came a point role models to speak of. I will see me moving towards
ace marathon runner and also reduces chances of injury laurels from the art where I started looking at think it came from a place something like stop motion
coach. and permanent muscle and community. On Sunday, he Chinese characters and I where I saw what I didn’t animation which can be
Rick, who has had the dis- tissue damage. “One needs to spoke at the ‘TEDx Delhi’ began to see that within want, which was people shared over the internet
tinction of participating in strike a perfect balance be- event held at the India them there are these amaz- doing what they didn’t love. without losing out on
over 32 marathons and tween all forms of running Habitat Centre. We take a ing pictures. Chinese char- I always had this urge to artistic value. As an artist I
worked with Olympic ath- and try different levels.” closer look at the man who acters are made up of all create from a very young struggle with music. I think
letes like Haile Gebrselassie Treadmill running, claims was the recipient of the these different characters age. I initially wanted to be music is something very
and Paula Jane Radcliffe, was Rick, is not harmful if done at 2010 TED Global Fellow- within them, and there is a a chef, but then decided for different. When you are
at the launch of Zero Runner, intervals. ship award. story there. You can pack so pottery which I did for SHARING EXPERIENCES Joey Foster Ellis THE HINDU going out to a party, you
a machine designed to reduce “Human bodies are de- What was your focal much information into that about three years. In fact, I don’t look at a painting, you
repetitive impact of running, signed to move,” remarks point for Sunday’s TEDx one little character. English am still a potter. My role digital artists. I think of product in mind when listen to music. The kind of
at Fitness First in Select City Rick, adding that running talk? is limited. GIFs are endless, model would be my current them as digital artists, but you start off a project? emotion music can evoke in
Walk, Saket. needs to follow the principle GIFs. My main point was and they are on repeat. environment. That is also they see themselves as pro- I always start with an you, a painting cannot. As a
On his first visit to India, of posterior chain activation, to show GIFs, because I What I talk about lies some- why I travel so much. fessionals, almost like a idea, but the first idea is visual artist I want that. I
Rick is quick to notice the low wherein, both glutes and believe they transcend the How is the pursuit of regular job. So there is a always the worst idea. Dur- want to be able to inspire
levels of awareness among hamstring are actively en- barriers of language to art different in the west huge divide with respect to ing the process I am always people through whatever

,,
the populace. “However, peo- gaged. reach a place where ever- In essence America and in the eastern coun- how you perceive the work changing direction. Just like medium I can. I would love
ple here are eager to learn and “I prefer running in the yone can relate to it. It taught me how to tries like China? you are doing. But within clay and the stop motion it if one day some people
adapt.” Unlike the US, Rick morning, even if I have to use dealt with trust, mental ill- Huge differences as to these eastern cultures, they work that I do, I have no stare at some crazy stop
also notices the parity of ex- a pollution mask.” chuckles ness and being yourself. For
think. China taught whether they call it art or are not allowed the space idea what the finished prod- motion that I made and
pertise among the trainers Rick, referring to the rise in example it dealt with being me how to make craftsmanship, or skill. In for creativity. In essence uct is going to look like, then they get pumped up to
across. pollution levels across the bipolar. Bipolar expression China, doing art with pot- America taught me how to because the materials you go out, party and enjoy life.
It is important to break the world and the Capital. has to do a lot with what I tery is seen as a skill. Even think. China taught me how are using may not always let A sculpture or a painting
monotony of running and Whatever may transpire, run- do as an artist. It was really in the place I am now, to make. you achieve the picture you cannot achieve that. I am
overcome the tendency to ad- ning never stops. about GIFs and how we use Kathmandu, I work with Do you have a final set out to make at the start. looking to find that balance.
CM ND-ND
YK
p2 METROPLUS
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU Monday, December 12, 2016 VARIETY

‘It’s cool to be a geek now’

Comic-book writer and graphic novelist Joe Harris says the genre has become a lot
more inclusive and culturally vibrant
SAINICO NINGTHOUJAM first X-Men came out. It was spire people than just be drew their inspiration from. shasi. They did something
not just a man in a suit doing dark and complicated. The I think it’s just tradition. But called “The New 52”, which

T
he Alto Delhi
Comic Con was a
raging success with
enthusiastic fans
bustling the NSC Exhibition
ground. We caught up with
Joe Harris, the creator and
writer of comics and graphic
novels like “Great Pacific”,
“X-Files: Season 11”, “Bat-
man: Joker’s Asylum”
amongst many others. Here
he shares his thoughts on
changing trends in the
industry.
The comic book audi-
ence has changed with
time. How has the target
audience expanded?
The new, younger genera-
tion has become a lot more
diverse. More girls and
women have taken to it,
while when I was younger, it
was much more of a boys
club. And I think in the year
2016, nerds have inherited
the world. It’s cool to be a
geek now. Whereas when I
was younger, you would be
made fun of. Pop culture has
just blown up. You have new
generations of fans who love
this stuff and they are not
ostracised for it. And sud-
denly the curiosity factor is
enormous all over the world.
It’s a common phenomenon
everywhere, even if the lan-
guage is not shared, ever-
yone loves the fandoms, the
movies, comics and
superheroes.
How has technology af-
fected the superhero
franchise?
silly things anymore. Per-
sonally, I have a little super-
hero fatigue myself, which is
not a comment on them be-
cause I think some of them
are very good and some of
them not as much. I don’t
work too often on them, still
work with them, enjoy it but
I have taken to more genres
now like science fiction, hor-
ror, adventure things like
that. “Captain America: Civil
War” for example had great
special effects but it also
tackled some compelling is-
sues that the characters
wrestle with, like their place
in society and whether or
not they are doing good
things by doing the things
they do. Hopefully, we will
see a good balance because
people do enjoy the special
effects, it just gets a little
tiresome if there is nothing
underneath it.
Does the modern super-
hero symbolise the same
things that he/she used to
when Superman first
came out?
I hope so. I know the re-
cent movies have turned
some people off because
they tend to show him as
dark and conflicted, which is
interesting in a dramatic
sense. I think that the idea of
a god-like figure who might
use his power in a way that’s
scary or threatening — that’s
objectively fascinating. But I
think Superman works best
as a beacon of hope. It was
created with that intention,
society has become a lot
more diverse and under-
standing. Women enjoy a lot
more equality and I think
that’s started to get reflected
in the popular culture and
comics. It’s no longer the
masculine fantasy of a
macho hero battling other
people. And that’s interest-
ing because the genre as a
whole has become a lot more
inclusive. I think that’s the
evolution we need to keep
pushing.
Has there been a shift
towards screenplay as a
favoured medium for art
expression? For instance,
J.K. Rowling preferred
the screen to initiate the
Harry Potter spin-off,
Fantastic Beasts and
Where to Find Them?
I can’t say as to why J.K
Rowling chose to continue
the franchise that way, other
than that the market is tre-
mendous for it. She is a
unique figure in the genre
fiction and storytelling
globally. But the success at
the box office is all val-
idation it needs. I don’t want
to assume the worst, but I
think people who are fans of
reading classic works –
that’s always been accepted
as high art. Whereas movies,
for most people, has always
been the territory of enter-
tainment – even though this
too, is art. But these are not
mutually exclusive. It’s a dif-
ferent experience when you
read and when you watch
I think it’s getting harder
and harder to find original
content. It’s intriguing that
J.K Rowling took this route
now because it’s hard to find
a big-budget box office re-
lease that is intended to be
released, first as the movie.
The trend now is to find
something that people are
familiar with, because that
translates into added box of-
fice success. I hope we can
still see some people innov-
ating in film these days. I
don’t like it when film
makers are just using their
talent to get a paycheck and
even though they are talen-
ted and they do it well, I hope
we see more innovation.
How has your expe-
rience of Comic Con in In-
dia been?
One of my favourite things
of coming here to the Indian
Comic Con and the various
sessions that I am invited to,
is watching how excited the
young people are. I love
watching the energy of this
huge, young audience here.
It’s a tremendous resource
and bodes well for the coun-
try and it’s future.
How would the Indian
context fit mainstream
superhero culture?
I actually wrote a couple
of years ago for DC Comics a
Firestorm character – Rak-
Women enjoy a lot
more equality and I
was where they did a revamp
of their line and I was
brought in to work on the
character Firestorm who
was a superhero, with ad-
vanced nuclear power. She
can transform into fire. And
the idea behind the series is
that a lot of rival countries
would have their own
Firestorm and it becomes an
arms race, where the US has
one, Russia has one, India,
the British, French have one
and each character has these
powers that are adapted into
the visual style that you
might associate with the cor-
responding nations. India’s
Firestorm, I thought, was
fantastic. You can see the
cover – she has fiery hair and
arms – so many wonderful,
visual cues, which anyone
would get from observing
Indian culture – the mysti-
cism and religion and so
visually very inspirational
place to be. I would be open
to bringing that to future
things as well. It’s very rich
and entertaining.
On that note, there have
been several instances
where a culture has been
misunderstood in its rep-
resentation and people get
offended. What are your
apprehensions regarding
this?
That’s fair. I am actually
very self-conscious about
that. That is the danger
when perhaps you don’t
know the culture too well. I
wish I could tell you that I

Movies before the special
effects were of a certain
quality – they looked forced.
When digital effects reached
a certain point, you could
bring these properties to the
screen and they did not look
silly. So I think that was a big
MAPPING POPULAR CULTURE Joe Harris in New Delhi revolution – say when the
I think that’s why it has en-
dured for so long. I guess ev-
erything is more cynical
today, the world is a lot more
complicated than when Su-
perman was first created. I
do not always write the most
optimistic thing but I would
like to. I would rather in-
something. When someone
reads a book like “Gone Girl”
or “Girl on The Train” or
whatever the big, hot sum-
mer read of the year is, they
expect it to be adapted into a
movie. It’s always been that
way. And when movies first
started, that was where they
,,
think that’s started am certain, but I am not sure
that I do, I hope I do. If I am
to get reflected in wrong, I am open to being
the culture and told that I want to get it
comics. right. But what you witness,
what you point out is a con-
cern – we don’t want it to be
exploitative, we have to be
more culturally inclusive.

Down Memory Lane

The changing course of history carry the day. Despite the
heroics of their French
Happy being jobless!
commander and his small
band of compatriots, the
The Victory freewheeling local soldiers
of Delhi, who had raised the Aasif Sheikh talks about his popular character Vibhuti in
Pillar inside the cry of “Deen Deen” (Faith)
“Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain”
and come out to give battle
Noida Golf to the pork-eating infidels
Course marks “from the gallis and
IRFAN AHMAD
mohallas of the city with
the historic antique swords, spears and
Battle of Delhi matchlock guns, were the
first to retreat.”
One of the popular actors of
television, Aasif Sheikh was
of 1803 The women of Delhi, the in the city to talk about his
able-bodied men who had hit comedy show Bhabhiji
Ghar Par Hain that airs on
I nside the Noida Golf
Course is a stone pillar
set up in 1916 by the British
stayed at home, the
emperor, his son and
begums in the Red Fort
&TV. Aasif is playing the role
of a jobless husband in the
to mark their victory in the waited for some miracle to show who does all household
Battle of Delhi on 11th happen but their hopes work. He has done many
September, 1803. The place were belied and the British popular shows on the televi-
where the battle was fought The Victory Pillar dedicated to the Battle of Delhi in the Noida Golf Course PHOTO: PTI finally put their seal on sion over the years. But, he
is now known as Delhi, which was to last till claims that this show is very
Patparganj. According to a Born in February 1744, he Mongols camping below would be shown to him and August 1947. British different from other comedy
news agency report, it has fought in the American the very walls of Delhi by his family and adequate tourists who come to pay shows.
not been popularised as a Revolutionary War, French not losing his nerve. provision will be made on homage to their ancestors Shedding light on content
tourist attraction because if Revolution, Irish Rebellion However, the only the part of the British who died in that battle and of the serial, Aasif says, “This
it is declared a heritage site of 1798 and the Anglo- “Battle of Delhi” recorded Government for the on September 19, when the is character and content-
the increase in the number Maratha War of which the as such in history is the one support (ease and comfort) Firangis retook Delhi 44 based comedy show. It is not
of people visiting it will Battle of Delhi was a part. between Scindia’s of Your Majesty, your years later, in the war of a gag-based comedy. The im-
cause problems in the Earlier when he took Marathas and the British, family and household.” 1857, somehow miss portant aspect of our show is
maintenance of the 18-hole Meerut, Lake met Begum with the former pretending But as Spear also thinks, visiting the “Victory Pillar” humour, language and char-
golf course. Interestingly Sumroo and in an ecstatic to fight on behalf of the the Governor General’s in Patparganj. Probably acter. Before starting the
enough, it was the Noida moment planted a kiss on Mughal emperor, though assurances were those of a they were not aware of its show, we did a lot of brain-
Authority that retrieved the cheek of the legendary Shah Alam himself was forked tongue for, besides existence but now that the storming about the content.
the Victory Pillar in 1989 chieftainess of Sardhana. wavering between support promising respect, dignity spotlight is back on it they Our writer gave a very good
when it was hidden by wild The Begum’s Muslim to the two parties as he and personal security, he may well start visiting it outline of the character and
bushes and weeds and troops took offence at this knew that he was caught wanted Lake to “urge Shah from the next anniversary language. As the story is
spruced up to make the but with great tact she between the devil and the Alam and the heir apparent of the battle, with Raj based in Kanpur, we have
inscription readable again. calmed them down, saying deep sea. Akbar (later Akbar Shah II) historian Dr. Rosie used the language and dia-
The restoration of the pillar it was the “kiss of a padre to To quote from Percival to reside at Monghyr in Llewellyn Jones who lect of Uttar Pradesh in the
to public view must have his repentant child”. Spear’s “Twilight in Delhi”, Bengal” (now in Bihar). usually leads such parties show. There are words like
made Gen. Gerard Lake, Like that there were The British Governor- However, Sir Charles in Sept –Nov almost every nalla (jobless), ghuiyan ke
who led the British forces, many battles of Delhi, General, “Lord Wellesley’s Napier, the conqueror of year. This may be cause for khet main and ‘sahi pakde
to turn in his grave, though starting from 1191-92, object was to secure the Sindh under the apology dismay for the Noida Golf hain’ , a phrase used by An-
the pillar was set up 108 which included the ones prestige of the Moghul “Peccavi” (I have sinned) Course Authority as, goori (the wife of Vibhuti’s
years after his death. fought between name without any was of the view that the according to PTI, Tee No 16 neighbour), in the show,
Lake entered Delhi after Mohammad Ghori and admission of its superior emperor should be sent to is located right on the steps which are very popular. Now,
capturing Agra a year Prithviraj Chauhan, the authority; Shah Alam’s to Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar the leading to the pillar, the people understand the WORKING ON HIS STRENGTH Aasif Sheikh
earlier in 1802. He was the one of wits between the maintain the imperial Great’s deserted capital, inscription on which reads: meaning of these words. We
most successful East India Mongols and Alauddin pretensions at the cost of which was closer to Delhi “Near this spot was fought never thought this show will we give pauses in the show things. My character is very
Company general until his Khilji, Taimur’s rout of the any conceivable practical and hence perhaps more on Sept 11th, 1803 the Battle be such a hit. It may be tried instead of speaking anything. exciting as Vibhuti, who is
failure to capture the near- forces of Mahmud Tughlak concessions. Lord acceptable to the blind of Delhi in which the forces and tested formula to tease But, things didn’t happen jobless in the show, is shown
impregnable fort of at Loni, then the three Wellesley’s agent was the emperor. of the Mahrattas and woo your neighbour’s overnight. Everyone had to as a happy go lucky charac-
Bharatpur which, however, battles fought at Panipat British Commander-in- Shah Alam asked for commanded by M. Louis wife. But, we give respect to put effort in it.” ter.
fell to Lord Combermere in between Babar and Chief, Lord Lake, and his British support on August Bourquian were defeated women in the show and this Aasif always raises the bar And this show satisfies my
1826. After the siege was Ibrahim Lodhi, Akbar and agent in Delhi was Sayyid 29 and on 1st September by the British Army under is also one of the reasons of character in the show craving for good and quality
broken, the first trooper to Hemu (not counting the Reza Khan. During July under French dictation, General Gerard Lake.” A women like our work.” through his acting. He adds, work. I cook and do all
enter the fort was Karnal skirmish between and August Shah Alam’s had announced that he ball lofted by a golfer may There are four leading “I try to laugh at myself household stuff. So, Vibhuti
Antonious Joanidies (later Mohammad Shah and letters wavered between would “take the field well fall on the tee, hitting characters in the show. But, which helps me keep going enjoys hearing nalla in the
known as Sir Anthoy John), Nader Shah, the Persian appeals for help (against against the British whose the head of someone Aasif’s character has more and motivate me to try new show.”
a Greek soldier of fortune invader) and the Maratha the Marathas who had invariable custom it is, in examining the memorial is shades in terms language Aasif loves cooking in real
who went on to establish confederacy and Nader’s made a virtual prisoner of whatever country they are the main cause of worry for and dialogue. In one of the life too. “I am a great cook. I
the once reputed chain of successor, Ahmed Shah him, keeping him in a allowed to reside under the Noida Authority. episodes of the show he be- I keep reinventing like to spend quality time at
John’s Mills after amassing Abdali. Though referred to golden cage as it were) and fixed stipulations, speedily came a rag picker who
speaks language of Delhi.
my character. The home and I hate going to
parties. In real life, I am very
wealth in diamond trade. as the battles of Panipat, complaints of his to seize upon that country.”
Under his descendants, one they were really those for treatment by the British as “Despite this assertion he He says, “This is the plus point of this hard-working.”

,,
of the mills was set up in the possession of Delhi and the fortunes of war ebbed welcomed Lord Lake five beauty of my character. I show is that people This show gives many
Delhi too at the initiative of as such linked with the and flowed. On 27 July, days after the general had keep reinventing my charac- cannot guess what I reasons to viewers to laugh
Sir Edwin John. To come fortunes of this imperial 1803 Wellesley, in a won the battle.” ter. The plus point of this without bothering about giv-
back to the first Viscount city. In all these battles personal letter, assured As for the battle itself, show is that people cannot am going to do next ing moral messages. “We try
Lord Lake, the hero of three (save the first one between Shah Alam that “if he there was not much to it as guess what I am going to do in the show. to give good laugh to people
continents died in London, Prithviraj and Ghori) the accepted the asylum which it turned out to be more of a next in the show. There is and the popularity of the
five years after his path- invaders were victorious, he had directed Lake to skirmish, with the R. V. Smith particular walk and style of show says that we are on
breaking Delhi victory, on though Alauddin succeeded offer, “then every respect Marathas, more used to The author is a veteran my character. And creating a right track. People love our
20th February 1808 aged 63. in chasing away the and degree of attention guerilla warfare, failing to chronicler of Delhi new language of comedy was show and that is important
not an easy work. Sometimes for us and the show.”
CM ND-ND
YK
p3 METROPLUS
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU Monday, December 12, 2016 SPECTRUM

Briefly
Poetry connects
The contours of national identities melt so effortlessly when communication is sought on the
human plane, says SUKRITA PAUL KUMAR

Make-up tips
A conceptualized evening
“Vow To Wow” was hosted
by make-up expert
Aashmeen Munjaal and hair
expert Niell Talwar at
Pacific Mall in Tagore
Garden.
On the occasion, students
from Star Salon and
Academy created looks of
the upcoming wedding
season comprising Roka
ceremony to reception.
International make-up
trainer Florence Frunelli,
head trainer, London School
of Advanced Makeup, Star
Faculty was also present to
W
hen young, we At the get together in the
used to hear of University of Bratislava,
Urdu mush- poets from different lan-
airas and kavi
sammelans happening often
guages were invited to share
their thoughts on the cre-
here and there; Poems suit- ative process, inspiration,
able for oral rendering in social commitment, and
“trannum” or in rhyme also on the award of the
were popular. Mushairas Noble prize to Bob Dylan
and kavi sammelans are or- this year. No matter what
ganised today too but they country or language, the
are I believe much fewer in discussion carried a strong
number. However, the good note of authenticity even
news is that, nowadays, po- when there was disagree-
etry festivals are being orga- ment: this was the gentle
nised within the country and persuasive language of
and also internationally in poets seeped in creative ex-
different parts of the world, perience and expression
not merely in exclusive that always wishes to reach
“academic” hubs, uni- out. BRACING FOR THE CHALLENGE Nawazuddin Siddqui
versities, etc but in cultural The contours of national
and community centres identities melt so effort-

support the event.
Honouring
healthcare
Kirron Kher extended
support to healthcare
sector when she was a
special guest at the
International Healthcare
Summit & Awards 2016 at
Hotel The Lalit recently.
Kirron Kher said the
students who had taken up
their respective position in
field of medical sciences
should devote their time for
serving the nation’s
healthcare. “We all have
faith in the doctors. We all
have to come forward to
make India a healthy
nation.”
The awards were conferred
on about 40 doctors, clinics
and hospitals.
Next, a dacoit
that bring poets from differ- lessly when communication
ent languages together in is sought on the human
the local environs of say, plane. Writing poetry tends
Kisii in Kenya or Quang IN HARMONY At the event; (bottom) Sukrita with Usha Akella, Sangeeta Majumdar and to perhaps make one reach
Ninh province in Vietnam Sonnet Mondal out to that inner human
or then Bratislava of Slov- domain common to all …but
akia. I had the good fortune sets the stage for the build- fourteen years and this year absentia) poems in Slov- not without first complete
of participating in a few of ing of effective bridges to Ars Poetica to start with, akian. The heart-warming apprehension of the specific Nawazuddin Siddqui speaks about his
these festivals which poetry in translation.
offered poetry not available
showcased a stunning inter- response of the audience
At Ars Poetica 2016 in the active presentation of San- and the poets from ten
socio-cultural and political
context of one’s living con-
character in his next film The
in English generally. In beautiful and quiet East Eu- geeta Majumdar’s Kathak other countries was imme- dition! Interaction excelled Confession of “ Sultana Daku”
these festivals, sounds and ropean city of Bratislava, dance in consonance with diate and overwhelming. despite linguistic and cul-
varied rhythms of different Slovakia, India was in focus Sonnet Mondal’s poetry. Intermediality in art tural differences amongst Actor Nawazuddin Siddqui to play this character his en-
languages generally fall this year. Last year, it was The audience was en- seemed to come alive fully the poets from different will be essaying the role of tire life without even know-
gently upon the ears before China. This international thralled by the near mys- in this festival. Kudos to the countries, each one rooted Sultana Daku, a dreaded da- ing it,” director Heeraz
their English rendering. poetry festival has been tical atmosphere created thoughtful planning of the and yet so human. Amongst coit in his next film The Con- Marfatia said in a statement
The sound of the original held annually for the last through mythical poetry Director of Ars Poetica others, I think fondly of fession of Sultana Daku . A here.
knitted skillfully into the vi- Martin Solotruk and the co- Manfred Chobot (Vienna), production London based Nawazuddin is excited
brant dance performance. ordinator Martina Strakova, Adam Horovitz (UK), Vladi- Beautiful Bay Entertain- about portraying the charac-
The India evening then pro- each day’s festival pro- mir Martinovski (Macedo- ment, the film is an ter of Sultana Daku in this
ceeded with readings of gramme seamlessly knitted nia), Jose Luis Peixoto ( adaptation of the book writ- British production.
poems by my own self as into poetry, musical con- Portugal), Anne Waldman ten by Sujit Saraf, set in pre— “Kids today have super he-
well as by the Indian poet certs, “sound poems” as (USA), Dirk Hulstrunk independence India, on the roes they look up to and Sul-
from the USA, Usha Akella. well as sensitively devised (Germany), Irene Gayraud life of the UP dacoit. The film tana was a super hero to me.
Each poem was first read in visual art. In the backdrop (France), Kacper Bartczak is to be directed by Heeraz On dark winter nights when
the original English fol- of each reading of a poem, (Poland). Thank you poet- Marfatia, who has assisted my family would be snug un-
lowed by its translation in the artist dynamic visuals friends for creating synergy filmmakers like Shekhar der a warm ‘razai’ (rug), with
Slovakian language in the designed by Andrea when the forces of racism, Kapur, Oscar winning Roland candle being the only source
theatrical voice of the act- Labudova were con- communalism, caste-ism, Joffe. of light and the threat of
ress from Bratislava, tinuously projected on the etc, insist on dividing us “Nawaz has lived and modern dacoits in my village,
Kristina Svarinska. Lubo screen, in complete har- more and more world over. dreamt stories of Sultana Sultana would come to life in
Bukovy read Sonnet Mon- mony with the temper of (The writer is a sea- Daku since he was a child. In my father’s stories as the real
dal and Subodh Sarkar (in the poem. soned poet) a way, he has been preparing Daku,” he said.
mode for Thor: Ragnarok .
Chris takes “Even without the long hair
and the hammer, I’m recog-
Thor on tour nised everywhere I go. I was
even making a movie in Kuala
Lumpur and there were still
Thor fans there. Luckily, the
Chris Hemsworth has dis- fans have been great with me,
covered there is nowhere to which is a relief because at
hide when you are a super- least then you know you
hero. The Aussie Rush star might be doing a good job. But
admits he is staggered at just the most surprising thing is
how far his fame has gone Thor. “It’s something I never just how far and wide a char-
since first taking on the role really expected,” says Chris, acter like Thor goes.”
of Nordic comic book hero who will soon be back in hero

GLEAMING KNIGHT GT-R cruising along

Musical tribute
A music evening was
organised to pay tribute to
Shakeel Badayuni and
celebrate his 100 years
centenary in Indian music
industry at an event held at
Mavlankar Auditorium.
Known for his romantic
Urdu poetry, Shakeel
Badyuni was noted for his
songs like ‘Chaudhvi Ka
Chand’ and ‘Na Jao Saiyan’.
Anandji sang songs from
Shakeel Badayuni’s hits and
recaptured the era of one of
the biggest lyrics and song
composer. Anandji on
people’s request sang “Badi
Door Se Aye Hain”, “Ek
pyaar ka tohfa layen hain”
and created a magical
environment.
“The youth today is as crazy
for his songs as in the 90’s,”
said Anandji.
Teaching design
Indian Institute of Art and
Design conducted a workshop
“Thematic structure
workshop” at its campus
recently for a group of 40
students from the batch of
fashion, communication and
interior architecture and
design.
The day began with an
informative campus tour,
followed by an interactive
session where the students
were introduced to the design
programmes. The tour
culminated with a fun
workshop on building 3D
structures using reed grass.
CM
YK
A refined monster!
With GT-R, Nissan Motor Corporation attempts to consolidates its
presence in India
S. M. UMAIR
How spectacular it is that the
technical brilliance of all of
Japan seems to have come
under one tiny little roof, the
roof of GT-R. What! Did I say
‘tiny little’ and GT-R in the
same breath. Some might get
offended. Well, you can call it
a ‘Godzilla’ i.e. a monster to
overcome your sighs. But, it
still is spectacularly crafted.
Nissan Motor Corporation
swears by the detailing of
their GT-R that was recently
launched in Mumbai at a
price tag of Rs.1.99 crores.
A power of 565 horses, the
big 3.8 litre engine, and 637
Nm of torque sounds mind-
boggling in numbers. But,
what is more impressive is
the research done and refine-
ment brought to this sixth
generation model of an iconic
machine. For instance, the
makers tweaked with the ig-
nition-timing control of the
Miley dispels rumours
Singer Miley Cyrus clarifies that she
is not pregnant
Miley Cyrus is moving
quickly to dispel persistent
rumours that she is having a
baby. The 24-year-old
‘Wrecking Ball’ singer says of
all the rumours about her, the
ones about her supposed
pregnancy are the most odd
to her. “If I’m not hearing
how I’ve died then I’m hear-
ing I’m pregnant,” says Miley,
cylinders and added thrust
from the twin turbochargers.
This one goes crazy fast
clocking 0-100kph in under
three seconds with a top-
speed of 315kmph.
In India, the 2017 GT-R
which was first unveiled
globally in March at the New
York International Auto
Show, will be a completely-
built-up unit coming from
Nissan’s plant in Tochigi, Ja-
pan. It will be a flagship car in
A power of 565
horses, the big 3.8
litre engine, and 637
Nm of torque
sounds mind-
boggling in
numbers...
who is engaged to The Hun-
ger Games actor Liam Hems-
worth. “I must be pregnant or
dead every other day. It’s
crazy. The pregnancy ru-
mours are the ones that really
get me in trouble. My mom
hears that and calls me up in
hysterics until I tell her it’s
not true.”
Nissan India portfolio which,
at present, doesn’t have a lot
of cars. With Terrano, Sunny,
and Micra, Nissan India re-
ported a growth in sales of
November 2016.
Speaking at the GT-R
launch event Guillaume Si-
card, President – Nissan In-
dia Operations, said, “The
GT-R is a very special car for
Nissan and we are delighted
to add it to our Indian line-up
for the first time in its history.
It is the epitome of Nissan’s
technology and design and
demonstrates our brand
promise of innovation and ex-
citement. It also continues
our commitment to our Indi-
an customers to offer an
evolving range of dynamic
and exciting new models. The
GT-R will give a great boost to
the Nissan brand in India and
is guaranteed to turn many
heads.”
Turning many heads is a
sure thing. From the exterior
of the car one can easily take
notice of the new signature
V-Motion grille at the front,
the added curvy lines on the
sides for a better aerody-
namic performance and su-
perb twin-ringed LED tail
lights. On the inside, the 2+2
coupé has abundant use of
leather. There is a cockpit-
like all buttoned up feel with a
touch-screen, three-spoke
steering wheel, and 11 speak-
ers from Bose. All of what it
takes to make you feel com-
fortable and technologically
superior.
And Nissan India is doing it
all to build the image of their
brand. From signing John
Abraham as the brand ambas-
sador to having him as the
first customer of GT-R in In-
dia, Nissan is definitely get-
ting some mileage.
However, it remains to be
seen how it goes on from here
for the Japanese automobile
major.
Life of the party
The Harman
Kardon Go + Play
is a massive
Bluetooth
speaker with
impressive audio
output capability
SOORAJ RAJMOHAN
In order to adapt to ever-
changing portable audio
needs, the Bluetooth speaker
section on most audio manu-
facturers’ portfolio has been
expanding. We’ve seen the
small, super-portable variet-
ies, the travel-friendly ones
with features like water-
proofing and the ones that
display some added spunk
with pulsing lights and elec-
tric colours. Harman Kardon,
who have a decent range of
portable speakers sold under
the JBL name, occasionally
venture into making a port-
able themselves, and the res-
ult is the Harman Kardon Go
+ Play.
The Play stretches the
definition of what we call
portable. In a time when
hardware is engineered to be-
come smaller, the Play stands
out for its boombox-like pro-
portions and substantial
weight (3.4kg!). If the popular
JBL Go was the Millennium
Falcon, the Play would be
closer to a Star Destroyer.
This bulk hides some very
powerful audio hardware.
The Play comes with a pair
of 90mm woofers positioned
front and rear and a couple of
20mm tweeters, meaning
that even the subtle wake-up
chime that emanates from it
may cause loosely-balanced
cutlery to rattle.
On the hardware side of
BIG ON SOUND The Harman Kardon Go + Play
PHOTO: HARMAN KARDON
things, the large black mass of
the speaker is broken up on
top by a shiny silver handle to
help lift it .
Set in front of the handle
are five buttons, for power,
Bluetooth pairing, volume up
and down and play/pause.
Five white LEDs right under
the handle indicate the level
of charge remaining in the
battery.
The Go + Play comes with
an inbuilt rechargeable bat-
tery, which charges up reas-
onably quickly. For
something this large and ex-
pensive, the Play does not of-
fer much more features-wise
than the super-inexpensive
Go. The only connectivity op-
tions are Bluetooth 4.1 and a
3.5mm aux port, with no NFC
or WiFi here.
The aux port is hidden un-
der a flap on the back of the
device, along with USB and
microUSB ports and a port
for the power adapter.
How does it sound? We
threw everything from soft
South Indian melodies to
hard rock and heavy metal at
the Play and it blasted out the
tunes without much effort.
The speaker gets so loud that
it is hard to turn it up beyond
60 per cent volume on
heavier tracks.
Another area where the
Play scores is the clarity; even
when driving heavily-orches-
trated tracks at high volumes,
the sound remains distor-
tion-free, and the powerful
speaker set-up ensures that
even relatively low frequen-
cies register accurately. This
combination makes it a good
pick for people with a wide
variety of musical tastes, as
the Go holds its own pretty
much anywhere in the spec-
trum.
Priced at around the
Rs.25,000 mark, the Play
would appeal to a very select
category of people. It lacks a
long feature list to justify the
price, and it is only portable if
you have a four-wheeler at
your disposal, have a pillion
rider along solely for carrying
it, or don’t mind lugging along
your audio in hand on public
transport for some added
retro cred.
As a portable solution or
value-for-money proposition,
the Play is hard to
recommend, but as a pow-
erful wireless audio device
that can be moved around a
single location and is guar-
anteed to produce enough
output for a large group, it fits
the bill.
ND-ND
p4 METROPLUS
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU Monday, December 12, 2016 ESCAPE

THE LONG ROAD UP Snapshots from the trip around the Kumaon region PHOTOS: CHARUKESI RAMADURAI

THE KUMAON CONNECTION

City-bred CHARUKESI RAMADURAI stretches more than she bargained for, as she bird watches and paraglides her way through the region

I
t was my first time
paragliding and my
heart was thumping
loud and hard. Far
below, Kumaon’s semi-arid
fields were shining in the
evening sun like brown
chessboards. Just as I began
enjoying the cool wind on
my face, the ride, in tandem
with an intrepid instructor,
had come to an end. All too
soon, it seemed to me at the
time.
It had been a great end to
a day that had so far been
spent in a car, chasing the
sights around Bhimtal.
Legend has it that the
Pandavas stopped here
during their exile, and
Bhima had dug the lake for
their use. The legend,
however, does not go on to
say whether the five
There being no bird
watching on the
afternoon’s agenda, I
was not able to pull
off a repeat of the
morning there.
However, I did stop
brothers also took time out
for a quick boat ride on the tal
(lake); but every tourist who
visits the area now, does. It is
precisely for this reason that
I steered clear of the water.
My cabbies also informed
me that I was classy for
having chosen Bhimtal and
not its more popular cousin
But I was indeed glad to be
away from the crowds and
chaos, in the serene Fredy’s
Bungalow — a snug,
renovated British-era home
tucked away in the hills.
One of the many
attractions of Bhimtal is also
its avian delights, and I
enthusiastically headed out
first hint of how soft city life
had made me. Barely 15
minutes into the walk, I was
grateful for the frequent
appearance of all those blue-
capped redstarts and the
yellow-naped woodpeckers
that allowed me to stop and
admire them. The rest of the
time, I was the very picture of
rustling leaves. From our
vantage point, some of the
smaller lakes comprising
Sat Tal stretched in the
distance in front of me, with
the whisper of Bhimtal far
behind. Everything was
perfectly still and silent.
Even the birds had taken a
short break from their
hills, occasionally making
their way towards the
bungalow. Why, just the
earlier week, a leopard had
found its way down to the
main market road, creating
in one afternoon more
excitement than Bhimtal
sees in an entire year. On
this walk too, he was
If I thought that my
huffing and puffing days
were behind me, when I
headed to Fredy’s sister
property, Itmenaan Estate
later in the day, I was
mistaken. The only path to
this boutique lodge is a
steep descent from the main
road. But that was only the
don’t believe in — the
concept of sugarcoating. Are
we there yet, I kept asking
my guide every two
minutes. To which he
replied, “Arre madam, we
are not even half way there.
You have been stop-and-go
all the way.”
There being no bird
watching on the afternoon’s
agenda, I was not able to
pull off a repeat of the
morning there. However, I
did stop short once, drawn
by the sound of a birdcall I
had never heard before.
Was it the newly discovered
species of the Himalayan
thrush? Not quite. It was
the sound of my own
tortured breathing, a clear
signal that I had to turn
back. Village life would be
watched from a distance,
from the safety of the
Itmenaan terrace, I decided.
After all, that was the
image in my mind when I
had headed to the hills to
escape the heat and dust of
the plains — endless cups of
chai, isolated little nooks,
crisp mountain air, fresh
local food and a mild hike or
two to stretch the limbs. By
the end of my first few days

,,
short once, drawn Nainital, as he proceeded to
by the sound of a take me on a whirlwind tour
birdcall I had never of this lake district, including
Sat Tal and Naukuchiya Tal. I
heard before. mentally strutted a bit, given
that I had never so far been
called classy in any context.
with the estate manager
Anandji for a round of bird
watching. Binoculars in hand
and a song on my lips, I
headed out on what I was told
was a “gentle incline”.
That was when I got the
nonchalance, as I kept
stopping to look for birds
through my binoculars — and
catch my breath.
We trudged steadily up to
the ridge, to the soothing
sound of birdsong and
warbling. For a few
moments, the effort was all
worth it; plus, I knew I was
headed downhill then on.
Anandji also regaled me
with tales of leopards and
tigers roaming around these
determined to show me
some wildlife — he meant a
barking deer or wild boar.
But I didn’t know whether
to be excited or scared when
he pointed out fresh leopard
pugmarks on the mud path.
beginning. After a surprise
lunch of grilled vegetables
and homemade pasta, I was
hustled off on a village walk.
Now, the thing with
pahadi folk is that they are
not aware of — or simply
in Kumaon, I’d been
stretched more than I’d
bargained for and was
shining with virtuous
exertion. It was time to
undo it all; the aloo parathas
beckoned.

Boarding now

’Tis the season to be jolly

PRIYADARSHINI
PAITANDY
It’s December — the
season to be jolly,
holiday and to party. It
is when many go into a
frenzy deciding what to
do on New Year’s Eve
and where to go on a
holiday. While, for most,
Goa fits the bill as the
destination to chill as
well as party, what with
the Sunburn festival
taking place there, here
are a few other options
worth considering.
Universo Paralello,
December 27 to
January 4
For almost 10 days in a
year, this coconut farm in
Itubera in Brazil becomes
the most happening place to
head to. Universo Paralello is
a music and arts festival that
sees people from all over the
world head to Pratigi Beach,
since its inception in 2003.
Ah, the blissful beach life,
what a place to ring in the
new year!
Add to it the beats of
trance music (there are six
stages), yoga, massages, a flea
market, and it is an
experience to be tried out.
There’s also a kids area and
24-hour medical facilities,
just in case you lose track of
what you are doing in a state
of trance. Jokes apart, the
What better way to ring in the new year than with a holiday. With a host of festivals lined up, the world is your oyster.
Here’s a line-up to give you an idea on what’s on offer
The winter festival at
Mt. Abu, December 29 to
31
The hills here are truly
alive with the sound of
music, and no, don’t go there
expecting EDM. It’s a quaint
festival where locals and
tourists celebrate three days
of music, dance, concerts,
cultural shows, fireworks and
traditional games.
Nestled in the Aravalli
range, Mount Abu in
Rajasthan is a popular choice
organisers ensure revellers
don’t litter. Despite it being a
small municipality, Itubera
ensures they have enough
facilities, such as showers
Burning the clocks, lanterns of various shapes and sizes.
for holidayers looking for a December 21 While a lot of them put their
short getaway. Sure sounds like Late Kate’s idea creativity to good use and make their
The winter festival ensures of entertainment. Started by Same own lanterns, the others can buy
that this laid-back hill station Sky (a community arts charity) in from stalls selling them. Music and
is at its celebratory best for 1993, it really is a celebration of drum beats follow the procession. A
three days in a year. winter solstice and brings together large bonfire is created and then each
And if you are feeling art and a spectacle of bright lights, one lays their lanterns into the big
competitive, try your hand at mostly in the form of lanterns. bonfire and festivities are carried on
boating, skating, matka race, Taking place on the streets of into the night despite the chill, while
tug of war and musical Brighton, the highlight is the parade the skies light up with a million
chairs... or just sit and get where participants march through fireworks.
one of the many talented the streets, carrying decorated
mehendi artistes to draw an
intricate pattern on your
hands.
Hogmanay celebration, of the festivities. No celebration
December 30 to January 1 is ever complete without music...
Expect fireworks. Colourful amble along the streets and you
sparklers and rockets light up the will find yourself checking out
night sky, as people take to the garden concerts, candlelit
streets of Edinburgh with concerts, shaking a leg and
torches. It’s apparently a popular making new friends at a street
belief that doing so gets rid of evil party. And on the first day of the
influences. year, if you’re feeling brave, join
These days, of course, with the many others as they quickly
advent of technology, lasers and splash into the icy cold river
light sabres are becoming a part Forth just for some freezing fun.
Hornbill Festival, December 1-10
This one is sure to get you a lot of Instagram followers. I mean look at those
beautiful head gears, traditional garb and accessories and folk performances by
the warrior tribes of Nagaland. Each tribe has a different attire. It’s a whirl of
colours and music. Celebrated over a period of 10 days, this festival is slowly
grabbing eyeballs. It takes place in Kisama at the Naga Heritage Village.
Initially planned as a week-long event, over the last three years, the number of
days have been increased to 10. Don’t miss the delicious delicacies — fermented
bamboo shoot with meat and fish, axone, that is boiled and smoked soyabean,
and rest rooms for the and sticky pork... Shop at handloom and handicraft stalls and at the exciting
attendees. And even on the night market, try a few games, and in the evenings, get set for rock
food front, right from local performances by bands from across the country. If you’re running out of
delicacies to vegan options... energy, take a swig of that potent rice beer.
they have it all.

CM ND-ND
YK
 THE HINDU | MONDAY | DECEMBER 12, 2016

Science & Technology Looking Ahead Goalpost

ICGEB, Delhi Could evolving foreign Spatika Narayanan
researchers policies in the U.S. and writes about the
identify distinct the U.K. become stumbling top-notch facilities
biomarkers for blocks to your plans to that an NUS
dengue, chikungunya studying abroad? education offers
PAGE 2 PAGE 3 PAGE 4
Exam Prep | Admissions | Scholarship alert | Internships | Offbeat careers | Science | Technology | Campusline
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A celebration of ingenuity
Art students from across the country are gearing up to showcase their creativity at the Students’ Biennale that opens on December 13 as part of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
T.K. SADASIVAN

F
or art lovers who look for
newer idioms and innovat-
ive work, the Students’ Bi-
ennale will be the most
exciting segment of Kochi- I am looking at this ritual
Muziris Biennale 2016. It is being (Samhut) through the eyes of
organised with the long-term vis- an artist and find it very
ion of changing the way art is interesting.
taught at art colleges in India. RAHUL TIWARI
Students’ Biennale will open on
December 13, a day after the main Since there is no
event. It will run parallel to the such course for
Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016 in curators in India, this
seven venues scattered around platform gives us an
Mattancherry in Kochi. The Stu- excellent opportunity
dents’ Biennale provides a unique to learn curatorial
platform to selected students of 55 practice.
VIVEK CHOCKALINGAM
Government Arts Colleges across
India to showcase their work to a The Students’
global audience. Biennale is the best
The objective is to provide ex- thing that has
posure to students of art colleges happened to
about the process of art display, students of art
and exhibitions of international schools in India.
(From left) One of the venues; Working on the installation ‘Life in Death’. PHOTOS: THULASI KAKKAT ADWAIT SINGH

Fifteen young standards. Students’ Biennale MFA students from 55 arts insti- curators. Adwait preferred stu- tensive research. every farming season. “I am look- and Prajesh, two students from
curators 2016 also aims at imparting curat- tutes across India, on the basis of dent artists who could do extens- Rahul Tiwari, who is doing his ing at this ritual through the eyes Fine Arts College, Thrissur, who
orial training to emerging their work, which was different, ive research and engage with him Master of Arts at Banaras Hindu of an artist and find it very inter- have been chosen by Vivek,
were chosen curators. unique and outstanding. “The Stu- for a longer period. University, says there were many esting,” says Rahul. consider their selection to Stu-
among Fifteen young curators were
chosen among hundreds of aspir-
dents’ Biennale is the best thing
that has happened to students of
“I have been working with a
group of three students from
rituals that existed in the villages
of Northern India that have al-
Vivek Chockalingam, one of the
student curators from Bengaluru,
dents’ Biennale as a recognition of
their artistic ingenuity.
hundreds ants by a panel of experts in 2015. art schools in India. This platform Banaras Hindu University for the most disappeared through the says curriculum-based art educa- “Since there is no such course
of aspirants These curators underwent intens-
ive training and attended work-
not only opens new doors for them
to showcase their work to the out-
past seven months. For this col-
laborative work, a ritual-based
passage of time.
He chose this project as he
tion has limitations and does not
permit students to experiment.
for curators in India, this platform
gives us an excellent opportunity
by a panel of shops led by veteran artists and side world, but also provides them project, they have done extensive wanted to document them before “Students’ Biennale is an excellent to learn curatorial practice. It is
experts in New Delhi and an opportunity to see what is hap- research,” adds Adwait. Incident- they are no more; such as ‘Sam- platform for such students to try just like undergoing a course as we
experts in 2015. Bengaluru. pening outside their domain,” says ally, the other two works curated hut’, a ritual observed by the farm- something different and innovat- are working on it for the past one
They selected 470 BFA and Adwait Singh, one of the student by Adwait are also based on ex- ers as a prelude at the beginning of ive,” says Vivek. Basil Varghese year,” adds Vivek.

The Knomadix advantage

Merging digital and traditional methods of teaching is crucial to successfully
digitalising classrooms in India, says RAMESH BALAN, CEO of this learning platform.
» TRENDS
SARTHAK SARASWAT

W
ant to be in a classroom where all
the students get instant feedback
on their assignments or tests,
rather than waiting for a day, or even a
week? Having trouble keeping up with
what the teacher is saying? What if you
could get individualised lessons from
your teacher? All this can be possible
through Knomadix, a learning platform
that provides dynamic learning expe-
riences, instant feedback to students, and
saves teachers hours on grading. The U.S.-
based company has successfully imple- The Knomadix Backpack app simplifies assignment submission.
mented its technology in several schools PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
in America. Ramesh Balan, founder,
chief architect and CEO, Knomadix, talks interactive content-authoring systems —
about how the education platform can SmartPaper, SmartLabel, SmartVideo
transform classrooms around the and SmartTiles. We are also working on
country. three more systems including Number
Sense, Geometrix and SmartQuestion. To
How did Knomadix begin and learn more, you can watch this video: ht-
tps://youtu.be/fZnjCgykChU or visit
what was the idea behind it? www.knomadix.com.
We started when the tablet PCs came
into the market. We saw them as an op- Beyond the classroom...
portunity to digitise different modes of This whole transformation should not
interaction. Our vision was to deeply en- be underestimated. It is much bigger than
gage with students. The main idea was to making content suitable for laptops and
make learning more effective. Education tablets. We need a structured and
is the cornerstone of every society and we planned approach to make this success-
believe that technology can play a key role Ramesh Balan. PHOTO: S. R. RAGHUNATHAN ful. Instead of putting the whole respons-
in helping us achieve this goal. But we ibility of the transition on the teachers,
found that when educational institutes go school administrators and curriculum
through the digital conversion process, Knomadix follows specialists can pitch in through our plat-
they tend to leave behind the traditional a teacher-centric form. The school administrators can
methods of learning. This is why digital make use of lesson-creation and adminis-
learning and e-learning have not really model and does tration tools, insightful analytics, com-
taken off. We wanted to bridge this gap by
merging the digital and traditional meth-
not replace them prehensive support and flexible
deployment models. Curriculum special-
ods of teaching. We take the best of the with technology. ists can utilise the tools provided by Kno-
traditional methods and bring them for- madix Studio to easily transform existing
ward to the digital age. The second im- gain insight into student performance, static lessons into (or to create com-
portant thing we want to achieve is to and simplify workflow with auto-assign- pletely new) dynamic, interactive lessons.
ensure that teachers retain their import- ment management, grading and tabula- Knomadix Exchange allows secure shar-
ance. Knomadix follows a teacher-centric tion. What we want to capture is not just ing and collaboration among teachers at
model and does not replace teachers with the result. Our platform allows teachers district and state levels.
digital technology. to go deeper and understand the steps
that students took, their thinking process, How long does it take to get
How does it benefit students and and if they did not get the correct answer,
where they went wrong. trained to use this platform?
teachers? Typically, it takes just a few days. We
Our Knomadix Backpack app for stu- Building interactive content... have a two-day training programme
dents provides them access to fun and This is one of the key differentiators of which provides hands-on experience of
engaging interactive lessons, immediate the Knomadix platform. Typically, what using the platform, managing the
feedback for improved comprehension you see is a content-based solution. Kno- classroom and taking advantage of the
and retention, simplified assignment sub- madix, on the other hand, has come up different data analytics that is presented.
mission and teacher feedback, and im- with a platform-based solution. Spe- It does require some amount of planning
proved organisation for learning and cifically, the platform’s proprietary au- to transition the existing curriculum into
preparedness. Teachers can use our Kno- thoring tools and cloud-based, the new interactive curriculum. We work
madix Studio and Classroom platform software-as-a-service offering makes cre- closely with schools and teachers to
that allows dynamic lesson development ating immersive, customised learning ex- provide constant support services that
and classroom management. It enables periences for students as easy as can be customised to the needs of the
them to cater to different learning styles, point-and-click. We currently have four institutions.
CM ND-X
YK
 NOIDA/DELHI

02 EducationPlus THE HINDU | MONDAY | DECEMBER 12, 2016

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SNAPSHOTS
ICGEB finds distinct biomarkers
for dengue, chikungunya
R. PRASAD

Highest energy yet!
» A recent paper in Physical Review
Letters reports detection of neutrinos
with the highest energy, a bit less than a
million GeV, measured so far. This was a
result of analysing over seven years of
data collected at the IceCube detector.
Birdsong beats to neuronal
barcode
» While birds may learn songs from
foster parents, the temporal spacing of
their tweets is ingrained in their neurons,
a study on zebra finches, published in
Science, suggests.
R
esearchers at Delhi’s In-
ternational Centre for
Genetic Engineering
and Biotechnology
(ICGEB) have identified
specific metabolites that can po-
tentially be used as biomarkers
for distinguishing dengue and
chikungunya infections and co-
infection by these two viruses.
The results were published in
the journal Scientific Reports.
Both these virus infections ex-
hibit similar and overlapping
symptoms in patients because of
which making diferential
diagnosis becomes challenging.
It gets further complicated in the
case of a co-infection.
Currently, antigen-based and
antibody-based diagnostic tools
are available for dengue, and the (From left) Dr. Neel Bhavesh, Dr. Sujatha Sunil and Jatin Shrinet have identified distinct metabolite
Dr. Felix Bast holds up the invasive seaweed Sargassum
diagnosis can be made within signatures for dengue and chikungunya infections and co-infection. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
zhangii.
the first few days after infection.
However, in the case of chikun- scription Regulation group at high enough to identify minor tions in a more sensitive manner
gunya, the diagnostic tool is an-
tibody-based. Antibodies take
ICGEB set out to identify me-
tabolome or collection of metab-
changes that may occur in co-in-
fections as well as in mono-in-
has come only recently. “We are
now able to detect even subtle Invasive algae species
time to develop in a patient and olites in the blood that are spe- fections by the viruses,” she says. diferences or perturbations
so diagnosis gets delayed. Cur-
rently, there is no tool to diag-
cific to dengue and chikungunya
mono-infection and co-infec-
The researchers are not rely-
ing on particular metabolites but
during disease condition. This
has become possible because of
found in Tamil Nadu
nose co-infection by dengue and tion. looking at a cluster (combina- newer tools such as the nuclear
chikungunya viruses. “The problem with dengue tion of 5-6 metabolites) of me- magnetic resonance (NMR) R. PRASAD to other areas,” he says.
“There is great need to devel- and chikungunya diagnosis is tabolites instead. They found spectroscopy,” says Dr. Bhavesh. The team was able to make
op new tools for diagnosing that we won’t be able to identify the metabolite cluster signa- The metabolite clusters can an inference of the evolution-

Habitat loss and diseases
» A study published in Science
Advances related habitat degradation to
proliferation of organisms low down in
the food chain, which carry bacteria,
implying a link between habitat loss and
disease.
these two infections, especially
co-infection by these viruses,”
says Sujatha Sunil from the Vec-
tor Borne Disease group at
ICGEB and one of the senior au-
thors of the paper. Another
study by her group published
this year found that nearly 10 per
cent of dengue patients in Mum-
bai were, in fact, co-infected by
dengue and chikungunya vir-
uses.
A team led by her and Dr. Neel
Sarovar Bhavesh from the Tran-
Atmospheric moisture transport on a global scale
K.S. RAJGOPAL
an ongoing infection vis-à-vis a
past infection,” says Dr. Sunil.
“This is because the diagnostic
tool used looks for antibodies.”
In India, even though antigen-
based testing is available for
dengue, it is not approved by the
government, making it diicult
for government hospitals to use
it.
“Diagnostics based on metab-
olites is highly sensitive as we
are looking at changes at a mo-
lecular level. The sensitivity is
tures to be very distinct and,
hence, the sensitivity high in the
case of mono-infection and co-
infection. “The crux of the study
was to identify a metabolite
cluster for co-infection as there
is no diagnosis for it,” says Dr.
Bhavesh.
Though metabolites are
routinely looked for in many
conditions (such as creatinine to
know the health of kidneys) and
diseases, the knowhow to look at
metabolites for these two infec-
be used for various applications
— biomarkers, studying disease
progression, evaluating ther-
apeutic potential of drugs and
disease management. The
present study was restricted to a
small patient population — 11 pa-
tients with dengue, 15 with
chikungunya and 12 co-infected.
The results have to be validated
on a larger patient population
before distinct metabolites and
clusters can be exploited for dif-
ferential diagnosis.
R
esearchers at the
Central University of
Punjab have identi-
fied a seaweed Sar-
gassum zhangii,
growing along the rocky
shores from Vedaranyam to
Pattukottai and Thondi to
Pamban in Tamil Nadu. This
is the first reported case of
the seaweed outside China.
The team led by Dr. Felix Bast
from the Centre for Bio-
sciences, Central University
of Punjab, found luxuriant
growth of the seaweed all
around the rocky shore. The
results were published re-
cently in the Journal of Plant
Taxonomy and Geography.
This is the first time that
the seaweed has been repor-
ted outside China. Its pres-
ence in Indian shores far
ary relatedness of the algae
collected from Indian shores
and those in China by mea-
suring the pair-wise genetic
distance between the two
isolates of the algal species.
“The genetic distance is very
low and so the algae is closely
related to the one found in
China. Also, the introduction
into Indian shores has been
recent as the genetic distance
between the two isolates is
low,” says Dr. Bast.
The researchers did not
rely entirely on the morpho-
logical features of the algae
for identification as morpho-
logical features can change in
response to biotic and abiotic
factors. So they relied on
DNA barcoding as well. Ac-
cording to Dr. Bast, many
algal species in GenBank

Fish against pollution
» Atlantic killifish found in estuaries in
East Coast of the U.S. have been found
to adapt to the high levels of pollution in
the rivers, thereby becoming resilient
against environmental degradation, a
study in Science found.
Nothing absolute about
time-flow
» A study on midbrain dopaminergic
neurons in mice revealed that their
judgement of the passage of time is not
absolute and can depend on the
circumstances.
A
tmospheric rivers and low-level
jets are important mechanisms
by which water is transported
in the atmosphere.
Atmospheric rivers (AR) carry
90 per cent of ocean moisture
transported to the mid-latitudes.
Similarly, most of the moisture
transported from ocean to land in the
tropics is via low-level jets (LLJ). A
recent global study has confirmed that
these phenomena play a major role in
the occurrence of extreme rainfall
events, and their absence leads to
droughts.
One of the important findings of the
study is that both these phenomena
would play an important role in future
climate scenario as well as in afecting
the highly sensitive regions such as the
Arctic and Antarctic. The study was
published recently in the Annual Review
of Environment and Resources.
For example, a more intense South
American low-level jet in a warming
climate suggests an increased transport
of moisture from the north to southeast
of the Andes and an increase in the
frequency of rainfall extremes in south-
eastern South America.
“Atmospheric rivers carry an amount
of water vapour roughly equivalent to
the average flow of water at the mouth of
the Mississippi River,” says Dr. M.R.
Ramesh Kumar from the Physical
Oceanography Division, National
Atmospheric rivers carry most of the moisture transported from the oceans in the
mid-lattitudes. PHOTO: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
Institute of Oceanography, Goa, and a
co-author of the paper.
When ARs make a landfall, they often
release water vapour in the form of rain
or snow. Those that contain the largest
amounts of water vapour and the
strongest winds can create extreme
rainfall and floods. These events can
disrupt travel, induce mudslides and
cause catastrophic damage to life and
property.
Not all ARs cause damage; most are
weak systems that often provide
beneficial rain or snow that is crucial to
water supply. A detailed study of
moisture transport could provide a
better understanding of observed
changes and enable projections of future
climates. Such studies could lead to
better rainfall forecasts in monsoon
regions and throw light on the role of
transport of moisture in intense rainfall
events and droughts.
While rainfall from LLJs occurs
mostly in summer, ARs can produce
rainfall in winters too. Atmospheric
Rivers are 1–2.5 km in high and 300–500
km wide plumes of winds with high
water vapour content, stretching over
distances of at least 2,000 km. A LLJ is a
region of relatively strong wind in the
lower part of the atmosphere. It can be
several thousand kilometres long, a few
hundred kilometres wide and a few
thousand metres in depth. While AR is
mostly an extra-tropical phenomenon,
LLJs can occur in both tropical and extra
tropical regions.
away from China highlights have been wrongly identified
its invasive potential and the by relying on DNA barcod-
need to take immediate ac- ing. “BLAST identity alone
tion to prevent its spread to will be error-prone due to
other regions. cross-amplification of DNA
“In addition to studying of epiphytic algae growing on
the morphological features, host seaweed,” he says. So the
we also carried out DNA bar- researchers combined DNA
coding using two loci — a mi- barcoding with phylogen-
tochondrial gene (COX1) and etic-based approach to
a spacer sequence (ITS) — to identify the species.
identify the algae. We found “This is the first time DNA
the algae from the Tamil barcoding has been used in
Nadu shores matched with S. India for characterising in-
zhangii of China,” says Dr. vasive species,” Dr. Bast says.
Bast, senior author of the pa- By using two loci instead of
per. one for DNA barcoding the
“We have no clue how it researchers increased the re-
spread to India. It could be liability 10 times. Since the
through spores transported two loci are from two difer-
in ballast water or through ent genome compartments
natural dispersion. It is en- (one is from the nucleus and
demic in China but now the other is from the mito-
found in India. It is possible chondria) it increases the re-
that with time it may spread liability of the inference.
» QUESTION CORNER
LIGHTER SPARK
Why is the spark from a gas lighter blue in colour?
- K.R. Inesh, V.V.N.K.M. Sr. Sec. School, Vellore, Tamilnadu
The gas lighter works on the principle of the piezo-electric effect
(conversion of mechanical stress into electric signal). Inside the gas lighter,
a piezo-electric crystal is placed, at one end of a spring whose other end is
connected to a wired hammer inside the cylindrical lighter. The
arrangement is made in such a way that when we press the lighter, the

TCIS scientists hold up a mirror to cheat malaria parasites hammer gets pushed, hitting the piezo-electric crystal and resulting in a
high voltage (800 volts) electric discharge in the small gap between two
metallic points placed at the lighting end. The air present in this small gap
gets ionised and offers the path for the electric discharge. This discharge is
SHUBASHREE DESIKAN modium falciparum. versity of Saskatchewan, be rendered harmless. the spark that ignites the combustible gas of the gas burner. Normally lead
There are six types of Canada. This method has been zirconate titanate crystals are used as the piezo-electric ceramics in gas
parasite that can cause ma- The mirror-image phage pursued by Dr Mandal dur- lighters due to their low cost and high sensitivity.
The colour of the spark depends on the nature of the gas present between

N
ature loves sym-
metry, but it is
when this sym-
metry breaks that
interesting possib-
ilities show up. An example
from chemistry is the case of
biomolecules, where chiral
asymmetry ofers a possibil-
ity for drug developers. The
constituents of proteins - the
amino acids - have a chiral
structure, which may in prin-
ciple be right-handed or left-
handed. It so happens that all
naturally occurring proteins
are made up of L-amino
acids. This property is being
made use of in Kalyaneswar
Mandal’s lab in Hyderabad
to develop a mirror image
protein molecule which can
be used to curb the progress
of malaria caused by Plas-
CM
YK
laria; of these, P. falciparum
causes a particularly
virulent form of the disease,
which can, in many cases,
lead to fatality. This parasite
has a complex life cycle. One
of the important steps is in-
vasion of red blood cells by
the parasite, and a crucial
part of this is the formation
of a junction between two
proteins called the apical
membrane antigen 1 (AMA1)
and the Rhoptry neck pro-
tein (RON2). The strategy is
to prevent this junction from
forming. “Our goal here is to
block the AMA1 and RON2
interaction and inhibit mov-
ing junction formation to
prevent the invasion of red
blood cells by malaria
parasite; which, in turn, will
shut down the transmission
display uses the chemically
synthesised mirror image
form of a natural target pro-
tein molecule as a bait to
screen bacteriophage de-
rived peptide/protein librar-
ies from identifying L-pep-
tide/protein ligand. After
this, the D-amino acid form
of the selected L-peptide/
protein ligand is synthesised
chemically in the lab. This
At Kalyaneswar Mandal’s lab, effort is on to develop binds to the natural protein
biomolecules that curb the lifecycle of P. falciparum. target with an equal ainity.
PHOTO: K.V.S. GIRI Now that the D-amino
acid has taken the place of
of the disease. Since both derabad. The core technique the L-amino acid in one of
AMA1 and the RON2 pro- is to mimic in reverse the the proteins, the junction of
teins are parasite proteins, chirality of the molecules, AMA1 with RON2 cannot
AMA1-RON2 interaction is known as mirror image take place as the handedness
an ideal target for drug dis- phage display. One of Dr of the two molecules does
covery,” says Dr Mandal, a Mandal’s chief collaborators not match. Because of this,
reader at TIFR Centre for In- in this project is Dr. Maruti the parasite’s life cycle will
terdisciplinary Sciences, Hy- Uppalapati from the Uni- not be complete and it will
ing his earlier research stint
at the University of Chicago
with Professor Stephen B.H.
Kent, where he first used a
unique combination of
chemical protein synthesis
and mirror image protein
phage display to develop a D-
protein antagonist of the vas-
cular endothelial growth
factor (VEGF-A). This work,
which was tested in a mouse
model, demonstrated the po-
tential of D-proteins “as a
unique class of biologics for
neutralising the action of
natural protein targets,” he
says.
Dr. Mandal’s research is
being done with a grant from
the Wellcome Trust/Depart-
ment of Biotechnology India
Alliance Intermediate
fellowship.
the metal points. If it is helium, it will be red in colour and sodium gas gives
bright yellowish-orange colour. In our household gas lighters the small gap
is occupied by the surrounding air. Since air is mostly made of nitrogen, it is
nitrogen that makes up the path of the electric discharge, burning with a
blue flame. Hence household gas lighters give out a blue spark.
- Dr. T. Bhavani, Bengaluru
THIS WEEK’S QUESTIONS
Why do we leave finger prints when we touch something?
- Abhishek Pathak, Chennai
Why does a room look small when painted with a dark
colour and comparatively bigger when painted with a light
colour?
- Sruti Sridhar, New Delhi
When we place a white paper under sunlight for some
days, the colour of the paper changes from white to pale
yellow. Why is it so?
Arshad.M, Malappuram,Kerala
Why does one feel like urinating often during winter?
- Dinkar Drona, Chennai
Readers may send their questions/answers to questioncorner@thehindu.co.in
ND-X
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU | MONDAY | DECEMBER 12, 2016

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EducationPlus 03

Changing studyscapes » SCHOLARSHIP ALERT

Brexit and Donald Trump’s victory have made a lot of students re-evaluate their plans of studying in the U.K. and the U.S.
» LOOKING AHEAD has not stopped the best universities
in the U.K. from providing admis-
sions to international students. Hari
AISHWARYA RAGHU Prasad, a student of Leeds Beckett
University, said, “Brexit was the res-
Geddes Scholarship
The Sanskriti Foundation invites ap-
plications for the study of the methodo-
logy and principles of Geddes town
planning. The duration of the scholarship
is six months.
Eligibility: Students or young practi-
cing professionals (individual or group)
of planning and architecture between 20

T
his year has been quite event-
ful. From the U.S. President-
elect Donald Trump's victory
to the United Kingdom’s
withdrawal from the Eu-
ropean Union (Brexit), major chang-
es are on the cards that may affect
other countries and the education
system, especially students who
were planning to study in these
countries. The U.S and the U.K are
popular destinations for higher edu-
cation and such a massive political
change in both the countries has left
a lot of students re-evaluating their
preferences.
Trump's victory
November 8 saw one of the most
shocking political results in the
world. It led many international stu-
dents to withdraw their applications
from the American universities they
had applied to. Since the beginning of
his campaign, Trump has been bold
about his immigration policy with
promises to bring back jobs to the
working-class whites, which was one
of the main reasons for his victory.
The most critical question with no
immediate answer is: Will interna-
tional students be welcomed in the
U.S. as they were before, and will
they be given the same privilege
while seeking jobs?
International students are con-
cerned about the possible Trump Ef-
fect. Some believe that the election
results will change the entire aca-
demic and corporate demography in
the U.S., affecting foreign students.
Some American universities have
sent letters to students emphasising
their diversity and inclusiveness.
The University of South Florida
(USF) states: “In contrast to a divis-
ive Presidential election that tempo-
The number of Indian students going to the U.K. has declined over the last three years. PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL
rarily hurt the fabric and values of
the United States, here at USF we are
committed to a climate of civility,
unity and respect for all. There are
already signs just a few weeks after
the election of the whole country re-
turning to a gracious and exciting
vision for the future.” Apart from
sending a letter to all international
students, USF has put out a special
one for “Prospective Indian Students
and Scholars”. Ten per cent of USF’s
49,000 students are international.
The number of Indian students at
USF has been growing every year and
is expected to touch the 1,000 mark
by January 2017, once the Spring in-
take is over.
“It is too soon to say anything be-
cause now we have to consider how
the economy is going to be affected.
The dollar-rupee difference has been
inflating considerably and if Trump
opens up new scholarship and fund-
ing opportunities for international
students, then that is an advantage
for them,” said Vaishnavi Veera-
muthu, an Indian student studying at
Texas Tech University, Texas.
When it comes to the number of
international students at American
universities, India has the second
highest enrolment percentage.
Trump’s campaign towards foreign
students and job opportunities has
been mixed, which leads to an unpre-
dictable future.
Brexit
The chaos in Europe caused by
Brexit is no less than the one in the
United States. The impact on the
economy and the drop in the cur-
rency is already noticeable. Howev-
er, its full impact can not be
Indian as well as
non-U.K. students
will have the
same job
opportunities in
Britain.
predicted until the actual exit from
the Union takes place. One of the few
benefits for people after Brexit is the
drop in the currency. Brexit is also
said to reduce the cost of studying for
Indian and international students.
A lot of universities are worried
about the possible reduction in the
number of students, even from
across Europe, who choose to go to
the U.K. for further education. This
ult of a very close vote from the nat-
ive people here. For international
students from India, the U.K. has al-
ways had a tighter visa duration after
graduation and this is more evident
after Brexit. Local people have been
very critical of the result and do not
approve of it.” He went on to say that
big corporate companies prefer local
talent versus international students.
“However, the small labour and uni-
versity jobs are more welcoming,” he
added.
The number of Indian students go-
ing to the U.K. to study has declined
over the last three years due to unfa-
vourable policies regarding work op-
portunities. While in countries such as
the United States, it is easier to get a
job after graduation, in the U.K. it is
much more difficult. Indian students
as well as non-U.K. students will have
the same job opportunities as EU stu-
dents will not be given the same
privilege as before. U.K. universities
are offering several scholarships in or-
der to ease out the financial burden on
international students.
“For citizens of the U.K., restric-
tions in free movement will take a
toll on education as they will no long-
er have the ease or leeway to study at
any European university they like.
For both international students as
well as the U.K. citizens, the cost of
living might be a problem. For inter-
national students, the expected fall
in the pound value will be com-
pensated through costs of accom-
modation, food and other
miscellaneous costs which will
snowball and leave them with huge
loans to pay off,” said Jose Johnson,
who is applying at universities in the
U.K. for postgraduation in
engineering.
and 30 years of age.
Application: Via post to Sanskriti
Foundation’s head office in Delhi.
Prizes and rewards: Rs. 45,000
Deadline: December 31
http://www.b4s.in/plus/GS605
Marubeni India Meritorious
Scholarship
This scholarship is available for 100
meritorious and talented students to help
them carry on their higher education.
Eligibility: Students in the first year
of graduation who have passed Class XII
in 2016 with more than 75 per cent marks.
Annual family income shouldn’t exceed 2
lakh.
Application: Online application.
Prizes and rewards: A scholarship of
Rs. 40,000 each will be awarded to 100
students.
Deadline: January 10
http://www.b4s.in/plus/MIM0
Sitaram Jindal Foundation
Scholarship
These scholarships are given by a char-
itable organisation with the objective of
supporting 12,000 underprivileged stu-
dents each year.
Eligibility: Students of Class XI and
XII, ITI, diploma, graduates, B.Tech,
MBBS and postgraduates.
Application: Apply by post to the
nearest Sitaram Jindal Foundation’s
centre.
Prizes and rewards: Rs. 500 to 2,000
per month.
Deadline: Application is open.
http://www.b4s.in/plus/SJF212
Courtesy:
www.buddy4study.com

Master the art of healing

Sarah Woolley from Staffordshire University, U.K., talks about career options in the fields of nursing and midwifery.
» BEYOND MEDICINE Nursing is advancing globally, with
many countries now adopting prac-
care and more. We also offer master’s
programmes in advanced clinical
such as clinical observations, wound
care, catheterisation, venipuncture
master’s level will require an honours
degree of class 2.1 or above, and for
tices that support care for patients in a practice, public health, health inform- and passing of NG tube can all be un- those whose first language is not Eng-
MADHUVANTI S. KRISHNAN community/home setting as opposed atics and a negotiated master’s award. dertaken with our simulation equip- lish, an IELTS score of 7.0 or TOEFL
to the more traditional hospital set- The latter allows students to develop a ment. Students can also utilise our 600 (paper-based) or Cambridge pro-

O
ver the years, the medical sector
has undergone a sea of change. In
the context of a large number of
students attempting medical entrance
exams to gain entry into the profes-
sion, few barely look past pursuing
medicine beyond the scope of neuro-
logy, cardiology, cancer, dentistry and
endocrinology, to name a few. Howev-
er, nursing and midwifery have, over
the years, witnessed an increase in the
number of aspirants opting for such
courses.
Excerpts from an interview with
Sarah Woolley, Academic Group Lead
for Midwifery and Community-Based
Nursing, Staffordshire University
(U.K.).
What are the international
trends and practices in the
healthcare industry today,
especially in nursing?
ting. This reduces the need for hos-
pital in-patient stays. It also requires
nurses to be educated to possess ad-
vanced skills, allowing them to assess,
manage and treat patients autono-
mously. Nurses are now the preferred
care providers in many settings. There
are, however, the challenges of an age-
ing population and a physical resource
drain which require nurses to be in-
novative and responsive practitioners,
ensuring that evidence-based practice
is maintained in a cost effective
manner.
What are the undergraduate and
postgraduate courses offered by
the School of Nursing and
Midwifery?
Our undergraduate courses in adult
nursing, paediatric nursing, mental
health nursing and midwifery are
three-year programmes which include
Sarah Woolley
50 per cent each of theory and prac-
tical experience.
We also offer a number of
Continued Professional Development
(CPD) modules which allow students
to develop their knowledge and skills
in particular aspects of healthcare
such as diabetes, care of patients with
respiratory disorders, tissue viability,
infection prevention and control, end
of life care, management of pain, phys-
ical health assessment, independent/
supplementary prescribing, dementia
programme of study that meets their
professional and educational needs.
What research opportunities
does the course present?
We have a strong research ethic
within the university with 78 per cent
of our research internationally recog-
nised by Research Excellence Frame-
work (REF). Students have the
opportunity to undertake research in
the fields of nurse education and mid-
wifery, and practice in collaboration
with institutes in the U.K.
Please shed some light on the
skill-based vocational education
and the specially designed
coursework included in this
programme.
The ability to practise skills is es-
sential to learning. Areas of practice
theatre suite and our ambulance for
practice. This allows them the oppor-
tunity to replicate clinical practice
from patient admission to hospital to
discharge.
Our nursing programmes are for 45
weeks with 50 per cent each of theory
and practice, and are focused on either
adult, child or mental health nursing.
This differs from nursing in India
where learning includes all aspects of
care across the age-spectrum, includ-
ing midwifery care.
What are the eligibility criteria
for pursuing this course?
To meet the requirements of our
undergraduate course in nursing,
overseas students need to have an
IELTS score of 7.0 as well as evidence
of education equivalent to our 280
UCAS points, along with GCSE Eng-
lish and Mathematics. Study at the
ficiency certificate in English Grade B.
What kind of employment
opportunities do students have
after graduating?
Midwifery is a separate profession
in the U.K. Successful completion of a
U.K. nursing programme provides an
internationally-recognised qualifica-
tion. Career prospects for nursing are
excellent with 95 per cent of our
graduates either being employed or
pursuing higher education. Employ-
ment opportunities for U.K. graduates
are varied and our graduates find em-
ployment within local NHS and inde-
pendent sectors while others choose
to work abroad.
Among Indian graduates, many
choose to work abroad at popular des-
tinations such as the U.S., Canada and
the U.K.

Did you hear the cackle? Tackling challenges

» KNOW YOUR
ENGLISH
S. UPENDRAN
How is the word
‘abysmal’ pronounced?
(Eshan Srivastava,
Unnao)
The vowels in the first and
last syllables are like the ‘a’ in
‘china’. The ‘bys’ in the
second syllable is pro-
nounced like the word ‘biz’.
The word is pronounced ‘e-
BIZ-mel’ with the stress on
the second syllable. It comes
from the Greek ‘abusos’
meaning ‘bottomless pit’.
The word carries with it a
negative connotation. When
you say that someone’s per-
formance was abysmal, you
are suggesting that it was ex-
tremely bad; it was appalling.
This is one of the meanings of
the word.
Ashwin’s performance at
the interview was abysmal.
The voter turnout for the
elections was abysmal.
What is the meaning
and origin of ‘shooting
from the hip’? (K
Kumar,
Thiruvanthapuram)
For those of us who have
grown up watching westerns
(cowboy films), the expres-
sion brings to mind the duel
between two gunfighters.
The two men would stand at
a certain distance from each
other, and the aim was to
CM
YK
‘draw’ (remove the gun from
the holster) and fire as
quickly and accurately as
possible. The quickest way to
achieve this was to fire the
gun from the hip - with the
gun held low and to one’s
side. The problem was, it was
not possible to be accurate
when shooting in this man-
ner. Nowadays, the expres-
sion is used figuratively to
mean to act impulsively.
When you shoot from the
hip, you say or do things
without thinking things
through. Like the gunfighter,
whose aim is to fire the gun as
quickly as possible, your aim
is to respond immediately to
something someone has said
or done.
As your campaign man-
ager, I strongly advise you to
stick to the prepared script.
Avoid your tendency to shoot
from the hip.
The star became very
flustered during the inter-
view and began to shoot from
the hip.
What is the difference
between ‘cackle’ and
‘laugh’? (Ananth Rao,
Bengaluru)
The first syllable in ‘cackle’
rhymes with ‘pack’ and
‘back’. Of the two, ‘laugh’ is a
general term and can be used
in various contexts. There
are different kinds of laugh-
ter; one can laugh loudly or
softly. ‘Cackle’, on the other
hand, suggests a particular
type of laughter. When a per-
son cackles, he laughs in a
loud manner; people around
can hear the laughter and
some may involuntarily
shudder for it sounds rather
high pitched and harsh. In
our films, it is usually the evil
witch who has this kind of
laughter.
When you describe
someone’s laughter as being
a ‘cackle’, you are showing
disapproval.
As I climbed the stairs, I
heard my grandmother and
her friends cackling in the
drawing room.
How can you marry
someone who cackles like a
witch?
Is it okay to say, ‘He is
considering to play for
another team’? (R
Nirmala, Chennai)
Although we hear such
sentences quite frequently,
careful users of the language
would argue that the word
‘considering’ should not be
followed by ‘to’. It should be
followed by a gerund - the
‘ing’ form of a verb. You al-
ways consider doing some-
thing.
Devaki is seriously con-
sidering quitting her job.
The college is considering
declaring tomorrow a ho-
liday.
****
I have a very strict gun
control policy. If there’s a
gun around, I want to be in
control of it. — Clint
Eastwood
Email:
upendrankye@gmail.com
Sukanya Kumar-Sinha, acting director of RCUK, on the growing partnership between
India and the U.K.
» COLLABORATION
DEEKSHA TERI
L
aunched in 2008, Research
Councils U.K. (RCUK) India
works to bring the best re-
searchers in India and the U.K. to-
gether. RCUK facilitates a
sustainable partnership between
the two countries. It focuses on
promoting high-impact research
that not only establishes strong
academic and business links be-
tween both countries, but also im-
proves the lives of the citizens.
Sukanya Kumar-Sinha, acting
director, RCUK, has been working
with RCUK India since its launch
in 2008. She worked with U.K.
Visas and Immigration at the Brit-
ish High Commission, New Delhi
as Team Leader - Visa Support Of-
ficer. She has also worked with a
widely-circulated Indian daily. In
this interview, she talks about op-
tions for funding research, pos-
itives outcomes from the
partnership between the U.K. and
India, and more.
You were in the country for
the U.K.-India TECH Summit.
What was the main aim of
RCUK at the TECH Summit?
The U.K.-India TECH Summit
was announced last year during
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
landmark visit to the U.K. It’s a
celebration of the unbeatable
combination of the U.K. and India,
and provides a forum to showcase
Sukanya Kumar-Sinha
future technology and discuss
emerging themes for collabora-
tion.
For RCUK India, the TECH
Summit provides an opportunity
to showcase our substantial col-
laborative research partnership
with Government of India. Since
2011, Research Councils U.K., Gov-
ernment of India and third parties
have together invested over £200
million in co-funded research pro-
grammes. We have facilitated a
portfolio of over 100 high-quality,
high-impact U.K.-India research
projects, involving over 90 in-
dustry partners. Through these re-
search programmes, RCUK India
enables a strong, strategic and mu-
tually beneficial partnership with
India.
RCUK participates in a lot of
research. How do you
monitor the quality of
All the
research-related
decisions are
taken by
experts, so
there is no
compromise on
quality.
research that is conducted?
The research conducted under
us is of the highest quality. We
follow Haldane Principle for mon-
itoring research work. According
to the Haldane Principle, the de-
cisions related to research should
be taken by researchers, and not by
the government. We appoint re-
searchers who look at these pro-
jects and tell us what is needed, to
get funding. They make the final
call and take the decision. So, all
the research-related decisions are
taken by experts and, therefore,
there is no compromise on quality.
Does RCUK provide financial
aid to research students in
India?
RCUK is the biggest funder of
research here. We work in part-
nership with research funding
bodies in India to develop a truly
collaborative (equal partnership)
approach to research funding as
this enables us to select high-qual-
ity, high-impact research, through
competitive peer review. Indian
agencies fund Indian researchers
and U.K. agencies fund U.K. re-
searchers. We do not fund Indian
students directly, but some U.K.
research councils have co-invest-
igators schemes open to interna-
tional collaborators.
You have worked in India as
well as the U.K. Do you find
any differences in the
research quality that India
can work on?
Things were different eight years
ago. There is a big cultural differ-
ence. However, both countries have
learnt something from each other.
The U.K. has learnt that it is okay to
relax sometimes as things will hap-
pen eventually. Similarly, India has
learnt that things can happen in
simple ways also. I feel India has
always been receptive and quick to
learn. So, that is a huge benefit that
India possesses.
In terms of research, we have
found that the U.K. and India work-
ing together has had a positive ef-
fect on the impact that the
programmes can achieve.
What are your expectations
from this collaboration?
There was very little structure
in this partnership eight years ago.
Things are changing now. Both
countries are working on global
challenges now. We want the U.K.
to be India’s partner of choice for
research. We are aiming to be
world leaders together.
ND-X
 NOIDA/DELHI

04 EducationPlus THE HINDU | MONDAY | DECEMBER 12, 2016

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Always have a contingency plan The best of east and west

NUS can be your home away from home. Don’t be
Think ahead and stay prepared to deal with the unexpected. afraid to explore, writes SPATIKA NARAYANAN.

» BACKPACKER’S GUIDE would take into account the

time you have and how much
» GOALPOST
U
you will need to allocate in the niversities in Singa-
USHA RAMAN duration of the term, and how pore attract many
much energy will be needed Indians and vice-
versa. Having familiar

L
ast fortnight, I wrote
about complexity
thinking and how it is
one way to approach
problem-solving or
building an understanding of
some phenomenon. I spoke
about it as a way of thinking
about reality, about how
things work in “the real
world”. You may have come
away from that piece feeling a
bit cold, and I assure you,
you’re in good company!
Many of us, faced with the in-
credibly complex issues that
surround us — poverty, vio-
lence, war, superbugs — prob-
ably feel defeated from the get
go. And then we learn that
there are no simple solutions,
so we feel like throwing up our
hands and giving up!
The sensible response to
that, which I sort of hinted at,
is to select a small piece of the
big problem, focus on it, and
try to do our bit — all the while
understanding that it is only
one tiny piece of the puzzle,
all the details and the entirety
of which is practically im-
possible for any one person to
get.
So, you have your little
space of activity and you work
within it. Somewhere in the
back of your mind is that Big
Unknown, Uncertain, and
Complex world. You acknow-
ledge it, and accept it, and
build an understanding of
that selected part of it. Ex-
planations, in complexity
thinking, often are accompan-
ied by the phrase: “It de-
pends”. This takes us to the
idea of contingency.
The word ‘contingency’ has
two related meanings. A con-
tingency (noun), according to
the Cambridge English Dic-
tionary, is ‘an event that
might possibly happen in the
ILLUSTRATION: SATHEESH VELLINEZHI
future’. A contingency is also a
provision for an unforeseen
necessity (as in ‘contingency
funds’).
Maybe you’re wondering
where I am going with all
these “C” words (Creativity,
too, can be on this list, as can
Commitment). Well, once we
have accepted the complexity
of the world, even in instances
where it seems simple, we
need to learn how to expect
the unexpected, and to try and
prepare for it. If complexity is
a way of understanding, con-
tingency is a way of preparing.
In the workplace, and in
life, contingency operates in
two ways, mirroring the two
meanings I just referred to.
While planning something,
we first need to think through
all the possible ways and con-
texts in which the plan might
be implemented or roll out
and second, the ways in which
each of these would be
handled (a series of “If —
Then” scenarios). Contin-
gency thinking is about as-
suming that things do not
always go according to expect-
ation, and therefore it is im-
portant to open one’s mind to
as many alternatives as
possible.
Contingency planning in-
volves thinking about how
your project will roll out in
time (how long it will take,
how time will affect the
various elements, what needs
to happen when, what if
things do not go in sync, what
if some elements are delayed);
how it will roll out in space
(what are the locations, the
characteristics of these loca-
tions, other things that hap-
pen in these spaces that could
affect your plan); and how the
roll out will relate to the flow
of resources (how much
money or people or materials
you need, of what kind).
Think about something rel-
atively simple such as plan-
We live in a
complex,
uncertain
world that
has a way of
throwing us a
curve ball
now and
then.
ning your work across the
semester. The quantum of
work is laid out for you in the
form of a syllabus, so your
planning needs to revolve
around that. The contingen-
cies in this case could be un-
foreseen family needs, your
own health, or the demands of
other courses and of course
the spontaneous events that
make up an enjoyable college
life. A systematic work plan
for the various activities
(reading, writing papers,
studying for tests, doing pro-
jects) as well as other re-
sources you may need
(additional library books, field
work, and so on). Keeping in
mind the various contingen-
cies mentioned, you should be
able to plan your work in a
way that allows for unexpec-
ted interruptions — to a de-
gree.
The contingency planning
in this case would budget your
time so that you would have
enough left over to deal with
the unexpected.
Let’s look at this at an even
simpler level. You have to give
a presentation at a confer-
ence, and you have created a
set of PowerPoint slides.
We’re all only too familiar
with technology failing at the
most crucial points, so we
need to think about this as an
almost routine contingency
(an oxymoron?). Here the
contingency planning would
take the form of carrying the
presentation on a pen drive,
on your laptop (if you have
one), and as a print out, in case
the systems do not work or
the power fails or your laptop
runs out of charge. It also in-
volves preparing to present
without the slides, if you need
to.
Contingency planning is
about thinking ahead and
staying prepared for scenarios
that you can imagine — and to
develop the ability to deal
with the unexpected and un-
imagined. Because we live in a
complex, uncertain world that
has a way of throwing us a
curve ball now and then.
The author teaches at the
University of Hyderabad and
edits Teacher Plus. Email:
usha.bpgll@gmail.com
faces around you, who are
in the same boat, can be a
huge asset in a new coun-
try. But on the downside,
you tend to stick to peo-
ple you already know, and
they to you. A bubble
forms, and once you are
inside, it is hard to leave
its comfort — especially
when the grind of classes,
exams, tutorials, assign-
ments, projects and co-
curricular commitments
sets in.
This was the case for
me — there were students
from my own high school
everywhere! Those first
few weeks were a blur of
attending orientations,
‘bidding’ for classes we
wanted to take, learning
how to navigate the cam-
pus, figuring out what co-
curricular activities
(CCA) we wanted to do,
and so on.
National University of
Singapore (NUS) has
CCAs for anything you’d
be interested in, from as-
tronomy to Toastmas-
ters. As per the bubble, I
joined NUS Centre for
the Art’s Indian Instru-
mental Ensemble and In-
dian Dance. I spent an
interesting and fruitful
couple of years perform-
ing and working in the ex-
ecutive committee of
these two groups.
Despite the self-im-
posed limits, I don’t re-
gret the time I spent there
— far from it, in fact. I
stuck to my comfort zone,
and I still managed to
grow by leaps and
bounds.
NUS pushes for their
Spatika Narayanan
students’ holistic de-
velopment. Though my
major was computer en-
gineering, I sampled a
little bit each of philoso-
phy, psychology, geopoli-
tics, and Spanish.
Though this wasn’t the
case earlier, it’s now man-
datory to do an internship
during one of your vaca-
tions. The NUS Centre for
Future-Ready Graduates
(a mouthful, I know) will
help you out with personal
branding, fixing up your
CV and your interview
skills. There’s a mental-
health counselling unit
and the conveniently loc-
ated University Health
Centre.
NUS has top-notch fa-
cilities across the board
and they are constantly
working on expanding
and improving existing
infrastructure. Every
time I came back to the
campus from a vacation, a
new building would greet
me. At my last count,
there were four Starbucks
on the campus — same as
the number of fantastic
libraries.
While the facilities are
very much modern, the
pedagogic values are tra-
ditionally Asian — so it’s
not too much of a culture
shock. Still, there is more
importance given to self-
learning rather than
spoon-feeding. Plus, the
competition is brutal —
you are pitted against the
best of the best from
around Asia.
Adjacent to NUS, is Yale-
NUS, the liberal arts col-
lege launched in 2011 as a
collaboration between the
two universities. Abroad,
and in India, especially,
NUS may be known for its
science and engineering
prowess; but if it is a liberal
arts education you want,
Yale-NUS is your best bet.
It is one of few such col-
leges in Asia, and one I wish
had been an option for me.
The upshot is that NUS
is the best of both worlds
— an international col-
lege experience and a
short flight away from
home. But to make the
most of it, remember that
the more effort you put in
to go out of your comfort
zone, the more enriching
your NUS experience will
be.
The writer studied
B.Eng (Hons) at National
University of Singapore.

Crack JEE Mains sans coaching classes

Five effective tips to help you score well in the exam.
No place for drugs
SPYM and the Delhi government act to nip drug abuse in the bud.
» STUDY PLAN
AMIT BANSAL
» CAMPAIGN can resist the temptation of drugs
and how they can confidently say
DEEKSHA TERI ‘no’ to the people who provide them

I
t is not true that preparing these substances,” says Shibendu

from home does not make
JEE aspirants qualified
enough to compete with those
who attend regular coaching
classes. Over half of the stu-
dents who qualified for JEE
(Advanced) this year are from
rural areas and did not join
any coaching institutes.
For aspirants who do not
have access to good institutes,
distance education can do the
trick. Here are some tips on
cracking JEE Mains without
attending regular coaching
classes.
Utilise the resources ef-
ficiently: Strengthening the
concept is a must, so choose
the study material which is
easiest to understand. Inter-
act with expert faculty to
clear doubts. You can also
make use of distance learning
facilities provided by some
leading institutes and online
Pay due attention to each subject by allocating enough time.
PHOTO: K. MURALI KUMAR
Relax and stay positive:
Believe in Meditation can help you stay
yourself, relaxed. Spending time with
your family and friends can
work hard keep the anxiety away. Never
and stay over burden yourself with the
content and give your brain
T
he intake of drugs by school
children has increased alarm-
ingly in the capital. To bring
the numbers down, Society for Pro-
motion of Youth & Masses (SPYM)
has partnered with the Delhi gov-
ernment and started a campaign to
support children who are victims of
drug abuse. The inaugural session
was held at the Rani Chennamma
Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya,
Jahangirpuri.
The habits that children develop
in their teenage years are usually
the habits that they carry with them
for the rest of their lives. Therefore,
it is important to guide them from
this age.
The campaign has been launched
for government schools only, as of
now. SPYM is running this cam-
paign in 100 schools situated in
areas which are prone to drug ab-
use.
“Till this point, we have covered
35 schools in Jahangirpuri, Sultan-
An SPYM volunteer explaining the ill effects of drugs to students.
PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
only salvation, and they end up get-
ting addicted.
“They usually start with sniffing
petroleum products. However, if
not stopped, the children end up
using needles which is very dan-
gerous,” explained Dr Rajesh Ku-
mar, Executive Director, SPYM.
Bhattacharjee. Teachers are also
educated about the symptoms and
effects of drugs on children, so that
they can identify and help children
in need.
“It is good to see that children are
responding so well to this cam-
paign. We have an international
helpline number and we also
provide our personal numbers to
these children. They come and talk
to us about their problems, and we
help them in every possible way,”
said Dr Kumar.
What We Can Do
● Start early prevention pro-
shocked to see that these children grammes
● Train teachers on how to
were not only openly admitting
their usage habits, but also knew identify a child in distress
the places from where they could ● Establish treatment facilities
for children dependent on drugs
buy substances. Given this alarm-
ing condition, SPYM has started the ● Conduct sensitisation pro-
grammes
campaign with full vigour.
SPYM visits the schools and or- ● Involve family

platforms. This will give you
access to not just the study
material, but also the test
series, concept-based teach-
ing methodology and much
more.
Time management: Dis-
cipline is the key to following
the timetable. Allocate
enough time so that each sub-
ject is paid due attention. Al-
lot one hour daily for
self-analysis and correction.
Segregate time to cover the
syllabus concept-wise. Alloc-
ate extra hours every week for
difficult subjects and doubt-
clearing sessions.
Keep your concepts
focussed.
clear: As the questions in the
mains exam do not follow a
pattern, having clarity about
the concepts will help you
succeed. Though it is good to
solve questions, focus more
on making the concepts
transparent.
Group study: Group study
can help in clarifying doubts.
Students can make their own
short notes while studying.
This helps in retaining the
concepts for a longer time and
makes it easier to revise them.
Group study can also help you
judge your current position.
some time to get on track. Fill
yourself with positive energy
from time to time. Believe in
yourself, work hard and stay
focussed.
Some education providers
such as FIITJEE and myPAT
offer a portal where students
can take all-India tests to see
their overall performance and
analyse it by several paramet-
ers, including comparative
analysis as well as progressive
analysis of all past examina-
tions. This helps students
plan their preparation
accordingly.
The writer is national head,
FIITJEE NCRP.
puri, Mangolpuri and Adarsh
Nagar. We targeted these areas
first, as these are the vulnerable
areas. We covered both shifts of the
schools and we made sure to visit
boys’ as well as girls’ schools,” said
Shibendu Bhattacharjee, Project
In-charge, SPYM.
How addiction begins
Children face many upsetting
situations at school and at home.
But they are generally unable to
share their problems with anyone.
In these situations, children are in-
troduced to substances, which give
them a certain kind of relief. The
intake continues when children
start believing that drugs are their
When children start using these
substances, they begin to show cer-
tain symptoms: behaving out of
character, dropping their social in-
teractions, feeling tired all the time.
Psychological changes are also
noticeable. Addicts show a lot of
self-guilt even in situations where
they might not be at fault. They do
not have any control over their
emotions due to which they tend to
become suicidal. All these condi-
tions cause the children to suffer
from Post-Traumatic Stress Dis-
order (PTSD).
SPYM’s Role
When experts from SPYM inter-
acted with the children, they were
ganises various fun activities for
them, such as designing their own
posters and slogans against drug
abuse. Everybody who participates
is awarded a certificate which mo-
tivates more children to get in-
volved.
“We tell them to make the
posters and slogans at home and
then submit them to us. So, when
the child draws something, he or
she will show it to his or her neigh-
bours and friends who do not go to
school. This way, not only will the
children be encouraged, but reach
of the awareness will also increase,”
says Dr Kumar.
“We teach them to say ‘no’ to
drugs. We tell them about how they
● Focus more on demand reduc-
tion
● Treat co-occurring disorders
Easy to Spot Symptoms
● Changes in peer group
● Carelessness with grooming
(dirty hands/clothes, burns on
hands)
● Decline in academic perform-
ance
● Loss of interest in favourite
activities
● Changes in eating or sleeping
habits (weight loss)
● Sores on mouth, around nose
● Deteriorating relationships
with friends and family

and Development/FrontEnd
» WASSUP
XII exam with mathematics. Ap-
plicants’ date of birth should fall on
» INTERNSHIPS Location: Work from
» ON THE SHELF
divided into 10 sections: History
and culture of India, Indian na-
questions,
along with
home
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