BE N N E T T, C OL E M A N & C O. LT D. | E S TA BLI S H E D 183 8 | T IM E S OF IN DI A .

C OM

STUDENT EDITION
➤ Find out how millennium ➤ Take a peek into the glam world ➤ India eye win against
TODAY’S old dice tells stories of as you read through the pages of Indonesia to stay in Asia THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2022

EDITION
Newspaper in

ancient board games in

Education

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Cup

Gujarat in News To Use Jenkins

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CLICK HERE: PAGE 1 AND 2

Remembering RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY on 250th birth anniv year

‘To abuse and insult is inconsistent with PM Modi to Indian
REASON AND JUSTICE’-Roy kids: Go for Quad
Fellowships
A 2
P
s India marks the 250th
birth anniversary (May 22, HOW ROY DEFINED INDIA ENGLISH CURRICULA: Roy collaborated rime Minister Narendra
1772) of the Father of the with Scottish philanthropist David Hare to Modi, on Tuesday, encour-
Modern Indian Renais-
sance, Raja Ram Mohan
Roy, this week, let’s revisit the In-
1 LIBERALISM AND SECULARISM: The wan-
ing of the Mughals and the ascendancy of
set up the Hindu College (now Presidency College
Kolkata), the only college that offered European
the East India Company in Bengal towards the end style higher learning across Asian continent in
aged Indian students to
apply for the Quad
dian reforms he led and the im- Fellowship Programme and join the
NING W pact he made to make India of the 18th century was the time when Roy turned 1817. Roy believed in introducing English educa-
AR next generation of STEM leaders and
what it is today. into a reformer. “Rammohun did not quite make a tion curricula in India, including maths, science,
ITH
LE

A great social reformer, distinction between the religious and the secular. literature, physics, botany, among other subjects. innovators building a better future

3
a thinker, an educator, a jour- He believed religion to be the site of all funda- for humanity.
nalist and a visionary, Roy REFORMER: A polygot, who knew Bengali,
The leaders of Australia, India,
IE
TI

Newspaper in

mental changes. What he fought was not religion Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic and English, he was
Education

M N led the socio-religious move-

ES ment against the dark practices
of India, be it fighting against Sati,
caste system, dowry... to incorporat-
ing Western discoveries in science and
literature with India’s rich knowledge.
but what he believed to be its perversion [sic],” conferred the title ‘Raja’ by Mughal Emperor
Japan, and the US have launched the
states historian Amiya P Sen, who penned Akbar II. He extensively argued for property Quad Fellowship in Tokyo, wherein
‘Rammohun Roy: A Critical Biography’. rights for women and freedom of the press. 100 students from member countries
will be sponsored to study in the US
for graduate degrees in science, tech,
Archaeological Survey Of India. At a time when engineering and math (STEM).

Places of Worship Act, 1991 India grapples increasingly It is a first-of-its-kind scholarship

HOW
DID IT
COME UP? with changing social and reli- programme that’ll bring together the
gious circumstances, Roy’s work top minds of Australia, India, Japan,

WHAT
IS PLACES OF WORSHIP ACT
1991? “An Act to prohibit con-
version of any place of wor-
X-PLAINED ship and to provide for the
maintenance of the religious
character of any place of
worship as it existed on the
15th day of August, 1947, and
for matters connected therewith
or incidental thereto,” reads the
Act. The law, Places of Worship
Act, 1991, lays down that the
character of a religious place
cannot be altered from what it
It is noteworthy that the Places
of Worship Act is not part of
the Constitution. Having been
legislated by Parliament, any
government of the day with
majority in the Lok Sabha and
the Rajya Sabha, may bring a
bill to replace this law.
was on August 15, 1947 – the
day India got its Independence.
So, if a building was being used
as a temple on August 15, 1947,
it cannot be turned into a
mosque, church or a gurdwara.
The law does not apply to his-
torical sites maintained by
In 1991, at
the peak of Ram Janmabhoomi
Movement, the country saw
communal riots. The P V
Narasimha Rao government
introduced a law in an effort to
put a lid on any future contro-
versy arising out of the owner-
ship and character of any place
of worship in the country.
WHY
ARE WE
TALKING
ABOUT IT?
With the Gyanvapi row taking
Read more: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/why-places-of-wor-
ship-act-fails-to-resolve-gyanvapi-like-disputes/articleshow/91744697.cms
in the sphere of women’s emanci- and the US.
pation, modernising education “The Quad Fellowship Programme is
and seeking changes to reli- a wonderful and unique initiative.
gious orthodoxy finds new This prestigious fellowship will offer
relevance our students great opportunities to
pursue graduate and doctorate pro-
cen-
trestage, grammes,” said PM Modi.
a Varanasi court will hear the
maintainability of the civil suit
Japanese boy’s
on May 26, and will hear objec-
tions of the Muslim side in the
Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri com-
plex case. TNN
impressive welcome
speech in Hindi floors
PM Modi

Justin Bieber to perform TRAILER OF 7TH

‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE’
P M Modi was welcomed by the
Indian diaspora and Japanese
citizens upon his arrival.
Children were seen with placards in

in New Delhi on Oct 18 PACKS IN DAZZLING

different lan-
guages to wel-
come him. To his

P
op star Justin Bieber is set to bring his TOM CRUISE ACTION surprise, one of

C
Justice World Tour to New Delhi on October lose on the heels of the raptur- the children
18. The Canadian singer, known for tracks ous reception to ‘Top Gun: from the crowd
like ‘Baby’, ‘Sorry’, ‘Ghost’ and ‘Lonely’, will trav- Maverick’ at the Cannes Film came forward
el with his tour to over 30 countries — playing Festival, another Tom Cruise action fran- to welcome him
more than 125 shows — from May 2022 through chise is back. The first trailer of in Hindi.
March 2023. The tour started in Mexico this ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning:
month and will have a stop in Italy in July
“Welcome to
Part One’ was dropped by Paramount Japan. May I
before continuing on to Scandinavia for shows Pictures. It is the seventh entry in the
in August, followed by South America, South have your sig-
spy thriller series, which stars Cruise as
Africa, the Middle East and nature please?”
Ethan Hunt, a special agent of the
India in October. The con- Ritsuki Kobayashi asked the Prime
Impossible Missions Force (IMF).
cert is scheduled to be held The trailer shows the return of several Minister in Hindi. Impressed by the
at the Jawaharlal Nehru ‘Mission: Impossible’ series regular cast, boy’s gesture, PM Modi praised his
Stadium in New Delhi. The New including franchise stalwart Ving fluency in Hindi. The Grade 5 stu-
Delhi gig would mark the 28- Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, dent from Global Indian
year-old Grammy winner’s second visit to India and ‘Fallout’ star Vanessa Kirby, reports International School was overjoyed
post his 2017 Purpose World Tour. ‘Variety’. with the PM’s response.

Instagram announces visual Chew this: Free Bitcoin Pizza at Davos

refresh to its app
A
Instagram’s redesign takes the brand’s
identity forward while still staying familiar. free bitcoin pizza stall
(Image credit: Instagram) and a ‘liquidity lounge’ Tether, one of the world’s

I
n a bid to give a visual refresh to were among treats on largest stablecoins, offered up
its app, Meta-owned photo-shar- offer for attendees at free slices to celebrate Bitcoin
ing platform, Instagram, has this year’s meeting in Davos, where Pizza Day on Sunday, in honour
announced that it is introducing blockchain and cryptocurrency firms of the day in 2010 when Laszlo
a brighter icon along its own typogra- have taken over its main street, Hanyecz paid for two pizzas
phy. The company said that its new despite a recent crash in digital coin with 10,000 bitcoin, which was
design system puts content at the cen- values. worth about $41 at the time
tre, with a focus on simplicity and self- Executives from the crypto sector
have descended on the annual gather- ket value earlier this month.
expression. The platform mentioned
ing of business leaders and politicians Small traders have flocked to cryp-
that its new typeface, Instagram Sans, is
in the Swiss Alpine resort, seeking to to in the hope of quick returns,
designed with heritage in mind and
encourage faster adoption of their despite warnings from regulators that
includes multiple global scripts.
technology, which is largely unregulat- the emerging assets can be high risk.
“Our vibrant gradient was reimagined
ed. The crypto crowd’s prominence at Luna, until recently the eighth-
using an innovative 3D modelling process to make it feel
Instagram Sans is a new way for the company’s global Davos, while largely on the sidelines biggest digital coin and backed by
illuminated and alive. The Instagram gradient, made up
institutional crypto investors, has
of our brand colours, is the foundation of our complete community to express themselves on Instagram in of the main event, comes as cryp-
places like Stories and Reels. tocurrencies shed $800 billion in mar- shed nearly all of its value.
colour system,” said a company spokesperson.
 02
As students, while it is important
to know about what’s happening
around the world, what is more essential is
to have an in-depth perspective of events
that will help you build your skill sets. Be
it political, social, economic, climatic
events, Times NIE presents you
handpicked, curated news that will be
of help to you in the classroom and
give you an edge over others
Biology/ EVS
HIMALAYAN birdwatch:
Experts share sightings
A
s part of a global effort, scien-
tists and birdwatchers in the
Himalayan regions of India,
Nepal and Bhutan came together and
documented as many birds of the
mountain range as possible. As part
of a sub-programme of the global big
bird day event, the bird count took
place between 12 am till 11.59 pm at
night on May 14.
HIMALAYA BIRD COUNT
1
Birdwatchers from Ladakh,
Jammu and Kashmir, Hi-
machal Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
North Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal
Pradesh, as well as Nepal and Bhutan,
took part in the initiative.
2
The snow-capped mountains, cold
deserts, lush green forests and
grasslands, and the white waters
of the rivers are home to several unique
birds.
3
Himalayan Bird Count can provide
consistent, snapshot information
of bird diversity in a region that
is increasingly threatened by climate
change. This kind of information,
across years, can help us understand
“Be like the sun for grace and mercy. Be like the night to cover
others’ faults. Be like running water for generosity. Be like the
Earth for modesty. Appear as you are. Be as you appear.” RUMI
NEWS TO USE
THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2022
History
MILLENNIUM-OLD DICE
tell stories of ancient board games in Guj
A LESSON
thousand years ago,
board games were a
favourite pastime in the
once affluent trading PLAN
town of Vadnagar, indicate research by
the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) ■ In Greek and Roman times, most dice
team members. Archaeologists found 64 dice were made of bone and ivory; others were
while carrying out excavation in the heritage city.
The older ones were from the 4th to 10th century, while of bronze, agate, rock crystal, onyx, jet,
the newer ones were from the 17th to 19th century. Made from alabaster, marble, amber, porcelain, and
materials such as ivory, terracotta, bone and stone, most of other materials. ■ Cubical dice with mark-
the dice found are either cube or cuboid, identified as pasa
ings have been found in Chinese excava-
and sogtha respectively in Gujarati.
tions from 600 BCE and in Egyptian tombs
dating from 2000 BCE. ■ It was not until
the 16th century that dice games were sub-
jected to mathematical analysis by Italians
Girolamo Cardano and Galileo, among oth-
ers — and the concepts of RANDOMNESS
AND PROBABILITY were
concieved.
The significance of ‘Dice Use’ ■ Dice and their
forerunners are
1 According to researchers, most of the dice found
are from the cultural deposits between 4th and
10th century.
the oldest gam-
ing implements
known to man.
2 Such recreational activities take place in a soci-
ety when it is financially and militarily stable.
So, one can deduce that the society may have
Sophocles reported that dice were
invented by the legendary Greek
experienced a stable and peaceful period. Palamedes during the siege of Troy,
whereas Herodotus maintained that they
3 The researchers stated that the dice could have
also served a religious-ritualistic role – as some
temples offer sogtha (dice as gift) to deities during
were invented by the Lydians in the days
of King Atys. Both “inventions” have
rituals or festivities. been discredited by numerous archaeo-
logical finds demonstrating that dice
4 The cuboid dice is punch-marked from 1 to
4. Each side is compartmentalised, and
marked by horizontal lines.
were used in many earlier societies.
■ THE FIRST WRITTEN RECORDS OF DICE
5 As the majority of the dice have ARE FOUND IN THE ANCIENT SANSKRIT
little wear and tear, experts say EPIC THE MAHABHARATA, COMPOSED IN
it could have been played on INDIA MORE THAN 2,000 YEARS AGO.
cloth, silk or sand.
Current Affairs
Word Of
THE WEEK ART ATTACK: When
Sedition Kyiv sees red over war
■ IN THE NEWS FOR: Concerned over “enormous misuse” of the colonial
era penal law on sedition, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the
Centre as to why it was not repealing the provision used by the British to
“silence” people like Mahatma Gandhi to suppress freedom movement.
■ WHAT DOES IT SAY: Section 124A states, “Whoever, words, either spo-
ken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise,
brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or
attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by
law in India shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine
may be added, or with imprisonment, which may extend to three years.”
POP QUIZ
F
rom odes to embattled military units to expressions
How is the resting place of of love for the motherland, Ukrainians are embrac-
ing tattoos amid the ongoing war with Russia. At the
Arjumand Banu Begum better ‘Art Weapon’ festival, dozens chose to show their love
known? for their nation by getting inked, with payments for the tattoos
Clue 1: It’s the highest earning tourist going straight to the Ukrainian military as donations.
attraction in India.
NEWS
Clue 2: Donald Trump used its name ACTIVITY: LOVE FOR NATION
Of The Week for one of his casino-hotels. Assume India is in trouble with a neighbouring
country, design a tattoo on your hand/arm
Clue 3: It was one of the first four
4
what is hap- According to the India using sketch pens/ washable paint to show your
pening to our country’s State of Forest Report Indian sites to get the UNESCO World patriotism
And the final clue is: Mumtaz
birds,” said Ghazala Sha- 2021, the forest cover in Heritage Site status.
habuddin, Senior Fellow, Cen- the 140 hill districts of the Mahal — also known as Arjumand
tre for Ecology, Development country has shown a decrease Answer: Taj Mahal Banu Begum
and Research. of 902 sq km (0.32 pc).
TEACHER PROMPT
When a picture speaks... ■ Otto von Bismarck famously
TEACHER PROMPT remarked, “Only a fool learns from his
LESSON own mistakes. The wise learns from
UNDER THE HAMMER: The
■ Talk about climat-
Stunt Mjolnir Hammer used PLAN the mistakes of others.”
ic system in the
by Australian actor Chris TALK ABOUT LESSONS DRAWN FROM WAR
LESSON Himalayan Helmsworth in the 2011
PLAN regions film ‘Thor’ is displayed at
Propstore in Valencia,
■ In the ancient times the most powerful kingdoms
had a strong military, which ensured a prosperous
■ Ask students
California, before auction regime for their kingdom. Nothing much has
to make a scrapbook of changed in these modern times too. So, a large por-
next month. The hammer
different birds found in the tion of the budget is sanctioned to the defence
is estimated to sell at
Himalayan region between $100,000 and forces of the country. ■ TEACHER PROMPT: If you
■ Hold a quiz on which birds are famous in $150,000. were Ukranian military chief, what defence strate-
gies would you have adopted?
the Himalayan states Imagine you were to buy Thor’s hammer, what would you pay for it?
 CLICK HERE: PAGE 3 AND 4

SCHOOL IS COOL It’s not just a place where you get to learn Einstein’s Theory of
Relativity. It’s also a place where you can think beyond the classroom.
Hence we say, SCHOOL IS COOL!
THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2022

STUDENTS RECOMMEND STUDENTS

Students suggest some books and tell us what makes them a good read for this summer vacation…
IISians clear the CAIE Exam
Book: The Merry
with excellent results
T
he Cambridge As- t h e m f ro m a ch i ev i n g
Adventures of Robin sessment Interna- their goals in life.
Hood tional Education
declared the result of
“I was so over-
whelmed when I received
March series 2022 on May my result, all the efforts
WRITTEN BY: HOWARD PYLE
25. The IGCSE students paid off, all thanks to
Robin Hood, the protagonist, of India Inter national teachers, parents, with-
is a fun-lov- School, Mansarovar with out their support it would
ing person their sweeping exuber- not have been possible.”,
ance have once ag ain said Aadhya Maheshwari
who became made the school and men- on her excellent result.
an outlaw tors proud with an excel- Akriti Malpani said, “ I
by killing lent result. Around 16 am in awe of the hard
students appeared work and determination
the deer of
for IGCSE examination in that the teachers and
King Henry the month of March. school have put through
the Second. A a d hy a M a h e s h w a r i that has enabled me to
Self- topped the exam in the achieve this milestone. I
school with an A* in all am delighted and proud.”
proclaimed six subjects and acquired The school director, Dr.
king of 92.8% while Akriti Ashok Gupta, congratu-
Sherwood forest, the Malpani with A* in three lated the students for the
book shares the adventures subjects and A in the Combined Sciences, incredible accomplish-
other three is the French, English, Maths, ment. Principal Mala Ag-
of Robin as they outwit the second topper of the ICT, etc. IIS is celebrating nihotri extended her
rich folk of Nottingham into school. the students’ triumph wishes to the students for
parting with their wealth. It 15 students scored an who have scored well in their excellent result and
A* and 19 secured A various subjects, proving wished them good luck
is a must-read for its intricate grades in various sub- that they are invincible, for their future endeav-
details and for the realistic jects such as Economics, and nothing can deter ours.
do- or- die situations.
Avani Chitale, class VIII
—Picture for representational purpose Childhood –The path of happiness
Book Title: Book Title: Book: Childhood is just a word of 9 letters, but it has a deep
meaning in the life of a human being. It is just like a
How to win friends and Oh, My Gods All the bright places season in everyone’s life; a season that only comes
influence people once but we remember it throughout life. Childhood
WRITTEN BY: ALEXANDRA SHEPPARD WRITTEN BY: JENNIFER NIVEN
is the best time to create memories and cap-
This book shows the life of a half-mortal An excellent book in the Young Adult ture happiness in our minds so that when
WRITTEN BY: DALE CARNEGIE
teen, Helen Thomas Fiction genre, the book we grow up, we can always bring a smile
It is a non - fiction book
who has moved in with revolves around two to our face. Also, one is free to do any-
with many key takeaways!
her family, who are teenagers and their dis- thing he wants because childhood is such
By reading this book I
also Greek gods. rupted lives. The book a phase of life where worries, tension,
learned ways to win people
Keeping her real iden- highlights the impor- stress do not exist instead it is a phase laden
and make them feel special.
tity secret is stressful tance of mental health with care, love, and spirit of well-being. We
I also learned the tech-
for Helen. After reveal- and how it can affect all should try to make each day of our
niques of handling people.
ing her identity to a everything in our life childhood memories so that we don’t
Divided into various sec-
friend, Helen has to including loved ones and regret it in the future. Many times, I
tions, each section deals
visit court at Mount relationships. Towards have heard people saying, ‘I wish I
with core principles. This
Olympus. This is not a the end, the book also underlines the could rewind time and live all those
book is a must-read for
normal teen saga and bitter truth of life that people only moments twice …those were the days ‘’.
those who wish to
makes a good read with a unique writing realize your worth when you're not But we all can bring them back by just listening to
change their life.
with them. what our heart says and living our life as if we are
Nimisha Soni, class VIII style. Heer Sadhwani, class X
Tanisha Joshi, class X still going through our childhood.
Pavni Shah, class VIII

PUTTING LEISURE HOURS TO CREATIVE USE Authors’ SANIDHYA

S
GUJAR,
ummer holidays have
always been a cre- Dictionary CHILDREN'S
ACADEMY,
BANIPARK
ativity enhancer for
me. Doodling, painting and Hello guys,
quilling are a few hobbies Make sure you're eating
I've gained after brooding French fries.
SYEDA
for long in these idle If we talk about Nate in AAMNA,
times. Big Nate, CHILDREN'S
Recently, I've used flowery appearance. Use He always tries to get ACADEMY,
out of the school gate. BANIPARK
quilling designs to make another strip to make a
earrings. To begin, we boundary over this flower. If you're reading
need a quilling tool, Like this, you can go ahead Geronimo,
quilling paper and some and make as many layers Its adventure will
decorative sticking beads as you wish and decorate take you from laying
along with a pair of hook it with beads, glitters and in a bed to migrating
and ring. more. like a flamingo.
The Geronimo Stilton
In this design, I've used Attach your design book is so funny,
three colours. You can use with the ring and hook and It will make you a
more as per your wish. that's it! Your DIY earrings laughing dummy.
First, make a tight coil of a are ready to complete that Don't forget to read
quilling strip. Cover this coil gorgeous look of yours! Captain Underpants,
sideways with smaller coils of Atulika Bajpai, class XII, In which their principal
considerable lumen giving it a Jaipuriar School, Mumbai
is in a trance,
And then becomes
Captain Underpants.
If you want to be
BOOK: DAISY JONES AND THE SIX BY TAYLOR JENKINS REID adventurous,

D
Read books by Roald
aisy Jones and the Six was one of the biggest rock Each character gets a voice in this story and
Dahl,
bands on the 70s LA scene. Led by Daisy Jones, what's interesting to note, is the fact that when you are And then, he will
the gifted singer with reading, you notice that the become your best
a wild streak, and charismat- same event is told differently pal.
ic vocalist Billy Dunne, the from various POVs. It shows If you want to learn
band rises to the pinnacle of just how unreliable our mem- about nature’s magic
fame when suddenly in the ories are and how often we wand,
middle of a tour, the band alter narratives to suit our then there is none bet-
breaks up. The story had purposes. But overall, I will ter than Ruskin Bond.
been unknown until now. say that Taylor Jenkins Reid
First things first, Daisy is absolutely amazing at Soumil Gupta, class VII
Jones and the six is not an building this world and mak-
actual band (spoiler). But the ing it as real and as close to
way Taylor Jenkins Reid pres- its real-world counterpart.
ents it, the story immerses This book makes for a de-
you in right from the begin- lightful and heart breaking
ning. All the glamour, the read as you skim through the
good, the bad and the ugly pages. I would absolutely
are laid bare in front of the recommend this to anyone
reader. And, that for me was who is looking for a
one of the best aspects of glam escapism.
the book because often we Aarya Bhanushali,
tend to idealise celebrities all class XII, Thakur
College Of Science
while forgetting that they're And Commerce,
human beings after all. Mumbai

These poems, paintings and photograph have been directly sent to us by the schools and students. The Times of India’s Student Edition (Times NIE) is not responsible for breach of copyrights.
 Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve.
Find another way.
Satchel Paige, American baseball player
THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2022

EXITS AFTER FIRST ROUND DEFEAT AGAINST RUUD IN HIS FINAL MATCH
AFTER ANNOUNCING RETIREMENT FROM TENNIS

F
ormer World No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Tues-
day announced his retirement from tennis after
losing to Casper Ruud of Norway in the first
round of the French Open. Tsonga announced
last week that he will retire after this year’s
French Open tournament, bringing an end to a
career that saw him reach the 2008 Australian
Open final and 18 career titles.
The 37-year-old was beaten 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 7-6 (7/0) by
the Norwegian eighth seed. It was the 15th time that the French-
man competed at the clay-court Grand Slam as a professional.
AN EMOTIONAL TIME
Much as he wanted to avoid tears, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga simply
could not. And, he said later, he knew he would not. So they
coaches on the court,” said Tsonga. “Even my parents, they are usually
quite discreet and I know they don’t really like to be seen in front of the
crowd,” he added. Friends, family and fellow players all came to pay trib-
ute to his storied 18-year career.
PAINFUL SHOULDER
He appeared to have a chance to extend
the match by breaking to go up 6-5 in the
fourth set. But at the end of that game,
he wrenched his shoulder, and that was
that. Ruud quickly broke back, and
Tsonga was visited by a trainer, who
tried to help the situation but could not.
During a three-minute medical timeout,
a band in the stands got fans to clap and

flowed freely during the final moments of his final match at
the French Open, the final singles match of his professional
tennis career, and he wiped them away with the black sweat-
band on his left wrist.
They were not there because of the right shoulder that
was so painful he couldn’t properly swing his racket by the
end of the game. They were there because he knows he is
done trying to win matches, done hearing the supportive
roars from spectators, done experiencing the highs and
lows of a professional tennis career that featured a spot
It was pure madness today. One of at No. 5 in the rankings, a run to the 2008 Australian
Open final and France’s first Davis Cup title in 16 years
- but also a series of injuries.
the best atmospheres I have seen in Tsonga was given a standing ovation by the home
crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier, before being greet-
my career (for) my last match. I ed on the court by his former France Davis Cup
teammates Gilles Simon, Richard Gasquet and
couldn’t have asked for something better. Gael Monfils. “I knew something was going to
happen. People came to me. They said, ‘Would
I couldn’t have asked for a better script, you like to do something after the match?’ I
said [to] bug off. You don’t know if this is go-
apart from the fact that I could ing to be my final match,” the ATP’s of-
ficial website quoted Jo-Wilfried
have won. Tsonga as saying.
“For me, it was quite
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA moving to see my first
Photo: REUTERS
chant “Jo! Jo!” to the rhythm of a drum-
beat, then played “La Marseillaise” as some
sang along to France’s national anthem.
When play resumed, Tsonga could barely even
serve, tapping the ball at barely more than 60 mph (100 kph) - less than
half as fast as the booming offerings he was known for - and even tried
hitting one shot left-handed as the tiebreaker ended in a shutout. No mat-
ter. The locals gave Tsonga a prolonged standing ovation, and he went up
near the net, knelt and rested his forehead on the ground, creating a splotch
of the rust-colored clay on his face.
Asked later what he’ll miss the most as he leaves the sport, he replied:
“The adrenaline, stepping on a big court like this one. Adrenaline you can
feel when you have 15,000 people shouting your name.”
It all offered the most compelling moments of Day 3, which included
first-round victories in the men’s bracket for U.S. Open champion Daniil
Medvedev, 2021 French Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas, No. 7 seed An-
drey Rublev and No. 24 Frances Tiafoe, who had been 0-6 at Roland Gar-
ros. Danish teenager Holger Rune eliminated No. 14 Denis Shapovalov 6-
3, 6-1, 7-6 (4). The fourth-seeded Tsitsipas dropped the opening two sets be-
fore getting past Lorenzo Musetti 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 at Court Philippe Cha-
trier as the calendar flipped from Tuesday to Wednesday and the tem-
perature dipped to about 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 Celsius).
Women who advanced to the second round included 2017 champi-
on Jelena Ostapenko, 2018 champion Simona Halep, No. 7 seed Aryna
Sabalenka, No. 9 Danielle Collins, No. 11 Jessica Pegula and No. 22
Madison Keys. AGENCIES

Photo: NYT

INDIA EYE BIG WIN

Pin hopes on Japan defeating Pakistan to stay in contention in Asia Cup
INDIAN GM
PRAGGNANANDHAA
TOUGH TASK AHEAD SHOCKS ANISH GIRI
D
efending champions India wardline. We also lacked a quality play-
need to beat hosts In- maker in the midfield, which was evi-
donesia by a huge margin But now, a “next to impossible” task dent from their constant efforts of build-

and hope Pakistan is de-
feated by Japan in the oth-
er Pool A match for advancing to the
knockout stage of the Asia Cup men’s
hockey tournament here on Thursday.
India’s fate is not in our own hands
anymore as even a win against lowly
Indonesia will not guarantee them a
knock-out berth. With a draw and a
loss, India are placed third in Pool A
behind Japan (6 points) and Pakistan
(4 points).
Under the guidance of Sardar
Singh, India fielded a young team in
the tournament alongside a handful
of seniors like Birendra Lakra and
SV Sunil, who came out of retire-
File Photo: GETTY IMAGES
awaits the Indians as they not only have
to score big against Indonesia but also
hope that Japan beat Pakistan in the
other Pool A match on Thursday if they
are to progress to Super 4 stage.
India have a goal difference of mi-
nus three as against Pakistan’s plus 13.
If Pakistan lose to Japan, India will
have to beat Indonesia by a huge mar-
gin to go past their western neighbours
in goal difference and advance further
in the tournament. Inexperience was
the major reason behind India’s below-
par performances as the young play-
ers, mainly drafted from the last Ju-
nior World Cup squad, are finding it
difficult to get a measure of the level
ing attacks from the centre instead of
using both the flanks more frequently.
Lakra looked a pale shadow of himself
in the backline, which has crumbled big
time when put under relentless pres-
sure. The forwadline has been wasteful
with the likes of Tokyo Olympian Sim-
ranjeet Singh and youngster Uttam
Singh not having the best of outings.
The lanky and strongly built Pawan
Rajbhar is the only player who has im-
pressed with his commitment and stick
work in the two matches, creating
chances and also scoring a goal. Penalty
corner conversion is another area where
the Indians are struggling as they lack a
quality drag-flicker in the side after vet-
Y
oung Grandmaster R
Praggnanandhaa be-
came the first Indian
player to reach the final of the
Meltwater Champions Chess
Tour Chessable Masters. He
defeated Dutch GM Anish
Giri 3.5-2.5 on Wednesday in
tiebreak after the four-game
rapid online semifinal match
ended in a 2-2 stalemate.
In the title round, Prag-
gnanadhaa will take on world
No.2 Ding Liren of China,
who shocked world No.1 Mag-
R Praggnanandhaa
nus Carlsen 2.5-1.5 in the oth-
er semifinal clash. per-hand but Praggnanand-
The opening game of the haa, fought hard to force a

ments. But the senior duo looked well
past their prime if their performances
in the two matches so far are to go by.
India conceded a last minute goal to
draw 1-1 against Pakistan in the tour-
nament opener before being thrashed
by Japan 2-5.
of international hockey.
QUALITY PLAYMAKER LACKING
In the two matches so far, the Indians
lacked cohesion in the three depart-
ments -- defence, midfield and for-
eran Rupinder Pal Singh pulled out at
the last minute due to a wrist injury.
With the odds staked against them,
the young Indian players could be
pepped up to give their best shot on
Thursday and show they can rise to the
occasion. PTI
semifinal ended in a draw be-
fore the 16-year-old Prag-
gnanandhaa pulled off a win
in the second to hand Giri his
first defeat of the tourna-
ment. In the third game, the
experienced Dutch player
looked to have seized the up-
draw.
Giri hit back to win the
fourth game to send the semi-
final clash into the tie-break.
The Dutchman faltered in the
first blitz game and surren-
dered it in 33 moves in an Ital-
ian Opening encounter. PTI

Which Indian sports coach Virat Kohli recently

Q U IZ T IM E ! Q3: received an honorable
mention in the prestigious 2019
Q5: became the first player to
score 7000 runs for his IPL
a) KKR
b) PBKS
c) MI
c) Montenegro
d) Italy

Q1: Which cricketer won the ‘Sir
Garfield Sobers Trophy’ for
International Olympic franchise. Which franchise is it? Who clinched the 2020 US
Committee’s Coaches Lifetime
Achievement Award?
d) RCB

Which Indian chess player

Q8: Open women’s singles title?
‘Player of the Year’, presented by the
International Cricket Council (ICC)?
a) Virat Kohli
a) Pullela Gopichand
b) Ramakant Achrekar
Q6: bagged the second place in
the Sharjah World Stars online
a) Sofia Kenin
b) Serena Williams
c) Victoria Azarenka
b) Ben Stokes c) Mahavir Singh Phogat chess tournament? d) Naomi Osaka
Virat
c) Kane Williamson d) Michael Ferreira Kohli a) P. Harikrishna
d) Rohit Sharma b) Adhiban ANSWERS: 1. b. Ben Stokes
c) Koneru Humpy 2. a. Hockey
Dana Zatopkova, a

Q2: Veteran Indian sportsperson

Sunita Chandra, who passed
Q4: legendary javelin champion,
represented which country?
d) Harika Dronavalli 3. a. Pullela Gopichand
4. b. Czech Republic
away recently, played which sport? In which country did the
a)
b)
Hockey
Tennis
a) Australia
b) Czech Republic Q7: 30th Adriatic Pearl
tournament take place?
5. d. RCB
6. a. P. Harikrishna
7. c. Montenegro
c) United Kingdom
c) Cricket a) India 8. d. Naomi Osaka
d) Wrestling d) Russia b) Japan
Photo: GETTY IMAGES