cmyk
THE ASIAN AGE NATION| 3
It is official, Ajit Pawar’s wife
Sunetra to contest against
Supriya Sule in Baramati seat
www.asianage.com RNI No. 57290/94, Regd No: DL-SW-05/4189/15-17
WINDOWS
Lucknow Super Giants’ Quinton
de Kock celebrates his half-
century during the IPL 2024 T20
match against Punjab Kings in
Lucknow on Saturday. — PTI
■ Report on Page 8
BJP names 11 more
picks; Capt’s wife to
contest from Patiala
New Delhi: The BJP on
Saturday named its candi-
dates for 11 more Lok Sabha
constituencies, fielding a
number of leaders who
joined it from different par-
ties recently such as Bhart-
ruhari Mahtab, Ravneet
Singh Bittu, Sushil Kumar
Rinku and Preneet Kaur. All
these leaders have been
fielded from the seats they
represent in the outgoing
Lok Sabha, while former
Indian ambassador to the
US Taranjit Singh Sandhu
will be making his poll
debut from Amritsar. Hans
Raj Hans will contest from
the Faridkot seat, which is
reserved for Scheduled
Castes (SCs).
Full report on Page 3
Dutch hostage drama
finishes, suspect held
Ede, Netherlands: A hostage
drama in the Netherlands
that lasted several hours
ended without bloodshed
on Saturday as all four
hostages were freed and
police took the suspect into
custody. Authorities said
there was no reason to sus-
pect a “terrorist motive” for
the ordeal. — AFP
Full report on Page 6
AIFF member held for
assaulting 2 players
Panaji: All India Football Fe-
deration executive commit-
tee member Deepak Sharma
was arrested by the Goa po-
lice on Saturday for alleged-
ly physically assaulting two
women players, an official
said. The official has benn
asked to refrain from game-
related activities till the con-
clusion of a probe. — PTI
Full report on Page 8
COUNTERPOINT
WEATHER
Max : 34 CO
Min: 19OC
RH: 43%
Rain: Nil
Forecast: Sunny
ASTROGUIDE
Shobhakrut: Uttarayana
Tithi: Bahula Shashti
till 9.26 pm
Star: Jeshta till 10.52 am
Varjyam: Nil
Durmuhurtam: 4.49 pm to
5.37 pm
Rahukalam: 4.30 pm to 6 pm
SUNSET TODAY 6.38 PM
SUNRISE TOMORROW 6.10 AM
MOONRISE TOMORROW 12.29 AM
MOONSET TODAY 9.40 AM
Rajnath to
lead BJP’s
manifesto
team of 27
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30
The BJP on Saturday
announced a 27-member
manifesto committee for
the Lok Sabha elections
headed by defence min-
ister Rajnath Singh to
discuss and seek sugges-
tions from people across
the country to prepare
its list of poll promises.
Union finance minister
Nirmala Sitharaman is
appointed the convenor
and commerce minister
Piyush Goyal is the co-
convenor of the BJP’s
manifesto committee.
The 27-member com-
mittee includes several
Union ministers, besi-
des chief ministers of
states such as Gujarat,
Assam, Madhya Pradesh
and Chhattisgarh and
seasoned leaders like
Shivraj Singh Chouhan
and Vasundhara Raje.
Union ministers Bhup-
ender Yadav, Dharmen-
dra Pradhan, Smriti
Irani, Ashwini Vaish-
naw, Arjun Munda,
Arjun Ram Meghwal,
Kiren Rijiju, Rajeev
Chandrashekar are also
members of the BJP’s
manifesto committee.
The chief ministers of
Gujarat Bhupendra
Patel, Assam’s Himanta
Biswa Sarma, Chhattisg-
arh’s Vishnu Deo Sai
and Madhya Pradesh’s
Mohan Yadav are also in
the committee.
Bihar leaders Sushil
Kumar Modi and Ravi
Shankar Prasad, Uttar
Pradesh deputy chief
minister Keshav Prasad
Maurya, former Union
minister Jual Oram and
the BJP’s organisational
leaders like Vinod Ta-
wde, Radha Mohan Das
Agrawal, Manjinder
Singh Sirsa, Tariq Man-
soor and Anil Antony
have been included in
the committee too.
■ Turn to Page 4
PM in Meerut today, Jayant to join
Modi to address rally, launch BJP’s LS campaign from western UP
AGE CORRESPONDENT
WITH AGENCY INPUTS
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi will sound the poll
bugle with a rally on
Sunday in Meerut in west-
ern Uttar Pradesh. The
BJP has fielded actor
Arun Govil of TV serial
Ramayan fame as its can-
didate from the Meerut
constituency and will see
polling in the second
phase of the impending
general election on April
26.
It has been learnt that,
apart from Mr Govil,
Rashtriya Lok Dal presi-
dent Jayant Chaudhary,
who recently joined the
BJP-led National Democ-
ratic Alliance (NDA), will
ISIS calls for lone wolf Ramzan
attacks against Christians, Jews
Kabul, March 30: ISIS has
urged its followers to
carry out attacks on
Christians and Jews in
the US, Europe, and Israel
during Ramzan. The
group’s spokesperson,
Abu Hudhayfah al-
Ansari, also praised last
week’s terror attack in
Moscow that claimed 140
lives.
He used the messaging
app Telegram to call for
“lone wolves” to target
Christians and Jewish
people during the holy
month. Al-Ansari also
warned that the presence
of US troops in Iraq could
NEW DELHI SUNDAY 31 MARCH 2024
President Droupadi Murmu confers the Bharat Ratna, the nation’s highest civilian honour,
on former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur (posthumously) during a ceremony at
Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Saturday. Thakur’s son Ram Nath Thakur accepted
the honour from Ms Murmu.
Prez gives Ratna to Rao,
Karpoori Thakur, others
Murmu, Modi to personally hand it over to Advani today
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30
President Droupadi
Murmu on Saturday con-
ferred the country’s high-
est civilian honour
Bharat Ratna on former
Prime Ministers P.V.
Narasimha Rao and
Chaudhary Charan Singh,
agriculture scientist M.S.
Swaminathan and two-
time former Bihar chief
minister Karpoori
Thakur posthumously at
the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The Bharat Ratna award
for Rao, Singh, Swamina-
than and Thakur was
received by their kins at a
ceremony attended by
vice-president Jagdeep
Dhankhar, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
and other dignitaries.
This year, the govern-
ment announced five
Bharat Ratna awards,
including one to BJP stal-
wart and former deputy
Prime Minister L.K.
Advani.
Mr Advani, according to
sources, is expected to be
conferred with the Bharat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Jayant Chaudhary,
grandson of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan
Singh, as the latter arrives to receive the Bharat Ratna
on behalf of his grandfather during a ceremony at
Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Saturday.
share the dais with the
Prime Minister. Mr Govil
became a household name
after portraying the role
of Lord Ram in Ramanand
◗ ISIS SPOKESPERSON
Abu Hudhayfah al-
Ansari praised the glob-
al growth of ISIS and
the last week’s terror
attack in Moscow that
claimed 140 lives, but
criticised Qaeda for
straying from their path
lead to more attacks from
the group. This comes as
ISIS marks the 10-year
anniversary of declaring
a caliphate in Iraq and
Syria in 2014. In a lengthy
audio speech, he praised
the global growth of ISIS
and criticised Al Qaeda
WORLD| 6
Biden says most of world
leaders told him not to
‘let Trump win’ Prez polls
President Droupadi Murmu confers the Bharat Ratna on
agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan (posthumously).
Swaminathan’s daughter Nitya Rao accepted the
honour.
Ratna on Sunday at his
residence as he could not
attend the function at
Rashtrapati Bhavan due
to health issues, said
sources in the govern-
ment.
On behalf of the former
Rao, the award was
received by his son P.V.
Prabhakar Rao.
“As the ninth Prime
Minister, P.V. Narasimha
Rao led far-reaching eco-
nomic reforms. Earlier, in
his youth, he had taken
— PTI
Sagar’s TV serial
Ramayan. A BJP leader
pointed out that this is the
first rally of the 2024 Lok
Sabha elections in Uttar
for straying from their
path. He declared that
Ramzan was the month of
jihad. The spokesperson
also called on “members”
in Mozambique to “dou-
ble attacks” and militants
in the Philippines to
“move operations into
major cities”, in a chilling
and worrying sign. He
continued to call on the
Mujahidin, those who
engage in Jihad, and
media leaders to obey
their elders, and dissemi-
nate Islamic State’s mes-
sage far and wide, reports
the Mirror. — Agencies
■ More on Page 6
— PTI
— PTI
an active part in the free-
dom struggle, especially
against the misrule and
oppression in the Nizam-
ruled Hyderabad. He was
known for his command
over several languages
and literature,” the
Rashtrapati Bhavan said
in a post on X.
Rao served as the Prime
Minister from 1991 to 1996
and is known for initiat-
ing far-reaching econom-
ic reforms and for his
■ Turn to Page 4
Pradesh and the party
workers are fortunate
that the Prime Minister is
going to start the election
campaign from Meerut.
The Uttar Pradesh BJP
general secretary Anoop
Gupta has been given the
responsibility of coordi-
nating the Prime
Minister’s rally. Apart
from Meerut, people from
nearby Baghpat, Bijnor,
Muzaffarnagar and
Kairana Lok Sabha con-
stituencies will likely par-
ticipate in the rally on
Sunday.
Mr Modi’s Meerut rally
will prove to be a mile-
stone in western Uttar
Pradesh, senior BJP
leader and MLC Govind
Narayan Shukla said. He
■ Turn to Page 4
Devotees attend the flag hoisting during the “Jhanda Mela” at Shri Guru Ram Rai Darbar
Sahib in Dehradun on Saturday.
DELHI AGE| 13
Vijay Deverakonda discusses
plans to do more films in Tamil
and a gamut of other topics
■ ‘BJP’s time is up’ ■ 11 Opp. parties to attend
INDIA bloc rally today,
Delhi under police vigil
ASHHAR KHAN and
BHASKAR HARI SHARMA
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30
The Opposition INDIA
bloc is all set for a big
showdown on March 31 at
Ramlila Ground, where it
is scheduled to hold a
rally to protest against
Delhi chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal and for-
mer Jharkhand CM
Hemant Soren’s arrest by
the Enforcement
Directorate. Along with
Congress president
Mallikarjun Kharge and
former president Rahul
Gandhi, the top leaders of
11 other Opposition par-
ties have confirmed their
presence at the
“Loktantra Bachao
Rally”. Meanwhile, the
Delhi police has height-
ened security arrange-
ments in the city and
issued a traffic advisory.
Addressing a press con-
ference a day ahead of the
rally, the Congress said
that the rally is not aimed
at protecting a person but
at saving the Constitution
and democracy. The
Opposition party said a
“strong message” will be
sent out from the rally on
Sunday to Lok Kalyan
Himachal
gets fresh
snow, 172
roads shut
Shimla, March 30:
Higher reaches and trib-
al areas of Himachal
Pradesh received a fresh
spell of snow while low
and middle hills were
lashed by intermittent
hailstorm and moderate
rains on Saturday. The
MeT office has predicted
a wet spell in the state till
April 4, barring April 1.
A total of 172 roads,
including four national
highways, have been
closed for vehicular traf-
fic in the state since
Friday night, according
to the state emergency
operation centre.
Most of these roads are
in difficult terrain of
Lahaul and Spiti.
A Himachal Roadways
Transport Corporation
bus on Saturday morn-
ing turned turtle in
Kinnaur district after
skidding in the snow,
authorities said. No
casualty was reported.
Incidents of wind blow-
ing roofs were reported
from Solan district and
trees falling on vehicles
from Sirmaur district,
they said.
Traffic came to a halt
at the Atal Tunnel in
Rohtang near Manali
following heavy snow.
— PTI
■ More on Page 4
Vol. 31 No. 44 | 16
Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren’s wife
Kalpana Soren meets Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s wife
Sunita Kejriwal in New Delhi on Saturday.
Marg (where the Prime
Minister’s residence is
located) that the BJP-led
government’s “time is
up”.
Congress general secre-
tary Jairam Ramesh said
Mr Kharge and Mr
Gandhi will address the
rally, among other senior
leaders.
“It is not a person-specif-
ic rally. That is why it is
called the Loktantra
Bachao Rally. This is not
one party’s rally. About
27-28 parties are involved
in it. All constituents of
the INDIA jan bandhan
will be taking part in the
ED grills Kailash
Gahlot 5 hours in
Delhi excise case
No scam, will co-op: AAP minister
BHASKAR HARI SHARMA
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30
The Enforcement
Directorate questioned
Delhi minister Kailash
Gahlot for about five
hours on Saturday and
recorded his statement in
connection with a money-
laundering investigation
linked to the AAP govern-
ment’s now-scrapped
excise policy.
Mr Gahlot (49), an AAP
MLA from Najafgarh, is
the minister for trans-
port, home and law in the
Delhi government led by
chief minister Arvind
Kejriwal, who was earlier
arrested in the case by
the ED.
The Delhi minister, who
entered the ED office in
central Delhi around
11.30 am and left after 4.30
pm, said he answered all
the questions from the
agency and will continue
to cooperate in the probe.
Sources said Mr Gahlot
was questioned with
regard to the formulation
of the excise policy for
2021-22 as he was part of
the group of ministers
(GoM), along with former
deputy chief minister
— PTI
cmyk
PAGES | `5.00
— PTI
rally,” Mr Ramesh said.
The Congress general
secretary said that one of
the key issues that will be
raised is the targeting of
the Opposition by the BJP
through the “misuse of
Central agencies”. Also,
the issues of “extortion”
through electoral bonds
and the Congress being
targeted with “tax terror-
ism” will also be raised at
the rally.
Two chief ministers and
several ministers have
been arrested in a bid to
target the Opposition par-
ties politically. “This
■ Turn to Page 4
ED files charges
in DJB PMLA case
New Delhi: The ED has
filed its first charge-
sheet in connection
with a money-launder-
ing probe linked to
alleged irregularities in
the Delhi Jal Board
(DJB), official sources
said on Saturday. The
about-8,000-page-long
prosecution complaint,
that includes 140 opera-
tional pages apart from
annexures, was filed by
the federal agency
before a special Prev-
ention of Money Laund-
ering Act (PMLA) court
in Delhi on March 28,
sources said. PAGE 2
Manish Sisodia and for-
mer urban development
minister Satyendar Jain.
Mr Gahlot said he was
called by the ED for ques-
tioning in the case “prob-
ably because he was part
of the GoM... It (the ED
questioning) was about
all aspects of the policy
and I answered to the best
of my knowledge and
■ Turn to Page 4
Forex reserves
hit new high of
$642.63 billion
Mumbai, March 30:
India’s forex reserves
increased by $140 million
to touch its all-time high
of $642.631 billion during
the week ended March
22, the Reserve Bank
said. This is the fifth con-
secutive week of a jump
in the overall reserves.
The kitty had increased
by $6.396 billion to
$642.492 billion in the
previous reporting week.
The previous peak level
was recorded in Septem-
ber 2021 when the coun-
try's foreign exchange
reserves reached
$642.453 billion. — PTI
■ More on Page 4
 CITY
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 31 MARCH 2024 | NEW DELHI
pg 2

■ ED charges 4 officials of DJB in money laundering case

RAMZAN TIMINGS
Strict police vigil amid Opp.
Ramlila Maidan rally today ‘Money from DJB corruption
IFTAR: Today 6.40 pm
SEHRI: Tomorrow 4.52 am
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30

The Delhi police has made

IN BRIEF
Juvenile among 4
held for smuggling
New Delhi: The Delhi police
nabbed four persons, includ-
ing a juvenile, who were
transporting a contraband
from Uttar Pradesh’s
Badayun to Delhi in an SUV.
The accused were identified
as, Zaki Ahmad (25), Hasib
(25) and Rashid (25). Heroin
weighing 510 grams was
recovered and the vehicle
used in transportation of
drugs have been seized, said
deputy commissioner of
police (crime) Sanjay
Kumar said. The DCP said a
tip off was received about
supplying a consignment of
heroin, procured from
Badayun, Uttar Pradesh,
which was going to be deliv-
ered in the area of Welcome,
Delhi. After this a trap was
laid and Ahmad and Hasib
were nabbed. On interroga-
tion, they disclosed about
Rashid who had supplied the
elaborate arrangements
with checking at every
gate and deployment of
paramilitary personnel in
and around the Ramlila
Maidan for INDIA bloc’s
‘maha rally’ organised by
the Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) on March 31, offi-
cials said on Saturday.
The Delhi police has
allowed the rally to take
place with certain condi-
tions, including no march,
no tractor trollies, and no
weapons in Central Delhi,
they said.
Top INDIA bloc leaders,
including Rahul Gandhi,
Mallikarjun Kharge,
Sharad Pawar, Uddhav
Thackeray, Akhilesh
Yadav, and Tejashwi Yadav,
are expected to attend the
rally.
It is being held in the
backdrop of Delhi chief
minister Arvind
Kejriwal’s arrest and alle-
gations of misuse of agen-
cies against the
Opposition by the BJP-led
Central government.
Although the rally is
Preparation for the INDIA alliance rally at the Ramlila
Maidan in New Delhi on Saturday. — G.N. JHA
that strict action will be capacity of Ramlila
taken if any violations Maidan.
take place. The officer said seven
“We have made elaborate gates have been prepared
security arrangements so for entry and exit at the
that the general public Ramlila Maidan.
doesn’t face any inconven- “Among these seven, one
ience due to the rally,” a is for VIPs and another for
senior police officer said. the media,” the officer
The traffic police will said.
also remain deployed to Every visitor will be
regulate the traffic and checked with door frame
parking near the ground, metal detectors and hand-
he said. held machines at the
Sources said that about a entry gates, he said.
dozen companies of para- The Delhi police has also
military personnel will be installed CCTV cameras
deployed around the and set up a control room
Ramlila Maidan and other centre from where they
parts of Central Delhi, could watch the activities
passed to AAP to fund polls’
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30
The Enforcement
Directorate (ED) has filed
its first chargesheet in
connection with a money
laundering probe linked to
alleged irregularities in
the Delhi Jal Board (DJB),
official sources said on
Saturday.
The 8,000-page-long pros-
ecution complaint, which
includes 140 operational
pages apart from annex-
ures, was filed by the probe
agency before a special
Prevention of Money
Laundering Act (PMLA)
court in Delhi on March 28,
the sources told the media.
The court has listed the
matter for April 1 for tak-
ing cognisance of the
chargesheet, they said.
Four individuals and a
company have been
named as the accused in
the chargesheet namely
former DJB chief engi-
neer Jagdish Kumar
Arora, contractor Anil
Kumar Agarwal, former
NBCC general manager
D.K. Mittal, one Tejinder
Singh, and
Infrastructure Limited.
NKG
The agency has sought
prosecution of these
accused under the PMLA
and informed that it might
file supplementary com-
plaints in the future.
The ED has alleged that
bribe money generated
from corruption in a con-
tract issued by the DJB
was “passed on” as elec-
tion funds to the ruling
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
in Delhi.
The agency had also
summoned chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal for ques-
tioning in the case, but he
did not depose before it.
Mr Kejriwal was arrest-
ed by the ED on March 21
in another money laun-
dering case linked to
alleged irregularities in
the excise policy for the
national capital.
◗ THE 8,000-page-long
prosecution complaint,
includes 140 operational
pages apart from annex-
ures. Four individuals
and a company have
been named as the
accused in chargesheet.
The agency had raided
the premises of Mr
Kejriwal’s personal assis-
tant Bibhav Kumar, AAP’s
Rajya Sabha MP and treas-
urer N.D. Gupta, former
DJB member Shalabh
Kumar, chartered account-
ant Pankaj Mangal, and
some others as part of the
probe in February.
An FIR lodged by the
Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI), which
accuses Mr Arora of
awarding a DJB contract
to NKG Infrastructure
Limited for a total cost of
` 38 crore despite the fact
that the company “did not
meet” the technical eligi-
bility criteria, is the basis
of the ED case.
The ED arrested Mr
Arora and Mr Agarwal in
the case on January 31.
NKG Infrastructure
Limited bagged the con-
tract by submitting
“forged” documents and
Mr Arora “was aware of
the fact that the company
does not meet the techni-
cal eligibility,” the agency
has claimed.
An ED statement has
alleged that Mr Arora
“received” bribes in cash
and bank accounts after
awarding the contract to
NKG Infrastructure
Limited and “passed on”
the money to various peo-
ple managing the DJB
affairs, including “persons
connected with the AAP.”
“Bribe amounts were
also passed on as election
funds to the AAP,” the
agency has alleged. This is
the second case in which
the ED has charged the
AAP with taking kick-
backs.

AAP alleges link between

consignment and he was also
nabbed from Badayun.
Rashid disclosed that he had
purchased the drugs through
the juvenile after which he
was also apprehended.
Gargi College hosts
event for elderly
New Delhi: Gargi College’s
wellbeing centre ‘Ananda’
organised a national confer-
ence and sensitisation pro-
gramme on ‘Empowering the
Golden Years: A
Comprehensive Dialogue on
Elderly Issues’. The vice-
chancellor of the University
of Delhi prof Yogesh Singh
was the chief patron of this
programme sponsored by
the National Institute of
Social Defence, ministry of
social justice and empower-
ment. Approximately 500
people including elderly
from the community, NGOs,
students and faculty were in
attendance. Prof Sangeeta
Bhatia, the principal of Gargi
College inaugurated the pro-
gram with a hymn from the
Rig Veda. Convenor of
Ananda prof Geeta Sidharth
informed the audience about
the socially meaningful work
being done by the center in
holistic wellbeing since its
inception last year.
MAN WHO BURNED
POLICE BARRICADE
FOR REEL NABBED
New Delhi: A 25-year-old
man who allegedly burned a
police barricade to make
reels was arrested by the
Delhi police. A purported
video of the incident went
viral on the social media fol-
lowing which a case was reg-
istered at the Nihal vihar
police station of outer Delhi.
The accused was identified
as Pradeep Dhaka, a resident
of Nangloi. The offender is a
YouTube content creator.
However, he had violated
traffic rules and damaged
government property. An FIR
was lodged at the Nihal
Vihar police station on
Friday, leading to the arrest
of the individual identified in
the video, said reports. The
police said, an information
regarding severe traffic vio-
lation by a modified car
(golden colour) was received
through a social media plat-
form-X in which a person
was seen in a video at main
flyover outer ring road,
Paschim vihar resulting in
blocking the road leading to
a heavy traffic jam. The staff
had identified and detained
the offender after a brief
struggle. Offending vehicle
Isuzu Hi-Lander was also
seized.
allowed, Section 144 will
remain imposed at the
DDU Marg, where the
offices of political parties
are located, an officer
said.
No march will be
allowed from the Ramlila
Maidan, he said, adding
Driver, 2 kids Married man kills teen as
die in crash she asks him to marry her
on Meerut
expressway
Ghaziabad, March 30:
Two minors among
three died in a road acci-
dent on the Delhi
Meerut Expressway on
Saturday, the police said.
Eleven students from
Amroha district were on
their way to Jamia
Millia Islamia
University to appear in
an entrance exam for
admission in Class 6
when their car rammed
into a stationary truck
on the expressway and
another truck hit the
vehicle from behind,
they said.
Car driver Anas (24)
and two students - Unesh
(12) and Azam (13) - died
in the accident, assistant
commissioner of police
Ziauddin Ahmed said.
The driver of the two
trucks fled from the
spot, the officer said,
adding that the injured
children are being treat-
ed.
The bodies have been
sent for post-mortem,
the police said. — PTI
◗ 11 STUDENTS from
Amroha district were
on way to Jamia Millia
Islamia University to
appear in an exam for
admission in Class 6
The Youth Congress during a protest in New Delhi on Saturday against the fresh
notices issued to the Congress by the Income Tax department and the freezing of
the party’s bank account.
including DDU Marg.
The administration has
allowed 20,000 people to
come for the rally, but
police expects it to exceed
30,000.
AAP sources claimed the
gathering may reach up to
one lakh, which is the full
Noida, March 30: The
Noida police on Saturday
arrested a 38-year-old
married man who
allegedly strangled his 19-
year-old girlfriend to
death after she pressured
him to marry her, offi-
cials said.
After allegedly killing
his girlfriend, the man
slit his throat with a
blade in an attempt to end
his life as well but sur-
vived, they said.
An FIR was lodged by
the woman’s father at Se-
ctor 63 police station here.
“The FIR was lodged
under IPC section 302
(murder) and an investi-
gation was taken up in
the case after which the
accused was arrested,” a
police spokesperson said.
“The accused told police
NewsClick case: Police files over 8K-page chargesheet
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30
The Delhi police on
Saturday filed its first
chargesheet, spread
across about 8,000 pages,
in the UAPA case against
NewsClick and its
founder Prabir
Purkayastha for allegedly
a running Chinese propa-
ganda, naming him and
the firm owning the por-
at the Ramlila Maidan.
The police said the
organisers have made the
seating arrangements for
visitors.
The facilities for drink-
ing water and washrooms
will be provided at the
ground, officials said.
that until two years ago,
he was living in the same
building in Delhi where
the woman and her family
also lived,” the spokesper-
son said. A year later, he
relocated to Chhijarsi vil-
lage in Noida and by then
the two were in a relation-
ship, he added.
“On Wednesday evening,
the woman came to him at
his residence in Chhijarsi
where they talked for a
while after which she ins-
isted that they should get
married. He said he was
already married and rej-
ected the idea of marrying
her.
“However, she threat-
ened him and he got
scared, after which an
argument broke out and
he strangled her to death,”
the police added. — PTI
tal as accused.
The final report was
filed by the Delhi police
special cell before addi-
tional sessions judge
Hardeep Kaur. According
to the special public pros-
ecutors, Akhand Pratap
Singh and Suraj Rathi,
the chargesheet names
Purkayastha and
PPK NewsClick Studio
Private Limited as
accused.
— G.N. JHA
excise case witness, BJP
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30
The Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) on Saturday alleged
a connection between one
of the witnesses in the
alleged excise policy scam
and the BJP, and chal-
lenged the Enforcement
Directorate (ED) to con-
duct a probe into it.
Magunta Srinivasulu
Reddy, whose son Raghava
Magunta Reddy was arrest-
ed by the ED in connection
with the excise policy case,
has been fielded by the
BJP’s ally TDP in the Lok
Sabha polls, senior AAP
leaders and Delhi minis-
ters Atishi and Saurabh
Bharadwaj alleged in a
press conference.
“I challenge the ED if it
is an independent agency
to bring in record this
connection and probe it,”
Atishi said and alleged
that the BJP has connec-
tions with the so-called
‘South Lobby’ of liquor
traders.
Prabir Purkayastha
Court sources said the
chargesheet contains
over 8,000 pages, includ-
2020 Delhi
riots: Court
rejects AAP’s
Hussain bail
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30
A Delhi
court on
Saturday
rejected the
regular bail
plea of for-
mer AAP Tahir
councillor Hussain
T a h i r
Hussain in the alleged
conspiracy behind the
2020 northeast Delhi
riots.
Delhi ministers and AAP leaders Atishi and Saurabh
Bhardwaj at a press conference in New Delhi.
Mr Kejriwal was arrest-
ed on the basis of four
statements including by
Maguntas, the AAP lead-
ers claimed.
“Earlier, another wit-
ness against Kejriwal in
the excise policy case,
Sarath Reddy, had paid
`55 crore to the BJP
through electoral bonds
which proves the party
has connection with the
‘South Lobby’,” Atishi fur-
ther alleged.
ing annexures. The mat-
ter has been posted for
further proceedings on
April 16.
The court granted
extensions to the Delhi
police to file the
chargesheet, first in
December last year and
then in February this
year.
Later, on March 20, it
again extended the time
required to file the final
— PTI
She charged that the ED
had been “torturing” the
witnesses till it got state-
ments from them against
Kejriwal. Referring to
the questioning of Delhi
transport minister
Kailash Gahlot by the ED
in the excise policy case,
she said, “They may sum-
mon me, Bharadwaj and
other AAP leaders and
arrest us but we are
not scared of going to
jail.”
report by 10 days after
noting submissions of
the public prosecutors.
Section 43 D of Unlawful
Activities (Prevention)
Act (UAPA) extends the
time required to
complete investigation
from 90 days to up to 180
days.
The Delhi police special
cell had last year regis-
tered a case under sec-
tions 13, 16, 17, 18 and 22
Somnath says
police not
allowing him
to campaign
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30
The AAP’s
Lok Sabha
candidate
from New
D e l h i
Somnath
Bharti on Somnath
Saturday Bharti
alleged that
the BJP is misusing the
police to stop INDIA
alliance candidates from
campaigning and the
Election Commission is
not taking any action.
Registering strong
objection of this, he
alleged, “like the ED, now
the Election Commission
is also working as an
agent of the BJP”. Mr
Bharti claimed that while
he was campaigning in
Delhi Cantt along with
MLA Virendra Kadian,
police came and stopped
him from ca-mpaigning
citing Section 144.
of the UAPA along with
sections 153A and 120B of
the Indian Penal Code in
the matter. It also arrest-
ed NewsClick’s founder
Prabir Purkayastha and
HR head Amit
Chakravarty on October
3, 2023. In January this
year, the present court
allowed Chakravarty’s
application seeking the
court's permission to
turn an approve

IIT student held in Assam wanted to be

“After going through
the record, the court is
of the view that the alle-
gations against the

engineer, lift family out of poverty: Kin
New Delhi, March 30: A rela-
tive of the IIT-Guwahati stu-
dent detained in Assam for
allegedly pledging alle-
giance to the IS said that the
22-year-old wanted to
become an engineer to lift
his family out of poverty.
Touseef Ali Farouqui, a res-
ident of Okhla in the nation-
al capital, was allegedly on
his way to join the terror
group when he was nabbed
in the Hajo area near
Guwahati on March 23.
The accused was arrested
the next day under various
sections of the Indian Penal
Code and the stringent
Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act.
According to the relative,
who did not wish to be
named, Farouqui’s mother
and sister live with his uncle
in a small house in one of
the narrow lanes of Zakir
Nagar in southeast Delhi.
“When the police came
here on Sunday, we got to
know about his alleged
activities... we can’t imagine
that he could do something
like this,” his relative, who
did not wish to be named,
said.
She asserted that if the
allegations against the stu-
dent turn out to be true, his
family members will not
support him. “We are coop-
erating with the police,” she
added.
The relative further said
that Farouqui, a fourth-year
B.Tech student of the bio-
science department, was a
bright student and had “eas-
ily” cracked the engineering
exam to get into IIT.
However, over the last few
years, Farouqui has not been
keeping well, she said.
He had limited interaction
with his family and has not
come to meet them for years,
she added.
Farouqui’s mother and
uncle work in a factory,
while his sister is employed
at a boutique, the relative
said.
One of their neighbours in
Zakir Nagar said, “We saw
him a long time ago. He was
a quiet and composed indi-
vidual.”
— PTI
accused are prima facie
true,” additional ses-
sions judge Sameer
Bajpai said.
He also said that there
was a bar on granting
bail to the accused
according to the provi-
sions of the UAPA.
“Accordingly, the bail
application is dis-
missed”, the court said.
The Delhi police had
registered 11 cases
against Tahir Hussain
for murder, rioting, and
attempt to commit
criminal conspiracy
during the Delhi riots
that took place in
February 2020.
 NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 31 MARCH 2024 | NEW DELHI
pg 3

SHORT TAKES
Pashupati declares
support for NDA
New Delhi: Former Union
minister Pashupati Kumar
Paras, who quit after his LJP
faction was not given any
seat by the BJP-led NDA in
Bihar for the Lok Sabha elec-
tions, on Saturday
announced his party’s sup-
port to the ruling alliance,
ending speculation over his
next course of action. He
said in a post on X that his
party (Rashtriya Lok
Janshakti Party) is an
unbreakable part of the BJP-
led National Democratic
Alliance (NDA) and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi is
their leader as well. Mr
Modi’s decision is paramount
and the NDA will win over
Sarma: Will
enforce UCC,
ban polygamy
after LS polls
MANOJ ANAND
GUWAHATI, MARCH 30
Assam chief minister
Himanta Biswa Sarma
on Saturday said his
government was deter-
mined to ban polygamy,
and Uniform Civil Code
(UCC) will be imple-
mented in Assam after
Lok Sabha polls.
Responding to All
India United Democratic
Front leader Badruddin
Ajmal's opposition to
UCC, Mr Sarma said if
Mr Ajmal wants to get
married again, he
Ex-envoy, turncoats
in BJP list of 11 picks
Deol dropped, singer Hans Raj again gets ticket
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30
The BJP on Saturday
named 11 more candidates
for Lok Sabha polls.
Bhartruhari Mahtab,
Ravneet Singh Bittu,
Sushil Kumar Rinku and
Preneet Kaur, who recent-
ly joined the BJP, are field-
ed from the seats they rep-
Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK chief M.K. Stalin with party candidate Selva resented in outgoing Lok
Ganapathy at a tea stall during an election campaign for Lok Sabha polls in Salem Sabha. Former Indian
on Saturday. — PTI ambassador to the US
Taranjit Singh Sandhu,
◗ IN BENGAL, it has
fielded former IPS offi-
cer Debashis Dhar, who
had earned the ire of
the state government,
from Birbhum and
Pranat Tudu, who
resigned as a govern-
ment doctor to fight
polls, from Jhargram
grandson of former
Punjab chief minister
Beant Singh, and Ms
late actor Vinod Khanna
represented the con-
stituency for the BJP in
Lok Sabha for four terms.
Deol mostly kept away
from parliamentary pro-
ceedings.
In Odisha, Dr Ravindra
Narayan Behera has been
fielded from Jajpur and
Sukanta Kumar Pani-
grahi from Kandhamal.
In West Bengal, it has
fielded former IPS officer
Debashis Dhar, who had
earned the ire of the state

It’s Ajit’s wife vs Sule in big

400 seats across the country should do it before the who also recently joined Kaur, the wife of former government over a host of
to form its government for a elections, else he will be BJP, has been fielded from Punjab chief minister issues, from Birbhum and
third time, he said. “Our arrested after he does it Amritsar. Singer Hans Amarinder Singh, were in Pranat Tudu, who
RLJP is a part of NDA and after polls. Raj Hans, who won from the Congress before join- resigned as a government

‘Pawar’ family showdown

Prime Minister Narendra
Modi is our leader,” Mr Paras
wrote on X in Hindi, tagging
Union home minister Amit
Shah, BJP president J.P.
Nadda and the Bihar BJP in-
charge Vinod Tawde. — PTI
Daughter-in-law of
Cong’s Patil joins BJP
Mumbai: Archana Patil, the
daughter-in-law of senior
Congress leader and former
Union home minister Shivraj
Patil joined the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) on
Saturday ahead of the Lok
Sabha elections. She joined
the BJP in the presence of
Maharashtra deputy
chief minister Devendra
Fadnavis and the BJP’s state
unit president
Chandrashekhar Bawankule
in Mumbai. Mr Patil, who
hails from Latur in
Marathwada region of
Maharashtra, was Union
home minister during the
UPA-I government, but
stepped down in the wake of
the 26/11 Mumbai terror
attacks. Prior to that, he had
also served as the Lok Sabha
Speaker. — PTI
BJP protests Patnaik
aide’s security cover
Bhubaneswar: A delegation
of Odisha unit of Bharatiya
“I know Mr Ajmal has
one wife at present and
as per the law, he can
have three more. If he
wants to get married, I
would suggest him to do
it before the polls. I will
attend the event if he
invites me. But post-elec-
tion, it will be consid-
ered illegal,” the Assam
CM said.
Mr Ajmal is a three-
time MP from Assam’s
Dhubri constituency.
Asserting that the BJP
was going to win 13 out
of 14 LS seats, Mr Sarma
said they are making all
efforts to win Dhubri LS
seat as their candidate
for the seat was getting a
good response from the
electorate.
Admitting that the con-
test was between AIUDF
chief Badruddin Ajmal
and the Congress candi-
date Rakibul Hussain on
Dhubri Lok Sabha seat,
Mr Sarma said whoever
wins, it will be good for
the state as there will be
peace in the state if they
go to Delhi.
The Assam chief min-
ister reiterated that
many Congress office
bearers and leaders
would switch over to the
BJP in the run-up to the
Lok Sabha elections.
This is clash of ideologies, not just a family feud: NCP
AGE CORRESPONDENT
MUMBAI, MARCH 30
It is official now that the
election for the Baramati
Lok Sabha seat will be
fought between Sharad
Pawar’s daughter Supriya
Sule and Ajit Pawar’s wife
Sunetra Pawar. The
Sharad Pawar faction of
NCP on Saturday
announced its first list of
five candidates, which
included Ms Sule from
Baramati. The Ajit faction
also announced the candi-
dature of Ms Sunetra.
The Sharad Pawar fac-
tion, which has been reg-
istered with the ECI as
NCP (Sharadchandra
Pawar), also announced
candidatures of Amol
Kolhe from the Shirur
seat and Nilesh Lanke
from the Ahmednagar
seat. Mr Kolhe, the actor
turned politician, is the
sitting MP from Shirur,
while Mr Lanke was one
of the 40 NCP MLAs who
supported Ajit Pawar
after the split in the party.
However, he returned to
Supriya Sule
the Sharad Pawar camp
last week.
The NCP (SP) has also
fielded Amar Kale from
Wardha, Bhaskarrao
Bagre for Dindori Lok
Sabha seats.
Announcing Ms Sunet-
ra’s candidature from the
Baramati seat, NCP leader
Sunil Tatkare said that
the contest symbolises a
“clash of ideologies” and
should not be portrayed as
a mere family feud.
After the announce-
ment, Sunetra Pawar said
it was her lucky day. “I
want to thank Prime
Minister, Union home
North West Delhi parlia-
mentary constituency in
2019, has been fielded
from Faridkot Lok Sabha
seat in Punjab.
Mr Mahtab, who quit the
BJD recently, has been
fielded from Cuttack, Mr
Bittu from Ludhiana, Ms
Kaur from Patiala, and Mr
Rinku from Jalandhar, a
seat reserved for SCs.
Both Mr Bittu, the
Shah will launch
poll campaign in
Sunetra Pawar
K’taka on April 2
Bengaluru, March 30:
Minister, the Maha- Union home minister
rashtra chief minister Amit Shah will launch
and deputy chief minis- his Lok Sabha poll cam-
ters, besides other paign in Karnataka from
alliance partners for nom- April 2, BJP state gener-
inating me from the al secretary V. Sunil
Baramati Lok Sabha seat. Kumar said on Saturday.
The voters will decide He will hold a meeting
who will win.” with the Bharatiya
The Ajit Pawar-led party Janata Party and its ally
also announced the candi- Janata Dal (Secular)
dature of Mahadev leaders on April 2.
Jankar, the leader of BJP He will also hold a
ally Rashtriya Samaj meeting with the party
Paksh, from the Parbhani workers from Bengaluru
seat. The NCP (SP) was North, Bengaluru So-
trying to woo Mr Jankar
to its side and had even
uth, Bengaluru Central,
Bengaluru Rural and
offered
Madha seat.
him the Chikkaballapura
constituencies.
LS
— PTI
ing the BJP, while Mr
Rinku was in the Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP). The
BJP has fielded Dinesh
Singh “Babbu” from
Gurdaspur in Punjab. The
party has turned to an
organisational leader to
retain Punjab’s
Gurdaspur, a seat it has
often relied on star power
to win in the past. While
Deol won the seat in 2019,
Got I-T notice on matter
already settled, says DKS
Bengaluru, March 30:
Karnataka deputy chief
minister D.K.
Shivakumar on Saturday
said he received an
income-tax notice though
the case against him was
a “settled matter”.
Accusing the Centre of
harassing the Opposition,
the Kanakapura MLA and
state Congress chief said
the BJP was afraid of the
Congress and INDIA bloc.
“I too got a notice last
night from the income-tax
department, which is
already a settled matter. I
was shocked, as well as
my personal assistant
and all,” Mr Shivakumar
said.
doctor to fight polls, from
Jhargram in place of
incumbent MP Kunar
Hembram. Mr Hembram
had quit the BJP earlier
this month.
The BJP on Sunday
named two candidates
from West Bengal, three
from Odisha and six from
Punjab. The BJP has so
far named candidates for
411 Lok Sabha seats.
The DCM said, “The I-T
officials were going to all
the places even though
the matter is in the
court.”
There are many cases
involving BJP leaders
against whom no action is
supposed to be taken, he
said, but refused to make
the details of the cases
public. I don’t want to
mention, including (cases
against) sitting Union
minister from Karnataka,
but for the last four-or-
five years, no action has
been taken. Nothing has
been there. No witnesses
have been called, no
chargesheets have been
filed,” he noted. — PTI

CM Shinde relents, CS gets extension

Janata Party (BJP) on
Saturday knocked the door
of Election Commission of
India (ECI) and lodged a
protest against the state
government providing high
security cover to V.K.
Pandian — a bureaucrat-
turned politician. Mr
Pandian, a close aide of
chief minister Naveen
Patnaik, has been provided a
strong ring of security cover
that includes 74 police per-
sonnel. The contingent of 74
police personnel includes
two sub-inspectors, 12
Havildars, 56 constables,
four women constables.
Besides, Mr Pandian has also
been given a personal secu-
rity officer. Quoting the RTI
inputs, the BJP said huge
deployment of police per-
sonnel resulted in huge
expenditure incurred from
the state exchequer. “V.K.
Pandian is an ordinary mem-
ber of Biju Janata Dal
(BJD),” the delegation said
in the memorandum.
KHARGE: CONG
WILL USHER IN
‘ROZGAR KRANTI’
New Delhi, March 30: The
Congress will usher in a
“Rozgar Kranti” by taking
concrete steps to increase
employment opportunities,
enable entrepreneurship and
realise the aspirations of the
youth, party chief Mallikarjun
Kharge said on
Saturday. He said
the Congress guar-
antees that the
future of youth will
turn from
bleak to bright and
reiterated the
“Yuva Nyay” guar- Mallikarjun
antees which the Kharge
party would
implement if voted to power.
In a post on X, he said, “The
Congress party will usher in
a ‘Rozgar Kranti’ (employ-
ment revolution) through
Yuva Nyay guarantee! We
will take concrete measures
to increase employment
opportunities, enable entre-
preneurship and realise the
dreams and aspirations of
our youth.” Mr Kharge listed
the guarantees given by his
party under its “Yuva Nyay”
pitch. Under the “Bharti
Bharosa” guarantee, the
Congress chief said, his
party would provide 30 lakh
newCentral government
jobs. As part of “Pehli Naukri
Pakki”, the party will provide
one year Right to
Apprenticeship for all
educated youth, at `1 lakh
per year, he said. — PTI
SONU SHRIVASTAVA
MUMBAI, MARCH 30
The Central government
on Saturday gave an
extension of three
months to incumbent
chief secretary of
Maharashtra Nitin
Kareer. After the Election
Commission of India’s
directive to give exten-
sion to Mr Kareer, CM
Shinde has reluctantly
sent the proposal to the
Prime Minister’s office.
Mr. Kareer is scheduled
to retire on March 31.
However, the ECI rejected
Political road in Mandi not
a piece of cake for Kangana
Erstwhile royal families to pose challenge to actor
Shimla, March 30: The
influence of BJP dissi-
dents and the erstwhile
royal families in the
Mandi Lok Sabha con-
stituency can make the
road tough for Bollywood
actor turned-politician
Kangana Ranaut who is
making her electoral
debut as the BJP candi-
date from the high-pro-
file seat.
Maheshwar Singh, a
former BJP state presi-
dent, three times MP and
scion of the erstwhile
royal family of Kullu,
has asked the party high
command to review its
decision to field Ranaut
while BJP dissidents
who were denied a ticket
in 2022 Assembly polls
and fought as
Independents held a
meeting to chalk out the
strategy.
The BJP leader and for-
mer minister Ram Lal
Markanda has resigned
from the party along
with his supporters after
the Congress rebel Ravi
Thakur who voted in
favor of the BJP in Rajya
Sabha elections was
given a ticket for
Assembly bypolls from
Lahaul and Spiti.
“I have left the BJP
along with my support-
ers and would definitely
contest the Assembly
polls,” he had told PTI,
adding that there is a
possibility of him con-
testing from the
Congress party.
all three names suggested the country and polls are posal to the ECI seeking
by the state government being held under the permission to appoint
on different grounds and supervision of the CS Sujata Saunik as the CS.
insisted that Mr Kareer and DGP (director gener- But the ECI on
should be given the al of police), the consent Wednesday did not give
extension. of the poll body is its consent and sought a
The CM and deputy required for new appoint- panel of three senior IAS
chief minister Devendra ments and transfers. officers of the state.
Fadnavis wanted 1987 A senior official, who is Officials said that the
batch IAS officer Sujata familiar with the devel- GAD sent the panel —
Saunik to become the opment, said that Mr with the names of Ms
state’s first woman CS Kareer was already Saunik, additional chief
(chief secretary). The informed about his secretary (revenue)
state government is upset retirement by the chief Rajesh Kumar of the 1988
with the ECI’s decision minister. Accordingly, batch and additional
and made it known to the the GAD (general admin- chief secretary in chief
PMO in its proposal. istration department), minister’s secretariat
Since the general elec- which is headed by the Iqbal Singh Chahal of the
tion is being held across chief minister, sent a pro- 1989 batch, to ECI.
Vikramaditya terms remark
on BJP candidate unfortunate
Shimla, March 30: wife of former chief
Himachal Pradesh min- minister Virbhadra
ister Vikramaditya Singh and the mother of
Singh on Saturday said Himachal public works
the derogatory com- department minister
ments made against Vikramaditya Singh.
actor-turned-politician Days after Ranaut was
Kangana Ranaut were named the Bharatiya
“unfortunate” even as he Janata Party candidate
questioned her absence from Mandi, the
during the destruction Congress kicked up a
caused by heavy rains in proverbial storm, after
the state in 2023. derogatory comments
Ranaut will take o about the actor and her
Congress state chief and constituency were posted
sitting Mandi MP on social media handles
Pratibha Singh — the of its leaders . — PTI
Mandi Parliament seat of erstwhile royal fami-
comprises 17 Assembly lies and their scions have
seats — three tribal won 13 out of the 19 elec-
Assembly constituencies tions including two by-
of Kinnaur, Lahaul and elections held for the
Spiti and Bharmour in seat.
Chamba district, all four As Ranaut launched
Assembly segments of her election campaign
Kullu district — Kullu, with a roadshow and
Manali, Banjar and Anni rally on Friday, senior
and nine Assembly con- BJP leader Maheshwar
stituencies of Sunder- Singh urged the BJP
nagar, Balh, Mandi, high command to review
Darang, Jogindernagar, its decision to field the
Nachan, Seraj, Karsog actor who has made “no
and Sarkaghat assembly contribution” and
constituencies in Mandi claimed that he had been
district and Rampur in promised the ticket.
Shimla district. “Kangana has made no
Out of the 17 Assembly contribution to the party
seats, eight are reserved and the people of Mandi
for Schedule Tribes and have become vocal and
Schedule Castes. are asking for a review of
The Mandi Lok Sabha the decision on social
constituency has mostly media,” Mr Maheshwar
remained the battlefield Singh said. — PTI
 NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 31 MARCH 2024 | NEW DELHI
pg 4

Indians, lured
SHORT
India-US conduct
TAKES
Fresh snowfall in Himachal & Forex reserves hits by fake job in
new peak of $642bn Cambodia, saved’
Tiger Triumph 2024
Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh:
India and the United States
Kashmir; over 168 roads shut Mumbai, March
India’s forex reserves
30:

increased by USD 140 mil-

component of
reserves, decreased by
USD 123 million to USD
the AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30

have conducted a bilateral

tri-service humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief
(HADR) exercise on
Kakinada Beach, as part of
“Tiger Triumph-24”. A press
release from the US con-
sulate said the exercise done
on Friday is aimed at
enhancing readiness and
cooperation between the
two forces and is part of
the ongoing partnership
between India and the
United States. Teams from
the two countries cooperat-
ed to perform an amphibious
landing and erected a field
hospital and a camp for dis-
placed persons as part of
the exercise which antici-
pates the two countries
cooperating after a natural
disaster, it said. The exercise
improved interoperability
for conducting HADR opera-
tions and refined SOPs to
enable rapid and smooth
coordination between the
armed forces of both coun-
tries. — PTI
ED questions jailed
Shajahan Sheikh
Atal Tunnel closed and fresh snowfall towards north side of Kashmir
Shimla, March 30: Higher
reaches and tribal areas
received fresh spell of
snow while low and mid-
dle hills were lashed by
intermittent hail and
rains on Saturday as the
local MeT office predicted
wet spell in Himachal
Pradesh till April 4. A
Himachal Roadways
Transport Corporation
(HRTC) bus turned turtle
near Maling in the
Kinnaur district after
skidding on Saturday
morning in the snow but
no casualty was reported,
an official said.
Traffic came to a halt at
the Atal Tunnel in
Rohtang near Manali fol-
lowing heavy snow. Kalpa
and Kukumseri received 5
cm of snow followed by
Keylong with 3 cm of
snow in the past 24 hours.
Kashmir received fresh
snowfall, while the plains
of the valley were lashed
by rains, the MeT officials
said. The higher reaches
of Kashmir, including the
famous ski resort of
Gulmarg in north
Kashmir’s Baramulla dis-
trict, received fresh snow-
fall during the night, they
said.
The Pahalgam tourist
resort, in south Kashmir’s
Anantnag district,
received about three inch-
es of fresh snowfall. Some
Snow-covered road at the Atal Tunnel Rohtang South other areas, including
Gurez in north Kashmir’s
Portal during snowfall in Manali district on Saturday. — PTI
Bandipora district, also
A total of 168 roads, Most of these roads are in a received fresh snowfall,
including three National difficult terrain in Lahaul they said. There was fresh
Highways, were closed for and Spiti, where 159 roads snowfall in the Drass town,
vehicular traffic in the are still to be opened. along the Srinagar-Leh
state on Friday night as per Meanwhile, many higher highway, in Ladakh Union
the data of the state emer- reaches of Gulmarg and territory as well, they
gency operation centre. Pahalgam in Jammu and added.
Navy to bring 9 pirates who
lion to touch its all-time
high of USD 642.631 bil-
lion during the week
ended March 22, the
Reserve Bank said. This
is the fifth consecutive
week of a jump in the
overall reserves.
The kitty had increased
by USD 6.396 billion to
USD 642.492 billion in
the previous reporting
week.
The previous peak level
was recorded in
September 2021 when
the country’s foreign
exchange reserves
reached USD 642.453 bil-
lion.
The reserves took a hit
as the central bank
deployed the kitty to
defend the rupee amid
pressures caused ma
jorly by global develop-
ments since last
year. For the week ended
March 22, the foreign cur-
rency assets, a major
568.264 billion, the data
released
showed.
on Friday
Expressed in dollar
terms, the foreign curren-
cy assets include the
effect of appreciation or
depreciation of non-
United States units like
the euro, pound and
yen held in
the foreign exchange
reserves.
Gold reserves increased
by USD 347 million to
USD 51.487 billion dur
ing the week, the RBI
said.
The Special Drawing
Rights (SDRs) were down
by USD 57 million to USD
18.219 billion, the apex
bank said.
India's reserve position
with the IMF was also
down by USD 27 million
to USD 4.662 billion
in the reporting week,
the Reserve Bank of India
data showed. — PTI
Amid media reports
some of which have
claimed that thousands
of Indians may be
trapped in the south
east-Asian nation of
Cambodia and forced to
participate in cyber-
frauds, India on
Saturday said that with
close collaboration of
Cambodian authorities,
it has “rescued and repa-
triated about 250
Indians, of which 75 in
just the last three
months”.
In a statement, min-
istry of external affairs
Spokesperson Randhir
Jaiswal said, “We have
seen media reports on
Indian nationals stuck
in Cambodia.”
“Our embassy in
Cambodia has been
promptly responding to
complaints from Indian
nationals who were
lured with employment
opportunities to that
country but were forced
to undertake
gal cyber work.”
“Collaborating closely
with Cambodian author-
ille

Barasat, WB: Enforcement

Directorate on Saturday
questioned suspended
Trinamool Congress leader
Shajahan Sheikh in the
Basirhat Correctional Home
in connection with a case on
the attack on officials of the
central agency in January at
Sandeshkhali. The ED interro-
gated him inside the jail for
over four hours after getting
permission from Basir-hat
sub-divisional court in North
24 Parganas district of West
Bengal. Sheikh was arrested
on February 29 after 55 days
on the run following violent
protests led by women, alleg-
ing sexual atrocities and land
grab. He went missing after a
mob attacked an ED team
hijacked Iran ship to India
PAWAN BALI
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30
A day after rescuing a
hijacked Iranian fishing
vessel and its 23-member
Pakistani crew, the Indian
Navy on Saturday said the
nine surrendered pirates
are being brought to India
for further legal action
under the Maritime Anti-
Piracy Act, 2022.
This comes when last
week INS Kolkata had
Policemen try to stop a man attempting suicide outside the residence of Telangana reached Mumbai with 35
CM A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday. — PTI Somali pirates it
had caught after rescuing
ities, it has rescued and
repatriated about 250
Indians, of which 75 in
just the last three
months.”
External affairs
Spokesperson further
added, “Several advi-
sories have also been
issued by the ministry
and the embassy of
India in Cambodia to
our nationals about such
scams. We remain com-
mitted to helping all
those Indian nationals
The Navy said these ‘nine pirates are being brought to in Cambodia who seek
India to face legal action’, in accordance with the the our support.”
Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, 2022. “We are also working
with Cambodian author-
vessel’s crew, comprising nautical miles South West ities and with agencies
23 Pakistani nationals. of Socotra and was board- in India to crack down

Mukhtar Ansari laid to rest,

that went to search his house another hijacked Maltese- Based on the inputs on a ed by nine armed pirates. on those responsible for
in the alleged ration scam on flagged merchant ves potential piracy incident Indian Navy’s warship these fraudulent sche-
January 5. The Calcutta HC sel Ruen in Arabian sea. onboard Iranian Fishing INS Sumedha intercepted mes.”
transferred the attack case These pirates were Vessel “Al Kambar” late FV Al-Kambar during As per media reports,

thousands attend last rites

CBI on March 6. — PTI
`3.46 cr seized in
Sangli drugs case
Mumbai: Mumbai police on
Saturday said it had recov-
ered `3.46 crore cash from a
house in Bhiwandi in neigh-
bouring Thane district that
was allegedly kept by the
main accused in a mephe-
drone case in Sangli. A mep-
handed to Mumbai police evening on Thursday, two early hours of Friday and the Indians trapped in
for further legal action in Indian Naval ships, mis- was joined subsequently Cambodia are being
accordance with Indian
laws, specifically the
sion deployed in Arabian
Sea for maritime security
by the guided missile-
frigate INS Trishul.
forced to extort money
through cuyber-fraud
Ghazipur/Lucknow,
March 30: Gangster-
Maritime Anti Piracy Act
2022. The Navy on Friday
operations were diverted
to intercept the hijacked
After more than 12 hours
of intense coercive tacti-
from people by pret
ending to be law enforce-
turned-politician forced pirates on board Fishing Vessel cal measures as per the ment officials, say
Mukhtar Ansari was laid hijacked Iranin fishing The Fishing Vessel (FV) SOPs, the pirates on board ing they had found some
to rest in Ghazipur on vessel Al-Kambar to sur- at the time of incident hijacked FV were forced suspicious materials
Saturday amid a blanket render and had rescued was approximately 90 to surrender. in their parcels.
of security as a large
crowd took part in the
funeral procession while a ■ Firm carries out transactions by using his PAN card fraudulently
few people tried to

PAN fraud: Student gets `46cr tax notice

hedrone manufacturing unit
was busted in Sangli on
Monday and contraband
worth `252 crore was seized,
leading to the arrest of 10
persons, he said. “During
questioning, main accused
Pravin Shinde (34) said he
had hidden `3.46 crore cash
in a painter's house in
Bhiwandi. A crime branch
team recovered several bags
full of currency,” the official
said. “The painter has told us
he kept the bag on the
instructions of Shinde, who
had engaged him to paint
his house in Thane's
Kasarvadavali area. The
money is proceeds from
mephedrone deals,” he
added. — PTI
forcibly enter the burial
ground, giving tough time
to police personnel trying
to maintain order.
Some people in the pro-
cession raised slogans
while an argument broke
out between Ghazipur dis-
trict magistrate Aryaka
Akhoury and Mukhtar’s
brother Afzal Ansari after
the administration, in an
attempt to manage the
crowd, allegedly stopped
some from entering the
Kali Bagh burial ground
to offer soil on the grave
as part of rituals.
Ansari, a five-time MLA
from Mau Sadar, was
interred at his family’s
ancestral burial ground
Gwalior, March 30: A uni- official said. ◗ SPEAKING TO of Jiwaji University and
versity student in Gwalior “As per Dandotiya’s com- had received an I-T notice
Crowd gather at the residence of Mukhtar Ansari in in Madhya Pradesh plaint, a company was reporters on Friday, on January 27 over trans-
Ghazipur district’s Mohammadabad during his funeral on approached police after he being operated by misus- Dandotiya said he is a actions to the tune of `46
Saturday. — PTI got an Income Tax notice ing his PAN details and it postgraduate student of crore.
over transactions of more had carried out transac- Jiwaji University and had He said he had contacted
about half a km from their 2005 and had over 60 crimi- than `40 crore done by a tions of more than `40 received an I-T notice on the Income Tax and GST
residence, near his par- nal cases against him. He company created fraudu- crore.” January 27 over transac- departments and found
ents’ graves. According to died on Thursday night at lently using his PAN “The complainant found out a firm registered in
family sources, the body Rani Durgawati Medical details, an official said on this out after he got an I-T
tions to the tune of `46 his name in Delhi and
was brought to his home- College after being taken Saturday. notice,” additional super- crore Pune had carried out
town around midnight on there from Banda jail when The company formed by intendent of police (ASP) received. After investiga- these transactions.
Friday and pre-burial ritu- his health deteriorated. unidentified person/s Shiyaz K.M. told tion, further steps will be After he told IT officials
als took place at their resi- Local police said thou- using the details of Jiwaji reporters. taken,” the additional SP that he had not started
dence. sands of people from University student “He has been asked to said. any such company, they
The 63-year-old had been Ghazipur district and Pramod Dandotiya has submit the complaint Speaking to reporters on asked him to get a police
behind bars in Uttar nearby areas turned up to also not paid Goods and again along with docu- Friday, Dandotiya said he case registered, Dandotiya
Pradesh and Punjab since attend last rites. — PTI Services Tax (GST), the ments and notices he has is a postgraduate student said. — PTI

INDIA bloc rally today
■ Continued From Page 1
shows the mindset that the
Prime Minister wants to crip-
ple the Opposition parties
politically and financially,”
Mr Ramesh alleged.
While the Congress stressed
that the INDIA bloc rally is
not person-specific but to pro-
tect democracy and the
Constitution, the AAP reiter-
ated that the rally is being
held in support of Mr
Kejriwal, who is in ED cus-
tody.
AAP leader and minister
Gopal Rai, who reached
Ramlila Ground to take stock
of the preparations for the
rally, said that the way Delhi’s
elected chief minister has
been arrested, the Prime
Minister of the country has
adopted a dictatorial attitude.
“There is anger against the
Prime Minister among the
people of Delhi. Democracy is
being murdered all over the
country,” Mr Rai said.
At the Delhi rally, Trinamul
Congress Rajya Sabha leader
Derek O’Brien will be repre-
senting his party. Besides,
Jharkhand chief minister
Champai Soren, NCP patri-
arch Sharad Pawar, former
Maharashtra CM Udhav
Thackeray, former Bihar
deputy chief minister
Tejaswi Yadav and former
Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh
Yadav have also confirmed
their presence.
The Left parties will also be
present in full force. The gen-
eral secretaries of the four
Left parties -- CPI(M), CPI,
CPI(ML) and Forward Bloc --
will be participating.
The DMK will be represent-
ed by the party’s Rajya Sabha
leader Tiruchi Siva.
Earlier on Saturday,
Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana
Soren met jailed Delhi chief
minister’s wife Sunita
Kejriwal. The meeting
between the two lasted for 15-
20 minutes, during which
both expressed a mutual
resolve to continue their
fight.
In view of the Opposition
INDIA bloc’s Loktantra
Bachao Rally on Sunday, the
Delhi police has issued a traf-
fic advisory for the six hours
of regulated vehicle move-
ment in the city. According to
the advisory, traffic on cer-
tain roads near the Ramlila
Ground will be regulated or
restricted from 9 am to 3 pm
on Sunday.
The administration has
allowed 20,000 people to come
to the rally, but police expect
it to exceed 30,000. The AAP
sources claimed the gather-
ing may reach up to 1 lakh,
which is the full capacity of
the Ramlila Ground. Ahead
of the rally, the Delhi police
has made elaborate security
arrangements in the national
capital. In addition to local
police teams, paramilitary
force personnel have been
deployed.
Although the rally is
allowed, Section 144 will
remain imposed at the DDU
Marg. The Delhi police offi-
cials said that no protest
march will be allowed from
the venue. The police has also
banned tractor trolleys and
weapons in central Delhi.
Rajnath to lead
manifesto team
■ Continued From Page 1
Mr Antony and Mr Mansoor
are among the party’s
Christian and Muslim faces,
respectively. Former Haryana
BJP president O.P. Dhankar is
also a member.
The BJP has already started
the process of seeking sugges-
tions from different groups.
Party president J.P. Nadda
had last month flagged off
“Viksit Bharat Modi ki
Guarantee” video vans, which
are meant to travel across the
country to collect people’s
input on the contents of its
manifesto.
This is the first time in many
decades that some of the core
ideological promises of the
BJP may not find a mention in
its election manifesto, which
has added to the general
curiosity about what will be
the highlights of the ruling
party’s poll pledges this time.
With Article 370 repealed by
the government headed by
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi in its second term and
the Ram temple construction
in full swing and already open
to devotees, two of the party’s
core promises for several polls
have been fulfilled.
The BJP governments in
some states are also working
to implement the Uniform
Civil Code (UCC), another of
its foundational pledges. With
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi often asserting that his
third term will be marked by
big decisions, the buzz around
the party’s manifesto has been
gaining traction.
Jayant to join
Modi’s rally in
Meerut today
■ Continued From Page 1
asserted that the party and its
allies will win all 80 Lok Sabha
seats in the state.
According to RLD spokesper-
son Atir Rizvi, Mr Chaudhary
will share the stage with the BJP
leaders at the Meerut rally.
According to the BJP and the
RLD leaders, Bharat Ratna to
former Prime Minister
Chaudhary Charan Singh,
issues related to sugarcane
growers and farmers as well as
the development of western
Uttar Pradesh will feature in the
rally.
On Saturday, President
Droupadi Murmu conferred
Bharat Ratna, the country’s
highest civilian award, to
Chaudhary Charan
posthumously. The award was
Singh
received by the former Prime
Minister’s grandson Jayant
Chaudhary during an event at
the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.
The local administration has
beefed up security measures
ahead of the Prime Minister’s
Sunday rally. Flying drones,
kites or balloons within an 8 km
radius of the rally venue has
been banned under Section 144
of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Polling in Uttar Pradesh will be
held in all seven phases of the
Lok Sabha elections. Voting in
Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar and
Kairana Lok Sabha constituen-
cies will be in the first phase on
April 19. Meerut and Baghpat
will see polling in the second
phase on April 26.
Rao, Karpoori Thakur get Ratna
■ Continued From Page 1
skillful political manoeuvring.
He was the first Prime
Minister from the South, the
first Congress leader from out-
side the Nehru-Gandhi family to
complete a full five-year term
and the man who steered India
through the turbulent early
1990s. On behalf of Chaudhary
Charan Singh, Bharat Ratna
was received by his grandson
Jayant Chaudhary.
“Chaudhary Charan Singh
was an ardent patriot. He was
imprisoned many times during
the freedom struggle. His contri-
bution to zamindari abolition
and land reforms and his deep
understanding of the economy,
especially rural and agricultur-
al economies, are respectfully
ED questions Kailash Gahlot for 5 hours
■ Continued From Page 1
memory.”
This was the second ED sum-
mons to Mr Gahlot, who said he
could not depose for the first
time about a month back as the
Budget Session of the Delhi
Assembly was in progress. The
ED has mentioned Mr Gahlot’s
name in its chargesheet and in
the context of Vijay Nair, the
AAP communications incharge
arrested earlier in the case, say-
ing Mr Nair lived in the govern-
ment bungalow allotted to the
minister.
Describing the practice of
allowing the use of a govern-
ment residence by someone else
by a public servant as a “crimi-
nal breach of trust”, the ED had
remembered. His connect with
farmers was legendary,” said
Rashtrapati Bhavan on X.
Chaudhary Charan Singh, a
Jat leader from western Uttar
Pradesh, was Prime Minister
between July 28, 1979 and
January 14, 1980. On behalf of
Swaminathan, Bharat Ratna
was received by his daughter
Nitya Rao.
“Swaminathan played a major
role in making India self-suffi-
cient in food production. He is
known as the ‘Father of India’s
Green Revolution’. With his
exceptional insight into the
entire agricultural value chain,
he guided several initiatives for
research, education and devel-
opment of new varieties and
methods,” the Rashtrapati
said it had asked the CBI to take
action in the matter.
After the questioning, Mr
Gahlot told the media that he
told the agency he had no infor-
mation that Mr Nair used to live
in a bungalow allotted to him.
“I have never lived in my offi-
cial bungalow at Civil Lines.
Whether Mr Nair was living
there or not, I have no informa-
tion,” he said, adding that there
was no cross-questioning or
confrontation with any other
person or statement.
“I never shifted to that bunga-
low and lived with my family at
my own house in Vasant Kunj
that is in front of the school of
my children,” he said.
The minister also said that he
Bhavan said.
On behalf of Karpoori
Thakur, Bharat Ratna was
received by his son Ramnat
Thakur. About Thakur, the
Rashtrapati Bhavan said,
“Karpoori Thakur was a free-
dom fighter and a champion of
equality and inclusive develop-
ment. He was known for his
simple living and selfless
actions. Working tirelessly to
improve the lives of the disad-
vantaged people, Karpoori
Thakur commanded high
regard and had earned the hon-
orific ‘Jan-Nayak’ (people’s
leader), it said.
Socialist icon Thakur served
as Bihar CM from December
1970 to June 1971 and from
December 1977 to April 1979.
was not involved in the Goa
Assembly polls. It is alleged that
the money from the alleged
Delhi excise policy scam was
spent by the AAP for campaign-
ing in the Assembly polls in the
coastal state.
“I have no idea about Goa and
I had never been part of cam-
paigning and have no knowl-
edge about who was incharge
there or what activities were
taking place,” he said.
Mr Gahlot asserted that there
was no “scam” and it will
become clearer with time.
“There is no scam here... As
time goes by, everyone will be
convinced about this,” he told
the media while exiting the ED
office.
 EDIT
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 31 MARCH 2024 | NEW DELHI
pg 5

Subhani

31 MARCH 2024

Ranjona Banerji
Off the beaten track

Sonam Wangchuk’s
Himalayan blunder!
I
ndia’s Himalayan region is in deep distress. O no! Have your eyes started glaz-
ing over and become unfocused? Has your mind gone blank, with one lone sad
voice repeating “here we go again”, “how do I escape from this same old same
old”?
My deepest sympathies.
It is indeed unfair that this has been thrown before you. There are so many more
pleasurable things to think about, after all.
Maybe, how great our own Modiji is?
How well India is doing in the world forum.

Whom to elect? Let the LETTERS

How the passport is more valuable than any other, especially because so many
Indians have given them up for other passports.
How India is the only nation to have sent something to the Moon, singlehanded-
ly overseen by our own Modi. RIP, PROFESSOR
How electoral bonds have changed the face of the Indian economy for the better?

civil discourse decide it

How enjoyable it is to eat vadas soaked in rasam compared to vadas not soaked
in rasam? The possibilities are endless. Daniel Kahneman’s (1934-
It is perhaps keeping all this in mind that so much of India decided that a 21-day 2024) passing marks the
hunger strike by activist, engineer, inspiration for a movie character and Ramon end of an era for the fields
Magsaysay Award winner should be largely ignored. Sonam Wangchuk fasted to
draw attention to the ravages of climate change particular-
of psychology and eco-
ly on the Himalayan region, to demand statehood for Misuse of power has she did not realise — and nomics, as well as for intel-
Ladakh and to stop the destruction of the mountains by the greatest all autocrats make the lectual discourse at large.
unscrupulous corporates and developers. On every count, same mistake — that peo- Through his groundbreak-
as you can see, Wangchuk stood, or rather lay down without Pavan K. Varma ‘legitimacy’ in
democracies. Those
ple are not inert puppets.
ing research and best-sell-
food, for what no one wants to really know about India. They watch and inter-
There is so much to celebrate after all. committing it do not nalise every development, ing book Thinking, Fast
How about the fact that four years after the pandemic hit
Chanakya’s View need to abolish the and suddenly the same and Slow, Kahneman illu-
us, India achieved so much? democratic system adulating crowds turn hos-
We invented vaccinations, thanks to the scientific inter- tile. A focal point to chal- minated the intricacies of
ventions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.
but can claim valida- lenge their grievance then human decision-making,
We vaccinated the world for free, thanks to the humani- tion for its misuse by challenging conventional

I
am a firm believer in
tarian interventions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wangchuk the great Indian tradi-
himself. tion of shastrartha or
Not a single Indian died because of Covid-19. sabhya samvad, the
There were no migrant workers forced to walk home in the hot sun. art of civilised dis-
There were no dead bodies in shallow graves along the banks of the Ganga and course. Of the three foun-
other rivers. dational texts of Hinduism
There was no Kumbh Mela held against all advice. — the Upanishads and the
There was no falsification of RTPCR tests to ensure the Kumbh Mela was held. Bhagwad Gita are dia-
No one died because of Covid-19 at the Kumbh Mela. logues, and the commen-
Truly, our achievements are immense. All that banging and crashing of vessels taries on the Brahmsutras,
helped to keep this deadly virus at bay. Far more than any vaccinations could, to always include the oppos-
be honest. Prime Minister Modi also invented the concept of banging and crash- ing point of view. The most
ing of kitchen vessels to terrorise a pandemic away. famous shastrartha took
I suppose though for some of us, memories of the pandemic are even worse than place between Adi Shank-
warnings about planetary collapse. There is so much left to do for those of us still aracharya and Mandana
alive, even if no one died. Mishra in the 8th century
And then there’s Wangchuk. Much lauded and loved by the government and its CE. In the 12th century
endless loving fan clubs when he applauded the abrogation of Article 370 and the CE, the Anubhava Manta-
inherent promise that Ladakh would get statement. Er, that was in 2019, I think. pa set up by the Lingayat
Since so much has happened, generally in the direction of nothing as far as the founders, Basavanna and
Narendra Modi government and its promises are concerned. Not even Allama Prabhu, in the
Wangchuk’s claims that China had encroached into Indian territory in Ladakh. Karnataka kingdom of
You might remember that Modi spoke to China and China said “of course not my King Bijalla II, was a
good friend”, and Modi reported back to us, “Of course not” and that was that. forum where men and
So you can imagine how credible Wangchuk’s claims are.
Maybe like his claims of Himalayan endangerment.
women from all social and
economic backgrounds
The Internet being a dangerous place, you can even come across reports by sci- could come and freely dis-
entists. We all know that scientists are dangerous people. I do suspect that cuss spiritual questions, or
Wangchuk also relies on scientists, which is why he’s being ignored. India has any matter of public
only one real scientist anyway. importance. Mughal emp-
These scientists have studied the Himalayan region — and am sure you now eror Akbar in the 16th cen-
wonder, as you should, as to how they got permission — and they have found that tury too set up the plat-
not only is a year-long drought imminent if global temperatures rise by three form, Din-i-Ilahi, for an
degrees, but that India’s food security is at risk. Over 50 per cent of the land in open discussion on theo-
India is likely to experience drought for the next 30 years. In addition, erratic rain- logical matters.
fall patterns have already badly affected India’s farmers. You remember them? It is in this spirit of shas-
They keep trying to march here and there in the hope someone might listen to trartha that I participate in
them. Like Wangchuk, they meet the sound of silence. public debates, and two
There are additional problems here. Exposure to extreme heat and exposure to opportunities recently pre-
extreme cold. Both bring separate sets of challenges for the people who will suffer sented themselves at the
and for any government that is interested. Strike that last part. You and I know — India Today and CNN
am not sure if Wangchuk has figured this out yet — that there is no such thing. News 18 Conclaves. At the
What we do have here in the Himalayas — and this is what young people called India Today event, a speak-
“lived experience”, so it has as much scientific strength as shouting “Go Corona er expressed the fear that
Go” while hitting stainless steel plates together — is uncontained, ceaseless con-
struction and destruction of forests and environs. Our aquifers are drying up.
India is fast becoming a
“democratic autocracy”,
I mean, so what if this is what all of us see around us? where an overweening
We see India the way it is around us, every day. And still, we don’t believe it. We state was misusing its pow-
see joblessness, inflation, rising poverty, constraints to standards of living, dirt ers and endangering free-
and squalor, corruption. But we also do not see it. We do not see the activists in dom, liberty and democra-
jail. We do not see activists on hunger strike. We have been told that activists are cy itself.
evil and anti-national because they oppose the government. We have been told In response I said that cit-
that our Union government is the greatest but only this current Union govern- izens must always be vigi-
ment. All the other Union governments conspired — though the invention of time lant about the threat to
travel, also by the current Prime Minister — to make life hard for the current democracy, but democracy
Prime Minister. will never be extinguished
But there is really no need to worry. When the Himalayas collapse, we’ll be told in our country, however
that there never were any Himalayas to begin with. It was a conspiracy which dictatorial the state may
poor Sonam Wangchuk fell for. And so did the rest of us. be, because support of citi-
Like that movie, don’t look up. zens can never be taken for
Add some initials here to prove how patriotic you are to Modiji, etc. granted, nor can their
power be underestimated.
The writer is a senior journalist who writes on media affairs, politics and social They have been partici-
trends. She tweets at @ranjona. pants in a parliamentary
democracy for 75 years,
and will not cede their
constitutionally given
democratic rights so easi-
ly. Moreover, in a country
as large and diverse as
ours, imposing an authori-
tarian monolith is playing
with fire.
Politics is a dynamic
process. Those who seem
invincible at one time, can
crumble against the wrath
of the people. Who could
have thought that in 1971,
after winning the war with
Pakistan, and helping to
create Bangladesh, Indira
Gandhi, with an absolute
majority in Parliament,
and hailed as the incarna-
tion of Durga, would by
1975 need to declare an
Emergency to remain in
power? When she lifted it
in 1977, her party, the
Congress, was thrown out
by the people, and she lost
her own election.
There is also the example
of Rajiv Gandhi. In 1984,
he won a historic mandate,
with an absolute majority
of over 400 seats, which
neither his mother Indira,
nor grandfather Nehru,
had achieved. He was
young, handsome, with a
modern vision, and seem-
ingly undefeatable. The
BJP was then reduced to
two seats in Parliament.
Yet, the same Rajiv by 1989
was struggling to survive,
and lost the subsequent
national election. In poli-
tics, new faces and narra-
tives emerge which res-
onate with the people, and
all aspiring autocrats
should remember Ghalib’s
dire warning: “Har bulan-
di ke naseebon mein hai
pasti ek din: Every pinna-
cle has within it the seeds
of its own decline.”
All-powerful leaders
make mistakes when they
begin to feel they are infal-
lible. They also falter when
they stop taking advice
and counsel from others. It
is not an uncommon syn-
drome. When leaders are
convinced that whatever
the fact that they
have been elected.
they do, their popularity
will not be affected, nor
will their winnability be in
question, their politics
acquires a dangerous
impunity. The conviction
of being unchallenged,
leads to excesses, which
may not be effectively chal-
lenged in the immediate
future, but become the
very reason for the explo-
sion of slow-burn anger
gradually building among
citizens. The interesting
thing is that the suprema-
cist leader is the last to
read the changing mood of
the public.
Misuse of power has the
greatest ‘legitimacy’ in
democracies. Those com-
mitting it do not need to
abolish the democratic sys-
tem but can claim valida-
tion for its misuse by the
fact that they have been
popularly elected in a
largely free and fair elec-
tion. This added sense of
entitlement becomes a
spur to convert aberration
into excess, and excess into
the very subversion of de-
mocratic institutions. The
process is imperceptible,
and often the subversion
has a conjured legal back-
ing, where some provision
in the law books or even
the Constitution can be
manipulatively cited as an
excuse.
This is precisely what
happened with Indira
Gandhi. Her unquestioned
popularity, and cult status,
led her to believe that she
could get away with any-
thing. This attitude ulti-
mately led to the declara-
tion of the Emergency in
1975, where misuse of
power — acquired through
the provisions of the
Constitution — took the
form of institutional
oppression, and the emas-
culation and arrest of the
entire Opposition. What
miraculously appears.
Who could have thought
that in Indira’s case it
would be an ageing and
mostly forgotten man liv-
ing in seclusion in retire-
ment in an ashram in
Kadam Kuan in Patna —
Jayaprakash Narayan?
At the News 18 conclave I
was in a conversation with
senior leader Ram Madhav
of the BJP, on the nature of
Hindutva. I admire
Madhav’s intellectual cre-
dentials. I had no disagree-
ment with him when he
said that Hindutva is the
same as the Hindu faith, so
long as he meant it as the
essence of its fundamental
strengths: A conquering
eclecticism of vision, pro-
found philosophy, and
innate tolerance to dissent.
But when Hindutva is used
as a political tool to create
hatred, bigotry and reli-
gious divisions in society,
it cannot be conflated with
Sanatan Dharma. If
Hindutva reduces the
grandeur of Hindu thought
to its lowest common deno-
minator, and brazenly
weaponises it for political
dividends, it cannot be con-
sidered a synonym for
Hindu Dharma. If self-
appointed ‘thekedars’ of
Hindutva think it is their
ordained right to tell Hin-
dus how to behave, how to
worship, what to wear,
what to eat, what to drink,
and — driven by their
patriarchal orthodoxies —
expect women to conform
to the notion of a ‘chaste
Hindu nari’, it cannot be
the Hinduism the vast ma-
jority of Hindus practise.
Hindu civilisation has
survived for millennia on
the basis of shastrartha.
This is because Sanatan
Dharma is a way of life,
that allows for dissent and
debate. Let this sabhya
samvad continue.
The writer is an author,
diplomat and former
member of Parliament
(Rajya Sabha)
economic theory and
reshaping our understand-
ing of the human mind. His
relentless pursuit of intel-
lectual honesty and com-
mitment to critical thinking
serve as lessons for today’s
learners. Kahneman’s lega-
cy as a Nobel laureate,
prolific author and influen-
tial thinker ensures that his
contributions will continue
to shape academic dis-
course and inspire future
generations of scholars.
Amarjeet Kumar
Hazaribagh
VIRAT BACK? NOT QUITE
FORMER India captain Virat Kohli
once again showed his exceptional bat-
ting skills, scoring a majestic 83 not out
for RCB in their total of 182.
Unfortunately, the team’s bowlers
couldn’t deliver the goods. Indeed the
total put up by RCB was also too little
and Kohli did not seem to be in a hurry
even as he played his strokes. The
Kolkata Knight Riders breezed home
in style, losing just three wickets as all
their batters made merry against a
wayward RCB attack. The RCB quicks
must step up their game, too, to jockey
with their opponents.
N.J. Ravi Chander
Bengaluru
ACERBIC NIRMALA
UNION FINANCE minister Nirmala
Sitaraman has stated that she decided
not to contest the election either from
Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh for two
reasons; she has no such amount of
money to spend for the election and also
that she does not to possess any winnable
criteria. Even a novice knows well that it
is only the party that funds their candi-
date. This being the case, Ms Sitaraman’s
hesitation is not out of paucity of funds
but out of fear of losing even the deposit.
This is mainly because of the arrogant
manner in which she has hurt the senti-
ments of the people in general and par-
ticularly those of Tamil Nadu.
Tharcius S. Fernando
Chennai

D
elhi chief minister Arvind

A
hot media favourite and a per- in party circles that the mother-son them in the Lok Sabha.

P
oliticians shifting loyalties
Kejriwal’s refusal to resign manent fixture on television duo — Maneka and Varun Gandhi — and parties on the eve of the
after being taken into cus- news channels, Aam Aadmi would not make the grade. Maneka

Anita Katyal tody by the Enforcement
Directorate has led to considerable
Political speculation about his reasons for not
stepping down. There is a view in the
Gup-Shup Aam Aadmi Party that Mr Kejriwal
is deliberately pushing the Centre to
impose President’s Rule so he can
play the victim card, which happens
to be his strong suit. It is also being
surmised that Mr Kejriwal is not
Party’s Rajya Sabha member Raghav
Chadha has been missing from the
scene of action. He is away to London
ostensibly for an eye surgery.
According to the Capital’s political
grapevine, Mr Chadha is delaying his
return to India as there is talk that
his name figures on the list of AAP
leaders who could be arrested next.
He is, therefore, biding his time
Gandhi had been out of favour with
the leadership for some years now
while Varun Gandhi had upset the
BJP bosses by publicly criticising the
party. It was, therefore, no surprise
when Varun Gandhi was not fielded
from Pilibhit for the upcoming Lok
Sabha polls. But it was also surpris-
ing that Maneka Gandhi was named
the BJP candidate from Sultanpur.
T
his story has an ironic twist to
it. In 2019 when former student
leader Kanhaiya Kumar was
fielded for the Lok Sabha election
from Begusarai constituency in
Bihar, he was with the CPI. His can-
didature led to considerable tension
between the Left Party and the
Rashtriya Janata Dal which insisted
that their candidate would contest
this seat. The RJD leadership refused
upcoming Lok Sabha election
cite a host of reasons for this
change. These days, leaders facing
the heat from enforcement agencies
rush to join the ruling Bharatiya
Janata Party because they know
their cases will go into cold storage
after their move. On record, howev-
er, they maintain, they are joining
as they are inspired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s leader-

Raghav Chadha putting in his papers because he does

not have a succession plan in place
for the party. As it is, a host of second-
before coming home. There are oth-
ers who see a connection between the
ongoing conjecture about Mr
This was clearly a well-considered
move. Maneka Gandhi is a popular
leader in Sultanpur and benching her
to heed pleas from the other parties of
the Mahagathbandhan who wanted
the coalition to field a common candi-
ship or that their party has lost con-
nection with the people. In most
cases, though, leaders leave when

to be jailed next?
rung leaders are positioning them-
selves for a stint as Delhi chief minis-
ter. Had Manish Sisodia not been in
jail, he would have been an obvious
Chadha’s likely arrest and well- could have backfired on the BJP. date and went ahead with the nomi- they are denied a ticket. But Rajesh
known movie star Priyanka Chopra’s There was also a possibility that nation of Tanveer Hasan for this seat. Mishra, former Congress MP and
recent visit to India when she paid mother and son could rebel against As a result, the BJP ended up notch- senior party leader from Varanasi,
obeisance at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple. the party if both were denied tickets. ing up a handsome victory. However, is said to have moved to BJP for

Kanhaiya loses choice but currently Atishi, Gopal

Rai, Saurabh Bharadwaj and even
the Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram
Known to be close to the current rul-
ing dispensation, Priyanka Chopra, it
is said, possibly used this opportuni-
But by fielding Maneka and denying
Varun a ticket, the BJP has effective-
ly silenced both. Varun Gandhi has
RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav
sprung a surprise this time and has
generously offered the seat to the CPI
unusual reasons. Though he has
not said so, his aides revealed that
Mr Mishra left the Congress as he

out once again

Niwas Goel are not averse to throw-
ing their hat in the ring. However,
none of them have the capacity or the
credibility to stand in for Mr
Kejriwal. It is little wonder then that
ty to put in a word for Raghav little option but to keep a low profile for the coming Lok Sabha election as was nervous he would be given a
Chadha who is married to her cousin and support his mother’s campaign. part of their seat-sharing pact. ticket and would have to fight a los-
Parineeti, also an actor. He broke his silence last week by pen- Kanhaiya Kumar, then with the ing battle against the Prime
ning a heartfelt letter to the people of CPI, has since joined the Congress Minister.

W
ell before the Bharatiya Pilibhit to say his doors would and had hoped the party would name
Mr Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita, is being Janata Party finalised its list always be open for them and that he him for the Begusarai seat this time.
mentioned as his possible of Lok Sabha candidates for would continue to serve them even Clearly, the young leader has lost out Anita Katyal is a Delhi-based
replacement. Uttar Pradesh, there had been a buzz though he would no longer represent once again. journalist

EDITOR: KAUSHIK MITTER, PRINTER & PUBLISHER: K. SUDHAKAR; THE ASIAN AGE office is located at: New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi-110002. Phone: (011) 23211124;
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 WORLD
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 31 MARCH 2024 | NEW DELHI
SHORT
51 SUPPORTERS
TAKES
OF IMRAN GET
5 YEARS’ RI
Lahore, March 30: A Pakistani
court on Saturday convicted 51
supporters of former prime
minister Imran Khan for five
years of rigorous impriso-
nment on two counts for their
involvement in attacking key
military installations last year.
In May last year, Khan’s
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
supporters had allegedly attac-
ked several military installati-
ons, including the army head-
quarters in Rawalpindi and the
ISI building in Faisalabad, to
vent their anger against the
arrest of their party founder in
a corruption case.
DETENTION IN
CANADA: PIA
SUSPENDS CREW
Islamabad, March 30: Pakist-
an’s ailing flag carrier PIA has
suspended a crew member aft-
er she was briefly detained by
Canadian customs authorities
along with two others for carr-
ying the passport of an unrela-
ted person, according to a
media report on Saturday.
The incident comes as Pakis-
tan International Airlines
(PIA) grapples with flight
attendants’ disappearances
amid a crew shortage. Hina
Sani was detained along with
two other crew members who
were also on duty with her on
flight PK-789 from Lahore to
Toronto.
TAXI FALLS INTO
NEPAL RIVER, 5
KILLED, 1 MISSING
Kathmandu, March 30: At least
five people, including two
women and a minor boy, were
killed when a taxi carrying six
passengers fell into a gorge in
Nepal’s Chitwan district on
Saturday morning, police said.
The accident occurred arou-
nd 7 am when the taxi, which
was heading towards Gorkha
district from Kathmandu, fell
into a 100-metre gorge into the
Trishuli River at Ichchhakam-
ana rural municipality along
Prithvi highway, according to
police.
One of the passengers on the
taxi, an 18-year-old boy, is
reportedly missing.
PIO FIRST TO GET
LIFE-CHANGING
CANCER CURE
London, March 30: Yuvan Th-
akkar, an Indian-origin teenag-
er diagnosed with cancer, says
he is now able to enjoy the thi-
ngs he loves after life-changing
treatment thanks to a fund set
up by the United Kingdom’s
state-funded National Health
Service to make innovative
therapies accessible to thou-
sands of patients.
According to NHS England,
16-year-old Thakkar from
Watford near London was the
first child in the UK to benefit
from a pioneering CAR T thera-
py called tisagenlecleucel
(Kymriah) thanks to its Cancer
Drugs Fund (CDF).
STORE HIT BY
MOLOTOV OVER
‘ALLAH’ SOCKS
Kuala Lumpur, March 30: A
Molotov cocktail was thrown at
a store belonging to a Malays-
ian chain that had offered soc-
ks bearing the word “Allah” for
sale, police said on Saturday.
The incident came days after
the mini-market chain’s execu-
tives were charged with hurt-
ing religious feelings over the
sale of the socks at another of
its stores.
Wan Mohamad Zahari Wan
Busu, police chief in Kuantan
city in Malaysia’s east, said the
KK Supermart branch had
been hit just before dawn, caus-
ing a small fire at the entrance
of the store.
BULGARIAN SHIP
CRASHES INTO
WALL, 11 INJURED
Vienna, March 30: Eleven pe-
ople were injured when a Bul-
garian cruise ship crashed into
a concrete wall in a sluice on
the River Danube in the north-
ern Austrian town of Aschach
an der Donau overnight, local
police said on Saturday.
Some 160 passengers were
aboard the ship travelling from
Bavaria in Germany to the Aus-
trian city of Linz, a spokesper-
son for police in the nearby
town of Eferding said.
The 11 injured were taken to
hospital and the ship was able
to continue onwards after the
accident.
IS wants lone wolves’ Ramzan
massacre of Christians, Jews
Group praises Moscow attack, marks 10th anniv. of caliphate in Iraq, Syria
Kabul, March 30: ISIS has
urged its followers to
carry out attacks on Chri-
stians and Jews in the US,
Europe, and Israel during
Ramzan. The group’s sp-
okesperson, Abu Hudhay-
fah al-Ansari, also praised
last week’s terror attack in
Moscow that claimed 140
lives.
He used the messaging
app Telegram to call for
“lone wolves” to target
Christians and Jewish pe-
ople during the holy mon-
th. Al-Ansari also warned
that the presence of US
troops in Iraq could lead to
more attacks from the
group. This comes as ISIS
marks the 10-year anniver-
sary of declaring a caliph-
ate in Iraq and Syria in
2014. In a lengthy audio
speech, he praised the
global growth of ISIS and
criticised Al-Qaeda for
straying from their path.
He declared that Ramzan
was the month of jihad.
The spokesperson also cal-
led on “members” in Moz-
ambique to “double attac-
ks” and militants in the
Philippines to “move oper-
ations into major cities”,
in a chilling and worrying
sign. He continued to call
on the Mujahidin, those
who engage in Jihad, and
media leaders to obey
their elders, and dissemi-
nate Islamic State’s mes-
sage far and wide, reports
the Mirror.
Currently, there is little
intel on ISIS spokesper-
son, besides that he took
on the post as spokesper-
son in August 2023 to rep-
lace Abu Omar al-Muhajir
following his arrest in
Tahrir al-Sham. However,
al-Ansari’s anti-semitic
rhetoric rings loud to his
group of extremists.
“Monotheism is the goal,
and jihad is the path...the
war with the Jews will not
end in a one-state solution
Ambassadors of foreign missions during a flower-lay-
ing ceremony at the memorial for victims of the terror-
ist attack in Krasnogorsk, on Saturday.
Zelenskyy says
without US aid,
forces will retreat
Kyiv, March 30: President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
said in an interview pub-
lished on Friday that if
Ukraine does not get pro-
mised US military aid blo-
cked by disputes in Cong-
ress, its forces will have to
retreat “in small steps”.
Ukraine’s air force said
on Saturday that Russia
fired four missiles into
eastern Ukraine overni-
ght, as well as 12 Shahed
drones across the country.
It said nine of the dro-
nes were shot down in
four regions.
“If there is no US supp-
ort, it means that we have
no air defence, no Patriot
missiles, no jammers for
electronic warfare, no
155-milimetre artillery
rounds,” Zelenskyy told
the Washington Post.
“It means we will go
back, retreat, step by step,
in small steps,” he said.
“We are trying to find
some way not to retreat.”
Shortages of munitions,
he said, meant “you have
to do with less. How? Of
course, to go back. Make
the front line shorter. If it
breaks, the Russians cou-
ld go to the big cities.”
Democratic President
Joe Biden has urged the
Republican-controlled US
House of Representatives
to endorse the military
and financial aid packa-
ge, but House Speaker
Mike Johnson has held up
the matter for months,
citing domestic priorities.
Zelenskyy told Johnson
in a telephone conversati-
on on Thursday that appr-
oval of the package was
vital. Russian forces cap-
People wave Palestinian national flags during a rally marking the 48th anniversary of
Land Day, in the Arab-Israeli town of Deir Hanna, on Saturday.
ISRAEL’S LIKELY RAFAH OFFENSIVE CONCERNS U.S.
U.S. WELCOMES NEW PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT
AFTER ITS REPEATED CALLS FOR POLITICAL REFORM
The US has welcomed the formation of a new Palesti-WARPLANES TO ISRAEL
nian autonomy government, signalling it is accepting
the Cabinet lineup as a step toward political reform.
MALAYSIA ARRESTS DEATH TOLL IN ISRAELI
ARMED MAN SUSPECTED STRIKES ON SYRIA
OF BEING AN ISRAELI SPY CLIMBS
Malaysia has arrested an The death toll in Israeli the
armed man at a hotel in air strikes on Syria has effort said
Kuala Lumpur, its risen to 52, including 38 on Friday,
top police official government soldiers and even as
said, describing seven members of
the 36-year-old
as a suspected
Israeli spy. itor said on Saturday. military offensive in Rafah.
or two-state solution, as
nationalists believe,” he
said in a statement titled
‘And Kill Them Wherever
You find Them’ on Janu-
ary 4, 2024.
“It is a religious ideologi-
cal war that will continue
— AFP
ITALY INTERCEPTS
RUSSIAN PLANES
OVER BALTIC SEA
Rome, March 30: The
Italian airforce said on
Friday it intercepted
unidentified aircraft fly-
ing over international
waters in the Baltic Sea,
and two defence sources
in Rome identified them
as Russian planes.
The two interceptions
were carried out on Th-
ursday and Friday morn-
ing by Italian Eurofighter
jets based in the Polish
base of Malbork as part
of a Nato air policing mi-
ssion, a statement said.
After completing their
activity, the Italian jets
returned to the Polish
base, the airforce added,
without giving further
details. — Reuters
tured Avdiivka last mon-
th and have made small
gains since, but the front
lines have changed little
in months. In his inter-
view, he said Ukraine was
making up for shortages
of missiles with home-
produced weaponry and
air defence systems, “but
it is not enough”.
More than two years
into the war, Russia has
intensified attacks on en-
ergy and other infrastruc-
ture. Kyiv’s troops have
been unable to advance.
Zelenskyy said Kyiv inte-
nded to pursue attacks on
Russia targets. — Reuters
U.S. HAS AGREED TO
SEND MORE BOMBS AND
The US in recent days
authorised the transfer of
billions of dollars worth of
bombs and fighter jets to
Israel, two sources familiar
TO 52: MONITOR with
Lebanon’s Hezbollah
Washington publicly
expresses concerns about
movement, a war mon- an anticipated Israeli
until we kill their antich-
rist under the banner of
the Prophet of Allah... tig-
hten the plans and diversi-
fy operations: Blow them
up with explosives, burn
them with incendiary bo-
mbs, shoot them with bul-
Peru Prez home raided
in luxury watch probe
Lima, March 30: Peruvian
authorities raided Pre-
sident Dina Boluarte’s
home on Saturday as part
of an ongoing graft inves-
tigation related to undis-
closed luxury watches.
According to a police
document obtained by
AFP, about 40 officials
were involved in the raid,
which was searching for
Rolex watches that Bolua-
rte had not publicly decla-
red. The raid “is for the
purpose of search and
seizure,” police said.
The embattled president
did not appear to be home
Voice cloning: Biden claims world leaders told
OpenAI warns him not to DEBAR
let Trump win polls
San Francisco, March 31:
ChatGPT-maker OpenAI
is getting into the voice
assistant business and
showing off new technol-
ogy that can clone a per-
son’s voice, but says it wo-
n’t yet release it publicly
due to safety concerns.
The artificial intelligen-
ce company unveiled its
new Voice Engine techno-
logy on Friday, just over a
week after filing a trade-
mark application for the
name. The company clai-
ms that it can recreate a
person’s voice with just 15
TABLES | TURN
Scribes rob from Air Force One: WH
Washington, March 30:
Normally they’re the ones
grilling Washington pow-
er players. But the tables
have been turned on the
White House press corps.
A news report made
waves Friday in the US
capital with its humorous
— but detailed — investi-
gation into rampant theft
from the press section of
Air Force One, the presi-
dent’s official plane.
“For years, scores of jou-
rnalists — and others —
have quietly stuffed every-
thing from engraved whis-
— AFP
lets, slaughter their necks
with knives, and run them
over with buses.”
Just days ago, the ISIS K
group of Islamic State put
up a selfie of the Moscow
attackers at Crocus City
Hall. — Agencies
Dina Boluarte
at the time. Prime Minis-
ter Gustavo Adrianzen
slammed the raid as an
“intolerable outrage” and
“disproportionate and
PROSECUTOR, SAYS DONALD
seconds of recording of
that person talking.
OpenAI says it plans to
preview it with early test-
ers but not widely release
this technology at this
time because of the dan-
gers of misuse.
“We recognize that gen-
erating speech that rese-
mbles peoples voices has
serious risks, which are
especially top of mind in
an election year,” the San
Francisco company said.
In New Hampshire,
authorities are investigat-
ing robocalls. — AP
Media outlets pay for journalists to fly on the govt plane
key tumblers to wine glas-
ses to pretty much anyth-
ing with the Air Force One
insignia on it into their
bag before stepping off the
plane,” Politico reported.
Last month, the White
House Correspondents’
Association sent an email
to its members, issuing a
stern notice that missing
items from the press cabin
— kept by reporters as
memorabilia — had not
gone unnoticed.
When the US president
travels, he is accompanied
by 13 journalists in the
5 KILLED IN GAZA
AID DELIVERY
CHAOS: MEDICS
Gaza City, Beirut, March
30: The Palestine Red
Crescent said five people
were killed and dozens wo-
unded by gunfire and a st-
ampede during an aid del-
ivery on Saturday in nort-
hern Gaza, where famine
looms.
Meanwhile, the United
Nations said four of its
military observers were
hurt on Saturday when a
shell exploded near them
in southern Lebanon, wh-
ere Israel and the Hezbol-
lah movement trade regu-
lar cross-border fire.
The United Nations Tru-
ce Supervision Organisa-
tion (UNTSO) did not iden-
tify the source of the shel-
ling but Lebanon’s official
National News Agency
blamed Israel.
AFP video footage shows
a convoy of trucks moving
past burning debris near
the distribution point in
pre-dawn darkness as peo-
ple shout and gunfire ech-
oes — some of which was
warning shots, witnesses
said. The Red Crescent
said it happened after tho-
usands of people gathered
for the arrival of around
15 trucks of flour and oth-
er food, which was suppo-
sed to be handed out at
Gaza City’s Kuwait round-
about, situated in the ter-
ritory's north.
The roundabout has
been the scene of several
chaotic and deadly aid dis-
tribution incidents in the
past. Those include one on
March 23 in which the
Hamas-run government
said 21 people were killed
by Israeli fire — a charge
Israel denied. — AFP
unconstitutional.”
Authorities launched an
investigation into Boluar-
te this month after a news
outlet drew attention to
pictures of her sporting
luxury watches at public
events. Saturday’s raid, a
joint operation between
the police and the prose-
cutor's office, was broad-
cast on local television
channel Latina.
Government agents
were seen surrounding
the house in the Surquillo
district of capital Lima
while officers blocked
oncoming traffic. — AFP
New York, March 30:
Making a forceful case for
his re-election, US Presid-
ent Joe Biden has claimed
that during his meetings
with world leaders, inclu-
ding at the G20 summit in
India, almost every one of
them told him not to let
his predecessor Donald
Trump win in 2024 as they
feel it would put their
democracies in danger.
Meanwhile, Biden’s reel-
ection campaign is appeal-
ing directly to supporters
of former Republican pre-
sidential candidate Nikki
Haley, who was the last
major opponent to Donald
● A HUMOUROUS — but
detailed — investigation
into rampant theft from
the press section of Air
Force One, the President’s
official plane, has made
waves in the US capital.
back of his Boeing.
Media outlets pay for the
journalists to fly on the
government plane, along
with the meals and drinks
served in-flight.
The crew distributes as
souvenirs small packages
of M&M’s chocolates bear-
Firefighters in Ede, Netherlands, on Saturday, as police
cordoned off part of a Dutch town after multiple peo-
ple were held hostage in a building there.
Dutch hostage
drama finishes,
suspect nabbed
Ede, March 30: A hostage
drama in the Netherlands
that lasted several hours
on Saturday ended with-
out bloodshed as all
hostages were freed and
police took the suspect
into custody.
Authorities have said
there was no reason to su-
spect a “terrorist motive”
for the ordeal, which took
place at a night spot popu-
lar with young people in
the town of Ede.
“The last hostage has
just been released. One
person has been arrested.
We cannot share more
information at this time,”
announced police on X,
formerly Twitter.
Several local media rep-
orted that a “confused”
man had burst into the
cafe in the early hours of
Saturday morning and
made threats, holding
four people hostage.
The incident sparked a
major deployment includ-
ing riot police and explo-
sives experts. Police clea-
red the centre of the town
and evacuated the resi-
dents of some 150 build-
ings near the cafe.
An initial group of thr-
ee people were released,
with pictures from public
broadcaster NOS showing
them exiting the building
with their hands in the
air. The fourth hostage
was freed shortly after-
wards, with the suspected
hostage-taker then arrest-
ed. NOS images showed a
man kneeling on the
ground with his hands
behind his back, as offi-
cers restrained him with
handcuffs.
“A terrible situation for
all these people. My con-
cern and thoughts go out
to them and their loved
ones. I hope that the situ-
ation is now resolved
quickly and safely,” said
Ede mayor Rene Verhulst.
Last year, a 27-year-old
man armed with two guns
held several people hosta-
ge at an Apple store in
Amsterdam, sparking a
tense five-hour ordeal.
It ended when the sus-
pect was hit by a police
car as he chased his last
hostage who made a des-
perate break for freedom.
He later died in hospital.
The Netherlands has
seen a series of terror
Washington, March 30:
Donald Trump on Friday
asked a Georgia appeals
court to disqualify the dis-
trict attorney prosecuting
Trump before she with-
drew from the race earlier
this month. “Nikki Haley
voters, Donald Trump do-
esn’t want your vote,”
Biden said.
“Whether it’s the G20
meeting in India or what-
ever the meeting where
there are other heads of
ing the presidential seal
and the US leader’s signa-
ture. Glasses and other
Air Force One-branded ac-
cessories are available for
purchase online.
But that is not good eno-
ugh for many of those abo-
ard the plane, Politico’s
report noted, describing
the sounds of plates and
glassware clinking in jour-
nalists’ backpacks as they
disembark.
In one instance, a former
White House corresponde-
nt for a major newspaper
hosted a dinner party, se-
pg 6
— AP
PAST ATTACKS IN
THE NETHERLANDS
2019: Netherlands was
stunned by a shooting
spree on a tram in the
city of Utrecht that
claimed four lives. A
Turkish-born man identi-
fied as Gokmen Tanis
later admitted a terror
motive for the rampage
that virtually shut down
the country’s fourth
biggest city.
2019: Dutch police
charged two suspected
jihadists with planning a
terror attack using sui-
cide bombs and car
bombs. Authorities said
an attack was planned
that year.
2018: A young Afghan
man identified only as
“Jawed S.” stabbed two
American tourists at
Amsterdam Central
Station, later telling
judges he wanted “to
protect the Prophet
Mohammed.” The assault
came a day after far-
right Dutch politician
Geert Wilders announced
he was cancelling a plan
to stage a cartoon com-
petition to caricature the
Prophet Mohammed.
At the time Afghan
Taliban spokesman
Zabihullah Mujahid urged
Muslims to attack Dutch
troops after Wilders’
“hostile act by this coun-
try (the Netherlands)
against all Muslims.”
2004: Outspoken Dutch
anti-Islam film director
Theo van Gogh was shot
and stabbed to death in
Amsterdam by a man
with ties to a Dutch
Islamist terror
network.
attacks and plots but not
on the scale of other Eur-
opean countries like Fra-
nce or Britain. — AFP
him for trying to overturn
his 2020 poll defeat for a
romantic relationship the
prosecutor had with a for-
mer top deputy. —Reuters
state, I am not exaggerat-
ing when I say in front of
the press without giving
the names, almost every-
one of the world leaders
finds an excuse to get me
alone for a moment, put
their hand on my arm,
and say, You can’t let him
win.” — PTI
rving food on a set of gold-
rimmed Air Force One
plates that had been pil-
fered over time, according
to the report.
But in a town of ambit-
ious strivers, at least one
journalist heeded the sco-
lding from the correspon-
dents’ association — cul-
minating in the “discreet
return” of an embroider-
ed pillowcase after a meet-
ing was arranged between
the reporter and a press
official in a park across
from the White House,
Politico said. — AFP
 BOOKS
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 31 MARCH 2024 | NEW DELHI
INDIAN TOP 10
BESTSELLERS
NON-FICTION
Nayanima’s testimony of Kabul’s
fall has what-ifs & some caveats
ACCELERATING INDIA’S
1 DEVELOPMENT
Karthik Muralidharan
Penguin Viking, `1,299
WHY BHARAT MATTERS
2 Rupa,
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`695
THE COOKING OF
3 BOOKS
Ramachandra Guha review
Juggernaut, `699
O
SAVARKAR AND THE n August 13, 2021,
4 Janaki
MAKING OF HINDUTVA
Bakhle
two days before
Kabul fell to the
Princeton, `999 Taliban, journal-
ist Nayanima
Basu who was reporting
BEING HINDU, BEING
5 INDIA
Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav
from ground zero proposed
to write a despatch predict-
ing the imminent takeover of
Penguin Viking, `1,299 the Afghan capital, but her
editor shot it down saying
that the opinions of internal-
OUTLIVE
6 Dr Peter Attia
Penguin, `799
ly displaced rural Afghans,
albeit those returning by the
drove to their native villages
that they had evacuated, and
that of a desperate local
7 THarperCollins,
HE INCARCERATIONS
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reporter who had requested
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not enough. If she could cor-
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8 BCBAHOHROORKINSSHIOCONLPES:OF A itary and government offi-
cials, it had a chance.
Unfortunately, the Ashraf
Anuj Bahri and Anchal Ghani government was plan-
Malhotra, India Research ning a subterfuge and, at that
Press, `350 very moment, the then
President was recording a
video address to the nation in
9 CT.C.A.
IRCLES OF FREEDOM
Raghavan
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which he would be making
tall promises of a remobilisa-
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10 DISAPPEARING
DEMOCRACY
Avay Shukla
pushback to the Taliban. It
would be aired to the media
the next day when he himself
had flown out of
Authors Upfront
`595
Afghanistan, throwing his
countrymen, of course, to
the wolves. So the then for-
eign minister, Md Haneef
Atmar, who followed in his
boss’ footsteps, actually
denied her an audience, and
his aide fobbed her off when
she asked the question,
NATURE THE TEACHER IN LAND OF RENUNCIATION
Malati Mathur
FICTION review
1 LORENZO SEARCHES
FOR THE MEANING OF
T
he slim book, ideal for
LIFE a wet weekend with a
Upamanyu Chatterjee hot cup of masala
Speaking Tiger, `699 chai, snuggled up in a
daybed at the bay window
overlooking an overgrown
2 MEDEA
Rosie Hewlett
Penguin, `799
garden awash in the rain,
lives up to the promise of its
title. It explores the tenuous
bonds of memory, relation-
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3 THE FURY
Alex Michaelides
Penguin, `799
of youth and old age — life
itself. The only permanent
component — and even that
can surprise us sometimes
4 A DICTATOR CALLS
Ismail Kadare
Penguin, `799
with the impermanence of
some of its elements — is
Nature. There are the moun-
tains, the rains, the plants
and trees each with their
5 UNTIL AUGUST
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Penguin, `799
own life cycles that mimic —
6 SWALLOWING THE SUN
Lakshmi Murdeshwar
Puri, Aleph, `599 IN OTHER NEWS
Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI (Pan Macmillan India)
has been shortlisted for the 2024 inaugural Women’s Prize for Non-
7 ROMAN STORIES
Jhumpa Lahiri
Penguin, `499
Fiction. It is by Indian-British journalist Madhumita Murgia. Murgia’s
brilliantly reported, groundbreaking debut explores the impact of AI,
powerful, flawed, and often exploitative, on human society and
8 THE COVENANT OF
WATER
Abraham Verghese
9
Grove Press, `699
THE BOOK OF
EVERLASTING THINGS
Telugu films celebrate folk heroes and NTR created Bobbili sub-genre
Aanchal Malhotra
HarperCollins, `799
Mukesh Manjunath
10 RED RIVER
Somnath Batabyal
Westland, `699
excerpt
Bahrisons, New Delhi
F
airly or unfairly, the
benefits of folk tales
and culture have
accrued to Telugu
heroes. They have garnered
applause; they have launched
their sons, grandsons, their
political careers. Two of the
biggest heroes Telugu cinema
has produced needed folk sto-
ries and folk subcultures to
either establish or save their
herodom. NTR needed the
magic of Pathala Bhairavi,
and Chiranjeevi needed a sul-
try mother-in-law. NTR, a year
before launching his party,
would use the part-history and
part-folk mythos around the
region of Bobbili. This region
labelling her interest frivo-
lous and asking her to go
sightseeing in the city.
Former President Hamid
Karzai and chief negotiator
at the Doha talks Abdullah
Abdullah who had earlier
indicated willingness to be
interviewed by her also fell
silent. The imams of the
Blue Mosque at Mazar-e-
Sharif believed Taliban to be
their “own” and some of the
educated class she spoke to
she found actually open to
giving them a second chance.
The Indian diplomats and
embassy officials, in their
turns, coaxed Nayanima to
leave whenever she tried to
obtain their responses, and
an American journalist at
the hotel in which she was
staying grandly declared
“nothing would happen”
until August 31 and, when
told to show reason behind
his confidence, laughed her
query off. Right up until the
actual event, the Western
media remained awash with
misleading reports hinting at
a government resistance in
the works while the Indian
media somehow felt obliged
to showcase the so-called
achievements of said govern-
ment. A WhatsApp call with
a Taliban leader the next day
confirmed her hunch but by
then it was too late. Suffice to
say that the takeover had fall-
en on everybody’s blindspot.
During her nine-day stay
from August 8 to August 17 in
Afghanistan, Nayanima
and do not mimic at the
same time — the playing out
of the lives of people and
their inter-personal ties —
connections which are a
complex admixture of emo-
tions that resonate all at
once with love, hate, selfish-
ness, jealousy, honesty,
betrayal and all the myriad
subterranean streams of
consciousness that flow
through the human mind.
The book is many-layered
as it moves between the past
and the present. Memory
and its sister — recollec-
tions of what perhaps may
have happened, or even not
happened at all — slave to
Time and wishful thinking,
is touted to have produced
fierce warriors who fought
against colonial forces. Tales
of the historic battle over the
Bobbili Fort and the royal
families of the region are
retold much like the Rajputs
and Maratha retelling their
tales of war and glory. NTR
created the ‘Bobbili’ sub-
genre, while acting in films
like Bobbili Puli (The Tiger of
Bobbili) and Bobbili
Yuddham (The War for
Bobbili). Other actors, too,
became part of this category
of films — Krishnam Raju,
another Telugu hero who cap-
italised on his career in cine-
ma to enter politics, acted
Basu paid witness to the fall
of Kabul in real time. She
had incredible experiences
out in the streets walking
with guntoting civilians
when the city was being over-
run, running away from
Taliban gunfire at the air-
port while those around her
fell to bullets and later nego-
tiating with the Taliban
henchmen her safe passage
to the Indian embassy. She
even travelled in Mazar-e-
Sharif, the province which
put up the stiffest resistance.
The anti-Taliban fighters
there had forced the Taliban
forces to retreat, depleting
them to the point that they
had to recruit from local
tribes.
Nayanima did get in some
interviews as well, with Ata
Md Noor, the brave governor
of Balkh who fought the Isla-
mist insurgents, and with
former Mujahideen leader
who was Afghan Prime Min-
ister twice in the 1990s and
THE FALL OF KABUL:
DESPATCHES FROM CHAOS
By NAYANIMA BASU
Bloomsbury India
pp. 256; `599
and selective remembering
— imbue the lives of the
characters. There is the nar-
rator, Iti, her benefactor
Rosinka (a wispy shadow of
Miss Havisham here), and
her grandmother Lila-Lily
who was once Rosinka’s
NEVER NEVER LAND
By NAMITA GOKHALE
Speaking Tiger
pp. 170, `499
exposes how it can strip away our individual and collective sense of
agency and shatter our illusion of free will. She is currently AI editor
at the Financial Times in London, where she leads global coverage of
artificial intelligence and reports on emerging technologies. In this
compelling work, Murgia reveals what could happen if we fail to
reclaim our humanity.
in Bobbili Brahman-
na (Brahmanna of Bobbili);
actor Venkatesh had his own
version of Gods Must Be
Crazy in The Bobbili Raja.
Recognising the impact of
folk heroes and their impor-
tance to Telugu cinema rids it
of one important myth — that
all mainstream cinema is
essentially a retelling of the
epics. That, all good male lead
actors are modelled around
Ram. All evil villains get a
Ravana treatment. And all
heroines are reduced to Sita.
Telugu cinema’s dependence
on folk sensibilities resist
against such blanket argu-
ments. The epics are great sto-
ries in and of themselves, but
there are other stories, too.
This infusion into Telugu cin-
ema is a way of folklore to
demarcate space. A. Ramudu
challenges our understanding
of foreigners. Attha-alludu tell
us the porous nature of sup-
posedly rigid relationships.
The markers of differentia-
tion are not limited to cinema
The author interviews Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
who still harboured political
ambitions, Gulbuddin Hek-
matiyar. She became the only
Indian to have interviewed
Hekmatiyar. ‘The Butcher of
Kabul’, Hekmatiyar, told
Nayanima that the United
States made its greatest mis-
take in not supporting or
investing in the popular fig-
ures who fought the Taliban
locally. And that investing in
unpopular figures [like Gha-
ni] was the major reason for
the government’s collapse. In
her own news analysis, how-
ever, Nayanima herself may
have been somewhat guilty of
conflating the role and poli-
tics of the former Soviet
Union with that of the
Tsarist Russia from Peter
Hopkirk’s The Great Game.
But what if India had helped
Noor when he petitioned the
Narendra Modi government
for forces to fight the
Taliban? Her account makes
one ask this question.
Nayanima interacted with
a wide section of the Afghan
population, including driv-
ers, teachers, kebab sellers,
painters, activists, journal-
ists and diplomats, aside
from Kabul’s famous beauty
industry professionals who
maid but is now more of a
friend as they wait out their
days together in the dark
twilight of their lives “sur-
viving among the dead and
the dying as on a battle-
field”.
Nina, the mystery girl
whose antecedents are slow-
ly unravelled and who, with
a sense of entitlement
makes off with priceless
Roerich paintings and with
whom karma catches up (if
one were to believe in such
things), adds a touch of
piquancy to the narrative —
as if any more was needed
with the regal and domi-
neering Rosinka around!
The mountains and its peo-
ple, the landscapes and the
weather are powerfully
described, with a sure touch
that can make a person
native to the hills but now
exiled to the hot, dusty
plains yearn with longing.
Also a lesson on how it is
possible to survive — and be
happy or at least content to
some degree — without
and extend to the way the cul-
ture of cinema is enjoyed.
Films such as Baahubali have
taken Telugu cinema to an
international audience. Matt
THE AGE OF HEROES
By MUKESH MANJUNATH
HarperCollins India
pp. 208, `399
“do a better job than their
counterparts in Delhi”. Her
reportage presents a lively
sketch of Kabul with its ring
of mountains, fruit sellers,
meat-based cuisine and
bread. The man on the street
is comfortable around her
even if the majority of
Afghan women keep indoors.
But independent women are
also a significant presence;
indeed Afghanistan had a 25
per cent female labour force
participation which is larger
than that in India today. The
role of many Indians around
her is most appalling, instead
of praising her for setting an
example before her son and
other children, they continue
to guilt-trip her for putting
herself in harm’s way; is this
why India does not have
more war reporters?
The quality of this book,
though, could have greatly
improved had it gone
through proper developmen-
tal and copy editing, because
not only does the finished
product contain preposition
errors and inappropriate
tense in some sentences but
it also could have benefited
from some structural
interventions.
being digitally connected all
the time!
It is remarkable how in the
space of a few pages, the
author has delved into and
analysed the way in which
relationships can flourish,
wilt and be revived once
more. Our senses are so
acutely tuned into our emo-
tions that a whiff of a scent
can turn on or off a particu-
lar feeling. And, even after
a long, hard winter, the
human spirit, eternally opti-
mistic, can look ahead and
see the flowers that have not
yet bloomed, the streams
that have not yet started
flowing from the melting
snows, and taste in the
imagination, the fruits that
will soon make their appear-
ance across the hills.
The reviewer, Malati
Mathur, was director,
School of Humanities, and
director, School of Foreign
Languages, IGNOU, New
Delhi. She is an award-win-
ning translator.
Groening, the creator of The
Simpsons, accepts that
Rajamouli’s Magadheera was
his inspiration for his new
animated show Disenchant-
ment. But it’s in the small
lanes of Guntur on hot after-
noons, in crying after eating
Uggani Bajji in Kurnool, in
singing songs during festivals
in Telangana that Telugu cine-
ma finds the stories truly
worth telling.
Folk stories are also where
Telugu cinema draws its me-
thod of exaggerated emotions
from. The images on-screen
are metaphors and similes
used by folk storytellers.
There is some irony in the fact
that while the culture of folk
storytellers arriving in small
towns during festivals is
quickly disappearing, Telugu
stars (who play folk heroes)
and Telugu directors (new
substitutes for folk story-
tellers), compete to release
their films around Ugadi and
Sankranti, when films get
large returns owing to the
pg 7
OFF THE SHELF
he Archetypal
T Artist, a collec-
tion of essays on
the life and art of F.N.
Souza, invites readers
to the collective
unconscious party; a
high voltage zone con-
sisting of stark art
images and commen-
tary. Be prepared to be
shocked, bewildered,
and amazed. Beware
F.N. SOUZA: THE
ARCHETYPAL ARTIST Souza’s
— since most of
art images
overlap with your per-
By JANEITA SINGH sonal unconscious,
Niyogi you will be triggered.
pp. 320, `4,500 Everything you have
repressed and rejected
will stare back at you
in full glory. As the shadows and multivalent
archetypes come alive and begin dancing, be
strong to hold aloft the light of your own con-
sciousness. This is what Souza did when con-
fronted by the collective unconscious. He began
mining images from it, giving them form on his
canvas, culminating in a journey towards indi-
viduation and wholesomeness.
This collection of 21 essays combining
research in art history, Eastern-Western philoso-
phy, classical literature, Jungian analysis, psy-
chology, anthropology, religion and theatre
began as a personal quest by the author to seek
answers to cultural constructs of life, body and
sexuality. Embark on a subjective journey into
the world of F.N. Souza.
Great unfinished
task of Indian
democracy
ccelerating India’s Development by Karthik
A
Muralidharan is addressed to all Indians —
leaders, officials, entrepreneurs, teachers, stu-
dents and citizens — and provides an urgent call to
action. It argues that building a more effective state is
the great unfinished task of Indian democracy
because quality public services are key to translating
the political equality of “one person, one vote” into
equality of opportunity for all Indians.
The chapters showcase the author’s dedication to
bridging the gap between scholarly research, public
understanding and actionable governance.
Accelerating India’s Development is a testament to
cautious optimism and the belief that, with the right
public systems in place, the next 25 years can be a
period of unprecedented growth and societal enrich-
ment for India.
Montek Singh
ACCELERATING INDIA’S
Ahluwalia, for-
mer deputy chair- DEVELOPMENT
man, Planning
By KARTHIK
Commission of
M URALIDHARAN
India and former
finance secretary, Penguin Viking
says, “The 1991 pp. 832, `1,299
economic ref-
orms were all
about dismantling a highly dysfunctional system of
government interference with what was much better
done by the market. This needed to be accompanied
by the government playing a much stronger role in
critical areas, notably the delivery of high-quality
public services such as education and health, and also
the rule of law. These are areas where our perform-
ance needs to be greatly improved if we are to achieve
the objective of inclusive growth leading to high-
income status. In this magisterial book, Karthik
Muralidharan draws on extensive research and prac-
tice to tell us how this is best done.”
In the words of Nandan Nilekani, chairman and co-
founder, Infosys, and founding chairman, UIDAI
(Aadhaar): “This book addresses India's critical chal-
lenges in education, health, safety, justice, welfare,
and jobs, and offers an actionable roadmap for better
governance and improved public service delivery.”
“Karthik Muralidharan brings that wealth of
research experience and his incisive lens to bear in
crafting this ambitious book on India’s future devel-
opment trajectory, with an emphasis on state capacity
and ideas for improvement,” says Bibek Debroy,
chairman, economic advisory council to the Prime
Minister.
Karthik Muralidharan is the Tata Chancellor’s pro-
fessor of economics at the University of California,
San Diego. He is the co-founder and scientific direc-
tor of the Centre for Effective Governance of Indian
States.
— Victor Rao
number of holidays issued by meet the actor her whole life.
the government. That was her one big regret.
In the process of trying to I told her how horrible that
chart the graph of these story- was and how horrible all the
tellers, I may have done one
storyteller gross disservice.
My grandmother. All her sto-
gods are for not listening to
her prayers. She concurred.
“But what does that have to
ries weren’t bad — because
her best one was her last.
with me?”
She replied that after giving
I had always wondered what up hope, just as a joke, she
made me my grandmother’s prayed to another goddess, to
favourite grandchild. I wasn’t see if anything can happen.
particularly well-behaved, I And the goddess answered. It
wasn’t academically bright or wasn’t the real deal, but it’s
promising, I wasn’t even gifted the closest any divine entity
with cuteness that other chil- had ever gotten her to NTR.
dren seem to have. What was it In 1993, on 28 May — the very
that made me — the recipient same date on which NTR cele-
of her stories and experiences brates his birthday — I was
— special? born. In a life where that quest
I eventually did ask her one to meet NTR seemed impossi-
day. I was hoping that she ble, this gift was the answer to
would negate my insecurities my grandmother’s prayers.
regarding my behaviour, intel- Fictional goddesses can only
ligence or looks. But my do so much.
grandmother told me a differ- Jai Pathala Bhairavi.
ent story. During her youth, all
she wanted was someone like Excerpted with permission
NTR in her life. He was the from The Age of Heroes: The
actor she loved more than any- Incredible World of Telegu
body else. But she never got to Cinema (HarperCollins)

SEASON-17
ORANGE
Virat Kohli,
RCB 181
Heinrich
Klaasen, SRH 143
Shikhar
Dhawan,PBKS 137
PURPLE
Mustafizur
Rahman, CSK 6 limelight with his searing
Harshit
5
Rana, KKR
Kagiso
4
Rabda, PBKS
Short takes
Chennai Super Kings player
Anjinkya Rahane with his family at
the airport in Visakhapatnam on
Saturday. — CSK
Henry replaces Willey
in Super Giants team
L ucknow Super Giants on
Saturday named New
Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry
as a replacement for England
all-rounder David Willey. Henry
joins LSG at his base price of
`1.25 crore.
Willey had withdrawn from
the tournament citing personal
reasons. Willey joined the Super
Giants through the auction last
year after representing Royal
Challengers Bengaluru during
IPL 2022 and 2023.
Green feels ‘lucky’to
play with Kohli,Rohit
C ameron Green’s fledgling
IPL journey has seen him
appearing in 19 matches over
two seasons for Mumbai
Indians and Royal Challengers
Bengaluru, but it has also given
him a chance to work up close
with two modern-day giants —
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
“They are both greats in the
game. Every time I think about
it, I'm still pinching myself that
I've been lucky enough to play
with two of the greats of world
cricket, if not Indian cricket,”
said Green on Saturday.
So, what makes Kohli, his cur-
rent teammate at RCB, and
Rohit, his former captain at MI,
different from others?
“They’re both equally happy
to help the team win matches.
They’re both equally happy to
give you a lot of their time, to
give you information on the
other team and their own expe-
riences,” said Green.
Published by K. Sudhakar for and on behalf
of Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited
at Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre,
219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg,
New Delhi 110 002. and Printed by
him at BFL Infotech Limited,
C – 9, Sector – III, Noida – 201301.
Editor – Kaushik Mitter,
RNI Registration number 57290/94
Price in Nepal - Nep.Rs. 20.00 per copy.
Squad for T20 WC likely to be AIFF official assaults women footballers, held
selected in last week of April
New Delhi, March 30: India’s
15-member squad for the
upcoming T20 World Cup in
the USA and West Indies is
likely to be named in last
week of April as the ICC’s
cut-off date for submission of
teams is May 1, a BCCI source
said on Saturday.
However, every participat-
ing team will get a chance to
change players in their initial
squad till May 25.
“The Indian team will be
selected some time during the
BLITZCRICK
GIANT LEAP
Lucknow jump to 5th spot with first win of season
Lucknow, March 30: India
unearthed a new fast-
bowling star in Mayank
Yadav (3/27) who stole the
pace amid the usual flurry
of monstrous hits as
Lucknow Super Giants
humbled Punjab Kings by
21 runs in the IPL here on
Saturday.
Asked to bat first, floater
Krunal Pandya’s late blitz
powered LSG to a competi-
tive 199/8.
Opener Quinton de Kock
top-scored for LSG with a
38-ball 54 but it was stand-
in skipper Nicholas
Pooran’s 21-ball 42, which
infused life into his team’s
innings in the middle
overs. On the back of two
sixes and four boundaries,
Krunal then scored at a
strike rate of 200 to finish
on a 22-ball 43 and give his
side extra cushion.
That total proved to be
enough for LSG, who reg-
istered their first win of
this IPL thanks to
Mayank’s exploits.
Punjab, who ended at
178/5, missed Liam
Livingstone’s (28 not out
off 17 balls) service at No.4
as he could not bat in the
position due to an injury.
In the 12th over of
Punjab’s innings, Mayank
bowled the tournament’s
fastest ball at 155.8 kmph.
It was Mayank’s extra
pace that rattled Jonny
Bairstow, Prabhsimran
Singh and Jitesh Sharma
and led to their downfall.
He consistently clocked
150 and above on the
speedometer during his
four-over spell, emerging
as the night’s hero.
This was after the dash-
ing opening combo of
Shikhar Dhawan (70 off 50
balls) and Bairstow (42 off
29 balls) quickly got the
measure of what looked
like a very good surface
for batting, both getting a
few boundaries to set the
ball rolling. PBKS skipper
Dhawan made a statement
of sorts when he reverse-
swept M Siddharth over
backward point.
Delhi have task cut out against CSK
Visakhapatnam, March
30: Delhi Capitals will be
aiming to rejig their out-
of-depth batting order by
bringing the flamboyant
Prithvi Shaw in the mix
against the defending
champions Chennai Super
Kings in what could be
safely termed as a ‘battle
of unequals’ on Sunday’s
Indian Premier League
encounter.
In T20 format, reputa-
tions do go for a toss but
DC in their last four meet-
ings haven’t been able to
get past CSK and the mar-
gins of defeat — 91, 27 and
77 runs respectively paints
a sorry picture. One also
needs to take into account
that in those three heavy
losses, the core of the
Delhi team has been more
or less same save their last
meeting when Rishabh
Pant wasn’t available.
Hence a win against CSK
would be considered as a
big upset in the tourna-
ment.
If CSK once again looks
like a team to beat with all
its bases nicely covered, it
has been quite the oppo-
last week of April, the time and West Indies, it is expected
by which the first half of IPL that a few of the stand-bys
will be over and national will also travel with the team
selection committee will be in so that there is no logistical
a position to assess form and nightmare in case any player
fitness of the contenders,” from the main squad gets
the senior BCCI source said. injured or has to pull out due
“The first batch will leave to unforeseen circumstances.
for New York immediately It is learnt that there has
after the end of the league been no instructions given to
stage of IPL on May 19. Those any of the Cup hopefuls
players, whose teams won’t about workload management
qualify for the final four will as these two months they are
be going early.” With the tour- under the franchise’s control.
nament being held in the USA
SUNDAY | 31 MARCH 2024 | THE ASIAN AGE | NEW DELHI
Lucknow Super Giants fast bowler Mayank Yadav in action during the match against Punjab Kings at the Ekana
Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday. Mayank rattled Punjab with figures of 3 for 27.
Thanks to their attack-
ing approach, PBKS raced
to 61 for no loss in the
power play and continued
in the same vein with
Dhawan bringing up his
fifty with a maximum off
Ravi Bishnoi.
Bairstow was equally
marauding and struck
Krunal Pandya for two
successive sixes as the vis-
itors crossed 100 in the
11th over. — PTI
Delhi Capitals captain Rishab Pant (second from right) plays football with teammates
during a practice session at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Saturday,
eve of the match against Chennai Super Kings.
site for the Ricky Ponting
coached Capitals, which
has been outplayed in both
departments of the game.
DC’s co-owners GMR and
JSW have been completely
messing up the team com-
— PTI
Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock c Jitesh b
Arshdeep 54, KL Rahul c Bairstow b Arshdeep 15,
Devdutt Padikkal c Dhawan b Curran 9, Marcus Stoinis
b Chahar 19, Nicholas Pooran b Rabada 42, Ayush
Badoni c Bairstow b Curran 8, Krunal Pandya (not out)
43, Ravi Bishnoi c Tanay (sub) b Curran 0, Mohsin
Khan (run out) 2, Naveen-ul-Haq (not out) 0. Extras
(b-1, lb-1, w-5) 7. Total (for 8 wickets in 20 overs) 199.
Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-45, 3-78, 4-125, 5-146, 6-189, 7-
189, 8-197.
Bowling: Sam Curran 4-0-28-3, Arshdeep Singh 3-0-
30-2, Kagiso Rabada 4-0-38-1, Rahul Chahar 3-0-42-1,
— K. MURALI KRISHNA
position at the auction
table itself for some years
and there is hardly any-
thing that Ponting or
Director of Cricket Sourav
Ganguly could do with
domestic talent that lacks
New Delhi, March 30: The
All India Football
Federation (AIFF) on
Saturday asked its execu-
tive committee member
Deepak Sharma to refrain
from game-related activi-
ties till the conclusion of a
probe by a panel into his
alleged physical assault of
two women footballers in
Goa.
Two footballers of
Himachal Pradesh-based
Khad FC, taking part in
the Indian Women’s
Football (IWL) League sec-
ond division, had alleged
that Sharma, the owner of
— AFP
SCOREBOARD
Harpreet Brar 2-0-14-0, Harshal Patel 4-0-45-0.
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan c de Kock b Mohsin
Khan 70, Jonny Bairstow c Stoinis b Yadav 42,
Prabhsimran Singh c Naveen-ul-Haq b Yadav 19, Jitesh
Sharma c Naveen-ul-Haq b Yadav 6, Liam Livingstone
not out 28, Sam Curran c Pooran b Mohsin Khan 0,
Shashank Singh not out 9. Extras (lb-2, w-2) 4. Total
(for 5 wickets in 20 overs) 178.
Fall of wickets: 1-102, 2-128, 3-139, 4-141, 5-141.
Bowling: Manimaran Siddharth 2-0-21-0, Naveen-ul-
Haq 4-0-43-0, Mohsin Khan 4-0-34-2, Krunal Pandya 3-
0-26-0, Ravi Bishnoi 3-0-25-0, Mayank Yadav 4-0-27-3.
quality.
CSK got an uncapped
Sameer Rizvi for `8.40
crore and the two sixes in
his first IPL innings
against Punjab Kings
showed why the franchise
the club, had barged into
their room and physically
assaulted them on the
night of March 28.
They filed a complaint
with the competition com-
mittee of the AIFF and the
Goa Football Association,
which was hosting the
tournament, also lodged a
complaint at the Mapusa
police station on the basis
of the complaint of the
two women footballers.
In the complaint, accord-
ing to sources, the two
players said Sharma was
in an inebriated state for
most of the time and they
ACTION TODAY
DC VS CSK
FROM 7.30 PM,
LIVE ON STAR SPORTS
was desperate to get him
on board. Among all fran-
chises, DC probably has
had the weakest talent
scout program and it is
paying a huge price for
poor recruitments.
There is too much on the
plate of David Warner,
who is well past his prime
and skipper Rishabh Pant,
who will take some time to
find his groove. Mitchell
Marsh’s time with DC for
the past two seasons can’t
exactly be termed consis-
tent and the presence of
Shaw will indeed add
some muscle to DC’s bat-
ting against an attack
comprising Mustafizur
Rahman, Deepak Chahar,
Matheesha Pathirana and
Ravindra Jadeja. — PTI
● Two footballers of
Khad FC, taking part in
the Indian Women’s
Football League
second division in Goa,
had alleged club owner
Deepak Sharma had
barged into their room
and physically
assaulted them on the
night of March 28.
were “scared of their
lives”.
Sharma was later arrest-
ed by Mapusa police under
various sections, includ-
● Chennai Super Kings
● Delhi Capitals
● Gujarat Titans
● Kolkata Knight Riders
● Lucknow Super Giants
● Mumbai Indians
● Punjab Kings
● Rajasthan Royals
● Royal Challengers Bengaluru PAGE
● Sunrisers Hyderabad
8
POINTS TABLE
Teams P W L N/R Points Net RR
CSK 2 2 0 0 4 +1.979
KKR
RR
2
2
2
2
0
0
0
0
4
4
+1.047
+0.800
SRH 2 1 1 0 2 +0.675
LSG
PBKS
2
3
1
1
1
2
0
0
2
2
+0.025
-0.337
RCB
GT
DC
3
2
2
1
1
0
2
1
2
0
0
0
2
2
0
-0.711
-1.425
-0.528
MI 2 0 2 0 0 -0.925
Titans are wary of
red-hot Sun form
Ahmedabad, March 30: A
depleted Gujarat Titans ACTION TODAY
bowling attack will have
to raise their game by
quite a few notches if
they intends to stop a
marauding Sunrisers
Hyderabad team fresh GT VS SRH
from their record total FROM 3.30 PM,
against Mumbai Indians, LIVE ON STAR SPORTS
here on Sunday.
Sunrisers are coming
here on the back of break- GT’s success under
ing the ceiling for all time Pandya has centred
IPL total when they plun- around one of their bat-
dered 277 against ters ability to come up
Mumbai Indians to trumps and play a match
secure their first win of winning role.
the season. Whether it’s
First time skipper Wriddhiman Saha, David
Shubman Gill’s Titans, Miller, Pandya, or Rahul
who started off with a Tewatia, one of them has
win at home against MI, typically ignited the bat-
on the other hand slipped ting lineup. However, in
in Chennai in their previ- the absence of the inspi-
ous game. rational India all-rounder,
The profligate Umesh their batting display
Yadav is no match for appears drab and lacking
injured Mohmmed Shami its usual spark.
and that is proving to be a GT had a one-day style
big factor for Titans. batting approach chasing
The resounding 63-run Chennai Super Kings’
defeat affected their net imposing 207, and barring
run rate as it plummeted Sai Sudharsan none could
to -1.425, worst among the
league’s 10 teams, which
reach 30s.
The likes of Sudharsan,
could cause some prob-
lems towards the busi-
Vijay Shankar look unidi-
mensional, while Gill’s
ness end of the tourna-
ment. It can’t be denied
that losing Hardik
T20 batting will again
come for scrutiny, after
his knocks of 31 and 8.
Pandya, who lends neces- That their finisher
sary balance with his all- Miller (12 and 21) is also
round skills has also been struggling underscored
a big factor. their slow approach in
Winners and runners- the middle overs (11-15).
up in the last two seasons, — PTI
HEAD to HEAD
Matches 3
SRH 1 GT 2
FOR THE RECORD
● Abhishek Sharma made 112 runs at an average of 37.33 and a strike
rate of 141.77 with one fifty in three innings of as many matches
against Gujarat Titans.
● Umesh Yadav claimed 13 wickets at an average of 46.92 and a strike
rate of 30.84 in 18 innings of as mnay matches against Sunrisers
Hyderabad in IPL.
LAST YEAR’S MATCHES
● Gujarat Titans defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 34 runs in
Ahmedabad.
STATS: S. PERVEZ QAISER
GILL WILL LEARN TO MAKE
TACTICAL DECISIONS: GARY
Ahmedabad, March 30: Gujarat Titans might have
made a topsy-turvy start to IPL 2024 but their men-
tor Gary Kirsten backed Shubman Gill, and said the
young captain will learn the nuances of making tac-
tical decisions in the fast-paced world of T20 crick-
et. Titans, the IPL 2022 winners and the current run-
ners-up, are now placed seventh on the table with
two points from as many matches after a win over
Mumbai Indians and defeat against Chennai Super
Kings.
“It’s a fast game. You are making tactical decisions
on a regular basis. It’s not like Test cricket where it
unfolds over a long period of time.
“I’ve been really impressed with the way he’s con-
ducted himself as a leader,” Kirsten said on Sunday.
Kirsten said Gill, who took over as GT skipper
after Hardik Pandya moved to MI, has adjusted to
his role well.
“I think he’s embraced it (captaincy) really well.
He’s shown some good leadership qualities. He’s a
smart guy. He’s a young captain, and there’s lots to
learn, especially in T20. So, he’ll learn along the
way.” — PTI
ing causing hurt, using March 29,” the AIFF said.
force against women, “The AIFF president has
among others, according instructed the committee
to Deputy Superintendent to submit a report within
of Police Sandesh seven days. In the mean-
Chodankar. time, Mr Deepak Sharma,
Sports Minister Anurag who was allegedly
Thakur earlier in the day involved in the unfortu-
asked the AIFF to take nate incident, has been
“quick” and “strong legal directed to step back and
action” against the offi- refrain from participating
cial. in all football-related
“The AIFF was formally activities until the conclu-
notified by players from sion of the committee’s
Khad FC, participating in process. The AIFF is also
the IWL 2 in Goa, of cer- working with the players
tain incidents of alleged involved to ensure their
physical assault and safe passage home,” the
harassment on them on statement added. — PTI
 cmyk

glam sham
Natasha
applauds Alia’s
delhi FULL
STORY
ON PAGE
13
THE AGE
philanthropic
efforts

11 >>
SUNDAY | 31 MARCH 2024
‘Like to alternate
between
THE UGLY TRUTH OF entertaining and
serious films’
BODY DYSMORPHIA Hamas terrorists
carrying a slain
woman’s body
Celebs and men with stunning bodies have struggled with through Gaza
streets
body dysmorphic disorder; while some spend a fortune
on surgery, others even contemplate inflicting self-harm

ANDREA CUTINHO
What do muscle-hunk
Hrithik Roshan, choco-
late-faced Imran Khan and
Hollywood heartthrob Robert
Pattinson have in common? Well,
despite having stunning looks
and a chiselled physique, they
have all suffered from body dys-
morphia at some point in their
Glorifying terrorism
Outrage erupts over a prize-winning
photo of an Israeli woman’s
near-naked body shown by Hamas
A photo depicting Hamas
terrorists carrying a slain
woman’s practically naked body
through Gaza streets has won a
coveted photo-of-the-year
award, drawing fury from those
BODY TALK
80%
who call it “an outrageous dese-
cration of Jewish life.”
MEN (22%) Earlier this month, the
WOMEN (31%) of men and women would Associated Press won first place
have moderate to choose a body type other than in one of the Pictures of the
severe body dissatis- Year International award cate-
the one they have gories with a compilation of 20
faction [National Institutes [Indian Journal of Psychiatry 2020] photographs, including a dis-
of Health, US] turbing photo of Shani Louk.
The Donald W. Reynolds
Actor Imran Khan is
AP’s win. Aviva Klompas, for-
mer Head of Speechwriting for
Israel’s Mission to the UN,
demanded that the photograph-
er be punished.
“The AP photographer who
accompanied jihadi barbarians
on their October 7 invasion of
Israel has been awarded a pres-
tigious photography prize. He is
being celebrated for taking this
photo of murder-rapist-terror-
ists with the brutalised and con-
torted body of Shani Louk.
Seems to me he should be going
to jail, not getting a prize,” she

80%
lives. Just like women, countless Journalism Institute at wrote on X.
men battle with body dysmor- vocal about his body the Missouri School of Several social media users
phic disorder (BDD) and are image issues and Journalism runs the said they were ‘shocked’ at
unhappy with their body parts – of men with body steroid use after prizes, which it the picture.
nose, beer belly, man boobs, skin-
dysmorphic being bullied for claims are the world’s “I am DISGUSTED,
ny legs, flat butt, wiry arms et al. being ‘too skinny’ oldest photojournal- SHOCKED and
Male body dysphoria rears its disorders think of ism competition. ENRAGED that this
ugly head as more men are self-harm [Body The AP’s win in @AP image of a mur-
sucked into the rabbit hole of Dysmorphic Disorder the “Team Picture dered Shani Louk from
eating disorders and mental in Men 2022 report] Story of the Year” October 7th was given
trauma. Both Hrithik and Imran category sparked picture of the year,” one
have been vocal about their considerable criti- social media user post-
issues with body image, body cism on social ed on X. “This is the
dysmorphia and how they Filmmaker Karan media, with some value of Israeli
suffered during their formative Johar wore baggy calling the award women to you?”
years from nasty comments clothes due to and the use of
and trolls. his BDD issues Louk’s image an A PHOTO DEPICT-
“outrageous ING HAMAS TERROR-
BAD EFFECT OF BDD desecration of ISTS CARRYING A
The surge in body dysmorphic Jewish life.”
SLAIN WOMAN’S PRAC-
disorder (BDD) among both men The organis-
and women serves as a stark ers uploaded TICALLY NAKED BODY
warning about the impact on the t h e THROUGH GAZA
mental and physical well-being Superstar Hrithik unblur red STREETS HAS WON
of an individual. According to a Roshan struggled photo of A COVETED PHOTO-
Body Dysmorphic Disorder in Louk’s life- OF-THE-YEAR
with BDD issues
Men 2022 report, nearly 80% of less body to AWARD, DRAWING
and poor mental
men with BDD had contemplated t h e i r FURY FROM THOSE WHO CALL
health due to IT “AN OUTRAGEOUS DESECRA-
inflicting self-harm. Instagram feed along
childhood bullying with the news of the TION OF JEWISH LIFE.”
TURN TO PAGE 10
 Sunday 31 March 2024 10

the buzz Delhi Age

THE UGLY TRUTH OF Daniel Balaji

BODY DYSMORPHIA
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
This disorder’s onset typically
occurs around the age of 12, with
adolescents and young adults
exhibiting alarming symptoms
such as excessive food consump-
tion, extreme exercise, rigid diet-
ing, starvation, purposeful vom-
iting, and social withdrawal.
Dr Gorav Gupta, psychiatrist
and co-founder of Emoneeds
explains, “The notion that men
should be muscular and lean cre-
ates unrealistic standards, lead-
ing to body dysphoria in men.
The pursuit of extreme muscu-
larity or low body fat leads to
men engaging in excessive exer-
cise or steroid use.” Dr Aswathi
Prasad, Consultant Clinical
Psychologist, Niyama Digital
Healthcare shares her take on
the vast array of mental health
issues arising from body dysmor-
phia in men. “Bullying and soci-
etal pressure to conform to ide-
alised body standards contribute
to stress, anxiety, depression,
rejection, sensitivity and dimin-
ished self-esteem among men.”
THE GYNECOMASTIA EFFECT
One of the significant reasons
for body image issues among
men of all ages is gynecomastia.
It is a condition that affects two-
thirds of the population. It
occurs when abnormal hormon-
al levels and increased estrogen
lead to enlarged chests more
than the average size. It often
leads to relentless bullying of
“man boobs” and inappropriate
touching during childhood from
peers. Partners or wives may
also perpetuate mockery that
can shatter self-esteem.
According to the Indian
Medical Council, around 30,000
Indians suffer severe depression
due to the trauma of gynaeco-
mastia.
Dr Amit Gupta, a cosmetic
surgeon, and founder-
GYNECOMASTIA
TRANSFORMS YOUNG
BOYS FROM EXTROVERTS
TO INTROVERTS,
CRUSHING THEIR SELF-
CONFIDENCE AND LEADING
THEM TO COVER THEIR BODIES.”
— Dr AMIT GUPTA,
Founder and Director, Divine Aesthetics
director at Divine Aesthetics
says, “Gynecomastia transforms
young boys from extroverts to
introverts, crushing their self-
confidence. Social seclusion
becomes their refuge as they
retreat at home and abstain from
figure-hugging sports, with
decreased participation in out-
door activities. Many contem-
plate suicide due to the relent-
less bullying from peers.” The
treatment for gynecomastia is
solely breast reduction surgery
despite many bogus medicines
and harmful testosterone injec-
tions claiming to reduce breast
size in men.
“We recommend men suffering
from the SIMON [single, imma-
ture, male, over-expectant, and
narcissistic] syndrome aka
severe obsession with one’s body
through psychological evalua-
tion before proceeding for the
surgery. We also support male
p a t i e n t s
dies at 48
The actor’s sudden death
has shocked fans, family,
and colleagues in
the film industry
Daniel Balaji, an actor, died television role was in Radikaa
in the late hours of Friday, Sarathkumar’s Chithhi, where
March 29. He suffered a heart he played Daniel. His debut
attack and was rushed to a pri- Tamil film, April Madhathil,
vate hospital in Chennai, where was released in 2022. Beside
he passed away. Balaji’s last from Tamil films, he has
rites were performed on appeared in Malayalam, Telugu,
Saturday. He was 48. and Kannada films. Known for
His death has shocked both his roles in Kakka Kakka and
admirers and the Tamil cinema Vettaiyadu Vilayadu, his last
industry. Daniel Balaji began appearance was in Ariyavan in
his career as a unit production 2023. Many celebs including
manager for Kamal Haasan’s Kamal Haasan and Radhikaa
unreleased film Sarathkumar offered condo-
Marudhanayagam. His debut lences through their X.
THE NOTION THAT
MEN SHOULD BE
MUSCULAR AND LEAN
CREATES UNREALISTIC
STANDARDS, LEADING
TO BODY DYSPHORIA
IN MEN.”
— Dr GORAV GUPTA,
Psychiatrist and
Co- Founder, Emoneeds
followed was a weight loss of
over 50 pounds. Thanks to regu-
lar working out and a healthy
diet,” Mohan adds.
Today, Mohan is a celebrated
model. “I have consciously based
my career on personality rather
than the so-called perfect body,”
he adds. Mohan is against the
tremendous pressure on young-
sters and older men to look a cer-
tain way. Rakesh Shah (name
changed), a 22-year-old IT engi-
neer speaks of his struggle with
body dysmorphia. “I was bullied
in school for being too thin and
rejected by women. That led me
down a dark path of bad vices.
However, after going to the gym,
I have learned to love my body. I
use fitness to attain mental
peace rather than an attempt to
forcefully gain weight,” he says.
Body dysmorphia is a serious Shanmugam Shankar and Anil Kapoor
issue that affects men of all ages
and can last for many years.

THE HEALING TOUCH

by talking to their adult
relatives or partners to
determine the root cause,”
adds Dr Amit.
REAL-LIFE HEROES
Dinesh Mohan (64), a
renowned model and
actor is the epitome of
resilience and
strength. “After suf-
fering the loss of a
loved one, I found
it very hard to be
productive and
my mental
health was in
shambles. I turned to
food as my solace which led to
immense weight gain,” Mohan
says. He watched the helpless-
ness and pain in his sister’s
eyes after he lost motor control
in his limbs. “But I decided to
give life a second shot. What
Effective therapy techniques for
healing men from body image
issues often involve a combina-
tion of cognitive-behavioural
therapy (CBT) to address nega-
tive thought patterns. Dr Gupta
explains how psychiatrists and
therapists help men struggling
with BDD. “Emphasising nutri-
tional education and coun-
selling; establishing a safe space
to express emotions, gradual
exposure therapy, CBT and holis-
tic approach involving family
are some of the methods used to
help men overcome eating disor-
ders and body image issues,” Dr
Gupta says. Incorporating self-
compassion, open dialogue, and
realistic expectations can be
instrumental in guiding men
toward a positive and healthy
relationship with their bodies- a
unique and worthwhile journey
toward well-being.
AK, Shankar, to join
hands for Nayak 2?
The director of the 2001 political action
film was spotted at the residence of
Anil Kapoor on Saturday
Anil Kapoor is on cloud
nine after the success of
his Fighter and Animal. After
grossing crores at the box
office, the flicks have made it
to the list of the most watched
OTT films.
Meanwhile, talk is wide-
spread that the veteran
Bollywood performer may
soon collaborate with South
director Shanmugam
Shankar on the sequel to their
critically acclaimed film
Nayak.
Rumours began after photos
of Shankar’s meeting with
Anil Kapoor in Mumbai went
viral. It is worth noting that
Nayak was a remake of the
Tamil movie Mudhalvan,
which starred Arjun Sarja
and Manisha Koirala. In the
Hindi remake, Anil Kapoor
and Rani Mukerji played the
key parts.
Anil’s next film will be
Subedaar while Shankar is
presently working on Ram
Charan’s Game Changer.
 Sunday 31 March 2024 11

glam sham Delhi Age

Natasha applauds Alia’s

philanthropic efforts
Highlighting the event’s significance
in championing philanthropy
At the ‘Hope Gala’ in London, Alia
Bhatt hosted a star-studded event
to support the Salaam Bombay
Foundation’s cause for underprivileged
Malaika bridges
children.
Among the attendees was Natasha
Poonawalla, who donned a vibrant lehen-
past and present
NATASHA PRAISED
ga crafted by Manish Malhotra. Natasha
expressed her pride in joining Alia for
THE EXQUISITE Despite her relationship with
OUTFIT DESIGNED
the noble cause, emphasising the impor-
BY MALHOTRA,
Arjun Kapoor, she shares
tance of accessible education for all. She
thanked Alia for the invitation and HIGHLIGHTING ITS warmth with ex-husband Arbaaz
INTRICATE
applauded the foundation’s dedica-
tion. Additionally, Natasha praised CRAFTSMANSHIP Khan’s family
the exquisite outfit designed by AND HISTORICAL Presently in a rela- donning a blue ensemble
Malhotra, highlighting its intricate SIGNIFICANCE. tionship with Arjun and Sshura stunning in a
craftsmanship and historical sig- IN RESPONSE, ALIA Kapoor, Malaika Arora black dress. The newly-
nificance. COMMENDED maintains amicable ties weds graciously posed for
In response, Alia commended NATASHA AS A with ex-husband Arbaaz paparazzi, highlighting
Natasha as a “Stunner,” accom- “STUNNER,” Khan’s family. the peaceful co-existence
panied by heartfelt emojis, ACCOMPANIED BY Recently, she joined them within the extended fami-
while Malhotra reciprocated HEARTFELT for a family dinner, accom- ly, transcending past rela-
with black hearts. EMOJIS. panied by her mother, sis- tionships. Malaika’s pres-
ter, and nephew. Alongside ence underscores the
Arbaaz and his wife importance of nurturing
Sshura Khan, the gather- positive connections, even
ing included veteran after significant life
screenwriter Salim Khan. changes, fostering an envi-
MEANWHILE… The event showcased ronment of acceptance

A
lia Bhatt sur- camaraderie, with Arbaaz and mutual respect.
prised attendees
at the ‘Hope Gala’
in London with a live per-
formance of Ikk Kudi. The
rendition, originally sung by
Diljit Dosanjh and reprised by
Hollywood legend
Diljit and Bhatt for the film
Udta Punjab, captivated the
audience. Joined by musician
Louis Gossett Jr.
Harshdeep Kaur, Alia’s
impromptu performance
passes away at 87
added a memorable touch
to the evening in support He was the first Black actor
of the Salaam Bombay
Foundation.
to secure an Oscar for a
supporting role
Louis Gossett Jr., the
groundbreaking actor

Hailey’s Instagram activity known for being the first

Black man to win a sup-
porting actor Oscar and

sparks fresh controversy starring in Roots, died at 87

in Santa Monica,
California. His cousin
Hailey Bieber’s recent Instagram Story remembered him as a dig-
As fans dissect featuring Beyoncé’s rendition of ‘Jolene’ nified figure who fought
the possible sparked renewed speculation regarding a pos-
sible feud with Selena Gomez. Some fans
racism with humour
and walked with Nelson Mandela.
implications interpreted the song choice as a subtle jab at Gossett’s career began early with his
Gomez, given her past relationship with Broadway debut at age 16 and later
behind her choice Bieber’s husband, Justin Bieber. included roles in iconic films like An
of Beyoncé’s However, others defended Bieber’s right to
enjoy music without hidden meanings.
Officer and a Gentleman, Enemy Mine,
and Sadat. He also starred in TV
‘Jolene’ Bieber has previously criticised the narra-
HAILEY AND shows such as The Rockford Files
tive of rivalry, labelling it as “dangerous” and The Mod Squad. Despite his
and stressing the importance of ending JUSTIN BIEBER’S success, Gossett faced racism in
divisive stories. Despite past tensions, Hollywood, reflecting on experi-
Hailey and Justin Bieber’s relationship RELATIONSHIP HAS ences of discrimination
has endured public scrutiny, with ENDURED PUBLIC throughout his life. He dedicat-
Gomez’s fans once sending Bieber death SCRUTINY, WITH ed his later years to activism
threats. This ongoing saga continues to against racism and founded the
captivate social media, underscoring the GOMEZ’S FANS Eracism Foundation. Survived
persistent tensions between the Bieber and ONCE SENDING by his sons Satie and Sharron,
Gomez camps. Gossett’s legacy extends
BIEBER DEATH beyond his acting achievements
THREATS. to his advocacy for racial equality.
 Sunday 31 March 2024 12

fortune cookie Delhi Age

SOLAR ECLIPSE GOOD NEWS!

OSCAR CAINER
YOUR HOROSCOPE
FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING
31 MARCH 2024
ARIES
March 21 - April 20
nspiration isn’t polite or patient. It
Iwithout
arrives without warning; entering
so much as a knock, and acting
as if it owns the place. And it leaves
without a word of warning. And when
we invite it into our lives, it doesn’t
always respond. How does it get away
with behaving so outrageously? It
knows it’s always welcome! In April, if
you want inspiration to make itself at
home in your world, be as expectant as
you can be. The Solar Eclipse, in your
sign, brings such a boost that with revi-
talised hope, you can achieve great
things.
T
hey say the best time to change was yesterday, and the second-best time is today.
Yet as April fools us by kicking off with Mercury turning retrograde, it might not be
easy to get exciting ideas off the ground. But never fear! This month, with a Total
Solar Eclipse and Jupiter meeting Uranus for the first time since 2011, even if our flow is
interrupted, there’s no stemming the tide. And with Mars and Venus returning to their
celestial homes at the end of April, any lasting difficulties will become yesterday’s news.
CAPRICORN
CANCER June 23-July 23
December 22-January 20
new month lies ahead of you and, since every day is ‘the first day
A of the rest of your life’, you’re facing an abundance of opportunities to
refresh and recreate your world. If that sounds daunting don’t panic! The Solar B eing an industrious Capricorn,
when people need help, you’re at
Eclipse signals change. Your task is to accept that things are transforming, and the top of their ‘go-to’ list. It’s obvi-
know that if you allow the changes to unfold, you won’t have to go through any ous; you’re so competently dealing
more fresh, courageous starts for a while. If you seize the opportunities April with your ‘to-do’ list that you hardly
brings, the breakthroughs you make will be pleasingly satisfying. And lasting. notice a few additional items. But do
you want to spend April running
For news you need to hear about April, visit: infree.cainer.com around looking after problems that
other folk should be dealing with?
Don’t you have enough on your plate?
LEO VIRGO If you enjoy carrying extra responsi-
July 24-August 23 August 24-September 23 bilities, go for it. But be aware that
April brings opportunities with your

April is going to be amazing! For inspir-

Ithatfential
you’re feeling less influ- here’s a big difference
than normal, and concerned Tbetween checking some-
you don’t have the authority to where out on Google maps and travel-
name on them. Make sure you’ve got
the energy and time to seize them.

ing insight, visit: infree.cainer.com
TAURUS
April 21-May 21
verything happens for a reason. The
E problem is that we don’t always
know what it is. It’s easy to assume we
know why something’s happening, only
to realise it’s happening for a different
reason. Signals that seem clear can be
misleading. Aargh! Even astrologers
have to be careful about how they read
the planet’s movements to make accu-
rate predictions. Like everyone, if we
jump to conclusions, we can get it
wrong. Yet in April, as long as you
reflect (rather than react) all the signs
point to you having an excellent month.
For uplifting news about April, check out
your forecasts at infree.cainer.com
deal with upcoming events, April
brings reassurance. The Solar Eclipse
enables you to see that the sense of
loss you’re experiencing is because
you’re awakening to the reality of a
situation. You’re becoming clearer.
And, as the month progresses this
clarity will lead to a much deeper
understanding of what’s going on.
Your insight will ensure that you’re
able to make excellent decisions that
bring emotional (and material)
rewards. Yay!
April’s cosmic events could transform
your life! Visit infree.cainer.com
LIBRA
September 24-October 23
ou know how you feel
Y when you walk into someone’s Sabout keeping things simple. It is,
house and it’s spotlessly tidy? The apparently, the key to an easy life. But
ling to the area and looking around. It’s
a bit like planning a dinner party and
actually having people round for a
meal; no matter how well-prepared you
are, there are going to be surprises and
challenges to deal with. Some things
will go better than you expect. And
some things will do the opposite. As
April starts with your ruler turning
retrograde, you might need to rethink
some of your ideas. But that’s OK.
You’ll end up stronger and happier.
Make April a month to remember! For
valuable news, visit infree.cainer.com
SCORPIO
October 24-November 22
elf-help gurus talk
April brings potential for positive
change. Find out more! Visit
infree.cainer.com
AQUARIUS
January 21-February 19
S ome people are philo-
sophical about their lot in life and
make do with whatever comes their
way. And some people, who don’t seem
to think much about anything, experi-
ence extraordinary good fortune. Is
that fair? It seems that luck follows
principles that defy our comprehen-
sion. And that the harder we try to
grasp the way it works, the more easi-
ly it slips through our fingers. So,
what kind of mindset should you
adopt in order for things to go well in
April? If you accept what life brings,
and stay hopeful, your luck will be in!

GEMINI
May 22-June 22
magine you’re setting off
I on holiday. You’ve packed your bags,
checked in at the airport, and are wait-
ing for your flight to be called. Now...
where is that book you were going to
read? It’s in the bag that’s disappeared
into the hold. You remembered to pack
it, but you can’t access it when you
want it. Frustrating. With your ruler
turning retrograde, April might seem
to kick off with that kind of start. Yet
the Solar Eclipse brings the experi-
ences you need when you’re on vaca-
tion. Expect enthusiasm, thrills and
fun this month.
You’re going to enjoy April. Find out
why! Visit infree.cainer.com
cushions are colour co-ordinated, and they go on to detail lots of different Make April special! For inspiring fore-
plumped up. Even the sock drawers are ways and approaches we should use to casts and great news, visit
neatly arranged. It’s easy to compare simplify our worlds. Meanwhile, kids infree.cainer.com
our own homes and feel we come up are taught simple maths, which
short. They say that cleanliness is next they’re expected to use to work out
to godliness. But they also say that you ever more complicated equations. It’s
can’t judge a book by its cover! In confusing! Should you go for simple or PISCES
April, with the Solar Eclipse in your complex this month? While you can
opposite sign, don’t worry about how expect the usual kinds of challenges February 20-March 20
things look. Focus on how they feel.
Following your heart is key to comfort
to come your way, if you’re prepared
to adapt your approach each time, hen you move into a new home,
and joy this month. your achievements will be top class. W you make decisions about where
to put the furniture. And that’s where
Be ready for April! It’s going to be It’s April! For uplifting news on the it stays; you get used to the way it’s
action-packed! Visit infree.cainer.com opportunities ahead, visit infree.cain- arranged. Then, one day, you might be
er.com sitting on the sofa and realise that if
you shifted things around, you’d cre-
ate a new vibe, and make better use of
SAGITTARIUS November 23-December 21 the space. With a creative shuffle it
will be much improved. In April, you
e can’t help taking things for granted. We expect the Sun to
W rise every morning. And set every night. But suppose it
decides to have a duvet day? Fortunately, that’s not going to hap-
can use a similar technique on your
life. You can find inventive, exciting
(easy) ways to solve old problems
pen. Some things are always there for us, no matter what. As usual, which lead to a much more comfort-
unpredictable situations are guaranteed to pop up in April. But the spark of able lifestyle.
sunshine within you will empower you with the resources to deal with what-
ever comes your way. Add the power of the Solar Eclipse, and this month suc- Take full advantage of April’s opportu-
cess is guaranteed too. Enjoy! nities! Visit infree.cainer.com

For inspiring predictions to take you through the coming month, visit
WANT TO KNOW MORE? infree.cainer.com

The late Jonathan Cainer’s nephew Oscar, will bring you your weekly zodiac forecasts over the weeks and months to come. For more from Oscar, visit cainer.com
 Sunday 31 March 2024 13

tollywood Delhi Age

‘LIKE TO ALTERNATE CHARAN

BETWEEN ENTERTAINING TAKES A
BREAK
AND SERIOUS FILMS’ He’ll push to
complete Game
Vijay Deverakonda discusses his plans ON CHOOSING Changer quickly
to do more films in Tamil, and a gamut SCRIPTS IN TELUGU
after his return
of other topics, including his plans to select only from the After having wrapped up a
enter wedlock and politics
I scripts that come to me.
Out of 20 good directors, 10
hectic schedule of shooting
for Game Changer despite par-
are busy with other films, ticipating in a series of events —
ANUPAMA SUBRAMANIAN ON PLANS and 10 come to me with his birthday celebrations and
THE ASIAN AGE
FOR FULL- ready scripts. I pick what new film openings — Ram
FLEDGED ACTION I like based on my Charan had decided to take it
“Chennai is always special to MOVIES taste.” easy. He has taken off on a trip
me,” said Vijay Devarakonda, abroad to get some rest.
who is in the city to promote here is some action in this The actor
his upcoming film, Family Star. “I
am grateful for all the love Tamil
T film, but maybe I’ll do a full
action project after another couple of
posted a pic-
ture of him-
Nadu has given me, from Arjun movies. I like to alternate between self perched
Reddy to Geetha Govindam and entertaining and serious films to on the arm
Kushi.” avoid getting bored. The next film rest of an air-
The actor, who spoke in English, will be different, it’s in the serious plane seat,
promised to address the Chennai action-drama space, while this one looking out of
press in Tamil on his next visit. “I did is a more entertaining, summer the window,
just one film, Nota, in Tamil. I want to holiday kind of film.” with his pet
do more, and I am listening to scripts Ram Charan dog Rhyme
below: with his
with Tamil directors. However, my pet Rhyme making him-
next film with Gowtam Tinnanuri ON MAR- self comfort-
has some major Tamil actors, RIAGE PLANS IN able on the
which will help me get back to 2024 seat.
communicating in Tamil. In Charan is expected to return to Hyderabad in the first week of
the next 6-7 months, I will be ot in 2024, but even- April. “Charan is keen to wrap up the remaining portions of
spending lots of time with
Tamil actors on set. Next
N tually, I will get
married. It will be a
the Shanmugam Shankar directorial within two months of his
return — perhaps by summer. The film has already been long-
time, I aim to talk only in love marriage, but my delayed and he’s in no mood to extend it further,” said a source.
Tamil,” he said. parents need to love “Since Charan is set to commence shooting of his next film,
Vijay says that in Tamil cine- the girl too. Both a sports drama directed by Buchi Babu, in June, he doesn’t
ma, he desires to explore gen- mom and dad want any further delays in Game Changer,” the source added.
res that suit his age. “Tamil cin- need to really If all goes well, the film may be released in October.
ema has great mass films and like her.”
actors. I’d like to do something young off the web
and entertaining, with a bit of every-
anita Sandhu will BANITA
thing, I am listening to a few and will probably lock
something in the next 3-4 months.” B be seen as the
leading lady in Adivi
SANDHU
TO SHOOT
Sesh starrer G2. The IN BHUJ
ON FAMILY STAR actress will start
shooting for it in
Bhuj, Gujarat soon.
IAllnchange
every family, there is one person who fights to
their financial status and living standards.
of us have seen our parents struggle to give us an
Banita who had
earlier featured in
education and a better life. Personally, I also fought films like October,
to change my family’s situation. Family Star is Sardar Udham, and
about that one guy who is an extreme version of all Tamil film Adithya
of us. His love, naughtiness and anger are all mag- Varma, said that
nified. You will relate to him, but he is an exagger- being a part of G2
ated version. If you enjoyed Geetha Govindam, was a creative
Family Star is Geetha Govindam on steroids.” delight for
Reacting to a comment about his use of harsh lan- her. She
guage on screen, Vijay said, “He is a character that posted the
resorts to abuse when he’s angry, just like you and me. photo on Insta
But it’s not overdone. Family Star is 100% clean.” and captioned it,
“vibe check.”

Even as Telugu cinema races

towards the century milestone,
filmmaker Venu Donepudi recalls
with pride that his family made
imprints during the golden era of
the industry — 1940s and 50s
On his maternal side, Venu hails
from the legendary Gudavalli
Ramabrahmam family which has
written and directed many films,
including landmark ones like
Maala Pilla, Raithu Bidda and
Palnati Yudham in 1940s.
Inspired by his grandfather
Ramabrahmam, Venu stepped into
‘Films are a collaborative effort’
Venu Donepudi looks back at his family’s strong legacy in cinema
film business while he was in the
USA a few years ago. “I worked as
an automobile engineer there for
more than a decade, but my passion
for films was strong. I took up exhi-
bition and distribution and han-
dled over 150 films in the US and
globally before turning filmmak-
er,” he says. Venu is debuting as a
producer for the yet-to-be-titled
film starring Gopichand and
directed by Sreenu Vaila. The last
schedule of the film’s shooting
commenced recently. He says, in
this era of content-driven films,
audiences won’t settle for anything
mediocre. “Filmmaking has
changed over the years and audi-
ences are watching world cinema;
it’s extremely challenging to bring
out engaging content,” he notes,
adding that he’s glad to bring out a
film which is content-based. “Life
in showbiz has been enriching
because films are a collaborative
effort of several people at different
levels.”

VENU'S MATERNAL GRANDFATHER IS GUDAVALLI RAMABRAHMAM WHO HAS WRITTEN AND DIRECTED MANY FILMS, INCLUDING LANDMARK ONES
LIKE MAALA PILLA, RAITHU BIDDA AND PALNATI YUDHAM IN 1940S. INSPIRED BY HIS GRANDFATHER RAMABRAHMAM, VENU STEPPED INTO FILMS
 Sunday 31 March 2024 14

leisure Delhi Age

PHANTOM FUNDAMENTALS SENJAM RAJ SEKHAR
here are 968 million together collaborated on

T voters in India and

for many of them,
the key identifying factor
when casting the vote is
the symbol of the candi-
date. Take this quiz on
the electoral symbols.
Write with your sugges-
tions, questions (with
answers) to
senjam@gmail.com.
ELECTORAL SYMBOLS
1. The Eknath Shinde fac-
tion of Shiv Sena was
able to wrest the ‘bow
and arrow’ symbol from
the UBT faction, for the
2024 elections. However,
one party from the East
has had the bow and
arrow symbol since 1985.
Name the party ?
2. What is the contribu-
tion of a gentleman
named MS Sethi to the
electoral process in
GARFIELD India?
3. Two parties use the
electoral symbol of the
elephant. The most
famous one is the
Bahujan Samaj Party.
Which is the other?
4. What symbol is com-
mon to these parties –
Samajwadi Party,
Manipur People’s Party,
Telugu Desam and
Panthers Party?
5. From 1951 to 1977, this
party had an oil lamp as
its election symbol.
However, since 1980, the
party has not only
changed its name but also
its symbol. Identify?
6. Both the DMK in Tamil
Nadu and Zoram
Nationalist Party (ZNP)
in Mizoram have the sun
as their election symbol.
However, there is a funda-
mental difference in the
two symbols. What?
7. The Naitik Party
formed by Chandra
Bhusan Pandey claims
morality (Naitikta) as its
BLONDIE primary plank. They
unsuccessfully staged a
protest when their elec-
tion symbol was allotted
to another party in 2013.
Which symbol?
8. The Congress is now
identified with the hand.
FUNDA OF
THE WEEK
18th century England
had a window tax on
households, based on
the number of win-
dows in the house. The
rationale for this is
that bigger the house,
the more windows it
was likely to have, and
more taxes from the
bigger households.
What popular phrase
in English is supposed
to have originated
from this practice?
(Sanjay Nair, Noida)
Daylight robbery
ANSWERS:
However, from the period
between 1952 and 1969,
the Congress party sym-
bol used to be something
else. What?
9. What class of election
symbols were dropped by
the Election Commission
of India since the 2004
elections after protests
from activists?
10. This invention of
Swiss physician
Francois-Pierre Aime
Argand in the late 18th
Century, later morphed
into a very common
household item in India
of the 20th century. In
1997, this item was appro-
priated by a newly
formed political party for
its symbol. Name the
party and its symbol?
ANYTHING GOES
1. Tivoli Gardens is an
amusement park and
pleasure garden opened
on 15 August 1843 and is
the third-oldest operating
amusement park in the
world,and fifth most vis-
ited in Europe. Where is
it exactly located?(Dr.
Shanu Chandran, Kochi)
2. Tina Modotti, the
Italian actress and the
subject of a Pablo Neruda
poem travelled to Mexico
and met Indian agronomy
professor Pandurang
Khankoje and they
a remarkable set of pho-
tographs on rural condi-
tions. What is the contri-
bution of Pandurang
Khankoje to the Indian
freedom movement?(Dee
S u r e n d r a n a t h ,
Hyderabad)
3. While touring the city
of New York in a trolley
car on a snowy day in the
early 1900s, Mary
Anderson conceived her
idea of an important part
of a car.What did she
invent?(Philip Joshua,
Secunderabad)
4. What is an informal
name for an establish-
ment in which offenders
aged 15 to 21 could be
detained for corrective
training? The name orig-
inated from the first such
institution established in
1902 in a village in
England. In India, these
establishments still exist
in nine states. (Dr. J.V.
Subba Rao,
Secunderabad)
5. India has a rich biodi-
versity with national
parks across the country.
However, only one state
in India does not have a
national park. Which
one? (Sahasra Vislesha,
Secunderabad)
6. Nirmala Sitharaman is
the 2nd central finance
minister of India to pre-
sent the budget 6 times.
Who is the first one?(S.
Miracle, Secunderabad)
7. This Christian pilgrim
place is popular as the
“Other Sabarimala” in
Kerala. St.Thomas who
landed in Kerala in the
first century is believed
to have prayed here and
St.Mary appeared to him
and later a Golden Cross
was found there. Every
year during Lent, lakhs of
Christian pilgrims make
a visit and pray here.
Name the place.(Dr. Kota
Tirupataiah, Hyderabad)
8. 23rd August is celebrat-
ed in Maharashtra as a
day dedicated to an iconic
food that originated in
the mill heartland of cen-
tral Mumbai. Which
dish?(Abin KI,
Ernakulam)

ANSWERS
8. Vada Pav activists, animals were dropped from the list.
district 9. Animals. Owing to protests from animal
7. Malayattoor Kurisumudy Hill, Ernakulam 8. Bullocks carrying a yoke
6. Morarji Desai Admi Party
5. Punjab 7. Broom( Jhadu) now identified with Aam
4. Borstal Schools. symbol is the sun without rays
3. Windshield wiper blade. 6. DMK symbol is a rising sun, while ZNP
Party bol
2. He is one of the founders of the Ghadar avatar of the BJP, had an oil lamp as its sym-
1. Copenhagen 5. BJP. Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the earlier
4. Bicycle
ANYTHING GOES 3. Asom Gana Parishad
pencil.
hurricane lamps. were used in the elections - all using a HB
18th Century, which became the standard for the symbols of the political parties which
Argand invented the Argand lamp in the late Election Commission of India. He sketched
10. RJD. Its symbol is the hurricane lamp. 2. MS Sethji was a draughtsman with the
parties. 1. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
long history of its use as a symbol by different
Only Elephant and lion remained owing to the ELECTORAL SYMBOLS
 Sunday 31 March 2024 15

leisure Delhi Age

BRIDGE | Bob Jones SUNDAY CROSSWORD — 1138

ACROSS : DOWN : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 Begin anew 1 Topographi- 11 12

(6) cally very

13 14 15
4 Biblical hymn uneven (6)
(5) 2 Investigate
7 Ancient (4)
Greek city (6) 3 Language of 16 17 18
13 Of the stom- Maharashtra
ach (7) (7) 19 20
14 Objective, 5 Endurance
21 22 23 24
target (3) (7)
15 Not deep (7) 6 This young 25 26
16 Entry in a animal can
list (4) be called the 27 28 29 30
17 Bother (3) symbol of
18 Feels spring (7)
remorse for 8 Level out (7)
(4) 9 Tumble along 31 32
21 Large (4)
church (8) 10 Whenever
23 Brought up one wishes 33 34 35 36 37 38 39
(8) ? (2,4)
f you watch world-class players 27 Residential 11 Italian

I
40 41
online, you’ll notice how often unit (9) shrimp (6)
they use the red penalty–card. 29 Coming to 12 Money- 42 43 44
the throne lender (6)
Most of us are far too hesitant: we (9) 19 The land of 45 46
feel we pretty much have to guaran- 31 Special abil- the
tee a contract won’t make before we ities (9) Maharajas?
47 48 49

double. But as Zia Mahmood once 32 Engagement (9)

said: ‘If every contract you double (9) 20 Highly
goes down, you’re not doubling 33 Lingering, pleased (9) 50 51 52
enough.’ being tardy 22 Pass sen-
Very true. But he might have (8) tence on (7)
37 Collections 24 Not precise, SOLUTION FOR CROSSWORD - 1137 WIN A PRIZE
added that it does depend a bit on
of records dim or Here’s your chance to
the person you’re doubling. Be cau- W E X P E C T A T I O N P
(8) vague (7) win a cash prize of
tious with players who seem to pull 42 Metamor- 25 River nymph
tricks out of hats, or who, as a K I R O V W E I S L A M `200 each.
phoses (5) All you need to
result of your double, might find a author (4) 26 Male rela- L E D E L I V E R N I
brilliant alternative line – Zia him- 43 India's real- tive (5) O T H E R W I S E I N E L E G A N T do is rush in your
self, for instance. Another great time pay- 28 Vietnamese completed crossword
S I S I T L B R entry to us by
player who should come with a ment sys- New Year
warning sign is Gunnar Hallberg. tem (3) (3) S E C T S T E S T I F Y P I L A U Wednesday with your
He was at London’s rubber bridge 44 Cuts off or 30 S. American I C I O U A I U O I full name and address.
club TGRs recently, and at one severs from city __
F L U T T E R R T N E R V O U S Mark the envelope to:
the whole Paolo (3) Sunday
point, bid to 4♠. His left-hand oppo- (4) 34 Income (7) Y P R A T T L E E A G E R M M
nent, James Vogl (who happens to Crossword-1 1138
47 Early perfor- 35 In truth (6) Y U R A
be a world-class poker and Sunday Magazine,
mance (7) 36 Swiss
backgammon player), had what 48 Loan instal- cheese (7) I O A D D E D O B O I S T S A 36, S.D. Road,
looked like the safest double in the ment (3) 37 Enduring (7) G A L I L E O E R T E D I O U S Secbad-0 03
world (see diagram). 49 Give a title 38 Less warm ?
N D O N P I T A R L
Playing 5-card Majors, North’s to (7) (6)
I N E R T A L L E G R O K N A V E WINNERS OF
jump to 3♠ was invitational (it 50 Correspon- 39 Encroach (7) CROSSWORD 1137
might have been better to bid ded in 40 Vibration; T S T O A M R E
sound (6) shiver (6)
2♦then jump to 4♠). Gunnar raised E X T R E M E L Y M E A S U R E U P G. LAKSHMI
51 Measure 41 Vocation (6)
to game: he always accepts with heaviness 45 Remain (4) E S S E S S I O N S P
Secunderabad
5431 distribution. James naturally (5) 46 Ancient S. PADMAJA
pulled out the red card. I N T R A I N E X T O L Hyderabad
52 Bank's Greek coin
He led the ♠A, followed by a low cashier? (6) (4) O U N T A R N I S H E D N
heart to East’s ♥K and Gunnar’s
♥A. Gunnar, after some thought,
decided to play James for 4333 dis- J I G G E D D E T O U R M A G I G A S C H I C
tribution, and also for the ♣Q (with- O R T E R R Y D E A E O H E R
out it, he felt, James might have
CROSSWORD JIGSAW
Answer for last week’s

switched to a club at Trick 2). B O A S T S E R B I UM R I N G E D A P A C H E

Gunnar now played the ♣J, winning B T U K A S E O I T I L L AMA T M
West’s ♣Q with dummy’s ♣K. He
STRIKE OUT

E V E N S I S R U N S I N A D A Y E M P I R E
cashed the ♦AK, discarding a heart,
and ruffed a diamond. Next he R A S E D L MO S E S N L A B S P A C D
ruffed a heart, crossed back to the G A R D E N C Y R A L O A T H E D E
♣A, ruffed another heart, and C U R R Y R C A R V E H E A R D R M S M
crossed back to the ♣10. He was
down to ♠Q96; James to ♠KJ10. He L E E S Q OM L E E R I N D I A N F I A C R E
exited with a low spade. James, on A A P U N I C A E N I T O K E N R N
lead with ♠KJ, had no way of pre- I S C H I A N O R D I C G O B L E T A G H A S T
venting Gunnar from making his
♠Q. M T K L A U S E T I L C R G H
S Y S T E M S H A R D S S E E D H R S E S N E
 Sunday 31 March 2024 16

matinee Delhi Age

EPIC HUMOUR Varun Dhawan,

KARAN JOHAR’S HILARIOUS
SHAYARI LEAVES NETIZENS IN Diljit Dosanjh,
SPLITS!
Renowned filmmaker Karan Johar
and Arjun
recently showcased his witty side with a
humorous shayari on love and monogamy,
leaving netizens amused. Known for his
Kapoor set for
candidness, Johar has often shared insights into
his personal life on platforms like Koffee With
Karan.
‘No Entry’ sequel
However, his latest social media post takes a
playful jab at his single status, suggesting it’s
time to embrace and celebrate it. With his
signature flair for words, Johar’s cryptic yet
entertaining poem has sparked conversations
about modern relationships and the dynamics of
being unattached.
As he eloquently navigates the
nuances of love and
commitment, Johar’s
comedic touch adds Boney
an unexpected
charm to the
Kapoor
discourse. confirms the trio’s
casting for the
follow-up to the 2005
comedy, along with plans
for a Hollywood
collaboration on Mr. India 2
Rajkummar In a follow-up to the 2005 hit comedy
No Entry, producer Boney Kapoor
confirmed actors Varun Dhawan,
Rao’s biopic Diljit Dosanjh, and Arjun Kapoor for the
lead roles. Kapoor expressed confidence in
the trio, noting their chemistry and

‘Srikanth’ set comedic talents. He also disclosed ongoing

discussions with a Hollywood studio for
Mr. India 2, stating that the sequel might

to release on proceed after No Entry 2. Furthermore,

Boney Kapoor mentioned that a Hollywood
studio approached him for the Mr. India pro-

May 10 ject. Regarding No Entry 2, he mentioned

plans to cast ten female leads, while the
male actors and director Anees
Bazmee are already finalised.
It is based on the The sequel is slated to com-
inspiring story of the mence filming
December, while Kapoor’s
in

visually impaired upcoming production,

Maidaan, starring Ajay
industrialist Srikanth Devgn, is set for release
Bolla on April 10.
— PTI
Rajkummar Rao’s Srikanth,
a biopic on visually
impaired industrialist Srikanth
Bolla, will hit the screens on
May 10, the makers announced
on Saturday. The film, which
OFF THE WEB
was earlier titled Sri, is direct- PRIYANKA AND NICK ATTEND MANNARA’S
ed by Tushar Hiranandani
from a script written by
BIRTHDAY BASH!
Jagdeep Sidhu and Sumit
riyanka
Purohit.
T-Series has backed the movie in P Chopra and
Nick Jonas
collaboration with Chalk N Cheese
Films Production LLP. added glamour
“A remarkable journey that will open to Mannara
your eyes! #Srikanth, earlier titled ‘Sri’, Chopra’s birth-
releasing on the auspicious occasion of day celebration
Akshaya Tritiya, 10th May 2024,” T- in Mumbai.
Series posted on its social media han- Priyanka
dle. Srikanth portrays the life of sparkled in EXPLORING WILDLIFE
Srikanth Bolla, an industrialist who silver heels, areena Kapoor Khan
fearlessly pursued his dreams despite
his visual impairment, ultimately
Nick in yellow
trousers, and
K and her adorable son
Jeh were seen on a safari
founding Bollant Industries. The film Mannara in
also stars Alaya F, Jyotika, and adventure in Tanzania,
crimson, com- with binoculars in hand.
Sharad Kelkar.
pleting the star- The mother-son duo
— PTI studded affair! enjoyed spotting wildlife.