eye

THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE

GOING
NEWDELHI,LATECITY
OCTOBER9,2022
ON 80
What is the secret of
20PAGES,`7.00 Amitabh Bachchan’s
(`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12SRINAGAR) enduring appeal?
DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM PAGES 15, 16, 17

Punjab Land of
Unlimited
Opportunities

8736 CONTRACTUAL
87
EMPLOYEES REGULARISED

Sada Kamm

Bolda
...Aage Vi Sada Kamm Hi Bolega

Bhagwant Mann
Chief Minister, Punjab
Department of Information & Public Relations, Punjab

New Delhi
 2 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022

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Zonal office, Budh Marg, Patna, Bihar-800001, E mail: zopatna@indianbank.co.in, PH:0612-2508237

''IMPORTANT''
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Office of the Superintending Engineer
Water Resources Circle Bhilwara
No. /Acctt./2022
NOTICE INVITING BID No. 05/2022-23
NIB No. WRD2223A0382
Bids for the following works are invited from interested bidders upto 6:00 PM Date.
01.11.2022.
S.N.
1 Restoration of Dorai Minor Irrigation Project
Tehsil Begun District Chittorgarh
Other particulars of the bid may visited on the procurement portal sppp.raj.nic.in,
eproc.rajasthan.gov.in and Water Resources Department website.
UBN No. WRD2223WSOB01406
DIPR/C/12809/2022
Office of the Executive Engineer Water Resources Division,
Sawai Madhopur Bajaria, Sawai Madhopur - 322001
Dt. 28.09.2022 No. : 2022-23/3582-87
INVITATION OF E-TENDER NO 03 YEAR 2022-23
On behalf of Governor of Rajasthan invites tender for eligible contractors (A/AA
Class) for civil work under WHS in Year 2022-23 estimated cost of works is
Rs. 268.50 Lakhs Period for downloading/Uploading tender documents dated
07/10/2022 to 01/11/2022 Up to 6.00 PM and Date of opening of Financial bid
Name Of Work Appox. Cost of Work (Rs in Iacs) 02/11/2022 at 04.00 PM
475.85 UBN No: WRD2223WSOB0141
NIB No. WRD2223A0391
The details are available on the following websites:-
1- www.dipr.rajasthan.gov.in
2- www.sppp.rajasthan.gov.in
3- www.eproc.rajasthan.gov.in
Sd/-
Suprintending Engineer
WATER RESOURCES CIRCLE, BHILWARA DIPR/C/12816/2022
E-AUCTION NOTICE
E-Auction Sale Notice for Sale of immovable assets under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement
of Security Interest Act, 2002 read with proviso to Rule 8 (6) of the Security Interest (Enforcement) Rules, 2002.
Notice is hereby given to the public in general and in particular to the Borrower(s) and Guarantor(s) that the below described immovable property
mortgaged/charged to the Secured Creditor, the Symbolic possession of which has been taken by the Authorised Officer of Indian Bank, Secured
Creditor, will be sold on "As is where is”, “As is what is" and "Whatever there is" on 16/11/2022, due to the Indian Bank, Secured Creditor, from
the undernoted borrowers/guarantors. The specific details of the property intended to be brought to sale through e-auction mode are enumerated
below.
Sl No. Name of the Account & Name & Reserve Price Secured creditor’s
Branch Address of Borrower/Guarantors (in Rs) Out-standing Dues
Earnest Money Property ID
Details of Immovable Properties
Deposit Encumbrance on
Bid Incremental Property
Amount
01 1. Smt. Anita Devi, W/o- Shri Binod Kumar Equitable Mortgage of all that part and parcel `2304900.00 Rs. 579543.24/-
PATNA Gupta (Borrower & Mortgagor), Anand of the property measuring 680.50 sq. ft.(10 `230490.00 (as on 27.04.2022) +
MAIN Bread Factory Gali, MICA Colony, Digha dhur) in the name of Smt. Anita Devi, W/o- Shri `10000.00 Intt. Cost & charges till
Bagicha, Patna - 800011 Binod Kumar Gupta situated at Mohalla Digha the date of realisation.
2. Shri Binod Kumar Gupta, S/o- Shri Bagicha, Mauza- Digha, Survey PS- Phulwari, IDIB202122118
Shiv Shankar Sahu (Co-Borrower), Anand Present PS- Digha, Distt- Patna, Thana No. 1, Not Known
Bread Factory Gali, MICA Colony, Digha
Bagicha, Patna – 800011
Tauzi No. 5130, Ward No. 1, Khata No. 466 &
464, Plot No. 3896 & 3897, vide Registered Sale Deed No-10802 dated 13.06.2009 in Book
3. Shri Bal Kishun Sah, S/o- Late Jagdeo No-01, Volume No- 175 page nos-553 to 561 CD No-28/year 2009 registered with Sadar
Sah (Guarantor), Masjid Gali, Gage No. Registry Office- Patna, bounded as per Deed:North- Lalit Shukla & Ashok Kumar Shukla,
74, Patna - 800010
South- Ram Prasad Yadav, East- Smt. Bibha Singh, West- 10 feet wide road.
02 1. Shri Pankaj Kumar, S/o- Late Ram Equitable Mortgage of Land situated at Mauja- `772200.00 Rs. 779731/-
Uchit Lal, Madhay Vidhalay Chitnawan, Chitnawa, Thana No. 96, Maner, Tauji No. 3060, `77220.00 (as on 19/07/2021) +
PATNA
MAIN Maner, Patna, 2. Shri Satish Kumar S/o- Khata No. 230, S Plot No. 2017(P) Maner, `10000.00 Intt. Cost & charges till
Late Ram Uchit Lal, Madhay Vidhalay Danapur, Patna in the name of Shri Pankaj the date of realisation.
Chitnawan, Maner, Patna, 3. Shri Satyam Kumar, Shri Satish Kumar, Shri Sanjay Kumar, IDIB202122115
Kumar S/o- Shri Sanjay Kumar, Madhay Shri Satyam Kumar, Shri Ajay Kumar measuring Not Known
Vidhalay Chitnawan, Maner, Patna, 10 dhur vide Registered Sale Deed No-5145
4. Shri Ajay Kumar S/o- Late Ram Uchit Lal, Madhay dated 23.05.2012 in Book No-01, Volume No-89 page nos-328 to 336 CD No-15/year 2012
Vidhalay Chitnawan, Maner, Patna with District Sub Registrar Danapur, Patna . Bounded as per Deed: North: Nij part Plot,
5. Shri Sanjay Kumar S/o- Late Ram Uchit Lal, Madhay South: Shankar Roy, East: Sita Devi & ors, West- Jago Devi part plot.
Vidhalay Chitnawan, Maner, Patna
03 1. Smt. Pinki Devi, W/o- Shyam Narayan Equitable Mortgage of land & building `1127250.00 Rs. 751014/-
Prasad, Village: Dariyapur, Shiv Chandika situated at Mauza- Dariyapur, Survey Thana- `112725.00 (as on 06/07/2018) ) +
PATNA
MAIN Colony, Near Parsa Bazar, Pin-804453 Phulwarisharif, Present Thana- Parsa Bazar, `10000.00 Intt. Cost & charges till
the date of realisation.
2. Shri Shyam Narayan Prasad, S/o- Sub Registry Office- Patna, Tauzi No. 5537,
Vansharopan Prasad, Village- Dariyapur, Thana No. 108, Khata No. 53, Survey Plot No. IDIB202122116
Shiv Chandika Colony, Near Parsa Bazar, 535 (P) Patna area 630 sq. ft. vide Sale Deed Not Known
Pin-804453 No. 199 dated 09.01.2002 in the name of Pinki
Devi W/o- Shri Shyam Narayan Prasad vide Registered sale Deed No-13976 dated
05.01.2002with District Registration Office Patna, bounded as per Deed : North: Sushila
Devi, South: Shankar Kumar Thakur, East: Nij Purchaser, West: Bharat Rai
04 1. Shri Santosh Kumar Singh, S/o- Equitable Mortgage of Flat No. C/303 on third `4589100.00 Rs. 1833720/-
PATNA Late Ajay Narayan Singh, Flat No. floor in Block-A with One Car Parking space `458910.00 (as on 08/03/2022) ) +
MAIN C/303, Mahesh Saraswati Apartment, no. C-303 on ground floor at Mahesh Saraswati `10000.00 Intt. Cost & charges till
the date of realisation.
Dhakanpura, Gardanibagh, Patna-800001 Apartment Having an area of 1210 sq. ft.
2. Shri Dharamvijay Nath, S/o- situated at Mauza- Dhakanpura, Revenue, IDIB202122117
Shiyasharan Ray, R/o- 28, Dujara, Devi PS- Phulwarisharif, Present PS- Gardanibagh, Not Known
Asthan, Budhha Colony, Patna-800001 District- Patna being part of Cadestral Survey
3. Shri Anil Kumar Viswakarma, S/o- Shri Plot No. 1772, Khata No. 29, Tauzi No. 25, Thana No. 07, Ward No. 09, Zone – 04, Govt.
Jaglal Prasad, R/o- 28, Dujara, Devi Valuation Serial No. 143 vide Registered Sale Deed No-5710 dated 03.03.2011 in Book
Date:- 30.09 2022 Asthan, Budhha Colony, Patna-800001 No-01, Volume No-98, pages 191 to 204 CD No-16/year 2011 in the name of Shri Santosh
Kumar Singh S/O Late Ajay Narain Singh, Bounded as per Deed: North: Set Back of the
Building, South: Flat No. D/304, East: Front Offset of the Building, West- Corridor.
Bidders are advised to visit the website (www.mstcecommerce.com/auction/home/ibapi) of our e auction service provider MSTC Ltd to
participate in online bid. For Technical Assistance Please call MSTC HELPDESK No. 033-23400020/23400021/23400022 and other help line
numbers available in service providers help desk. For Registration status with MSTC Ltd, please contact ibapiop@mstcecommerce.com and for
EMD status please contact ibapifin@mstcecommerce.com.
For property details and photograph of the property and auction terms and conditions please visit: https://ibapi.in and for clarifications related to
this portal, please contact help line number ‘18001025026’ and ‘011-41106131/Contact: Shri Girija Nandan Jha (AO), Mob. No.6206597965.
Bidders are advised to use Property ID Number mentioned above while searching for the property in the website with https://ibapi.in and
www.mstcecommerce.com.
Sd/-
(Executive Engineer Date : 06.10.2022 Authorised Officer
Water Resources Division Sawai Madhopur Place : Patna Indian Bank

New Delhi
 eye
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE

GOING
NEWDELHI,LATECITY
OCTOBER9,2022
ON 80
What is the secret of
20PAGES,`7.00 Amitabh Bachchan’s
(`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12SRINAGAR) enduring appeal?
DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM PAGES 15, 16, 17

THE WORLD SHINDE FACTION HAILS DECISION, UDDHAV CAMP CRITICISES IT HEAVY INDUSTRIES ALLOCATES Rs 44 CR

Citing bypoll, EC freezes Sena election To set uniform safety

standards, testing
CRIMEA BRIDGE
EXPLOSION DAMAGES
symbol, tells factions to pick new ones of electric vehicles
KEY RUSSIAN
SUPPLY ROUTE
Interim order to place rival groups on even keel, protect Hours earlier, Uddhav told to begin from April 1
their rights and interests, says Election Commission
PAGE 14

The EC order came days after

EC: Shinde camp not in Pune-basedARAItosetuptestinginfra:

Will buy oil

MANOJ C G, VALLABH
OZARKAR & YOGESH NAIK
the Supreme Court rejected the
Uddhav-ledSena’sprayertostay bypoll, it is proxy for BJP frombatteriestoonboardchargers
NEW DELHI, MUMBAI, proceedings pending before the
from anywhere OCTOBER 8 poll panel over a request by
Shinde for recognition of his fac- VALLABH OZARKAR
had “the overwhelming major-
ity in the Organisational and
MIHIR MISHRA
& ANIL SASI Testing &
we have to, THE ELECTION Commission
Saturdaynightissuedaninterim
tion as the “real Shiv Sena” and
permission to use the party’s
MUMBAI, OCTOBER 8 Legislative wing of the party as
well as among the cadres/pri-
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8 technology
says Puri in order freezing the ‘bow and ar-
row’ election symbol of the Shiv
Shinde vs Uddhav: Top poll
official in Maharashtra had
‘bowandarrow’electionsymbol.
WhiletheShindefactionwel-
HOURS BEFORE the Election
Commission decided to freeze
mary members of the party”.
It urged the EC to maintain
FOR THE first time, India is set to
begin testing of electric vehicles GLOBALLY, THERE is no

Washington Sena, making it clear that the ri-

val factions led by Uddhav
sought EC guidance. File comed the EC decision and said
the order is “based on facts”, the
the ‘bow and arrow’ symbol of
the Shiv Sena for the Andheri
statusquoandnothurrythepro-
ceedings, saying there was no
(EV) from April 1 next year and
the government has mandated
single EV standard. Japan,
China, countries in Europe
Thackeray and Maharashtra Uddhav faction reacted angrily. East Assembly bypoll on urgency given that the rival Pune-based Automotive Resea- and North America have
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, use the symbol for the high- Uddhav’s son and MLA November3,theSenafactionled Eknath Shinde faction was not rchAssociationof India(ARAI)to safety standards that pro-
eachclaimingtobethe“realShiv stakes November 3 Andheri Aaditya Thackeray, in a Twitter by Uddhav Thackeray, in a letter fielding a candidate for the procure the infrastructure mote different norms in
‘No one Sena” after parting ways, cannot (East) Assembly bypoll. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 to the EC Saturday, claimed it CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 needed to test battery-powered four key areas: safety,
asked India vehicles. charging connectors,
to stop The Heavy Industries min- charging topology and
buying from istry is learnt to have allocated charging-related commu-
Russia’ Rs 44 crore to ARAI to set up the nications. India is set to

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Posters in Gujarat call requisite infrastructure for test-
ing, certification, and develop-
ment of electric and hybrid ve-
broadly follow the same
philosophy for its testing
standards — updating
WASHINGTON, OCTOBER 8
Kejriwal ‘anti-Hindu’, hicles. This is envisaged to be in
place by the time a new testing
them as tech evolves.

he says God sent him

INDIA, THE world’s third biggest
oil importer and consumer, will
continue to buy oil from any
country that it has to, Union
Petroleum Minister Hardeep
Singh Puri said while asserting
that no one has told New Delhi
to stop buying oil from Russia.
India, which has not publicly
condemned Moscow for its
“special military action” in
Ukraine, has become Russia’s
No.2 oil buyer after China as
Western buyers stopped trading
with that country and its oil
prices fell.
Puri, who is in Washington
DC for talks with US authorities
on clean energy, said the
Government has a moral duty to
schedule for EVs comes into ef-
fect,aseniorgovernmentofficial four-wheelers in recentmonths.
has told The Sunday Express. Currently, there are no cen-
This comes amid concerns tralised testing facilities for EVs
Kiren Rijiju to AAP chief on Delhi Minister over multiple instances of fires in India and manufacturers have
in electric two-wheelers and CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
video: Why are you allowing such hatred?
riesof posterscameuponstreets GOVT & POLITICS
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE in several parts of the state
VADODARA, NEW DELHI, SaturdaydepictingtheAAPchief ADANI-GEHLOT
OCTOBER 8 in a skull cap and calling him
EVENT: AGAINST
“anti-Hindu”.
ON THE day Arvind Kejriwal TherulingBJPinthestatede- MONOPOLIES, NOT
started his latest campaign visit nied any role in the posters, CORPORATES, SAYS
A C-130J aircraft gives a flare demonstration during the Air Force Day celebrations in toGujarat,whereAssemblyelec- which came up in the wake of RAHUL PAGE 8
Chandigarh on Saturday. Kamleshwar Singh tionsare aroundthe corner, a se- CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
AIR FORCE DAY

All IAF systems under one roof,

provide energy at affordable
rates to consumers.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Govt clears dedicated branch

SUNDAY Tomorrow’sconflictscan’tbefoughtwithyesterday’smindset:IAFchief
STORY
PAGE 11 MAN AMAN SINGH CHHINA
CHANDIGARH, OCTOBER 8
MOVING TO synergise opera-
tionalrequirementsof theIndian
Air Force, the government has
approved the creation of a new
Death in Weapon Systems branch which
Chaudhari said, “On this historic
occasion, it is my privilege to an-
A long-felt nouncethatthegovernmenthas
need approved the creation of a
Weapon Systems Branch for of-
ficers in the IAF. This is the first
BRINGING ALL weapon time since Independence that a
system operators under new operational branch is being
one roof addresses a created.”

a Resort
will be responsible for all IAF
weapon system operators, and
bring them under one roof.
The story of Making this announcement
Ankita Bhandari and Saturdayatthe AirForce Daypa-
her dreams cut short rade here, the first outside the
Delhi NCR, Air Chief Marshal V R
long-felt need in the IAF, “This will essentially be for
ensuring a dedicated manning of four specialised
cadre. A specialised streams of surface-to-surface
branch will facilitate in- missiles, surface-to-air missiles,
duction of more complex remotely piloted aircraft and
weapon systems. weapon system operators in
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

EXPRESS SPOKE WITH 103 OF TOP 114

Most CUET toppers scored 95% plus in

Class XII but for a few, a second chance
ALIFIYA KHAN,
NINI BENNY,
HARLEENN AGARWAL
& TUSHAR VERMA
PUNE, NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
“ASECONDchanceatputtingmy
career (to represent India as an
IFS officer) on track...” is how 20-
year-old Shayema, a resident of
Batla House, New Delhi, sees her
100th percentile score in the re-
cently conducted Common
University Entrance Test (CUET)
forundergraduate programmes.
She scored 83.8% in her Class
12 board exam. It’s a score that,
going by traditional cut-offs,
would have kept her out of
what she wants to study —
History in a top Delhi University
college. Now, as she says, she
has a second chance and an al-
Shayema scored 83.8% in
her board exam and
100-percentile in CUET
most sure shot.
Shayema’s case is a textbook
example for what CUET was de-
signed for: to flatten the univer-
sity application playing field
across boards and regions and
Class XII marks. At the very top
of the pyramid, however, there
are only a few like Shayema.
On September 16, the
National Testing Agency (NTA)
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Are leopards making Delhi’s urban forest

their home? New report has the answer
PAGE 1 gests that they have made this
ANCHOR urban forest their permanent
home.”

THESE ARE are some the key

ABHINAYA HARIGOVIND
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
■Eightleopards caught oncam-
era,2-4stripedhyenas—andthe
relationship that plays out be-
tween the two.
■ “(The leopards) have been
found roaming the same tracks
once and even twice in the same
week multiple times. This sug-
portions of a report on a year-
long study by the Bombay
Natural History Society (BNHS)
andtheDelhiForestDepartment
to document the presence and
distribution of leopards and
other mammals in the Asola
Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary
8 leopards, 2-4 striped hyenas caught on camera in Asola (ABWS), which is part of the
Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary Ridge in South Delhi.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

New Delhi
 4 EXPRESS NETWORK
BJP, Congress yet
to finalise tickets
as Himachal gets
ready for polls
AMIL BHATNAGAR
SHIMLA, OCTOBER 8
WITH ASSEMBLY elections in
Himachal Pradesh inching
closer, political parties vying for
power in the state are striving to
finalise the distribution of tick-
ets for the constituencies.
While the two big con-
tenders, the Bharatiya Janata
Party and the Congress, have be-
guncampaigning,theyareyetto
draw the list of contesting can-
didates.
The Congress has so far fi-
nalised only 39 names which in-
cludes all the sitting MLAs. The
party’s election committee is
likely to meet in the next two
days to decide on the remaining
tickets.
"Panelsof 1-2membershave
been formed for certain con-
stituencies as candidates for the
remaining 29seatsare being de-
liberated upon. The screening
process is over and the final de-
cision will be taken by the cen-
tral committee," said Naresh
Chauhan, the vice president of
theparty’sstateunit,addingthat
allticketsarelikelytobedecided
by next week.
To lend weight to the party's
campaign, Congress General
Secretary Priyanka Gandhi will
Caste constant,
cast variable in his
politics, Udit Raj in
fresh controversy
SOURAV ROY BARMAN
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
ON NOVEMBER 4, 2001, Delhi
witnessed one of the largest
mass conversions of Dalits to
Buddhism in contemporary his-
tory. It was eventually denied
permission for Ramlila Maidan
and was held at Delhi's
Ambedkar Bhavan.
At the heart of the event was
Ram Raj, an Indian Revenue
Service officer from Uttar
Pradesh, who had shot to the
limelightwiththecreationof the
All India Confederation of SC/ST
Organisations to oppose per-
ceived attempts to dilute reser-
vationingovernmentservicesin
the late '90s.
He adopted the name 'Udit'
that day in 2001, before embrac-
ing Buddhism along with his
wife Seema, also an IRS officer,
and two children.
In the period since, Udit Raj
has changed several political
partners but never left the head-
lines, often due to his provoca-
tive statements, mostly on the
castesystem.Thelatestbeinghis
statement regarding President
Droupadi Murmu after she
noted that since Gujarat pro-
duces more than 70% of India's
salt, “it can be said that sabhi
deshwasi Gujarat ka namak
khaate hain (technically mean-
ing all Indians eat Gujarat's salt
but implying in its Hindi idiom
that the country owes a debt of
gratitude to the state)”.
Raj, who is now in the
Congress, tweeted, "No county
should get a President like
Droupadi Murmu.”
If there is one thing Raj, 64,
swears by, it is this devotion to
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address a rally in Solan on
October 14. The party is cur-
rently facing an internal crisis in
Himachal with senior leaders,
includingtheworkingpresident,
defecting to the BJP in the last
couple of months.
The BJP has also not started
the process of finalising tickets.
The party is waiting for surveys
from constituencies to gain clar-
ity on the ‘winning factor’ of po-
tential candidates.
"For us, the main factor is de-
ciding the right candidate who
canwintheseats.Finaldecisions
will be taken once we are closer
to the polls. It’s not mandatory
that the winning candidates
have to be repeated. We are re-
lying on the surveys from con-
stituencies which will give us a
clearer picture," said BJP state
president Suresh Kashyap.
Thepartyalso needstotakea
decision on candidates who de-
fected from the Congress in the
hope of getting a ticket.
Meanwhile, the BJP is mak-
ing preparations for Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's sec-
ond visit to the state in a span of
10days.Modiwilladdressarally
in Chamba on October 13 and
also inaugurate the Bajoli hydro-
electric project and lay the foun-
dation stone for Deothal Chanju
hydroelectric project.
the “cause”. At the November
2001 conversion event, he had
declared: "This moment is his-
toric as thousands have decided
to renounce the centuries-old
Brahminical system... We have
finally been 'liberated' from the
clutches of the caste system.”
Raj had stopped short of an-
nouncing a formal plunge into
politics.That momentcametwo
years later, in November 2003,
when he quit the IRS and
launched the ‘Indian Justice
Party(IJP)’.Inthe 2012Assembly
electionsinUttarPradesh,theIJP
fielded 150 candidates. Electoral
successprovedelusive,andallits
candidates lost their deposits.
Eventually, the IJP merged with
the BJP in 2014, at the height of
the Narendra Modi wave.
Between 2014 and 2019, Raj
represented the BJP in
Parliament as the MP from
Northeast Delhi, winning the
seat by a massive 1.06 lakh votes
against AAP’s Rakhi Birla.
However, he soon turned
critical of the BJP again, admon-
ishing it over the assault against
Dalits in Gujarat's Una in 2016
and the violence in the wake of
the protests against amend-
ments in the SC/ST (Prevention
of Atrocities Act) following a
Supreme Court order.
InApril2019,within24hours
of the BJP naming Hans Raj Hans
as its candidate from Northeast
Delhi in the coming Lok Sabha
polls, Raj joined the Congress.
While the BSP would have
been considered his natural
home the party and Raj have
never seen eye to eye. The BSP
had been among the parties op-
posed to the 2001 conversion
event of Raj. FULLREPORTON
www.indianexpress.com
EXCLUSIVE
WEB
EDUCATION
FROM PAGE ONE
EC freezes Sena poll symbol
post,said,“Thetraitorshavedone
a vile and shameless act of freez-
ing the name and symbol of Shiv
Sena. The people of Maharashtra
willnottoleratethis.Willfightand
win! We are on the side of truth!
SatyamevJayate!”.
TheCommissionissuedthein-
terim order in view of the
Assemblybyelectionasdeeperex-
amination of the contentions
madeanddocumentaryevidence
submittedbybothsideswouldre-
quiretime.
On Thursday, the Chief
Electoral Officer of Maharashtra
had sought guidance from the EC
onfourpoints,including“Ifcandi-
dates from both factions of
Shivsena make a claim for the
sameelectionsymbolbowandar-
row, question of allotting symbol
may arise and how to deal with
this matter by Returning Officer
concerned”.
Takingnoteofthe“urgencyin-
volvedwithregardtouseof party
symbolandpartynameduetothe
schedule of the bye-elections an-
● Uddhav told EC: Shinde camp not in bypoll
Andheri (East) bypoll. It claimed
the Shinde faction was “acting as
aproxyfortheBJP”inthebypoll.
The Uddhav faction had been
askedbytheECFridaytorespond
bySaturdaytotheShindefaction’s
claimtotheSenaelectionsymbol
inviewof thebypoll.
Ina26-pagereplytotheEC,the
Uddhav faction stated that its
leaderhadthesupportof14MLAs.
Countering Shinde’s claim
that he had the support of 40
MLAs, the Uddhav faction, in its
reply, stated that “40 members
who allege to support the peti-
tionerhaveincurreddisqualifica-
tion and the disqualification pe-
titions are pending”.
It submitted a chart to claim
support of 12 MLCs, and no sup-
portforShinde.Itclaimedsupport
of7MPsandsaid12MPssupport-
ingShindehaveincurreddisqual-
ification and the disqualification
petitions are pending. It also
claimed support of 3 Rajya Sabha
MPs,andnoneforShinde.
● Posters in Gujarat call Kejriwal ‘anti-Hindu’, he says God sent him
purported video clips of AAP’s
Delhi Minister Rajendra Pal
Gautamata“religiousconversion”
event.LaterSaturday,onesuchclip
was posted on Twitter by Union
Minister Kiren Rijiju with a tweet
asking Kejriwal why he was “al-
lowingsuchhatred”.
Rijiju had late Friday night
tweetedtoaskwhytheAAPleader
“and his gang hate” Hindus and
Hindutva. Kejriwal’s response
● Most CUET toppers had 95% plus in Class XII
announced names of 114 CUET
toppers who scored 100th per-
centile scores in at least four or
more papers. The Indian Express
interviewed 103 of the 114 top-
persandidentifiedtwotellingpat-
terns:
■ Most of the toppers are
mainlyCBSEstudentsandmostof
them had scored above 95% in
their Class 12 exams.
In fact, 100 of the 103 toppers
are students of CBSE-affiliated
schools.TwohadtakentheIndian
School Certificate (ISC) exam in
Class12andonlyonewasn'tastu-
dentofanationalboard.Nonewas
a student of a state board.
Incidentally, over three quarters
of the total 14.9 lakh CUET exam-
inees are from CBSE schools, fol-
lowed by Uttar Pradesh Board,
Bihar Board and CISCE.
■ Of the 103 toppers The
Indian Express spoke to, only 16
hadscoredlessthan95%marksin
their Board exam and only one
(Shayema) had less than 90%,
whichwouldhavemadetheirad-
missiontoatopCentraluniversity
like DU a challenge in the cut-off
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atthetopofthelist
LIFE IN A FOREIGN
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MS Cybersecurity at
Pace University USA
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nounced,” the Commission said
“neither of the two groups led by
Eknathrao Sambhaji Shinde
(Petitioner) and the other led by
Uddhav Thackeray (Respondent)
be permitted to use the name of
the party ‘Shivsena’ simpliciter”
and “neither of the two groups
shall also be permitted to use the
symbol‘bow&arrow’,reservedfor
‘Shivsena’.”
To “cover the purpose of the
current bye-elections and to con-
tinuetillthefinaldeterminationof
the dispute in the matter”, the in-
terim order, it said, is being given
“in order to place both the rival
groupsonevenkeelandtoprotect
their rights and interests, and go-
ingbythepastprecedence”.
Itsaid“boththegroupsshallbe
knownbysuchnamesastheymay
choosefortheirrespectivegroups,
including,iftheysodesire,linkage
with their parent party ‘Shivsena’
and both the groups shall also be
allottedsuchdifferentsymbolsas
they may choose from the list of
free symbols notified by the
The reply stated that of the
234-memberpartynationalexec-
utive, 160 supported Uddhav
Thackeray.Ofthe29statechiefsof
theparty,itclaimedthesupportof
18asopposedto11withShinde.
Of the 12 lakh primary mem-
bers of the party, more than 10
lakhwerewithUddhavwhile1.66
lakh backed Shinde, the letter
stated.Italsoclaimedthesupport
of nearly all the 2.62 lakh post
holdersintheorganisation.
“Fromtheabovecharts,itisev-
ident that Respondent has over-
whelming majority in the
Organisational and Legislative
wingofthepartyaswellasamong
the cadres/primary members of
theparty,”theletterstated.
The Uddhav faction, in its re-
sponse,allegedthatthesupportof
party members submitted to EC
by the Shinde faction had been
forgedandfabricated.
It underlined that Uddhav
Thackeray was still the president
of the party as per its national ex-
cameduringaspeechinVadodara
where he declared that he was
born on “Krishna Janmashtami” -
-andthatGodhassenthim“tode-
liverpeople”fromthe“childrenof
(thedemon)Kans”.
Thelatestpoliticalfirestormin
Gujarat was sparked by several
postersthatcameuponstreetside
wallsinAhmedabad,Rajkot,Surat
and Vadodara. Most of these
posters, with images of Kejriwal
system.
■Amajorityofthetoppers,62
of103,arefromNewDelhiandthe
NationalCapitalRegion.Theshare
oftoppersfromsouthernstatesis
negligible.WhileKeralahadthree
candidates among the top 100th
percentileachieversandonefrom
Visakhapatnam in Andhra
Pradesh, states like Tamil Nadu,
Telangana, Karnataka or even
Maharashtra and Goa had none.
Significantly, Tamil Nadu had
opposedCUETonthegroundthat
it would put state board students
at a disadvantage. The state’s ar-
gumentwasthattheentrancetest
isbasedonNCERTsyllabuswhich
wouldgiveCBSEstudentsanedge.
As the CUET was announced, the
Tamil Nadu Assembly had even
adopted a resolution urging the
Central Government to drop the
proposal of CUET.
Amongthetoppers,Shayema
is an exception — the only one
amongst the 103 hundredth per-
centile scorers who belongs to a
local board and has yet managed
to make the CUET work in her
favour.
TECH
Election Commission for the pur-
poses of the current bye-elec-
tions.”
The Commission asked both
the groups to furnish by 1 pm
Monday “the names of their
groupsbywhichtheymayberec-
ognizedbytheCommission”.
The two factions have been
asked to give three options in or-
derofpreferenceand“indicatethe
namesofthreefreesymbols,inthe
order of their preference, any one
of which may be allotted to their
candidatesbytheCommission”.
In Maharashtra, the Uddhav
factioncriticisedtheECdecision.
“This is an attack on democ-
racyandtheConstitution.Within
four hours of time, the EC passed
its order, that too without hear-
ing the sides and doing any kind
of verification of the claims. Just
because someone has com-
plained, without having listened
to the respondents, such a deci-
sion has been taken,” Shiv Sena
MP Arvind Sawant told The
Sunday Express.
ecutive and the constitution, and
enjoyed majority in the organisa-
tionranksof theShivSena.
ItrequestedtheECtomaintain
the status quo and not hurry the
proceedingsbecausetherewasno
urgencygiventhattheShindefac-
tion was not fielding a candidate
fortheAndheri(East)bypoll.Italso
statedthattheShindefactionwas
actingatthebehestof theBJP.
“It appears that the Petitioner
hasmovedthisapplicationtohelp
BJPandthePetitionerisactingasa
proxy for BJP in the current bye-
elections in Andheri East.
Furthermore, there is absolutely
nourgencyorcausefornotfollow-
ing the proper procedure or hur-
ryinguptheproceedingsdenying
the Respondent herein an ade-
quateopportunitytodemonstrate
that it is the group led by the
Respondent which has the over-
whelming majority and support
inthepartyanditisthegroupled
by the Respondent which is the
realShivSena,”itsreplystated.
wearingaskullcapandmessages
falsely attributing anti-Hindu re-
marks to the AAP leader, were
signedbyanunknownself-styled
outfit called Hindu Hitrakshak
Samiti. Most of them had a com-
mon line: “These are the words
and the culture of Aam Aadmi
Party.”
OnFriday,theGujaratBJP’sof-
ficial handle had tweeted clips of
the purported video of AAP
“I can understand the objec-
tions of the state board students
becausetheentrancetestisbased
on the NCERT syllabus so there is
a natural advantage to the CBSE
students.Luckilyforme,thoughI
belongtotheJamiaMilliaIslamia’s
schoolboard,thepatterntheyfol-
low is CBSE and we studied
NCERT books,” said Shayema.
Shayema was born in
Darbhanga,Bihar,fromwhereshe
wenttoKuwaitasatoddlerwhen
herfatherfoundajob.Afterthree
years, her family moved to Dubai
where she studied in an ICSE
schoolforsixyearsbeforereturn-
ingtoIndiain2017,whenshewas
inClass8.Theconstantchangesof
schooling and her health took a
tollandshedroppedoutofschool
for a year before enrolling in a
schoolinDarbhangathenextyear.
“...Had it not been for CUET, I
would not have stood a chance
to study at the top institutions in
Delhi University because my
Class 12 scores was only 83.80
percent. CUET gave me a second
chance to correct my mistakes,”
she said.
INTERVIEW: GOOGLE’S
KATE BEDDOE
‘Committed to
responding to needs of
Indian publishers’
● Testing of electric vehicles
theirownbenchmarks.InJune,in
the first major step towards stan-
dardisationofbatterytechnology,
theBureauofIndianStandardsis-
sued performance norms for
lithium-ionbatterypacksandtrac-
tion systems in line with broader
ISOnorms.
The proposed testing infra-
structure at ARAI is likely to cover
batterycells,batterymanagement
systems,onboardchargers,battery
pack designs and screen for ther-
malpropagationlinkedtointernal
cellshortcircuitsthatcouldpoten-
tiallyleadtofiresinEVs.
“WehavechosenARAIasthey
havebettersystemsinplacetoim-
plement this testing system. EV
technologyissettoevolveandwe
would add more agencies in the
fold for testing as and when re-
quired,” said the top government
official who did not want to be
identified.
The official added that the in-
dustryhasalsobeengivenenough
timetoprepareforthesafetyreg-
ulations, a key step towards ad-
dressing the concerns of the
prospectivebuyers.
The ARAI currently offers a
rangeofcertificationandhomolo-
gationservicesforautomotiveve-
hicles, systems, and components
andassiststhegovernmentinthe
formulationofautomotiveindus-
try standards and harmonisation
of regulations, alongside helping
establish vehicle inspection and
certification centres across the
country.
TheMinistryofRoadTransport
andHighwayshad,latelastmonth,
extended the rollout of amend-
ments to electric vehicle battery
testing standards from October 1,
2022 to a staggered two-phased
implementationscheduleoverthe
nextsixmonths.
The amendments to the EV
battery testing standards --
Automotive Industry Standards-
156 (or AIS-156) and AIS-038 --
will be implemented in two
phases: phase one from
December 1,2022 andphasetwo
fromMarch31,2023.
The AIS-156 includes motor
vehicles in the L category -- those
withlessthanfourwheelsandan
electric powertrain. The second
amendment -- AIS-038 -- regu-
lates vehicles with electric power
trains for M category (those with
MinisterGautamwithderogatory
captions. “These imposters who
administeredoathstonotworship
Hindu Gods and Goddesses, will
notsucceedinGujarat,”thevideo
said.
On Saturday, while posting a
purportedclipoftheAAPMinister,
Union Minister Rijiju tweeted:
“Kejriwal ji why are you allowing
such hatred? Our gurus said,
there's no difference between
● Leopards in Delhi’s urban forest
Data for the study, which be-
ganinJune2021,wascollectedus-
ing camera traps which provided
111imagesofleopards—ofthese,
eight unique individuals were
found in the sanctuary, which
spans32.71sqkm.
Thereportnotesthatthesanc-
tuary is part of the Sariska-Delhi
wildlife corridor in the Aravallis
that runs from Sariska Tiger
Reserve in Rajasthan to Delhi
Ridge.Thepresenceofleopardsat
Asola Bhatti points to the signifi-
canceof thiscorridor,itstates.
Sohail Madan, Assistant
Director, BNHS, said, “One of the
reasons that the study was done
was to show that the Asola Bhatti
Wildlife Sanctuary is not an eco-
logical island. If you make a sanc-
tuary,buildaboundarywall,malls
and highways around it, it be-
comes like a zoo where the ani-
mals get trapped inside and have
no long-term viability. This corri-
dormakessurethatthesanctuary
isnotanislandandthatthereisvi-
ability.”
“ABWS has always been af-
fectedbyanthropogenicpressures
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022
Game Time: National
Games in the backdrop
of polls and festivities
NEWEPISODEEVERYDAY
In this episode of Game Time, we discuss
the challenges and concerns around the
National Games underway in Gujarat.
fourwheelsandusedtocarrypas-
sengers) and N category (electric
four-wheelers used to carry both
goodsandpassengers).
Incidentally, electric two-
wheeler makers such as Ola
Electric, Okinawa Autotech and
PureEV have been forced to recall
their scooters in the wake of fire
incidents.Thereasonsforfiremay
includemanufacturingdefects,ex-
ternaldamage,orfaultsinthede-
ployment in the battery manage-
mentsystem.Insomecases,faulty
chargingcouldalsohavebeenthe
reason.
ATataNexonEVcaughtfirein
Maharashtra in June. The Nexon
EVisthecountry’slargest-selling
mass-market electric vehicle.
Thereareover30,000NexonEVs
on road, which have cumula-
tively covered over 100 million
km in nearly four years, Tata
Motors had said in a statement,
citingthefireincidentasanaber-
ration of sorts. “It is a very iso-
lated case… It is something that
hasgottodowiththatparticular
car. Maybe a particular cell,
which is unexplained. We have
done all kinds of experiments in
what could have been the worst
possible situation and it has
passed all tests. It is an aberra-
tion,” Tata Motors Passenger
Vehicles Managing Director
Shailesh Chandra said on the
sidelinesof theSIAMconference
last month.
The EV testing push compli-
ments the government’s redou-
bled focus on electric vehicles as
well as on other forms of alterna-
tivefuelwithalargeraimtoreduce
itscrudeimportbill.
Thegovernmenthasachieved
partial success -- high fuel prices
have also helped the transition -
with companies such as Tata
Motors, MG and Hyundai Motor
havingEVmodelsinthemarkets.
Accordingtogovernmentdata,
India had over 1.3 million electric
vehicles until end of June -- over
half are three-wheelers; a bulk of
theremainingvehiclesbeingtwo-
wheelers, with four-wheelers
makinguptherest.
Thecountry’slargestcarmaker
MarutiSuzukihasnotintroduced
anEVinthemarketasyet,though
it is working jointly with Toyota
Kirloskar Motor to develop a bat-
teryelectricvehicleinIndia.
Hinduism&Buddhismwithroots
in the Culture of Ancient India.
ModiJimadeBuddhismcorepart
of India’s global approach & ac-
corded Official status to Buddha
Jayantiforthe1sttime!”
Asked about the posters on
Kejriwal, Gujarat BJP co-
spokesperson Rutvij Patel said,
“TheBJPhasnothingtodowithit.
It is a spontaneous outrage of the
public.”
from nearby settlements and
roads. Despite this, leopards and
other mammals are still thriving
inside this forest which is a posi-
tive indicator for the health of the
ABWS ecosystem,” the report
states.Partsofthesanctuarycom-
priseabandonedminingpits.
“Theroadsandincreasedtraf-
fic along the stretch means that
leopards come in contact with
fast-moving vehicles along this
corridor, including along the
Gurgaon-Faridabadhighway.This
landscapefallsintodifferentjuris-
dictions — Haryana, Delhi,
Rajasthan—andthereneedstobe
apopulationstudyofleopardsand
hyenas and other animals on the
Haryanasideaswell,besidespro-
tecting these areas in Haryana,”
Madansaid.
There are around two-four
striped hyenas at the sanctuary,
with their maximum presence
close to the Gurgaon-Faridabad
highway, according to the report.
Thestripedhyena,anocturnalan-
imal, has been listed as “near
threatened” by the International
UnionforConservationofNature.
● All IAF systems
twin and multi-crew aircraft.
Creation of this branch will result
in savings of over Rs 3,400 crore
duetoreducedexpenditureonfly-
ingtraining,”hesaid.
Later, a senior IAF officer, ex-
plaining the need for a dedicated
branch for weapon systems, said
the establishment of a separate
branch for missile system opera-
tors,unmannedaerialvehiclesand
weapon system officers of two-
seateraircraftisanefforttosyner-
gise operational requirements
whichdifferfromactiveflying.
Pointing to the induction of
more missile systems with com-
plexoperationaldynamicsandthe
future establishment of an Air
Defence Command with inte-
grated air defence assets of all
threeservices,theofficersaidthere
was need to do away with piece-
mealdeploymentofofficersfrom
non-specialised branches and in-
stitutionalisethenon-flyingoper-
ationalcadre.
“Basically,theweaponsystems
operator in a twin-seater aircraft
does not have to be a full-fledged
pilot as his core competence is
handling the weapons on board.
We can gradually build up this
cadreandphaseawaypilotsfrom
doing this task, thereby making
him or her available for flying du-
ties,”theofficersaid.
Thisseparatebranchisalsoex-
pectedtoincludeofficerswhospe-
cialiseasintelligenceanalystsand
operate intelligence-gathering
tasksinunmannedaerialvehicles
aswellasspace-basedassets.Here
again, the need for building core
competence in a separate branch
haslongbeenfeltbytheIAFbrass,
given the increasing role of UAVs
and space assets in information
gatheringandadvancewarning.
Theofficeralsoreferredtothe
accidental firing of a Brahmos in
March and said an analysis of the
incident had reinforced the belief
that a dedicated cadre of missile
commandersmustbebuilt.
In his address, Air Chief
MarshalChaudharisaidtheinduc-
tion of Air Warriors into the IAF
throughtheAgnipathschemeisa
challenge, but more importantly,
itisanopportunitytoharnessthe
potential of India’s youth and
channelise it towards the service
of thenation.
“We have changed our opera-
tionaltrainingmethodologytoen-
sure each Agniveer is equipped
with the right skills and knowl-
edge to start a career in the Air
Force. In December this year, we
will be inducting 3,000 Agniveer
Vayu for their initial training. This
number will only go up in the
yearstocometoensureadequate
staffing,”hesaid.
“Technology has given us the
wherewithaltobeinnovative.We
needtoacceptthefactthattomor-
row’s conflicts cannot be fought
with yesterday’s mindset. To be
able to execute all missions in an
environment of denial will in-
creasinglybethebasisofourtrain-
ingintheAirForce,”headded.
● Hardeep Puri
“India will buy oil from wher-
everithastoforthesimplereason
that this kind of a discussion can-
not be taken to the consuming
population of India,” Puri told re-
porters. “Have I been told by any-
onetostopbuyingRussianoil?The
answerisacategorical‘no’.”
He also expressed confidence
that India would be able to miti-
gate a two million barrels per day
cutinproductionbyoilproducers’
cartel OPEC and its allies, known
as OPEC+. “If you are clear about
yourpolicy,whichmeansyoube-
lieveinenergysecurityandenergy
affordability, you will buy from
wherever you have to purchase
energyfromsources,”Purisaidaf-
ter his bilateral meeting with the
US Energy Secretary Jennifer
Granholm.
With imports meeting 85% of
itsoilneeds,Indiahasbeendiver-
sifyingitssourcesofoilpurchases.
Itsrefinerssnappedupdiscounted
Russian oil that was shunned by
someWesternbuyers.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022 THE CITY 5
CNG hiked by Rs 3 in Delhi-NCR, PNG will cost more too
fective today. The hike in CNG is The autorickshaw unions in also been hiked by Rs 3. In Delhi,
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE by Rs 3, taking the price to Rs the city have been demanding a the price now stands at Rs 53.59
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8 78.61 per kg in Delhi. The same farehikeforseveralmonthsnow per SCM, while that in
nowcostsRs81.17perkginNoida, andacabinetdecisionisawaited Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater
THEPRICESofCNGandPNGhave GreaterNoidaandGhaziabadand in the matter. Noida is Rs 53.46 per SCM and in
been hiked in Delhi and NCR, ef- Rs 86.94 per kg in Gurgaon. Prices of domestic PNG has Gurgaon is Rs 51.79 per SCM.

Noida wall
collapse:
Warrants
against
two men
EXPRESS NEWS
SERVICE
NOIDA, OCTOBER 8

DAYS AFTER a 120-feet

stretchof aboundarywall
collapsed into a drain in
Noida's Jalvayu Vihar
housing society, killing
four labourers, including
two minors, the Gautam
Buddh Nagar police said
they have issued arrest
warrantsagainstthemain
contractor and his
brother.
Police had earlier ar-
rested two contractors,
Sundar Yadav and Gul
Muhammad, in connec-
tion with the incident.
The September 21
wall collapse occurred
while the drain near the
society wall was being re-
paired. A case had been
registered under IPC sec-
tions304(culpablehomi-
cide), 337 (hurt by act en-
dangering life), 338
(grievous hurt by act en-
dangering life) as well as
provisions of the Child
Labour act.
Noida ACP Rajneesh
Kumar said: "Non-bail-
able warrants have been
obtained for the arrest of
the main contractor as
well as his brother, apart
from the two accused
who have already been
arrested."
Police had been inves-
tigatingthemaincontrac-
tor whose firm had ob-
tained the Rs 92 lakh
contracttorepairthewall.

New Delhi

6 THE CITY
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022
BRIEFLY
Cleanliness
driveflagged
offinGreater
Noida
Greater Noida: In a
Saturday morning meet-
ing with residents at
Swarn Nagri Sector in
Greater Noida, Authority
CEORituMaheshwaribe-
gan the "Safaigiri
Abhiyan'' cleanliness
drivewhilealsoreceiving
suggestions from the lo-
cal RWA. Speaking at the
meeting, the CEO said,
“Everyweek,wecanhave
a meeting of officials and
locals,withanothermeet-
ingthenextweektomon-
itor progress to deal with
short-term issues. For
longer-term issues, a
progress report can be
sent."
Girl‘raped’in
Gurgaon
Gurgaon: A teenager was
apprehendedforallegedly
raping a girl in Gurgaon.
Policesaidtheaccusedhas
been booked under sec-
tionsofthePOCSOActand
sent to a correctional
home. According to the
FIR, the mother alleged
that her daughter was
raped by the accused on
October 4. “On that day,
my husband and I left for
work and my daughter
was alone at home. The
boy saw she was alone
and raped her. When I
came back, my daughter
complained of stomach
pain and vomiting. She
told me everything while
crying. My husband took
her to get medicines…”
reads the FIR.
Minorgirl
murdered,
neighbour
arrested
NewDelhi: Aneight-year-
oldgirlwasmurdered,al-
legedly by her neighbour
in Outer Delhi, days after
hegotintoafightwiththe
victim’s brother and
wanted revenge, police
said. The accused, aged
22,hasbeenarrested.The
Delhi Commission for
Women said the girl’s
familyallegedthattheac-
cused raped her before
killing her. On Saturday,
the family also staged a
protest against police al-
legingtheirdaughterwas
rapedandthatmorepeo-
ple are involved. Police
denied the allegations
and said there is no indi-
cation of sexual assault
and that only one person
is involved in the crime.
Fireatfactory
inNoida,no
casualties
Noida:Afirebrokeoutata
factory in Noida’s Sector
63 around 11.30 pm on
Friday, according to the
Uttar Pradesh Fire
Services. Twelve fire ten-
ders were dispatched to
the site, with firefighters
workingtocontainthefire
until early on Saturday
morning. It was extin-
guished around 6 am on
Saturday.ChiefFireOfficer
AK Singh said, “A large
amountofmaterialstored
insidehasbeenburnt.The
cause of the fire is still not
known.” ENS
PASSERSBY ALERT COPS
Newborn girl found abandoned near garbage dump, hospitalised
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
A NEWBORN girl was found
abandoned near the Rajokri bus
stand Saturday and is now re-
ceiving care at a private hospital
in the city.
TheVasantKunjSouthpolice
Caught on cam misbehaving with guard
at Noida society, two women arrested
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
NOIDA, OCTOBER 8
TWO WOMEN were arrested on
Saturdayforallegedlymisbehav-
ingwithaguardatAjnaraHomes
society in Noida's Sector 121, po-
lice said, adding that they are
looking for a third woman al-
legedly involved in the incident.
A video of the incident pur-
portedly shows a woman hold-
ing a guard by the collar and
throwing his cap away, ignoring
hisrequeststostop,whileanother
woman films the incident.
Guards at the society alleged
thewomenwereundertheinflu-
ence of alcohol.
ADCP (Central) Saad Miya
Khan said, "Some women had
misbehaved with guards at the
society. An NCR (non-cognizable
Rainy Saturday leads to sharp drop in
max temp — and some waterlogging
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
INCESSANT rainfall throughout
the day on Saturday brought the
maximum temperature down
sharply in Delhi and resulted in
waterlogginginsomepartsof the
city.Themaximumtemperature
attheSafdarjungweatherstation
settledat23.4degreesCelsius,10
degrees below the normal for
this time of the year. The normal
maximum temperature for this
time of the year is 33.8 degrees
Celsius.
Between 8.30 am and 5.30
pm Saturday, the Safdarjung
weather station, the city’s base
station, recorded 30.1 mm of
rainfall. Lodhi Road recorded a
higher amount of 36.8 mm,
while the weather station in
Gurgaon recorded the highest
amount of 42 mm during the
same time frame.
Rainfall till 8.30 am Saturday
hadalreadyresultedinexcessfor
October so far. The Safdarjung
stationreceived25.6mmof rain-
fall till Saturday morning, an ex-
cess of 228% over a normal of 7.8
mm for the month till October 8.
AccordingtotheDelhiTraffic
Police, several traffic-impacting
incidents such as waterlogging,
development of potholes, etc.
have been reported across the
city. The traffic control room re-
ceived four calls of waterlogging
from Pragati Maidan, Dhaula
Kuan flyover, Maharani Bagh to
KilokariandJhandewalanround-
about on Panchkuiyan Road, it
said in a statement.
Similarly, two calls regarding
potholeswerereceivedfromMoti
Armed men loot Rs 1.5 cr Family robbed of cash,
from Karol Bagh store jewellery at gunpoint
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
AGROUPof five-sevenarmedas-
sailants broke into a mobile ac-
cessories shop in Karol Bagh and
looted Rs 1.5 crore at gunpoint,
said police Saturday. Police said
the incident took place on Friday
nightandthattheaccusedareyet
to be identified and arrested.
According to police, a PCR call
about the incident was made
around 9.30 pm by owner of the
shop on Arya Samaj Road. The
ownerwasinJodhpuratthetime
of theincident.Policesaidtheac-
cusedposedascustomersanden-
tered the shop wearing helmets,
and threatened four employees
inside the shop at gunpoint.
DCP (Central) Shweta
Chauhan said, “We received a
complaint stating that there was
station received a call on
Saturday morning informing
them about a baby lying near a
garbage dump close to the bus
stand. The caller had noticed the
child,calledthepoliceandtaken
the baby home since it was rain-
ing,accordingtopolice.Thebaby
was then handed over to the po-
lice and was taken to Fortis
A video of the incident
purportedly shows a
woman holding a guard by
the collar
report) was filed under IPC sec-
tions 323 (voluntary hurt) and
The maximum temperature at the Safdarjung weather station settled at 23.4 degrees Celsius
on Saturday, 10 degrees below the normal for this time of the year. Praveen Khanna
WEEK AHEAD 30.0
26.0 27.0
24.0 29.0
26.0
20.0
21.0 21.0 21.0
20.0
22.0
Oct 9 Oct 14
BaghtoDhaulaKuanFlyovercar-
riageway in front of Moti Bagh
GurudwaraandAurobindoMarg,
it said.
Rainfall is likely to persist on
Sunday, according to the IMD
forecast. Cloudy skies, moderate
rainfall and thundershowers in
someplacesarelikelyonSunday.
Policesaidtheaccused
posedascustomersand
enteredtheshop
wearing helmets,and
threatened 4employees
atgunpoint
an(incidentof)lootinKarolBagh.
Around 8.50 pm, five-six armed
assailants barged into the shop
and took Rs 1.5 crore from the
cashcounter.Wehaveregistered
a case under sections of dacoity
anddacoitywithattempttocause
grievous hurt.”
Police said initial probe re-
vealed that the accused came on
two bikes and a probe is on to as-
certainifashopemployeewasin-
volved.PolicearescanningCCTVs
to track the robbers.
Hospital,VasantKunj.Furtherle-
gal action is being taken, said a
statement from the police.
According to a statement
from Fortis Hospital, Vasant
Kunj, the baby is in the neonatal
intensive care unit and is in seri-
ous condition. She is being as-
sessed for underlying medical
conditions, the statement said.
CORONAVIRUS
IN THE CAPITAL
504 (insult to provoke breach of
peace). Two of them were ar-
rested under CrPC Section 151
(arrest to prevent cognizable of-
fence)."Policealsosaidamedical
examination of the guard had
been conducted.
Police said the arrested
women were produced before
theExecutiveMagistrate,adding
that the third woman would be
arrestedsoon.UjjwalShukla,one
of theguardswhowaspresentat
the spot, alleged, "The three
women were inebriated… They
were stopped around midnight
on Friday since their car did not
have the requisite sticker. They
misbehavedwiththeguardthere,
and when the rest of us came,
they misbehaved with us too."
When contacted, a member
of the Ajnara Homes Apartment
Owners Association, said, "We
OCT 9: Generally cloudy
sky with moderate rain
OCT 10:Generally cloudy
sky with Light rain
OCT 11: Cloudy sky with
Light Rain or Drizzle
OCT 12: Partly cloudy sky
OCT 13: Partly cloudy sky
OCT 14: Partly cloudy sky
The IMD has issued a ‘yellow’
alertforSunday,whichisawarn-
ing to ‘be aware’. Light rainfall is
likely to continue on Monday
and very light rainfall is likely on
Tuesday. Thereafter, the city is
set to remain dry, as per the
IMD’s forecast for the next six
days.
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
AFAMILYwasrobbedofcashand
jewellery worth Rs 20 lakh at
gunpoint at their home in Uttar
Pradesh’s Ghaziabad city Friday
afternoon, police said.
The incident took place at
NehruNagarinthejurisdictionof
the Sihani Gate Police Station.
Senior officers, including
Ghaziabad Senior
Superintendent of Police (SSP)
Muniraj G, later reached the site
to investigate the matter.
The robbers tried to gain en-
try by claiming that they had
comeonbehalfofRamanSareen,
the house owner, police said.
According to the FIR, Raman had
left the house around 11 am,
while his wife and daughter
The caller had noticed
the child, called the
police and taken the
baby home since it
was raining, according
to police
VACCINATIONS IN
LAST 24 HOURS
7,906
PATIENTSINHOSPITAL:
OXYGEN SUPPORT
VENTILATOR SUPPORT
havezerotoleranceforsuchinci-
dentsinthesociety...they(twoof
thewomen)hadbeenlivinghere
as tenants for four months. We
are enquiring as to whether they
have been involved in any inci-
dent in the society before."
Several prior incidents of res-
idents assaulting guards have
been reported in Noida recently.
On Wednesday, a scuffle broke
out between a guard and resi-
dentsafterheallegedlyrefusedto
chase off a dog in Sector 74's
Supertech Capetown. On
September11,awomanallegedly
slappedaguardafterherRFIDen-
try failed in Sector 121's Cleo
County and was arrested. In
August, Noida Police arrested a
woman for allegedly misbehav-
ing with security guards and as-
saulting one of them at Jaypee
Wishtown in Sector 128.
Whyit is
raining
IT IS under the influence
of a western disturbance
interacting with easterly
windsthatDelhi-NCRhas
seen overcast skies and
rainfall on Friday and
Saturday. According to
IMD scientists, moisture
incursion from the
Arabian Sea has been
high.
With strong winds and rain-
fall, the air quality in Delhi has
faredwelloverthepasttwodays.
The AQI on Saturday was 56, in
the ‘satisfactory’ category.
Geeta and Vidhi were still home.
The three robbers told them that
he had sent cheques and papers.
“Four youths arrived on two
motorcycles. One waited down-
stairs,whilethreewenttothefirst
floor where the mother and
daughterwere.Theyrangthebell
and told them that Raman had
sent a cheque book. They were
doubtfulandtriedtostopthem…
but the robbers entered forcibly
andtiedthemotheranddaughter
up,” the SSP said. The SSP said
that the victims sustained minor
injuries.
RamantoldTheIndianExpress
that his wife and daughter have
been treated for their injuries.
“Theyarestilltense...Wehaveno
ideawhocouldhavedoneit,they
came after I had gone to work... I
am still preparing a list of exactly
what was stolen.”
“On preliminary examina-
tion, it appeared that the baby
was born less than 24-48 hours
ago, was looking blue and her
body weight was only 2 kg,
lower than the usual weight for
a newborn,” the hospital's state-
ment said.
According to Dr Rahul
Nagpal, Director and Head of
DELHI TOTAL
CASES
20,04,041
35
6
Oct 7
Oct 8
1 Cases
Total
*Total active cases in Delhi
After Kejriwal’s ‘love
letter’ jibe, L-G sends
him a ‘kartavya’ letter
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
DAYSAFTERDelhiChief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal’s “love letter”
comment, Lieutenant Governor
VinaiKumarSaxenaFridaywrote
what he called a ‘kartavya’ letter
to the AAP chief, accusing him
andhisleadersofcrossingalllim-
its of propriety and “running
away”fromconstitutionalduties
and administrative responsibili-
ties. To which Kejriwal re-
sponded in a tweet: “Aaj ek aur
love letter aaya hai. (Today, an-
other love letter has arrived”.
Listing various matters, in-
cluding the Delhi Excise Policy,
allegationsof irregularitiesinthe
constructionof schoolbuildings,
missing signature of the Chief
Minister on important files sent
to the L-G, pending audit, power
subsidyandothermatterswhich
he had flagged earlier, Saxena
said in the six-page letter: “Dear
Arvind Kejriwal ji, please take
cognizance and context of the
baseless,factlessandmisleading
statementsbeingspreadbyyour
Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and
party men. I regret that you and
your leaders have crossed all
limits of propriety and are run-
ning away from constitutional
duties, administrative responsi-
bilities and governance. Your
government, which runs on the
support of ads and speeches,
AAP trains guns
on Gambhir, asks:
Will L-G probe him?
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
A DAY after a report in The Indian
Express on Delhi BJP MLA Anil
Bajpai writing to L-G V K Saxena
demandingaCBIprobeinto“ille-
gal allotment of dhalaos (dump-
ing grounds) under MCD to indi-
viduals, NGOs and private
organisations” — a veiled attack
on BJP MP Gautam Gambhir —
AAPleadersSaturdaydemanded
action against the East Delhi MP.
“WillBJP-appointedL-Giniti-
ate enquiry against BJP MP?”
Greater Kailash MLA and AAP
chief spokesperson Saurabh
Bhardwaj tweeted along with an
image of the report.
In his letter to the L-G, Bajpai,
the BJP MLA from East Delhi’s
Gandhi Nagar, alleged: “In some
assembly constituencies in East
Delhi, the space allotted to dha-
lao area has been converted into
rasoi,library,andotherworksand
ownershiphasbeentoprivateor-
ganisations.”ThoughGambhiris
not named, the link to him is ap-
parentsincethecricketer-turned-
politician,throughhisNGO,runs
fourcommunitykitchens.Hehas
alsogotcommunitykitchensand
alibraryconstructedonlandthat
wasearlieranMCDdumpyardin
Priya Enclave.
Demanding an investigation,
AAP’s MCD poll in-charge
Durgesh Pathak said at a press
conference: “Illegally encroach-
inggovernmentlandandusingit
for illegal activities is a criminal
actaccordingtoourConstitution,
law and order. This illegal act has
taken place in East Delhi and by
none other than BJP MP Gautam
Gambhirand,Iamnotsayingthis,
his own party MLA from Gandhi
Nagar, Anil Bajpai ji, has exposed
this and has written to L-G and
other senior officials of the MCD
Department, Pediatrics, at Fortis
Hospital,thebabywasdrenched,
weakandinahypothermicstate,
and had the umbilical cord at-
tached.“Atpresent,wearemon-
itoring the oxygen saturation
level, correcting her blood sugar,
and have stabilised her. We are
conducting a few tests to know
whether she has any additional
New Delhi
Total Vacant
HOSPITAL BEDS 8,857 8,822
ICU BEDS 2,086 2,075
Cases Recoveries Deaths
101
137
62
105
1
1
397* 19,77,139 26,505 4,02,86,302
CM Arvind Kejriwal; L-G
Vinai Kumar Saxena
seemstobealienatingitself from
actual work.”
Following Saxena’s letter,
Kejriwal Saturday assured the
people of Delhi “not to worry”.
“The BJP is hell-bent on destroy-
ing the lives of the people of
Delhi. Every day, these people
make a fuss about something or
other. I assure all Delhiites, don't
worryaslongasyoursonisalive.
I will not let anyone harm you,”
he said.
Saxena,inhisletter,alsosaid:
“It is very sad that while dis-
charging my duties, when I
pointed out shortcomings, in-
stead of providing answers, you
andyourleadersmisledthepeo-
pleof Delhi,attackedmeperson-
ally and levelled baseless allega-
tions against me.”
He also alleged that the AAP
government scrapped the Delhi
Excise Policy 2021-22 after ac-
ceptingitsflaws:“Admittingthat
AAP’s
Durgesh
Pathak
demanded
a probe
demanding a CBI probe into the
matter.” Pathak said AAP had
been repeatedly exposing how
the BJP was robbing Delhi of its
public land by giving them to its
own people and that a BJP MLA
himself had put the truth before
everyone:“MCD’sdhalaosarenot
for personal use. MCD land is
meant to be used only for public
use; giving them to someone for
personaluseisacriminalact.We
demandL-GVinaiKumarSaxena
conductatime-boundinvestiga-
tion and ensure strict punish-
ment for all culprits. We had ear-
lierexposedasimilarcasewhere
aBJPcouncillorhadallottedMCD
land to her own husband.”
Gambhir did not respond to
attemptsseekingacomment.An
aideclaimedthatBajpai,whowas
earlierwithAAPbeforehejoined
BJP,istryingtoreturntotheparty
again.“Heisintouchwithpeople
in AAP and is following their in-
structions,” the aide alleged.
Asked if the letter was aimed at
Gambhir, Bajpai had said on
Fridaythathehasnotnamedany-
one,butreiteratedthatanadver-
tisementshouldhavebeenissued
before allotting MCD land.
Gambhir had spoken about
hisjanrasoiandlibraryinitiatives
at The Indian Express Idea
Exchange event recently: “There
are frustrating days when you
want to help someone but can’t
because of red tape… I want
thingstohappeneverydaybutin
politics, change takes time and I
become impatient.”
medical conditions or if there is
any brain damage. The baby is
responding to treatment, which
is a good sign,” according to Dr
Nagpal.
She also appeared to be a
pre-term baby, according to the
hospital. She is being monitored
by a team of doctors led by Dr
Nagpal.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
NOIDA
Oct 6 Oct 7
Cases N/A N/A
Tests Deaths N/A N/A
7,322
7,900
GURGAON
29 22
Deaths 0 0
the much-hyped excise policy
2021 was a failed and ineffective
policy,yourcabinetdecidedtoroll
(it) back. The allegations of cor-
ruptioninimplementationofthe
policyisalreadyinthepublicdo-
main...Toppeopleareinvolvedin
it. So far, two persons have been
arrested in the case. Did I do any-
thingwrongbyorderinganinves-
tigation into the matter?”
The L-G also pointed out that
after he raised the matter, files
sent from the CM’s office to his
office now bear the chief minis-
ter’s signature. He also men-
tioned other matters, including
the recentabsence of Kejriwal at
Raj Ghat on Gandhi Jayanti, and
asked: “Did I do anything wrong
by raising these matters? Is it
wrongtoperformmydutiesand
raise this matter?”
Underlininghiscommitment
to the Constitution and the peo-
ple of Delhi, Saxena said, “I hope
that you have received my mes-
sageinthetruesense,Ihopeyou
willacceptthe‘kartavyaletter’by
theguardianof Delhi,whichyou
call as ‘prem patra’ (love letter),
and will follow the advice.”
The L-G’s letter came after
Kejriwal referred to his missives
as“loveletters”.TheCMhadsaid
inatweet,“Inthelastsixmonths,
mywifehasnotwrittenasmany
lovelettersasL-Gsahibhaswrit-
ten to me. L-G sahib, chill a bit.
And tell your super boss, chill a
little.”
To meet
YouTuber,
teen cycles
from Punjab
to Delhi
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
THREEDAYSafterhelefthomein
Punjab’s Patiala and rode a cycle
for around 300 km to meet his
favouriteYouTuberinDelhi,a13-
year-oldboywaslocatedbyDelhi
police Friday and reunited with
hisfamily,officialssaid.TheDelhi
police said his family reported
him missing on Tuesday.
The teenager left his home to
meet Nischay Malhan, who runs
a YouTube channel ‘Triggered
Insaan’ and has 16.9 million sub-
scribers.TheDelhipolicesaidthe
boy was “inspired by” Malhan’s
videos and wanted to meet him.
According to his family, on
Tuesday,heleftforschoolaround
6-7 am but instead, started cy-
clingtowardsDelhi.Soon,hispar-
ents and the Punjab Police con-
tactedtheDelhiPolicetohelpfind
theboy.Theboycycledfornearly
2-3 days to reach Delhi. The fam-
ilyalsosoughthelponsocialme-
diaafterCCTVfootageofanearby
road showed the boy in his uni-
form riding his cycle.
“The case was reported at
Patiala’s Anaj Mandi police sta-
tion and we were informed at
MauryaEnclavestation.Sincethe
YouTuber lives in Pitampura, we
deployed a team and started
looking for the child,” Usha
Rangnani, DCP (Northwest) said.
On Friday, Malhan too re-
quested Delhi Police to find the
boyandsaidthathewasinDubai.
“Thisisserious,ifanybodyhasany
information, please contact the
policeortheundersigned.I’mnot
in Delhi and travelling in Dubai,
without a network, will keep
postedaboutthishowevermuch
I can…. Please @DelhiPolice pls
help,”Malhantweeted.Policesaid
they looked at CCTV footage and
informedallRWAstolookforthe
boy and inform police if spotted.
“We finally found CCTV
footage near the YouTuber’s
house in which the boy was
seen,” said the DCP. The police
startedlookingforpossibleroutes
thattheboycouldhavetakenand
worked in coordination with the
Patialapolice.OnFridayevening,
theboywaseventuallylocatedat
Pitampuradistrictpark. Theboy’s
familythankedDelhiandPunjab
Police on Twitter. The boy’s
grandfather said, “My grandson
was misguided… Instead of go-
ingtoschool,heleftforDelhi.Iam
thankful to the police staff...”
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022
Land for jobs
case: CBI books
Tejashwi’s
personal secy
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
A DAY after it filed a chargesheet
against former Bihar chief min-
ister Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri
Devi and daughter Misa Bharati
in connection with the “land for
jobs” case, the CBI Saturday
questioned the personal secre-
taryof Lalu’ssonTejashwiYadav.
Sources said Sanjay Yadav’s
namehadcomeupduringinter-
rogation of other accused. The
case pertains to allegations that
Lalu and his family took land to
provide jobs to people in the
Indian Railways during his
tenure as railway minister.
The CBI had booked Lalu
Yadav and his family members
in a fresh case of corruption in
May this year. The agency had
namedasmany as 16 people, in-
cludingLaluYadav,hiswifeRabri
Devi,hisdaughtersMishaBharti
and Hema Yadav and the bene-
ficiaries of the entire process, as
accused in the FIR.
A total of 16 people were
namedintheCBIchargesheeton
Friday. The accused include
Sowmya Raghvan, the then GM,
Railways; Kamal Deep Mainrai,
the then CPO, Railways. The al-
legedbeneficiaries,appointedas
railwaysubstitutes,areRajkumar
Singh, Mithlesh Kumar, Ajay
Kumar, Sanjay
Dharmendra Kumar, Vikas
Kumar, and Abhishek Kumar;
Kumar,
andallegedmiddlemenRavindra
Rai, Kiran Devi, Akhileshwar
Singh and Ramashish Singh.
"During investigation, it has
been found that the accused in
conspiracy with the then GM
Central Railways and CPO,
Central Railways engaged per-
sonsassubstitutesinlieuof land
either in their name or in the
name of their close relatives.
This land was acquired at prices
lower than the prevailing circle
rate and much lower than the
market rate. It was also alleged
that the candidates have used
false TC and submitted false at-
tested documents to the
Ministry of Railways," a CBI
statement said.
AAP to sponsor Ayodhya Ram temple visit
if voted to power in Gujarat, says Kejriwal
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
VADODARA, OCTOBER 8
ON A day posters against Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) and Arvind
Kejriwal, with reference to the
conversion row, emerged in dif-
ferent cities of Gujarat, the
party's national convener prom-
ised “free visits to Ayodhya Ram
temple" to "all people from
Gujarat" if his party forms the
governmentinthestateafterthe
Assembly elections.
Urging people to ensure that
"not a single vote goes to the
Congress", Kejriwal said BJP and
Congress hold "secret midnight
meetings" to plan the "series of
daily abuses" hurled at him.
Kejriwal was addressing a
gathering of people from tribal
communities in Dahod.
Accompanied by Punjab
Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan,
Kejriwal spoke of the "satisfying
experience of visiting the Ram
temple in Ayodhya”. He said:
“Ayodhya temple of Lord Shri
Ram will be ready next year. In
Delhi, we have started a
scheme... I take devotees for free
to Ayodhya to worship
Prashant Kishor targets Tejashwi, says
‘9th-pass aspiring to be Chief Minister’
SANTOSH SINGH
PATNA, OCTOBER 8
AFTER HIS regular attacks on
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar, poll strategist Prashant
Kishor Saturday called his
deputy Tejashwi Yadava “ninth-
pass” with chief ministerial am-
bitions.
Kishor, who is on a yatra
throughthestateaspartofhisJan
Suraaj campaign, was speaking
withwomenatWestChamparan
district’s Dhanauji village about
the need to overhaul the educa-
tion system and create jobs.
“Laluji's sonhasstudied till Class
9 and he is aspiring to become
AAP and BJP workers were involved in minor clashes in Vadodara on Saturday. Bhupendra Rana
Ramchandra-ji. A special train
goes from Delhi with Ram
bhakts. From taking you from
your home to taking care of your
stay, meals and your darshan at
Ayodhya anddroppingyou off at
home, everything is free. I per-
sonally see off the travellers at
the railway station and receive
them when they return.
“Whenpeoplearrive(backin
Delhi), they tell me it was the
most satisfying experience of
Prashant Kishor during the
padyatra. Courtesy: Jan Suraaj
CM. And if your son has studied
uptoClass9,hewillnotevenget
a job as a peon,” he said.
He stressed that while an
MLA or an MP could help their
sons and daughters get good
jobs, common people would be
their lives.... When we form the
government in Gujarat, we will
take you all to Ayodhya for free.”
Claiming that BJP has been
“sleepless” ever since a report
from “a secret government
agency” indicated that AAP will
form the next government in
Gujarat, Kejriwal said, “The re-
port has said that AAP will win
byamarginof twoorthreeseats,
as it will win 94-95 seats... With
barely 40-50 days to go for the
at mercy of fate.
While the attack onTejashwi
did not look deliberate, Kishor
may have ended up displeasing
long-time Lalu Prasad voters.
Kishor was not available for
comment.
A member of his team said:
“HespokeaboutTejashwi'sedu-
cation to draw a parallel to tell
people what good education
meant to common people while
the son of a big politician could
achieveatoppositionevenwith-
out proper education...He is nei-
ther taking on the constituency
of any particular politician nor is
trying to address them. Kishor
has been addressing issues fac-
ing the people.”
polls, we need a little push so
that we can break the record of
Delhi and Punjab. AAP will form
the government on December
1... A storm of change is blowing
in Gujarat.”
Speaking a sentence in
Gujarati that earned him the au-
dience's cheers, Kejriwal reiter-
atedAAP'sguaranteeofpayingRs
1,000 to every woman above 18
years of age. Calling himself a
“brother”and“son”,Kejriwalsaid,
Kishor asked me to merge
JD(U) with Cong: Nitish
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
SITAB DIARA, OCTOBER 8
BIHAR CHIEF Minister Nitish
Kumar Saturday claimed that
poll strategist-turned-politician
Prashant Kishor had asked him
to merge his JD(U) with the
Congress. Speaking to reporters
in Sitab Diara, the birthplace of
socialist icon Jayaprakash
Narayan, Kumar claimed that
Kishor was working for the BJP.
“He came to meet me re-
cently of his own accord. I did
not invite him. He speaks so
much but hides the fact that
once he had asked me to merge
my party with the Congress,”
GOVT & POLITICS 7
"If you (women) don't have bank
accounts,pleaseopenthemright
nowbecausewearegoingtogive
women Rs 1,000 per month. If
girls get Rs 1000 per month on
theirown,wouldtheynotbeable
tocompleteeducation?Nowyou
donotneedtoworry.Yourbrother
is here... I have made the calcula-
tions—wewillmake20,000mo-
halla clinics in Gujarat.”
Gujarat Education Minister
and state government
spokesperson Jitu Vaghani said
peopleof thestatewillteachAAP
a lesson, PTI reported. "This is
Gujarat. Stop playing with feel-
ings of the people of the state,"
Vaghani said at a press confer-
ence at state BJP headquarters in
Gandhinagar.
"Gujarat is a land of devo-
tion...BJPbelievesthisisaconspir-
acy for vote-bank politics and an
attempt to take advantage of the
tolerance which the Hindu com-
munity practises," he said.
Earlier in the day, Vadodara
witnessed clashes between AAP
and BJP workers along the route
of Kejriwal's rally from Market
Char Rasta to Nyaymandir over
fastening of party flags and ban-
ners.
said Kumar.
The Chief Minister was re-
sponding to Kishor’s claim that
he spurned a recent request by
Kumar to lead the JD(U).
“Let him speak whatever he
wants. Whatever he says, does
not make any sense. Four-five
years ago, he had told me to
merge with the Congress. Now,
he is working for the BJP,” said
Kumar.
Kishor had Tuesday claimed
that Kumar had called him to his
residence about 10-15 days back
and asked him to lead JD(U).
“I said it is not possible. I can-
not go back on the commitment
I have made in return for any
post,” said Kishor.
New Delhi
‘GRAFT’ CASES
CBI questions J&K
ex-Governor Satya
Pal Malik as witness
In Oct 2021, Malik claimed he was
offered Rs 300 cr bribe to clear 2 files
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
FORMER MEGHALAYA
Governor Satya Pal Malik has
been questioned by the CBI in
connection with two cases of
corruption registered on allega-
tions leveled by him.
The cases were registered in
April regarding irregularities in
two projects in Jammu and
Kashmir when Malik was the
Governor.
"He was examined in the
case two days ago. Since these
were his allegations, he was
asked for more details. He was
examined as a witness in the
cases,” a CBI official said.
In October 2021, Malik had
claimed that he was offered Rs
300 crore in bribes to clear two
files, including one related to an
RSS leader. Based on this, the CBI
registered two cases and con-
ducted searches at 14 locations
in April. The agency has booked
Anil Ambani's Reliance General
Insurance Company (RGIC) and
officials of Chenab Valley Power
ProjectsPvtLtd(CVPPPL)among
others in the two cases.
These searched locations
thenincludedpremisesof IASof-
ficer Naveen Choudhary, the
then chairman of Chenab Valley
Power Projects PvtLtd (CVPPPL),
MD MS Babu, Directors MK
MittalandArunMishra.Thefirm
accused in the case is Patel
Engineering Ltd. They are all ac-
cused in an FIR registered in
Jammu then.
A separate FIR registered in
Srinagar then has named Anil
Ambani's RGIC and Trinity
Reinsurance Brokers Ltd as ac-
cused.
"CBI had registered two sep-
arate cases on the request from
Jammu & Kashmir Government
on the allegations of malprac-
tices (I) in award of contract of
Former
Governor
Satya Pal
Malik
J&K Employees Health Care
Insurance Scheme to private
company & release of Rs. 60
crore (approx.) in the year 2017-
18 and (II) award of the contract
worthRs.2200crore(approx.)of
civilworksof KiruHydroElectric
Power Project (HEP) to a private
firm in the year 2019," CBI had
said in a statement.
In March, J&K LG Manoj
Sinha had announced that alle-
gations made by Malik were se-
rious and that the administra-
tion had decided to hand over
the probe to CBI.
Malik had levelled corrup-
tion charges against a senior RSS
functionary last year. Malik al-
leged that when he was Jammu
and Kashmir Governor, he had
received two files, one pertinent
to “Ambani’’ and the other to an
“RSS functionary’’. “One of the
secretariestoldmethattheseare
shady deals, but he can get Rs
150 crore each. I told him that I
had come to Jammu and
Kashmir with five kurta-paja-
mas and would leave with that
only,” the former Governor said.
“I alerted Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, who told me
that there should be no compro-
mise on corruption,’’ Malik
added, while speaking at an
eventat Jhunjhunuin Rajasthan.
While Malik did not say any-
thingaboutthosefiles,hewasre-
ferring to the government’s deal
withRelianceGeneralInsurance.
Malik had cancelled a deal with
RGICtoprovidehealthinsurance
to government employees in
October 2018. The other matter
referred to civil works related to
the Kiru Hydel Power Project.

8 GOVT & POLITICS
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022
Yatra objective
is to bring India
together, not
2024 polls: Rahul
PTI & ENS
TURUVEKERE (KARNATAKA),
OCTOBER 8
CONGRESS LEADER Rahul
Gandhi on Saturday said the ob-
jective of the Bharat Jodo Yatra
was not 2024 general elections
but to unite the people of the
country, as he alleged that the
BJP-RSS were spreading "vio-
lence and hatred".
Addressingapressconference
here during the yatra, he said
thousands of crores of media
money has been spent in trying
to project him in a way which is
just"untruthfulandwrong",and
thepeoplewhocaretolookcare-
fully will see what his truth is.
He said the yatra's objective
was to bring India together and
not the 2024 Lok Sabha elec-
tions.
"The objective as I have
stated is to bring India together.
Objective from my perspective
is not the 2024 elections. I am
seeing that India is being di-
vided, violence is being spread
in our society and this is damag-
ing our country," the former
Congress chief said.
Gandhi said the yatra is
aimed at raising three funda-
mental issues that are intercon-
nected — violence and hatred
"the BJP-RSS are spreading and
the division that they are carry-
ing out"; themassiveconcentra-
tion of wealth being allowed,
whichisdestroyingIndia'secon-
omy and resulting in unemploy-
ment; and massive and contin-
uous increase in prices.
Expelled JD(S) MLA
joins Cong march
The ninth day of the
Karnataka leg of Bharat Jodo
Yatra saw expelled JD(S) MLA
Gubbi Srinivas participating in
the march. He represents Gubbi
constituency in Tumakuru dis-
trict. Srinivas was introduced to
Rahul by former Deputy CM G
Parameshwara as he joined the
march. The legislator was ex-
pelled after the party accused
him of cross-voting during the
Rajya Sabha elections held in
July, a charge he denies.
Karnataka gives nod Flood-free Assam in 5 yrs: Shah BYELECTIONS ON NOVEMBER 3
for SC/ST quota hike BJP govt has established peace in state, says Home Minister names bypoll candidates in 3 states
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
BENGALURU, OCTOBER 8
THE KARNATAKA Cabinet
Saturdaygrantedformalapproval
tohikereservationforScheduled
CasteandScheduledTribe(SC/ST)
communities in the state.
A government order detail-
ing the modalities of the reser-
vation will be issued soon, fol-
lowed by a gazette notification,
it was informed.
OnFriday,theKarnatakagov-
ernment had announced the in-
crease in reservation for SCs
from 15 per cent to 17 per cent,
and for STs from 3 per cent to 7
per cent. The announcement
came on the back of an all-party
meeting. Following this, total
reservationinthestateisnow56
per cent.
Previously, Karnatakahad50
per cent reservation — 32 per
Centre move on SC status panel may ‘EC must not be dragged into politics, poll promise
help BJP reap dividends in Kerala issue has the potential to do so; this spells disaster’
SHAJU PHILIP
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,
OCTOBER 8
THE UNION government’s deci-
siontoappointapaneltostudyif
scheduled caste status can be
granted to Dalit converts will
help the Bharatiya Janta Party
reap political benefits in Kerala.
SC status for converted
Christians has been a long-
standing demand of the com-
munity, particularly the power-
ful Catholic Church in Kerala.
If implemented, the decision
would help BJP cement its polit-
ical base among the Christian
community in the state where it
has been struggling to make
electoral gains.
As a quid pro quo, the Kerala
Catholic Bishops’ Council, which
representsCatholicbishopsinthe
state, has asked the party’s na-
tional leadership to consider the
demand without further delay.
Rahul after Adani, Gehlot share stage:
Against monopolies, not corporates
Will welcome investment from Adani, Ambani or Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah, says Rajasthan CM
AKRAM M & HAMZA KHAN
TURUVEKERE (KARNATAKA),
JAIPUR, OCTOBER 8
ADAYafterindustrialistGautam
Adani shared the stage with
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok
Gehlotataninvestors’summitin
the state, Congress leader Rahul
GandhiSaturdaysaidhewasnot
againstcorporatesorbusinesses
but opposed to “preferential
treatment” given to a few busi-
nesshousesbytheBJP-ledCentre
which,hesaid,hasresultedinthe
creation of monopolies.
Addressing a press confer-
ence in Karnataka’s Turuvekere,
during his Bharat Jodo march,
Rahul said he was against cre-
ation of monopolies.
He said Adani has given in-
vestment proposals to the tune
of Rs 60,000 crore to Rajasthan
and argued that the Congress
government in the state has not
given any “preferential treat-
KCR governing with
tantrik advice: Nirmala
PTI & ENS
NEW DELHI, HYDERABAD, OCT 8
UNION FINANCE Minister
NirmalaSitharamanonSaturday
alleged that Telangana Chief
Minister K Chandrashekar Rao
stopped going to the state
Secretariat and did not induct
women in his Cabinet for a long
time on the advice of “tantriks”
and numerologists.
Sitharamanalsoclaimedthat
Rao, popularly known as KCR,
changed the nameof hisparty —
TelanganaRashtraSamithi(TRS)
to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS)
—onthe adviceof “tantriks”(oc-
cultists).
Interacting with party work-
ers in Hyderabad, Telangana BJP
chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar also
made similar allegations.
cent for OBCs, 15 per cent for SCs
and 3 per cent for STs.
Chief Minister Basavaraj
Bommai said the state govern-
ment's decision will get legal
protection if the hiked reserva-
tion is included under Schedule
9of theConstitution."…theLaw
Department, Law Commission,
(and) constitutional experts in
consultation with the Advocate
General will make a recommen-
dation (to the Centre) and try to
implement it," he said.
State Law and Parliamentary
Affairs minister J C
Madhuswamy said a govern-
ment order is likely in two to
three days.
The state government had
raised the reservation after be-
ing under tremendous pressure,
especiallyfromtheValmikicom-
munity. The order is significant
in view of the Assembly elec-
tions, due in the state next year.
Noble Mathew, the national
vice president of BJP Minority
Morcha, said: “Considering the
sentimentsof theChristiancom-
munity,theMinorityMorchahad
been demanding this for long.
Thisissuehadbeenraisedseveral
times by bishops in their meet-
E
ings with the BJP leadership.
Congress could never ad-
dress this demand.”
EXPLAINED
Thegovernment’sde-
cision to set up a three-
member national com-
mission on SC status for
Dalit converts has come
at a time when the friction be-
tween the BJP and Christian
churches in Kerala over religious
conversion has subsided signifi-
cantly,withchurchesinthestate
focusing on promoting bigger
households with more children
and preventing inter-faith mar-
riages with Muslims.
For its part, the BJP has
pushed the conversion issue on
the backburner in a bid to bring
Rahul Gandhi in Karnataka’s Tumakuru district, Saturday. PTI
ment”toAdaniorusedits“polit-
ical power” to help his business.
Rahulalsosaidthathehasno
problemif Rajasthangives“busi-
ness” to Adani in the state
through a “fair procedure” but
willoppose itif the state govern-
ment gives business to Adani in
a “wrong manner.”
In Rajasthan, Gehlot said
Rajasthan would welcome in-
The Chief Minister’s Office
did not immediately react to the
comments.
RaorenamedhispartytoBRS
earlier this week as part of his
national expansion plans ahead
of 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
EvenafterTRSwasre-elected,
therewasnowomanministerin
the Cabinet for almost a year,
Sitharamansaid.“KCR,onthead-
vice of tantriks and numerolo-
gists, stopped going to the
Secretariat, did not induct
women for many years in his
Cabinet and now, has changed
his party's name," she said.
Kumar claimed: “KCR is per-
forming tantrik pujas andrituals
for several months on the advice
of (a) tantrik. The tantrik told
him that unless he changed
TRS's name, he would be out of
power...”
Cong ex-MLA to Bishnoi son, BJP
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
GUWAHATI, OCTOBER 8
UNION HOME Minister Amit
Shah Saturday sought five years
to resolve the perennial flood
problem in Assam and said the
government is striving to make
the natural calamity history.
Addressing a BJP workers’
meeting after inaugurating the
party’snewstateofficehere,Shah
saidan“ambitious”floodmitiga-
tion project is being prepared.
"IntheBJPmanifesto,wehad
promised an Assam free from
terrorism, corruption and flood.
We've already achieved the first
two. Give us five more years,
we'll make Assam free from
flood," he said. Almost every
year, three to four waves of
floods ravage Assam.
Shah said Assam and the
Northeastern region marched
ahead on the path of peace and
Hindus and Christians together.
WiththeChristianpopulation
in Kerala declining, the Sangh
Parivar too feels it is irrelevant to
keep the conversion issue alive.
Writer and Dalit rights ac-
tivistSunny M Kapicadu said the
decision to set up a panel would
help BJP politically.
“I don’t find any
reason for a social
conflict in the event
of extending SC sta-
tus to Dalit
Christians in Kerala.
● Leading Dalit organ-
isations in the state are likely to
object the move only if they are
told to share their existing reser-
vationquotawiththeconverted.
But if the percentage of SC reser-
vation is increased, this issue
would be solved,” he added.
A large number of Dalit
Christians live in south and cen-
tral Kerala, where the BJP is try-
ing to make inroads into the
Christian vote bank.
vestment from any business
house — be it Adani, Ambani or
Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah.
From labelling the Narendra
Modigovernmentasa“suitboot
ki sarkar” to one of “hum do,
hamaredo”,whichisaveiledref-
erencetobusinesshousesowned
byAmbanisandAdani,Rahulhas
often accused the BJP regime of
favouring select businessmen.
SHOPPER’S STOP: During her day-long visit to Chennai, Union Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman Saturday made a halt at Mylapore market. She spoke with vendors and local
residents and also purchased vegetables. Video grab: @NSitharamanOffice
Union Home Minister Amit Shah with Assam CM Himanta
Biswa Sarma and others in Guwahati on Saturday. PTI
development during the eight
years of BJP rule under Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
Modi'sleadershiphelpedthe
region join the mainstream,
Shah said after inaugurating the
party's new state office.
The BJP government has es-
FORMER CHIEF Election
Commissioner S Y QURAISHI, in
an interview to ESHA ROY,
warns against the Election
Commission getting into the
“politicaldomain”overtheques-
tion of poll promises, and says
that the EC neither has the pow-
erstomonitorpollpromises,nor
punish the violators. Excerpts:
Is it within the powers of the
Election Commission to
monitor poll promises?
The mandate and responsi-
bility of the EC is to ensure free
and fair elections. It is true that
falsepromisescanvitiatethepo-
litical atmosphere. However,the
EC acts within the ambit of the
Constitution and the law. There
is no law in the country which
says that a political party cannot
make promises, even false
promises, or distribute freebies.
It is for Parliament to make a
law on the subject.
On Friday, hours after Gehlot
had shared the stage with Adani,
Rahul had said in a separate re-
markthat“thesecondrichestman
in the world is close to the Prime
Minister of India”. In August, he
had said that “the Government is
being run to protect the interests
of four or five people and this dic-
tatorshipisbeingrunintheinter-
est of two or three big business
peoplebytwopeople.”
On Saturday, Rahul said, “Mr
Adani has committed Rs 60,000
crore to Rajasthan. No Chief
Minister can refuse such an of-
fer. My contention is in the use
of political power to help certain
chosen businesses. My opposi-
tion is to two or three or four
large businesses being helped
politically to monopolise every
single business.”
He said: “The Rajasthan gov-
ernment has not used political
power to help Mr Adani in
Rajasthan. The day they do that I
will be standing in opposition.”
tablished peace with 9,000 peo-
ple laying down arms, he said.
Addressing a regional meet-
ing on 'Drug Trafficking and
NationalSecurity'here,thehome
minister said: “Insurgency along
witharmstradeanddrugtraffick-
ing are two sides of a coin.”
THE EXPRESS
INTERVIEW
WITH
S Y QURAISHI
FORMER CEC
When the case came up in the
Supreme Court, it had called
for discussions with parties.
The parties had said making
In Rajasthan, asked about the
BJP raising his presence with
Adaniatthesummit,Gehlotsaid,
“It will cost the BJP dearly... The
more the BJP opposes, the more
itwillgoagainstthem.Theyouth
willsaythatthefacilitiesthatIam
getting,thejobopportunitiesthat
I am getting...why are you creat-
ing a problem? This is not a pri-
vate programme. It is an invest-
ment summit. The 3,000 people
who had come…are they from
the Congress? They can be from
the Congress or the BJP. So why
aretheytryingtocreatehurdles?”
The CM said, “Be it Gautam
Adani or any other Adani, be it
Ambani or Adani or Amit Shah’s
son Jay Shah...We will welcome
everyone from the industry. We
want jobs and investment.”
OnFriday,attheinauguralses-
sion of the two-day investors'
summit in Jaipur, Adani had
promised investments of more
thanRs65,000croreoverthenext
five-seven years in Rajasthan.
ENS & PTI
CHANDIGARH, LUCKNOW, NEW
DELHI, OCTOBER 8
THE BJP on Saturday named
Bhavya Bishnoi, the 29-year-old
son of party leader Kuldeep
Bishnoi, as its candidate for the
Adampur Assembly bypoll in
Haryana. The party also fielded
Aman Giri, 26, from Gola
Goraknath seat of Lakhimpur
Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh,
and K Rajgopal Reddy from
Munugode in Telangana for the
November 3 bypolls. The count-
ing of votes for the Assembly by-
polls will take place on
November 6.
Kuldeep Bishnoi, a senior
Haryana politician, and Reddy
were Congress MLAs from
AdampurandMunugode,respec-
tively,beforetheyresignedtojoin
promises is their right
Neither the Supreme Court
northeEChavethepowerstoin-
terfere in this legitimate demo-
cratic exercise. It seems the
SupremeCourtwas consciousof
the fact that it has no power,
which is why it pronouncedthat
this cannot be described as a
'corrupt practice' under the RP
(Representation of the People)
Act. It passed the buck to the EC.
Well, if it is not a corrupt prac-
tice, what power does the EC
have to issue any guidelines?
How then did the EC come
into the picture again this
time around?
The EC did not act on this is-
suesuomotu.Asamatterof fact,
I strongly disagree with the alle-
gation that the EC took a U-turn
on the issue, having submitted
to the Court earlier its stance,
rightly so, that the matter of
promises and freebies is subjec-
New Delhi
President Droupadi Murmu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
and others at the Air Force Day event in Chandigarh, Saturday
Mann skips reception
held for President,
pulled up by Governor
HINA ROHTAKI
CHANDIGARH, OCTOBER 8
THESTRAINEDrelationsbetween
the Aam Aadmi Party govern-
ment in Punjab and the Raj
Bhavan once again came to fore
SaturdaywithGovernorBanwari
Lal Purohit questioning the ab-
senceofChiefMinisterBhagwant
Mann from a civic reception he
hadhostedinhonourofPresident
Draupadi Murmu who is on her
first visit to Chandigarh. Cabinet
Minister Aman Arora urged
Purohitto“restrain”himselffrom
making such statements.
At the civic reception in the
evening,welcomingthePresident
onbehalf of Punjab,Purohit,who
is also the administrator of
Chandigarh, noted Mann’s ab-
sence, saying that the CM had as-
sured him of his attendance.
“Ihadinvitedhimpersonally.
I had even spoken with him on
phone. He had even accepted it.
He may have some compul-
sions," Purohit said.
AccordingtoPurohit,Mannin-
stead sent a representative. "No
matterhowoccupiedoneis,Ifeel
itisimportanttofulfillone'sconsti-
tutionalresponsibility,"headded.
Mann, along with his Delhi
counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, are
on a two-day visit to poll-bound
Gujarat, where elections are due
Kuldeep Bishnoi’s son
Bhavya is the candidate
for the Adampur bypoll
in Haryana
the BJP. Aman Giri is the son of
ArvindGiri,whowastheBJPMLA
from Gola Gokarannath and had
diedlastmonth,necessitatingthe
bypoll in the constituency.
Adampur is a Bishnoi strong-
hold and has been retained by
the family for the past five
decades.
"Heartfelt gratitude to all the
top leadership of the party for
making Bhavya Bishnoi the can-
didate of Bharatiya Janata Party
in the Adampur by-election,"
Kuldeep Bishnoi tweeted soon
after the party announced his
son's candidature.
tive and subject to interpreta-
tion. The EC came into the pic-
ture only after having been di-
rected, rather harshly, by the
Supreme Court to do so.
What can the EC do then?
The EC must not be dragged
into the political domain of sit-
ting in judgment on whether a
party’s manifesto promises are
feasible or not. Even less,
whether the party has fulfilled
the promises. It can at best
evolveaproformatobeattached
to themanifesto explaininghow
the party will fulfil its promises
and put it in the public domain.
Let’s remember that there
aresomepromiseswhicharein-
tangibleinnature.Forinstance,if
a political party has claimed to
improve the quality of educa-
tion, how exactly do you quan-
tify this?
Do electoral promises vitiate
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
Express
inDecemberandwheretheAAP
haspostureditself asthethirdal-
ternative. Mann and Kejriwal at-
tended an AAP road show in the
evening in Vadodara.
The Punjab BJP criticised
Mann for skipping the function
held in honour of the President.
Punjab BJP General Secretary
Subhash Sharma said it is unfor-
tunate that Mann skipped the
event and asked the chief min-
ister to understand his constitu-
tional responsibility.
Reacting to the Governor's
remarks,MinisterArorasaidthat
was very unfortunate that
Purohit was raising “this politi-
cal issue” from the stage of the
Raj Bhavan.
Arora said that Mann’s event
(in Gujarat) was scheduled and
the CM had deputed him to re-
ceiveandwelcomethePresident
during her visit to Chandigarh.
Hesaidthathealongwithfive
other cabinet ministers, the DGP
and all senior bureaucrats from
state attended the Air Force Day
celebrationsinChandigarhwhere
Murmu was the chief guest.
This not the first time that a
slugfest has erupted between
the Governor and the AAP gov-
ernment. Last month, a war of
words had begun after Purohit
withdrewpermissiontothegov-
ernmenttoholdaspecialsession
to table a confidence vote.
Bhavya Bishnoi had unsuc-
cessfully contested the 2019 Lok
Sabha polls on a Congress ticket
from Hisar. He had also quit the
Congress in August.
Aman Giri will be pitted
against former MLA Vinay
Tiwari, 52, the Samajwadi Party
(SP) candidate, in the bypoll.
According to sources in the
BJP, the party has fielded Aman
in the hope of getting the bene-
fit of the “sympathy factor”.
Aman’s father Arvind Giri (65)
was elected as MLA in the 2022
Assembly elections and earlier
in 2017 elections as a BJP candi-
date. In the past, he was elected
MLA on SP ticket for three terms
in 1996, 2002 and 2007 from
Haiderabad seat that was later
renamed as Gola Gokarannath
as part of delimitation. In 2012,
he contested on Congress ticket
but lost. Later, he joined the BJP.
the atmosphere of elections?
Many of the schemes which
may have begun as freebies
aheadof anelectionhaveturned
out to be effective welfare
schemes—whetheritisdistribu-
tion of rice at Rs 2 a kg or free bi-
cycles for girls going to schools.
Thefirsthasledtotheendof star-
vation deaths and the second to
an increased enrolment of girls
in schools and reduced the
dropoutrate.Howisonetojudge
whatafreebieisandwhatawel-
fareschemeis?Yourfreebieismy
welfare scheme, and vice-versa.
Besides, political parties can
promise the moon in their man-
ifestos — legally. It is a legitimate
democratic document.
One thing is absolutely clear:
the Election Commission must
not be dragged into politics. And
the current issue has the poten-
tial to do so. This spells disaster.
FULLINTERVIEWON
www.indianexpress.com

9 EXPRESS NETWORK
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022
BIHAR
BRIEFLY
Tigershotdead
afteritkillsnine
inlastfewdays
Bagaha: A tiger was shot
dead inside the Valmiki
Tiger Reserve in Bihar's
West Champaran district
byateamofforestperson-
nel brought in from
HyderabadandPatna.The
tiger had allegedly killed
nine people over the last
few days, officials said.
“Forest personnel had
been trying to cage the
tigerthatstrayedoutofthe
reserve. The order for the
killing was issued as per
procedurewhenitwases-
tablishedthatthetigerwas
accustomedtolivinginhu-
man habitation,” Chief
Wildlife Warden Prabhat
Kumar Gupta said. PTI
MANIPUR
Narcoticpolice
destroyover
1,700kgdrugs
Manipur: The Manipur
Narcotic police Saturday
disposed of around 1,729
kilograms of contraband
at Shija Common Bio-
MedicalWasteTreatment
Facility located at
Lamdeng, Imphal West.
Thedrivewasapartof the
regional meeting on drug
trafficking and national
securityheldatGuwahati.
Themthing Ngashangva,
IGManipursaidthatcon-
traband disposed of in-
cluded6.319kgsof heroin
powder; 18.619 kg of
Amphetamine tablets
(WY); 1,704 kg of ganja;
595 grams of Spasmo
Proxyvon and 129 grams
of N-10 tablets. ENS
GUJARAT
Drugsworth
Rs350crseized
fromPakboat
Ahmedabad: In a joint op-
eration, the Indian Coast
Guard and the Anti-
Terrorist Squad of Gujarat
Police seized drugs worth
Rs 350 crore from a
Pakistani boat with six
crew members onboard.
Theseizednarcoticsweigh
50kg,saidanofficialstate-
ment Saturday. The
Pakistaniboatcarryingthe
contraband was tracked
downaftertheCoastGuard
deployed two interceptor
shipsforpatrolling. ENS
RAJASTHAN
Fourrobretired
magistrate’s
houseinJaipur
Jaipur:Fourmaskedcrim-
inals robbed the house of
a retired magistrate in
MansarovarareainJaipur,
police said on Saturday.
Police said the four armed
criminalsrobbedalaptop,
Rs10,500incash,amobile
phone, and some artificial
jewellery from the house
ofAdityaNarayanSharma.
Efforts are being made to
identify the criminals
throughCCTVfootage. PTI
‘There was double backwardness’: A group modernising madrasas
ESHA ROY
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
IT WAS the first time they used
MS Word. As they typed the first
words on that small, white
screen,MohammadAsadAnsari
and Muhammad Shahnawaz
knew they had thrust open the
door to a world of opportunity
for millions of Muslim students
in the country.
Shahnawaz and Ansari are
teachersatmadrasas,private-run
institutions that impart Islamic
instruction and form an integral
partof theeducationalsystemfor
a large number of the country’s
20 crore Muslim population.
WhileAnsariteachesUrduat
Madrasa Zeenatul Quran in
Delhi's Seelampur, Shahnawaz
teaches Islamic Studies at Jamia
Ayesha Lilbanat, a college for
women in Uttar Pradesh’s
Muzaffarpur district.
12 charred to death in Nashik as bus Inabduct
catches fire after colliding with truck student, rape her
RUPSA CHAKRABORTY
NASHIK, OCTOBER 8
TWELVE PEOPLE, including a
three-year-old girl, were killed
and 41 others sustained injuries
when the bus they were travel-
ling in caught fire in Nashik after
colliding with a dumper truck
carrying coal early Saturday.
Eight of the deceased have
been identified so far, as the
other bodies were charred be-
yond recognition, said police.
The injured passengers, who
sustained mostly fractures in
hands and legs, were admitted
to various hospitals in Nashik. A
case was registered by Adgaon
police station against both the
drivers of the truck and the bus.
The bus owned by
ChintamaniTravelswasheading
fromYavatmaltoMumbai.Ithad
leftYavatmalcityonFridayafter-
noon. Around 5.15 am, the bus
reportedly collided with the
dumper truck at Nandur Naka
onNashik-Aurangabadhighway.
Most of the passengers were
saidtohavebeensleepingonthe
bunk beds – a common feature
on the inter-district buses that
travel long distances.
Thepolicesaidthatasperpre-
liminary findings, the impact of
thecollisionwassostrongthatthe
bus’ direction changed. Speaking
to The Indian Express, Nashik
Municipal Commissioner
Chandrakant Pulkundwar said,
UTTARKASHI AVALANCHE TRAGEDY
Waiting for daughter’s body, Assam man
recalls: ‘She was in love with mountains’
AVANEESH MISHRA
UTTARKASHI, OCTOBER 8
ONWEDNESDAYmorning,thefa-
ther of mountaineer Deepshikha
Hazarika,28,learntfromTVnews
that an avalanche had hit the
group his daughter was part of,
andthatmostofthemembersare
missing. Scared and distraught,
Golap Hazarika, a health depart-
mentemployeeintheAssamgov-
ernment, informed his senior,
whoarrangedtwoairticketsfrom
GuwahatitoDelhi.Afterhe,along
with his son Deepjyoti, reached
Delhi on Wednesday late night,
theAssamgovernmentarranged
acarforthemtoreachDehradun,
where they stayed on Thursday,
andthenreachedNehruInstitute
of Mountaineering (NIM) in
Uttarkashi on Friday.
After days of uncertainty, on
Friday night, Golap’s worst fears
came true with the news that
Deepshikhawasamongthedead.
“I was alone at home on
Wednesday morning when I saw
the news. The incident had taken
place on Tuesday but we had no
information. During the flight to
Delhi,andtheentirejourneyfrom
there up to Uttarkashi, we kept
praying.Wedidnotknowwhatto
do, waited in anxiety. Only on
Friday night, I came to know that
my only daughter is gone,” said
GolapashebrokedownattheITBP
camp in Uttarkashi’s Matli town
whilewaitingtoreceivethebody.
According to officials at the
NIM, the body will be shifted to
Dehradun and from there, the
Assam government has made
arrangementstogetitairliftedto
From August 22 to
September22,thetwowerepart
of a group of 20 Muslim teach-
ers that was intensively trained
in Pune, the focus of the course
being digital learning and com-
munications, particularly spo-
ken English. “At madrasa, the fo-
cus really is on Islamic Studies
and subjects like moral sci-
ences…how you should behave
in society, etc.… We don’t teach
modernsubjectssuchasscience.
These subjects should also be
taught,” Shahnawaz said.
During the training, he said,
some of them were using a key-
board and holding a mouse for
the first time.
Aimedatupgradingtheskills
of madrasa teachers, and also
those who teach at schools run
by Muslim organisations, the
course is the result of months of
dedicated strategising by the
Alliance for Economic and
EducationalDevelopmentof the
UP, cabbie, aide
engineering
Thebus caught fireafterhitting adumpertruckontheNashik-AurangabadHighway. Yatish Bhanu
“Duetotheimpact,thedieseltank
ofthetruckburst,leadingtoafire,
whichspreadfast.Wedon’tknow
exactly what happened, which
the police are investigating. The
truck’s driver is absconding.”
Whilemanyescapedbybreak-
ingtheemergencydoorsandwin-
dows, 10 men, one woman and
the three-year-old girl were
charredtodeathinsidethebus.
DipakBajrangShinde,thesec-
ond driver of the bus who was
sleepinginacabinetabovethedri-
Golap Hazarika (in blue shirt), father of Deepshikha
Hazarika, waits at the ITBP camp in Matli town. Express
Deepshikha’s home district
Guwahati.Similararrangements
have been made by the
Meghalaya government to carry
the body of Tiklu Jyrwa, a mem-
ber of the Meghalaya Sport
Climbing and Mountaineering
Association (MeSCMA) and an-
other victim of the avalanche.
Following the slab avalanche
that hit the Draupadi ka Danda-
2 (DKD-2) peak when a team of
34 trainees and 7 trainers were
trying to scale it as part of an ad-
vanced mountaineering course,
so far, the rescuers have recov-
ered 26 bodies, while three per-
sons are still missing. Out of the
41, only 12 could be rescued.
Due to bad weather, the Air
Force choppers could bring only
11 (four on Friday and seven on
Saturday) of the 26 bodies to the
NIM base camp and from there
to the ITBP camp. Four bodies
P A Inamdar, chairman of Pune’s Azam Campus, now P A
Inamdar University, where the training was held. Express
Underprivileged (AEEDU).
Whileitcameunderspotlight
recentlyafterreachingouttoRSS
chief Mohan Bhagwat to discuss
issues related to the Muslim
community, AEEDU was born
during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As schools and colleges were
shut and classes shifted online,
the attention of a group of
Muslimintellectualsandfriends
ver’s seat, said that within a few
seconds,thefirespreadtotheback
of the bus, which further blocked
the exit gate. “I think, due to the
collision,thedieselthatleakedon
theroadcaughtfire,whichgradu-
allyresultedinthebuscatchingfire
frombehind,”headded.
Though thebus hadaseating
capacity of 30, it was carrying 53
passengers. Most of the extra
passengers were sleeping on the
floor,saidpolice.Duetotheover-
crowding, the passengers had to
brought on Friday included
those of Himachal resident
Shivam Kainthla, and
Uttarakhand residents Savita
Kanswal and Naumi Rawat.
Bodies of Deepshikha,
Uttarakhand residents Shubham
Sangri,SiddharthKhanduri,Rahul
Panwar,MeghalayaresidentTiklu
Jyrwa, Haryana resident Nitish
Dahiya, and Uttar Pradesh resi-
dent Ravi Kumar Nirmal arrived
at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP) camp in an Army chopper
on Saturday morning.
Whilevictimsof theslabava-
lanchewerefromdifferentstates,
one thing that united them was
their immense love for moun-
tains and passion for climbing.
“She had a deep passion for
mountaineering from a very
young age. She was crazy about
the mountains. I remember,
Deepshikha was just 13 or 14
was drawn to the country’s un-
derprivilegedcommunities.They
took it upon themselves to help.
With most members of its
leadership team educationists,
AEEDU’sfocuswasoneducation.
ShahidSiddiqui,AEEDU'sgen-
eral secretary, said that when the
groupbeganwork,itrealisedthat
in terms of education Muslims
were more underprivileged than
struggle to find their way out of
the bus. “The extra passengers
were asked to sit near the dri-
ver’s cabinet. At night, they were
instructed to sleep on the floor.
Otherwise, the casualties would
have been higher,” said Shinde.
The postmortem examina-
tions were conducted at the
Nashik district hospital. A source
from the hospital said, "Eleven of
the deceased died due to burns.
Butoneteenager,SahilJeetendra
Chandrashekhar, died due to ex-
when she applied for the Assam
Mountaineering Association
(AMA)butwasdeniedadmission
due to her young age. She came
back home crying, and threat-
enedtoslitherwristif shedidnot
getselected.Ihadtotryveryhard
to convince her to wait a few
yearsandthenfollowherpassion
for the mountains,” said Golap,
trying his best to frame words.
Waiting at the ITBP camp —
where take-off and landing of
Armychoppers is more frequent
since the last few days — are also
members of other distraught
families, waiting for the bodies
of their loved ones.
“We arrived here on Tuesday
and have been waiting since
then.Firstday,westayedataho-
telandshiftedtoNIMcampuson
Wednesday. Whenever we ask
the authorities, all they tell us is
thattheyarepassingoneveryin-
formation they are getting from
the base camp," said Saurabh
Panwar, elder brother of
DehradunresidentKapilPanwar
(22) who is now feared dead.
"We have no idea how long
we will have to wait. The only
thing we have received so far are
the belongings of Kapil he left at
NIM before his trek. It includes
his clothes, documents needed
for the advanced course, and his
travel diary,” said Kapil's cousin
brother Navdeep, showing
Kapil's Instagram page “hi-
malayawasi” where he posted
photos from his mountain visits.
Navdeep said that they have not
opened Kapil's diary yet.
Navdeep is one of the 20
members of his extended fam-
ily waiting at the ITBP camp.
other communities. “Students
from these schools, including
madrasas,havenofuture,”hesaid.
Siddiqui said the situation for
Muslims was unlike that of
Christians,“whohavearobusted-
ucation system”, and students
from SC/ST communities, “who
also have some advantages
throughreservations”.Thegap,he
said, was acutely visible in digital
education.“Sotherewasadouble
backwardness—ineducationand
digital literacy,” he said.
“If we can prepare our stu-
dents properly, their employa-
bilitywillincrease.Thisistheage
of technology; we need to adapt
with the times,” he added.
With the first batch trained,
AEEDU’s efforts are already re-
warding. At his madrasa in
Seelampur, Ansari said students
are taught only Urdu, Hindi,
English, Arabic, and calligraphy.
There are computer classes for
olderstudentstoo,butno“mod-
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
ternalinjuries.Theteensustained
injuriesinhisstomach...evenbe- reached Sultanpur around 7.30
fore he could sustain burns." EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE pm on Friday. She called a rela-
Till evening, eight deceased – LUCKNOW, OCTOBER 8 tive who offered to pick her up,
Ajay Kuchankar (16), Uddhav but she said she would take a
Bhilang(44),LaxmibaiMudholkar A PRIVATE taxi driver and his taxi. She hired a taxi in which a
(50),KalyaniMudholkar(3),Sahil aide allegedly gangraped a 20- passenger was already sitting,
Jeetendra Chandrashekhar (16), year-old woman while she was apart from the driver.
Bhaibhav Aman Billan (23), on her way back home in She again called her family
Bhramdath Mahawar (40) and Sultanpur district on Friday members and informed them
Ashok Bhanshod (55) – could be evening, police said. After the that she was on her way back
identified.Toidentifytherest,DNA crime, the two suspects left her home in a taxi. “The woman has
tests would be conducted on the near a police station and fled. alleged that after covering some
charredbodies,saidpolice. The police are collecting distance, when the vehicle
Inspector Vijay Gamal said, CCTVfootageof theareaandwill reached a secluded spot, the taxi
“The faces of Kalyani and Ajay prepare sketches of the two ac- driverandtheothermanforcibly
couldberecognised.Laxmibaiwas cused on the basis of informa- took her phone. After parking
identifiedwiththehelpof hersil- tion provided by the woman. thecarontheroadside,theysex-
ver bangles.” In all, 31 passengers She was sent for medical exam- uallyassaultedher,”saidapolice
were rushed to Nashik’s govern- inationandthereportisawaited, officer.
ment-rundistricthospital.Among said a senior police officer. Later, the accused dropped
them, six were children. Another Superintendent of Police, her near a police station. “The
eightinjuredweretakentoprivate Sultanpur, Somen Barma said woman told us that the accused
hospitals.Theremainingtwowere search is on for the accused. returned her phone and drove
dischargedfromhospital.
The passengers complained
The woman is an engineer-
ing student in Lucknow, police
away. She then called a relative,
who reached the spot and took
that the fire brigade took around
20 minutes to reach the spot. Till
said. According to the police, she her home,” added the officer.
then, locals came to their rescue.
Sachin Jadhav, a resident of
Thane’s Badlapur, said, “By the
timeambulancesandfirebrigade
1 killed, 8 injured as ox
came,theotherpassengerswere
already charred to death.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister
runs amok in Kolkata
Narendra Modi announced ex- people at the carnival. Later, the
gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PM’s EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE ox ran away from the spot.
National Relief Fund for the kin KOLKATA, OCTOBER 8 Demanding compensation
of the deceased and Rs 50,000 from the government, Julie,
for the injured. CM Eknath A MAN was killed and eight per- daughter of the deceased, told
Shinde announced Rs 5 lakh for sonsinjuredafteranoxranamok mediapersons, “I lost my father.
the kin of the deceased. ataDurgaidolimmersioncarnival He was taking care of the family
onFridaynightinRaiganjinNorth and my ailing mother. How will
Dinajpur district, police said. we survive now? The Durga Puja
To bring The deceased, Sadhan committee and the government
Karmakar, was taken to Raiganj areresponsibleforhisdeath.Why
uniformity, J&K Medical College and Hospital in
criticalcondition,butsuccumbed
were oxen used to carry idols?
Why was proper training not
okays Public
toinjuriesduringtreatment.The given before using the animals?
injured are undergoing treat- Why did the government allow
University Bill ment at the same hospital.
During the idol immersion
such things to take place? I urge
the state government to provide
carnival, Anushilan Club had compensation to us.” It has been
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE arranged oxen-driven carriages learntthattheadministrationhas
SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 8 fortheidols'procession.However,
an ox suddenly started attacking
decided to offer Rs 2 lakh com-
pensationtothebereavedfamily.
LIEUTENANTGOVERNORManoj
Sinha-led Administrative
Council(AC)onSaturdaygaveits
nod to the Jammu and Kashmir G.B. PANT NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HIMALAYAN ENVIRONMENT
Public University Bill-2022 with KOSI-KATARMAL, ALMORA 263 643, UTTARAKHAND, INDIA
thepurposeof addressingtheis- Walk-in-Interview will be conducted on
sues pertaining to a wide variety 20.10.2022 (10:00 hrs.) for purely project based
of universities in Jammu and temporary positions of System Manager (01 No.),
Kashmir. “The government in- Project Scientist (01 No.) and Junior Project Fellow
tends to frame a common Public (01 No.) at Kosi-Katarmal campus of the Institute.
University Bill which would ap- For details (age, emoluments, qualification, etc.),
plytoallpublicuniversitiesof UT please see Institute website (www.gbpihed.gov.in).
of J&K,” the Raj Bhavan said in a Office Suprintendent
statement.
The UT’s administrative
councilcomprisestheLG,adviser
Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, and Chief
Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta.
The administration said that
the National Education Policy-
2020 (NEP-2020) envisions an
education system “rooted in
Indianethos”thatcontributesdi-
rectlytotransformingIndia,sus-
tainablyintoanequitableandvi-
brant knowledge society, by
providinghigh-qualityeducation
toall,andtherebymakingIndiaa
global knowledge superpower.
The NEP-2020, “moreover
envisagesfundamentaltransfor-
mationinthestructureof higher
education” by mandating the
transformation of all affiliated
colleges to either multidiscipli-
nary research or teaching uni-
versities ordegree-awardingau-
tonomous institutions by 2035.
The key features of the cur-
rent draft include emphasis on
uniformity and flexibility in
working of all higher educa-
tional institutions.
ern"subjects.“Thatconversation
within madrasas must start
now,” he said.
Besides former Union
Minority Affairs minister K
Rahman Khan as mentor,
AEEDU’s leadership team in-
cludes former Aligarh Muslim
University V-C Lt Gen Zameer
Uddin Shah, former CEC S Y
Quraishi, former Delhi L-G and
former V-C of Jamia Millia
Islamia Najeeb Jung, K R
Mangalam University chancel-
lor Prof Dinesh Singh, among
among others.
The group’s efforts aren’t re-
stricted to Muslims — Jung said
AEEDU is looking “at a very
broad canvas” to improve edu-
cational standards among the
most underprivileged, “obvi-
ously aiming at Dalits, Muslims
and other poor sections of soci-
ety.”
FULL REPORT ON
www.indianexpress.com
New Delhi
10 EXPRESS NETWORK
GAMBIA CHILD DEATHS
Our raw material
7 OCTOBER 2011
comes from
reputed firms:
pharma unit
HEAD CONSTABLE CONSTABLE CONSTABLE EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
CONSTABLE
(GD)
(GD)
DILEESH
(GD)
PRAVEEN P
(DVR)
VIVEK KUMAR
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
DHARMESHWAR CHATHUROLI YADAV
NATH
HARYANA-BASED MAIDEN
Pharmaceuticals, whose syrups
Sashastra Seema Bal fondly remembers and cherishes the have been potentially linked to
valiant act of brave hearts, Head Constable/GD Dharmeshwar deaths of 66 children in Gambia,
Nath, Constable/GD Praveen P, Constable/GD Dileesh said that it procures raw mate-
Chathuroli and Constable/ Driver Vivek Kumar Yadav of 41Bn rial from certified and reputed
SSB who made the supreme sacrifice in an I.E.D blast by companies. Experts have said
Anti- National elements on this day in the year 2011 at that the di-ethylene glycol and
Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. Their gallant action will continue ethylene glycol contaminants
to inspire us all. could have been present in the
We salute the valor and supreme sacrifice of our brave soldier. solvent used to make the syrup.
SASHASTRA SEEMA BAL The company in a press re-
leasesaiditreceivedofficialinfor-
mation regarding the issue on
October5,withtheWorldHealth
Organization (WHO) raising the
alert the next day. The Union
healthministrywasfirstinformed
about the issue by the WHO on
September 29. Since then, as per
the release by the company, the
governmentagenciesvisitedtheir
facilitiesfourtimesonOctober1,3,
6, and 7. The release said samples
have been drawn and the results
are awaited. "We cannot com-
mentonanyotherissuesandshall
update you as and when we re-
ceive information," the release
said. (WITHAGENCYINPUTS)
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PR 279431 Water Resource(22-23).D
INDIAN ROAD CONGRESS
Road infra in UP will be on a par
with US by 2024-end: Gadkari
‘Projects worth Rs 8,000 crore for development of roads sanctioned’
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
LUCKNOW, OCTOBER 8
UNION MINISTER for Road
Transport & Highways Nitin
Gadkari on Saturday said he has
made a promise to Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath that
road infrastructure in the state
would be on a par with that in
the US before the end of 2024.
Addressingtheinauguralses-
sionof the81stAnnualSessionof
the Indian Roads Congress (IRC)
in Lucknow on Saturday as chief
guest, Gadkari said he has made
apromisetodeveloproadsinUP
at an expenditure of around Rs 5
lakhcrorebeforetheendof 2024.
Gadkari announced that
projects of Rs 8,000 crore for de-
velopment of roads have been
sanctioned. These projects are
for connecting Moradabad to
Kashipur, Shahabad-Hardoi by-
pass,Shajahanpur-Shahabadby-
pass, Ghazipur-Ballia bypass, etc
and 13 ROBs at Rs 1,000 crore.
Gadkari said, “We need to
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UP CM Yogi Adityanath and Union Road Transport Minister
Nitin Gadkari in Lucknow on Saturday. Vishal Srivastav
havemorecooperationbetween
the stakeholders and a transpar-
ent and corruption-free system
alongwith101percentcommit-
mentwithquality,”Gadkarisaid.
Addressingengineersandex-
perts in road construction, the
UnionMinisterappealedtothem
totryandreducethecostof con-
struction and improve quality.
Gadkari said diesel-fueled
busesbeingruninUPcostsmore
than the electric ones. Drawing
Varanasi-bound Vande Bharat
suffers jammed wheels, ‘flat tyre’
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
THE NEW Delhi-Varanasi Vande
Bharat Express was taken out of
operation on Saturday after it
suffered a snag in a traction mo-
tor that jammed its wheels and
damaged their perfect round-
ness, a situation officials de-
scribed as "flat tyre".
The officials said the semi-
high speed train left New Delhi
station at its scheduled time of 6
ambutithadtobewithdrawnat
Khurja station in Uttar Pradesh,
just after travelling about 90 km.
All the 1,068 passengers had
to be deboarded and shifted to a
Shatabdi Express rake brought
from Delhi for their onwards
journey, which started around
12.40 pm.
“Varanasi Vande Bharat rake
(Train no. 22436) has suffered a
No.: E/B&R/RO A.M.C. Tender/25/2022-23/18
NOTICE INVITING TENDER
Sealed two-bid (technical and Price) tenders are invited for the following Annual Comprehensive
maintenance work from eligible firms/contractors having experience of similar works:-
Name of work Estimated cost
(approximate,
all taxes)
Annual Rs. 6.50 lakhs Rs. 19,500/-
Comprehensive
Maintenance
Contract for RO
Systems and Water
Softeners installed at
different locations in
LNIPE Campus.
The interested companies/firms/contractors/agencies, who are qualified as per eligibility condi ons of
the tender, given in the tender form, may submit their tenders in the prescribed format along with
EMD/Exempted cer ficate and required documents, by speed post or registered post or by hand, so as to
reach/drop in the tender box at the office of Deputy Registrar (Estate), LNIPE, Gwalior by 3:00 PM on
31.10.2022.
The tender-applica on form fee is Nil and the same containing detailed specifica ons, terms and
condi ons etc., is available on the web-site of Ins tute www.lnipe.edu.in and CPPP, which may be
downloaded for submission.
attention of CM Adityanath,
Gadkari said, “If you run electric
buses and provide AC-bus serv-
ices to the entire UP at 25 per
cent reduced fare, that will re-
duce the pollution and ensure
more comfort to the public.”
Gadkarisaidhisdreamwasto
makee-highwaysandhisministry
wastryingtomakeane-highway
from Delhi to Jaipur. Gadkari
addedthathewasgoingtolaunch
electrictrucknextmonth.
PassengersbeingshiftedtoaShatabdiExpressrakebrought
fromDelhifortheonwardjourney,inBulandshahr,Saturday. PTI
failure due to bearing defect in
Traction Motor of C8 coach be-
tween Dankaur and Wair sta-
tions of North Central Railway,”
the Railways said in a statement.
"The bearing jam was recti-
fiedwithassistanceof NCRteam.
However,duetodevelopmentof
aflat tyre of 80mm, thetrainhas
beenmovedatarestrictedspeed
EMD Last date &
(refundable) time for
submission
of tenders
Up to 3:00 PM
(by Bank Draft in on 31.10.2022
favour of
“Registrar,
Gwalior or Bank
Guarantee from a
schedule bank) or
(Exempted for
on submission on
valid certificate)
(N.L. Rohira) REGISTRAR I/C
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022
Referring to PM Narendra
Modi’s mission to make India a
$5-trillion economy, Gadkari
said the country should have
good infrastructure, such as wa-
ter, power, transport and com-
munication at any cost.
CMAdityanathwhopresided
over the inaugural session, said
the “double engine” government
has developed good road infra-
structure for inter-state connec-
tivityand four-laneconnectivityis
availablefromallentrypoints.He
addedthat,infirstfiveyearsofhis
government,economicallyback-
ward east UP and Bundelkhand
regions were connected with
world-class expressways.
Citing data that more than
20,000deathsoccurinroadacci-
dents in the state every year,
Adityanath expressed concern
aboutroadsafety.“Thereisachal-
lenge somewhere in that con-
cern,”theCMsaidandexpressed
hope that the IRC would brain-
storm on that perspective. The
CMsaidseveralliveswerelostbe-
cause of “wrong engineering.”
of 20 kmph up to Khurja... A de-
tailed investigation of the failure
willbedoneaftertakingtherake
back to maintenance depot,'' the
statement said.
“Around 12.40, all 1,068 pas-
sengers were deboarded and
shiftedtoaShatabdiExpressrake
brought from Delhi for their on-
wards journey," an official said.
Datet:- 06/10/2022
Date & time
of opening
of tender
Technical bids:
4:00 PM on
31.10.2022
Price bids:
To be decided after
examining technical
bids (will be notified
to the qualified
technical bidders).
Karnataka govt
directs seizure of
aggregator autos
still on road
PTI & ENS
BENGALURU, OCTOBER 8
KARNATAKA TRANSPORT
Minister B Sriramulu Saturday
said he has directed officials to
impoundautorickshawsthatare
still being operated by ride-hail-
ing companies despite a ban by
the state government.
He said notices have been is-
sued to aggregators such as Ola
andUberfor“violations”andthat
he would decide the next course
of action in a couple of days.
The Karnataka government
has directed the ride hailing
companies to stop their “illegal”
autorickshawservicesinthecity,
citingviolation of norms.Theac-
tioncameaftermanypassengers
complained of overcharging by
theautorickshawsoperatingun-
der apps like Ola and Uber.
“Ola and Uber are meant to
help commuters without caus-
ingthemtrouble,butweareget-
ting complaints every year... also
there are certaintechnicalissues
involved, so notice has been is-
suedtothem,”Sriramulutoldre-
portersinresponsetoaquestion.
Notingthatcertainconditions
werelaiddown,suchasratefixa-
tion among others, while grant-
ing licences, he said: “Notices
have been issued because there
are violations, and on getting a
clarificationfromthem,Iwilltake
a decision within a day or two.”
Whentoldthatvehicleswere
operatingdespitenotice,themin-
istersaid:“Ihaveorderedofficials
toseizeOlaandUbervehiclesop-
erating despite directions.”
Tanveer Pasha, President of
Ola-Uber Drivers and Owners'
Association said the aggregator
license was only meant for mo-
tor-cabs and not autorickshaws.
He alleged that the cab aggrega-
tors had been charging more
fare. Pasha also alleged that a
complaintwaslodgedayearago,
but no action was taken.
UTTARAKHAND
Three held for
irregularities in
2016 panchayat
officer exam
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
DEHRADUN, OCTOBER 8
THE SPECIAL Task Force (STF) on
Saturday arrested three people,
including the Uttarakhand
Subordinate Service Selection
Commission(UKSSSC)ex-chair-
man RBS Rawat, former exami-
nationcontrollerRSPokhriyaand
secretaryManoharKanyalforir-
regularities in VPDO (Village
PanchayatDevelopmentofficers)
recruitment examination con-
ducted by the board in 2016.
Callingitthebiggestactionin
the case till now, Chief Minister
Pushkar Dhami said his govern-
ment will not allow injustice.
“The investigating agencies are
doingtheirjob.Noneof thosere-
sponsible will be spared. The
government is ensuring all the
exams in the future are fair and
transparent. The arrests made
today are an example so that no
one can dare to rig any exams in
the future,” said Dhami.
In 2016, the UKSSSC had con-
ductedtheVPDOexamonMarch
6 at 236 exam centres across the
state. Over 87,000 aspirants had
appearedandtheresultswerean-
nounced on March 30. Following
severalallegationsofirregularities,
aninquirycommissionwassetup
in2017underthechairmanshipof
then Additional Chief Secretary.
Theresultswerecancelledfollow-
ing the recommendation of the
committeeandHighCourtorder.
Bodies of three
women found
floating in UP dam
Jhansi: Bodies of three women
were fished out of a dam in the
Mauranipur area late on
Saturday, police said.
have come from the bordering
Tikamgarh district of Madhya
Pradesh. Efforts are on to iden-
tify the victims, he said.
Information about a body
floatingintheSaprardamwasre-
ceived from an irrigation depart-
ment employee of Mauranipur,
SeniorSPRajeshSsaid.Hesaidthe
body was fished out and it ap-
peared to be of a woman aged
around 25. After a while, two
more bodies were spotted. The
victims appeared to be aged be-
tween 18 and 20, Rajesh said. No
injuries were visible on the bod-
ies,hesaid.Itislikelythatthebod-
ies were swept away from
Tikamgarh district, SSP said. PTI

11 SUNDAY STORY
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022
Death in a resort
Over a month ago, Ankita Bhandari left her home in a Pauri village to land a job that she hoped would
change her life. Until, one day, she went missing. As her death hits the headlines, casting a spotlight on a
web of power and patronage, AVANEESH MISHRA tells the story of the girl and her dreams cut short
A
DEATHLY calm shrouds the
ghostlywhitebuildingthat'ssur-
rounded by champa and pine
trees.It'safarcryfromthe"tran-
quil surroundings" advertised in
glossy pamphlets and on the website of
Vanantara Resorts in Rishikesh, over 50 kilo-
metresfromDehradun.
TheUttarakhandresortisnowatthecentre
of a sensational murder that hit the headlines
a couple of weeks ago while casting a light on
how business, politics and ambition can cross
paths,sometimestodangerousconsequences.
On the night of September 18, Ankita
Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist at
VanantaraResortwaskilledallegedlybythree
persons, including her employer Pulkit Arya,
35,sonofnowexpelledBJPleaderVinodArya.
PolicesaidPulkithadallegedlykilledAnkitaaf-
ter she resisted his orders to provide “special
services”tosomeof theguestsattheresort.
With the murder resulting in massive
protestsacrossthestate,theauthoritiesswung
intoaction—threeoftheaccused,Pulkitandhis
associates Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta,
weretakenintocustodyandthedistrictadmin-
istration demolished a section of the resort,
which sparked a controversy amid allegations
thatitwasabidto“destroy”crucialevidence.
Now, weeks later, away from the cameras
andhordesofmediapersonnelwhodescended
onthisresortfollowingnewsofAnkita'sdeath,
the Chilla canal, into which Pulkit allegedly
pushed Ankita, flows noisily, its gurgling wa-
tersstandingwitnesstotheeventsthatended
intragedyonSeptember18.
A family's dream cut short
Atatwo-storeyedstructurewithmoss-cov-
eredstairsleadinguptothefirstfloor,Ankita's
fatherVirendraBhandariisfloodedwithmem-
ories of his daughter — the day she was born,
thelittle"GoddessLakshmi"whomhenamed
Ankita but called "Sakshi"; the day he last saw
herashedroppedheroff assheleftforherjob
attheRishikeshresort.
Evenasalittlegirl,Ankita,hesays,wasclear
about what she wanted — and what she did-
n't.“Shetoldusthatshedoesnotwanttolivein
thevillage.Thatsheneedstogooutandstudy...
andstudyEnglish,"saysBhandari,53,sittingon
oneof thestairsatthefamily'sancestralhome
in Dobh Srikot village, in Uttarakhand's hilly
PauriGarhwaldistrict.
SowhenAnkitawasaroundeightyearsold,
thefamilylefttheirvillageandmoveddownhill
toPauritown.There,BhandarienrolledAnkita
inanEnglish-mediumschoolwhilehetookon
several odd jobs. In 2020, Ankita cleared her
CBSEClass12examswith89percentmarks.
"Wewereveryproudofher.Shewasagood
student and that is why I decided to enroll her
intheEnglish-mediumschool,”hesays.
Last year, Ankita went to live at a relative’s
houseinDehradunandenrolledforaone-year
certificate course at the Shri Ram Institute of
Hotel Management. However, with her father
losing his job as a security guard during the
Covid lockdown, the family soon moved back
to their ancestral village. Around six months
into her course, with her fee arrears climbing
to Rs 35,000, Ankita finally dropped out and
camehome.
In a state whose limited job opportunities
mostly revolve around the tourism industry,
Ankita, like most youngsters her age, wanted
toworkinthehospitalitysector.
So earlier this year, when one of Ankita's
friends(nowawitnessinthemurdercase)in-
formedheraboutanopeningatVanantara,she
decidedtotakeitup--andsoonlandedthejob.
On August 28, father and daughter took a
bus to Rishikesh. "I was asked by the resort
owner to wait at the main gate of AIIMS
Rishikesh.Theythencameinacarandtookher.
They promised to keep her safe. I remember
howshegotintothecarandwavedatme.That
wasthelasttimeIsawheralive,”saysBhandari,
hisvoicebreaking.
Lilawati, wife of Bhandari's elder brother
Rajendra, says that soon after Ankita left, her
dream job started unravelling. “Just a few
weeks after she left, we sensed that she was
no longer the same. She sounded tense and
stressed,” she says.
Though Ankita was offered a monthly
salaryofRs10,000andaroomtostayatthere-
sort,shedidnotlivelongenoughtocollecther
firstsalary.
Back on the moss-covered steps, Bhandari
lapsesintomemoriesof hisyoungerchild.
“Oh, there are so many things I remember
abouther...Iwasreallyimpressedwiththeway
shecooked.Shewastheonewhointroducedus
tochowmein(noodles)andmomos...Now,look
at us. My mother has hardly eaten anything
since the funeral (on September 25),” says
Bhandari.Hiswifeandsonlielistlesslyinoneof
therooms.
Power, politics, and the Aryas
Until recently, thedouble-storeyed peach-
and-brownbuildinginHaridwar'sAryaNagar
locality was its most important address. The
residence of Vinod Arya, its fortunes have re-
verseddrasticallyoverthelastfortnight.Abill-
board displayed prominently until a few days
ago,of ‘SwadeshiAyurveda’,anayurvedafirm
owned by the Arya family, has been taken off.
The big, green iron door leading to the house
remainsshutatalltimes.
Thisstrictseclusion,however,hasdonelit-
tletostopthetownfromdiscussingthemurder
thattheirfamousneighbourisnowlinkedto.
TheAryafamilyhailsfromImlikhera,avil-
lage in Roorkee that has had its share of politi-
cal fame — it's home to several heavyweight
politicians,includingformerBJPstatepresident
MadanKaushikandtheparty'sformerRoorkee
MLA,SureshChandJain.
SourcessaytheAryaswereafamilyofmod-
estmeans—Vinod'sfatherMunishwarAnand
was a farmer. How their fortunes changed is
part of a delightful lore that's told with a lot of
conviction by villagers in Imlikhera. When
Vinod was a child, they say, some dacoits
robbed a rich businessman and used mules
owned by Munishwar to carry the loot. While
the other mules went with the dacoits, one of
them,loadedwithgoldcoins,strayedfromthe
pack and returned to its owner. Villagers say
this is how the family struck it big, purchasing
landandventuringintotheayurvedabusiness
establishedbyVinodAryain1995.
With the business taking off, Vinod effort-
lesslytransitionedintopoliticsandsoonjoined
the BJP. Later, he was made chairman of the
Uttarakhand Mati Board, a post that gave him
A LETTER FROM
PAURI
GARHWAL,
UTTARAKHAND
UTTARAKHAND
Rishikesh
Pauri
Haridwar Garhwal
UTTAR
PRADESH
the rank of minister of state in the previous
Trivendra Singh Rawat-led BJP government.
Vinod’s elder son Ankit too joined the BJP and
waslatermadevice-presidentofthestateOBC
Commission.
Followingthemurder,bothVinodandAnkit
were expelled from the party and Ankit was
strippedof hisOBCCommissionpost.
Afterhisschooling,PulkitjoinedHimalaya
Ayurvedic Medical College in Doiwala for a
diploma course. A former principal of the
medicalcollege,whodidn'twanttobenamed,
says, “I used to get a lot of complaints about
Pulkit, mainly about his scuffles with other
students.Ihadaskedthemanagementtokeep
an eye on him.”
But in what was to leave his former class-
mates and teachers stunned, in 2009, Pulkit
topped the Uttarakhand Pre-Medical Test
(UPMT). The high rank ensured him a seat at
Patanjali Ayurveda College in Haridwar for a
Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery
(BAMS)course.He,however,soondroppedout.
Sources say Pulkit dropped out after he
failed to meet the mandatory 75 per cent at-
tendancetoappearfortheterm-endexam.
Pulkit was to eventually get his BAMS de-
gree from Rishikul Ayurvedic College in
Haridwar. A senior staff member of the col-
lege says that Pulkit was in 2011 debarred
fromthecounsellingprocess,butlatergotad-
mission in 2013.
“In 2011, he tried to get into our college.
However,duringcounselling,itwasfoundthat
thecandidate'sphotographsfromhighschool
and intermediate, and on the entrance form
did not match. He was disqualified," he says,
adding that in 2013, Pulkit again cleared the
UPMT exam and finally got into the college.
“While he was in his third year [2016], we
(Clockwise from top) Ankita’s father
(sitting on the steps) with her uncle at
their ancestral home in Pauri Garhwal;
the Haridwar home of the Aryas has
been shut since the murder; the
partially demolished resort at
Rishikesh. Avaneesh Mishra
received an anonymous letter saying several
studentsofthelastfewbatcheshadgotadmis-
sionthroughillegalmethods.Westartedinves-
tigating and found faults with the admission
process. An FIR was registered against 31 stu-
dents from four batches, including Pulkit, and
they were all removed from the college in
September.However,afterachangeofgovern-
ment in 2017, somehow Pulkit and the other
studentswereallowedtoresumetheircourse,”
heclaimed.
UttarakhandDGPAshokKumarhadearlier
confirmedtoTheIndianExpressthatanFIRwas
registeredagainstPulkitin2016undersections
of cheatingandforgery.
Razed to the ground
Outside the Vanantara Resort, policemen
deployed since the murder lounge on a dust-
coveredsofathathasseenbetterdays.
A significant part of the structure now
standsdemolished,withlarge,gapingholesre-
vealing the hollowed-out insides of the once
luxuryresort.Mostoftheglasspanes—which
nottoolongagoofferedabreathtakingviewof
the Himalayas — have been shattered and ex-
pensivefurnitureliestrewnonthegroundout-
side.Amotorbikeliesonitsside,vandalised.
“Thisareadevelopedaroundfiveyearsago,
when people started building hotels and re-
sorts here. There are now at least eight resorts
within a 200-metre radius of this place. Most
of the visitors are tourists to the nearby Rajaji
NationalPark.Butnow,afterthisincident,this
area will be known more for the Ankita mur-
der case," says an employee of the nearby
PanambiResort&Spa.
Vanantra and the other resorts in the area
arepartofGangaBhogpurvillage.Surrounded
bylushgreenforests,theareaisflankedbythe
Ganga on one side and on the other, the Chilla
canalthatflowswithmassiveforceduringthe
monsoonseason.
RightbehindVanantraisagooseberrypro-
cessing unit, part of the ayurveda firm run by
VinodArya.Localssaythatthisfactorycameup
around15yearsago.Later,aroundsixyearsago,
the Aryas built another building and let it out
onleasetohotelierSampaMukherjeeandher
husband Anjon Mukherjee, who ran SAM
Resortsfromthepremises.
Pulkitlaterendedtheleaseagreementwith
theMukherjeecouple,tookovertheresortand
named it 'Vanantra'. When contacted, Sampa
MukherjeeconfirmedthatsheranSAMResort
outof thesamebuilding.
Withtheresortandthefactoryshut,many
of its employees have been left in the lurch. “I
joined the factory around a year ago. Our pay-
ment for the month of September is pending
and now I have lost all hope of getting it,” says
Sanjay Yadav, a resident of Bhagalpur in Bihar,
whousedtoworkatthegooseberryunit.
THE SUNDAY PROFILE
KCR in
avatar ‘Bharat’
He always saw himself as a national leader, and
has rewritten history – and geography – before
with Telangana movement. But has TRS founder
K Chandrashekar Rao overreached himself now?
SREENIVAS JANYALA
KALVAKUNTLA CHANDRASHEKAR Rao or
KCR has always believed he is destined for a
major role in national politics. With the BJP
snapping at his heels in Telangana, and the
space vacated outside by a shrinking
Congress, there may be no time than now.
KCR also believes he has a sense of his-
tory. On April 27, 2001, when he founded
theTelanganaRashtraSamithi(TRS)totake
the long-standing demand for a separate
state of Telangana, the Telugu Desam Party
(TDP)wasall-powerfulandYSRajasekhara
ReddyarisingstarintheCongress.By2014,
he had ensured his goal of Telangana, wip-
ing out both the TDP and Congress in this
part of the united Andhra Pradesh.
Now,formally taking theleap tothena-
tional stage, KCR has rechristened the TRS
as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and
said he will contest across several states in
the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Born in Chintamadaka village in Medak
district, the well-read KCR who holds a
Master’s degree in Telugu literature from
Osmania University, started his political
journey in the Youth Congress in the 1970s.
An admirer of superstar N T Rama Rao, he
joined the TDP when NTR launched it in
1983,androsetobecomeaseniorleaderbe-
foreNChandrababuNaidustartedhisclimb.
The TDP made KCR in-charge of several
districts, and he was a minister in the NTR
and Naidu governments. He lost his first
electionin1983,fromSiddipetseat,butthat
would remain the one and only time.
A TRS leader close to KCR says it was the
Naidu government’s “neglect” of the
Telangana region that distanced him from
the TDP. “KCR wanted a platform to renew
the demand for a state, and there was no
space for him in any party,” the leader says.
ThebreakcameonApril27,2001,when
KCR quit the TDP, and launched the TRS,
calling Telangana its sole objective.
TRS leaders point out that KCR waited
patiently for the Centre to fulfill the de-
mand. In 2004, elected to the Lok Sabha
from Karimnagar, he extended support to
theUPAgovernment.Hewasinductedinto
the Cabinet, but given the relatively minor
portfolio of Labour and Employment.
Meanwhile,theUPAgovernmentdilly-dal-
lied on his demand for Telangana.
After two years, KCR resigned from the
UPA, withdrew support to the Manmohan
Singh government, and dived headlong
into the separate state movement.
An electoral debacle followed, one that
many expected to end the career of KCR
and derail the Telangana movement. But
luck and history again proved to be on
KCR’s side, with the tragic death of Y S
Rajashekara Reddy in a chopper crash re-
movingtheoneCongressleaderwhostood
against the division of Andhra Pradesh.
Again, fortune smiled on KCR as the
Congressmishandledthetransition,ignor-
ingReddy’ssonJaganMohanReddy’spop-
ularclaimtotheCMpost.KCRhitwhenthe
iron was hot, rallying support in the
Telanganaregion,withhugerallies,bandhs.
He invoked regionalism to great effect,
attracting students, government employ-
ees,farmers,andwomen.Onhisorders,gov-
ernment employees would go on strike for
weeks, enduring pay cuts, but bringing the
government to a halt. Osmania University
india75
37.67 million
NUMBER PLATE hectares
15.38 million
tonnes
408 kg
Thetotalproductionof nutri/coarse
cerealsinIndiaduring1950-51,which
hasincreasedto51.15mntonnesin
2020-21.At8.33mntonnes,Rajasthan
wasthetopproducerin2020-21,
followedbyKarnataka(7.73mntonnes)
andMaharashtra(6mntonnes)
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
Illustration: Suvajit Dey
and other educational institutions became
hotbeds of the agitation, with several stu-
dents committing suicide.
On November 29, 2009, KCR started a
fast unto death, setting off a fresh round of
violent protests. After 11 days, with KCR’s
health deteriorating, the Centre finally ca-
pitulated and agreed to move a Bill.
A former Congress MP said KCR had
more in store for the party. “Everyone
thought that having achieved its objective,
the TRS will merge with the Congress.”
However, after the Andhra Pradesh
Reorganisation Bill, 2014, was passed in
Parliament, KCR thanked Sonia Gandhi
and, days later, told the media that the
Congress was a sinking ship and there was
no question of a merger.
In the first polls in Telangana in 2014,
the TRS won 63 of the 119 Assembly seats
and11of the17LokSabhaseats.Inthedays
thatfollowed,over20MLAsof otherparties
switched to the TRS. The Congress won 21
Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats.
The Congress didn’t just lose out on any
poll benefits from creating Telangana, it
was also wiped out in Andhra Pradesh,
which was angry over the division.
Knownforhisrepartee,KCRwasaskedby
someoneiftheCongressshouldgetthecredit
for passing the bifurcation Bill. “Gandhi,
Nehru fought for Independence. Did people
garlandQueenElizabeth?”hesaid.
TRS MLA Balka Suman says KCR “hit the
groundrunning”asCM,listinghisinfrastruc-
ture projects, and schemes like Rythu
Bandhu, old age pensions. There have also
been grand flagship projects like the renova-
tionof theYadadriTemple.
While in 2018 his tally further soared,
KCR hit controversies such as over the
Rs 600-crore reconstruction of the
Secretariat to make it “Vaastu compliant”.
Oppositionpartiescalledhisgrandprojects
examplesof KCR’sautocraticbehaviour,and
accused his administration of corruption.
Both the Congress and BJP also accuse
KCR of running “a family government”. His
son K T Rama Rao is No. 2 in KCR’s Cabinet.
His daughter K Kavita is a former MP from
Nizamabad, and is currently an MLC.
Before he realised the challenge posed
by the BJP, KCR had ensured a cordial rela-
tionship with the Narendra Modi govern-
ment, remaining neutral or supporting it
on demonetisation, GST and other con-
tentious issues. The rift finally spilled over
onthepaddyprocurementissue.Whenthe
Centre refused to procure excess paddy
from Telangana, leaving KCR facing angry
farmers at home, he lashed out at Modi.
But more than paddy, KCR’s anxiety
stems from the BJP’s poll plans. The party
has been making inroads, seeing a rich
ground for attracting the Hindu votes in a
state with a very high Muslim population.
Telangana PCC chief A Revanth Reddy
said the national move was set to backfire
onKCR.“Forthepast21years,KCRhasused
the Telangana sentiment to grow, and now
thatherealisesthathecannotexploititany
longer, he is going national. It is overambi-
tious and a misadventure,’’ Reddy said.
BJP leader K Krishna Sagar Rao said KCR
is trying to remain relevant as he is strug-
gling to keep his government operational
financially.On KCR'sclaimsof a “Telangana
Model”, Sagar Rao said this exists only in
the imagination of the CM. “One can’t sell
a model to the nation which doesn't exist.”
Total area under nutri/coarse cereals
during 1950-51, which came down to
23.83 million hectares during 2020-21.
The yield of nutri/coarse cereals per
hectare during 1950-51, which increased
to 2,146 kg per hectare in 2020-21
HARIKISHAN SHARMA
 12 OPINION
Across
THEAISLE
PCHIDAMBARAM
Website:pchidambaram.in
Twitter @Pchidambaram_IN
When the UPA demitted
office, at the end of 2013-14
the CAD had been brought
down to 1.7 per cent,
CPI inflation had been
contained at 9.4 per cent
(which declined further to
5.9 per cent in 2014-15),
foreign exchange reserves
had increased by USD 15.5
billion and the exchange rate
was Rs 58.4. That is a slice of
history for those who want
to read history
inside
TRACK
COOMIKAPOOR
PM’S REBUKE
Modi’s ministers are worried about
changes after central ministers and senior
secretarieswererebukedbythePMattwo
separate meetings in the space of a fort-
night.OnereasonforModi’sannoyancewas
ministriesignoringbackgroundnotessent
bytheNationalSecurityCouncilSecretariat
(NSCS),suchasanadvisorywarningagainst
continuingdependenceonimportedphar-
maceutical ingredients for manufacturing
drugs. Modi felt there was too much com-
placency and non-application of mind in
government instead of constantly updat-
ing thinking in view of changing interna-
tional relations. Coincidentally or not, sev-
eral central ministers have been visiting
poll-boundGujaratonwork-relatedassign-
ments to demonstrate that they are no
shirkers and are on the ball. Smriti Irani
cameforaWomen’sConclaveandalsotook
part in garba celebrations; Anurag Thakur
inaugurated the National Games sessions
in Gujarat; and Bhupinder Yadav was with
AmitShahwhenheinaugurateda300-bed
ESIC hospital in the state. Even External
AffairsMinisterSJaishankar,aRajyaSabha
MPfromGujarat,invited50foreignenvoys
to Vadodara.
ME TOO UNITEA
In what seems to be a Me Too inspired
byRahulGandhi’sBharatJodoyatra,Culture
Minister G Kishan Reddy has organised a
Unity Week to coincide with Sardar Patel’s
birthday on October 31. There are to be
week-long festivities ending with special
celebrationsatKevadiya,Gujarat,thesiteof
thetoweringStatueofUnitycommemorat-
ing Patel. The concept is, however, a trifle
puzzling.UnityistobespeltUniteaandthe
theme will be posting selfies of prominent
personalities and influencers drinking tea
with groups of people to demonstrate
“unitea”.Districtmagistrateshavebeenor-
deredtoorganisearound100marchesand
runs on this theme in every district.
CHARM OFFENSIVE
Shashi Tharoor throwing his hat into
theringfortheCongresspresidentposthas
upset the party high command and the
G23 rebels alike. Tharoor, by his sheer ef-
fronteryintakingtheCongress’sclaimof a
democratic contest at face value, has left
hispartyred-faced.Heclaimsheconsulted
SoniaandRahulbeforestanding,butinthe
Congressculture,itisunderstoodthatsuch
she
SAID
RINKUGHOSH
rinku.ghosh@expressindia.com
THERE’SSOMETHINGredemptiveaboutthe
public flaunting of our “mom status” that
absolves us of all the guilt of not doing
enoughforourbirthingparentasweought
to have. Or of not living up to expectations.
That’s why when Gandhi scion Rahul bent
down to tie the shoelaces of his mother
SoniaduringhisBharatJodorally—publicly
documentingtheframeas“Maa”—theim-
ageofadutifulsonwasmeanttobearecon-
structivesurgeryforhispoliticalfailingsand
inability to helm the Congress the way his
mother had so far. In that one moment of
falling at his mother’s feet, Rahul became
likeableandamiable,withobserverschoos-
WHISTLING IN
THE DARK
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was
disappointed when the GDP growth rate
for Q1 of 2022-23 was below its forecast
of16.2percentandrecorded13.5percent.
Fortheremainingthreequarters,theRBI’s
estimates are 6.3, 4.6 and 4.6 per cent.
Theestimatedaverageof7percentap-
pears impressive but the truth lies not in
theaveragebutinthetrendline:notethat
in quarter after quarter, the growth rate
will decline. UNCTADhasagloomyfore-
cast of 5.7 per cent for 2022 and 4.7 per
cent for 2023.
There are parallels. Since demoneti-
zation in2016,the annual growthrates
in 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20
and 2020-21 were 8.26, 6.80, 6.53, 4.04
and -7.25.
Similarly,the quarterly growthrates
since the fourth quarter of 2017-18 were
8.93; 7.56, 6.49,6.33,5.84(2018-19); and
5.39, 4.61, 3.28, 3.01 (2019-20). Take a
close look and you will find the declining
trend over four fiscal years and eight
quarters!
THE RBI TUTORIAL
Sound economic policy is always
contextual. While some elements of
economic policy in a liberal, market
economy will be constant, other ele-
ments must be tailored according to the
circumstances. MrShaktikantaDas,the
RBIGovernor,has explainedthecontext:
mattersdon’thavetobespeltout.Thefury
ofmostoftheseniorG23signatoriesstems
from a Johnny-Come-Lately, who is not
evenamemberof theCWCandwasnever
a cabinet rank minister, stealing a march
overthem.Mostwerequicktoendorsethe
“unofficial official candidate”, Mallikarjun
Kharge. Tharoor’s assets are undeniable
whencomparedwithhislackluster,inartic-
ulate electoral rival. He has youth on his
side, his 66 years appear young compared
to Kharge’s 80, good looks, wit, star
charismaandverbalbrilliance,whichnever
crossesthelineof defyingpartydiscipline.
Hisslogancallingforchangestrikesachord.
Kharge, on the other hand, famously mis-
handled Punjab, precipitously dumping
AmarinderSinghasCM,andmorerecently,
muffedupthemovesforareplacementfor
AshokGehlotinRajasthan.IfTharoorman-
ages to win 20 per cent of the vote, unlike
thelateJitendraPrasadwhosecuredamere
onepercentin2000,itwillbeconstrueda
moral victory and open a hornet’s nest.
STRAWS IN THE WIND
AshokGehlotforgottheproverbialsay-
ing that a bird in hand is worth two in the
bush.Afterbeingremovedastheunofficial
presidentialcandidatefortheCongress,he
may also end up losing the chief minister-
shipofRajasthanforhisdefianceofthehigh
command. The Gandhis have put on hold
the potentially explosive question of who
should be the next Rajasthan chief minis-
ter, but the signs are not propitious for
Gehlot,evenifmediaadvertisementsdaily
proclaim him chief minister. His faithful
OSD, Deviram Saini, who has been by his
side for decades, has applied to become a
member of the Rajasthan Public Service
Commission.PratapSinghKhachariyawas,
the state’s perennial weathervane, who
stoutly defended the short-lived Congress
MLAs’rebellionagainstSachinPilotlastfort-
night,wasseenconfabulatingwithPilotlast
Tuesday. Finally, an investigation by the
Congressorganisationrevealedthatthedis-
senters who submitted their resignation
letters to Speaker C P Joshi came in a single
busandwerefarfewerinnumberthanthe
figure of 100 that was bandied about.
BIRTHDAY GREETINGS
Arun Jaitley’s widow Sangeeta Jaitley
phoned Narendra Modi on his birthday to
wishhimandalsoconveysomegoodnews.
ButtheprimeministerwasoutofDelhiand
could not take her call. He telephoned
Sangeeta on his return to the Capital and
informed her he was already aware of the
auspicious news that she wanted to con-
veytohim.Jaitley’sdaughter-inlawMeher,
wife of his son Rohan, had given birth to a
babygirlonSeptember17,Modi’sbirthday.
Thebaby,namedAadhira,meaningmoon-
light,hashergrandfather’snoseandbrings
much light to the late minister’s family.
Mere Paas Maa Hai...
ing to overlook his political missteps mo-
mentarily. He could be politically naïve but
wasadutifulson,asuitableboy,atleastone
rolethathehadplayedsuccessfully.Andthat
one-liner from the Amitabh Bachchan-
ShashiKapoorstarrerDeewar—“MerePaas
Maa Hai” — suddenly became a bankable
assetforpublicwinnability.
Cometothinkofit,mostpoliticianshave
usedthematernalplottwisttowinpeople’s
trustandenhancetheirsocialstandingasa
family man or woman, that unquestioned
qualifierofpublicacceptability.So,wehave
had none other than Prime Minister
Narendra Modi not only crediting his wel-
faristschemestohishard-workingmother
but visiting her from time to time in public
gazetoshowthathedoesn’tfightshyoffa-
milialresponsibilitiesordenyhertheright-
Whistling in the dark
“In the last two years, the world has wit-
nessed two major shocks — the Covid 19
pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine.
Now, we are in the midst of a third major
shock, a storm, arising from aggressive
monetary policy actions and even more
aggressive communications from ad-
vanced economy central banks.” In an
era when the United States is the world’s
largesteconomyandthe U.S.dollaristhe
reserve currency, the prudent course is
to ‘follow the leader’. The U.S. Fed will
not stop raising interest rates until
America’s inflation, currently 8.3 per
cent, is tamed.
The RBI Bulletin for September 2022
hasanessayonthe‘StateoftheEconomy’.
The Introduction reads: “We live in
times of conflicting possibilities — ele-
vatedinflationandrisingrecessionrisks:
economic stagnation and increasing
debt:strengthening USdollarandweak-
ening currencies in the rest of the world:
easing supply chain pressures and
reshoring: synchronization in policy ac-
tions and deglobalisation: balance sheet
normalization and liquidity stress.”
THE DAUNTING
CHALLENGES
The above assessment is true for all
countries. It is only in India that
whistlinginthedarkisregardedasanef-
fectivepolicyresponsetothechallenges!
In this essay, I wish to list the heads un-
der which you may conclude whether
life &
WORK
SANDEEPDWIVEDI
sandeep.dwivedi@expressindia.com
Setinthe19thcentury,SatyajitRay’stime-
less classic Shatranj ke Khiladi, while
painstakinglychroniclingAwadh’sannex-
ation by the British, also scribbles a few
delightful footnotes about chess cheating
during those innocent days.
Thatworldof chessboardsmadefrom
cloth, hand-carved ivory pieces, paan-
chewingplayersandtheirhookahgurgling
opponents has no resemblance to the
present-day chess ecosystem of sophisti-
cated supercomputers that serve as “sec-
onds”tobothethicalandunethicalplayers.
If the lead actors of the ongoing chess
drama — the undisputed champion
MagnusCarlsenandallegedcheaterHans
Neimann — are chalk, the protagonists of
Ray’s period drama — Mirza Sajjad Ali
(Sanjeev Kumar) and Mir Roshan Ali
(Sayeed Jafri) — were paneer.
Early in the movie, Sanjeev Kumar,
raising his eyebrow like only he could,
would remind his sweet-talking fidgety
chess partner Jafri about “shatranj ka ek
aaham usool (chess’s important princi-
ple).” In his famous drawl he would say,
“If you touch a piece, it is obligatory to
move it. In the last game you picked up
the knight and moved the pawn.”
Towards the end of this tragic-comic
tale, the nawabs, oblivious to the advanc-
ing “gori paltan”, are engrossed in yet an-
other game. This time, it’s Sanjeev Kumar
who breaks the rule. Certain to lose, he
stoops low, takes to ugly gamesmanship.
Hechoosestheend-gamemomenttoup-
date Jafri about his wife’s serial infidelity.
It’s a classic, diabolical sledge — the kind
onekeepshearingonstump-microphones
on a cricket field — a clear violation of the
chess’s yet another “aaham usool”.
Back in the day, chess cheating was
rather juvenile, the kind cousins indulge
in while playing board games during
summer vacations. Sneaky illegal moves
were common. A knight would be made
to jump that extra square instead of mov-
ing from d2 to e4, it would venture to f4.
A 16th century chess legend, Ruy
Lopez, advised players to sit in a way that
the sun shines in the eyes of their oppo-
nents. Another priceless tip from another
old master was about feeding the rival
well since that would induce sleep.
In the 1920s, world champion
Emanuel Lasker would smoke special
foul-smelling cigars during games. He
didn’t stop at that. Between moves he
wouldblowsmoketowardshisrivals.The
outraged tournament director would call
it “a virtual gas attack on his opponent.”
ful place in his life and work. This moment
of vulnerability translates into his political
capital.DelhiChiefMinisterArvindKejriwal
doesn’thidethefactthatheseeshismother
everyday.Womenpoliticianshaveconsis-
tentlyusedtheirroleasmotherstoconvince
their voters of their humanistic and multi-
tasking abilities, as a nurturer of their col-
lective destiny.
But aren’t we just as guilty of using the
“mom status” in our everyday lives as a to-
kenism?Weposttheir“thenandnow”pic-
tureseveryMother’sDayonoursocialme-
diaprofilesbutdowemaintainthethreadin
our lived realities? Chances are we will
mostly be answering “no.”Some of us may
be living with them but how many of us
haveheldtheirsareepleatstogether,dismis-
sively thinking they have a practised ease
thegovernment’sperformancedeserved
a pass or a fail.
Inflation
The RBI’s mandate requires it to keep
inflation at 4 plus/minus 2 per cent.
Retail price inflation has been above the
6 per cent limit for most of the past 24
months. Wholesale price inflation has
been in double digits for nearly 12
months. The current inflation rates are:
CPI 7 per cent, WPI 12.37 per cent. At the
post-monetary policy press conference,
Governor Das candidly admitted, “We
expect inflation to come close to the tar-
get over a two-year cycle, but there are
somanyuncertainties” (emphasismine).
Because of differences between the
Finance Minister and the RBI about the
efficacyof monetary policy the course of
inflation management is uncertain.
Current Account Deficit
According to the RBI’s statistical ta-
bles, the current account deficit (CAD) in
Q1 amounted to USD 23.9 billion or 2.8
per cent of the estimated GDP, mainly
due to the deficit in merchandise trade.
Preliminary data indicate that the mer-
chandise trade deficit had ballooned to
USD 149.5 billion in the period April-
September, 2022 (source: MoCI). Gold
importswereUSD20billion.On thePOL
account, the deficit was USD 65.1 billion.
After a promising start in Q1, goods ex-
portsinJuly,AugustandSeptemberhave
shown a declining trend: USD 36.27,
33.00 and 32.62 billion. At this rate, the
Kings, queens, pawns and
intrigue — all in 64 squares
Carlsen, left, and Niemann during the Sinquefield Cup. Source: Saint Louis Chess Club
So was Lasker banned? Those were dif-
ferent times. As the book Art of Cheating
in Chess says, “In those days, the right to
smoke was considered more important
than the right to breathe clean air.”
Chesswouldbecomemorethanagame
after 1948, with the end of World War II.
During the Cold War, the ancient game
would turn into a geo-political tool. For the
twonationswithnuclearstockpilesofapoc-
alyptic proportion — Communist USSR vs
CapitalistUSA—chessface-offswereanin-
expensiveandless-catastrophicformofwar.
The USSR would mostly win. From the
1950s to 1990, they lost the world cham-
pion crown just once. Chess and the Soviet
state were ideologically aligned, a perfect
marriage. The masses were encouraged to
pursue the game of logic and reasoning. It
was a way to wean them away from reli-
gion. Chess GMs were the new demigods,
they enjoyed state patronage. There were
numerousstoriesof thesecretserviceKGB
movingthepiecesfrombehindthecurtains.
But the most bitter and notorious
World Championship match wasn’t a
USA-USSR affair. It was the 1978 duel in
thePhilippinesbetweentwoSovietGMs—
oneinsiderandtheotherdefector.Anatoly
Karpov vs Viktor Korchnoi had layers of
deceit and ample conspiracy theories.
Karpov was the poster boy of Soviet
chess,the livingproof of the system’s suc-
cess and their alleged intellectual superi-
ority over the USA. Korchnoi, meanwhile,
had stayed back in Amsterdam after a
tournament and sought asylum. He felt
that he wasn’t quite the blue-eyed boy in
the country he was born in. A victory for
the non-conformist, stateless Korchnoi
would have hurt the USSR. An off-the-
board Spy vs Spy game was about to start.
Thereareseveralaccountsforthismatch,
aboutwearingadrapeandwouldnotneed
our help? Have we ever thought that they
might be struggling with their arthritic fin-
gers?Yourstrulyhereisequallyguiltyinthis
department,takingherhelpinpattingdown
thesareepleatstogetherbutassumingthat
she would manage on her own. Unlike me,
she’s been wearing sarees 24X7, lulling me
into a false sense of her self-confidence.
Truthis,shereallydoesn’tmanageverywell
withoutassistancebutshe’stooproudtoask
for it. Just as I am blinded by a false sense of
herinvincibilitydespiteheradvancingyears.
Being more worried about ageing fathers
and their attendant health complications,
we forget that our mothers under-report
theirpains,simplybecausetheywanttopro-
tectusfromworryingtoomuch.
Sometimes we may be physically pres-
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022
CAD for the whole year will exceed 3 per
centandperhaps becloseto3.4percent.
Rupee: Dollar Exchange Rate
At the beginning of the fiscal year,
the rupee:dollar exchange rate was Rs
75.91. Today, the rate is Rs 82.32. On
April 1, 2022, the total foreign exchange
reserves were USD 606 billion. By
September 30, the total reserves had
fallen to USD 537 billion. The RBI has
used USD 69 billion to ensure ‘non-
volatility’ in the exchange rate market,
yet the rupee has depreciated by nearly
8 per cent in six months.
Slowinggrowth,highinflation,wors-
ening CAD and a falling rupee make the
macro-economic picture.
A HISTORY LESSON
The situation faced by the country
is not without precedent. In 2012-13,
thanks to the stimulus packages of FM
Pranab Mukherjee, high gold imports
and the ‘taper tantrum’ of U.S. Fed
Chairman Ben Bernanke, India faced
the same triple challenges. When the
UPA demitted office, at the end of
2013-14 the CAD had been brought
down to 1.7 per cent, CPI inflation had
been contained at 9.4 per cent (which
declined further to 5.9 per cent in
2014-15), foreign exchange reserves
had increased by USD 15.5 billion and
the exchange rate was Rs 58.4. That is
a slice of history for those who want to
read history.
each adding a new colourful character.
Where facts start and fiction ends is tough
to say. According to one narration, Karpov,
forhisManilatrip,had12KGBmenforcom-
pany.Alsointheteamwasaparapsycholo-
gistcumhypnotistwhosatinthefrontrow
withinstructionstostareatKorchnoi.There
wasalsotalkaboutKarpov’swifedelivering
him a glass of orange juice at a particular
timeineverygame—somesayitwasabowl
of yogurt. Be it juice or yogurt, both, it was
said,hadcodedmessagesforKarpov.
Reports from the other camp too were
equally juicy. There were reports that
Korchnoi wore dark glasses to negate the
hypnotist. His corner, believe it or not, had
a couple of members of the Ananda Marg
sectwhoworesaffronandredrobeswhile
sittinginalotuspositionamongspectators.
Between games, they taught Korchnoi
mental toughness and, hold your breath,
evenaskedKorchnoitopierceanorangeby
imagining that it was his opponent’s head.
After a marathon 32 games, with 21
finishing as draws, Karpov won. The
champion would soon have a new chal-
lenger in Gary Kasparov — another rebel.
The pot continued to simmer. In the 90s,
the USSR disintegrated and the narrative
changed. Kasparov would face the first
chess-playing supercomputer,DeepBlue.
Man vs Man would become Man vs
Machine and this further evolved into a
Machine vs Machine contest.
The only constant for this game is the
cloak-and-dagger air about it. Those nav-
igating the black and white squares need
to be both clever and cunning, decisive
and devious. That’s the charm of the
game. Be it the days of Raj or these times
of digitaldramasaroundtheCrown,what
are kings, queens, knights and pawns
without palace intrigue?
ent around our mothers but become emo-
tionally unavailablefor theirfearsandanx-
ieties,categorisingthemaswhimsandsulks
ofoldage.Yet,wewilldragthemtoafamily
eventtoproveourworthasherchildren.
Perhaps it is convenient for us to posit
ourselvesaschildrenassomehowitwould
imply that we have not quite grown up or
neverwillandcanbeexcusedforourwrong-
doingsandneglect.Andbyforcingthemoth-
eringuponthem,whichtheyhappilyaccept,
we have an escape chute. Because as eter-
nalcaregivers,mothersdonotwanttopass
ontheburdenofresponsibilitytotheirchil-
dren or expose their shortcomings. How
then are we any different from our politi-
cians,celebratingthe“momstatus”asacall-
ingcardbutneverupgradingtheirstatusin
ourbubble-wrappedreality?
New Delhi
Fifth
COLUMN
TAVLEENSINGH
Twitter@tavleen_singh
A public
flogging
LASTWEEK,policeofficersinGujaratpub-
licly flogged Muslim youths in front of a
cheeringcrowdof Hinduswhoshotvideos
and yelled ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. It should
shame us that men who swore an oath to
uphold law and order should flagrantly
breakthelawbutjudgingbythereactions
of thecrowdinthevillageof Undhela,and
on Twitter, there is worrying support for
thelawlesspolicemen.Theargumentthat
those who support jungle justice make is
that Muslims need to be punished for at-
tacking Hindu religious processions and
thejusticesystemtakestoolongtodothis.
Theobvioussolutionistoreformthecrim-
inal justice system but in ‘new India’, no-
body seems interested in doing this.
Instead, we seem to have an increas-
ingly large number of ‘new Indians’ who
believe that jungle justice is the only way
in which Muslims can be taught a lesson
thattheywelldeserve.Thepublicflogging
sends many messages and all of them are
disturbing. The most important of these
messages is that too many Indians seem
unaware that the foundational pillar of
democracy is the rule of law.
Whenthosewhoswearanoathtopre-
serve it fail to do this, they become crimi-
nals. When people cheer them on, they
show that they have no problem with the
ruleoflawbeingreplacedbythelawof the
jungle. At least for Muslims. It is hard to
imagineHindusbeingfloggedpubliclyjust
asitishardtoimagineHinduhomesbeing
demolished by bulldozers as punishment
for public violence. The other disturbing
message the flogging sends is that the po-
licewantedtomakeitcleartoMuslimsthat
theywouldnothesitatetohumiliatethem
publicly. If they wanted simply to punish
the men they arrested, they could have
taken them away in the police van that is
clearly visible in the video of the flogging.
Equally worrying, for me personally, is
that the mighty Indian media does not see
whathappenedinGujaratasastoryimpor-
tantenoughtobefollowedupwithafullin-
vestigation. Except for this newspaper,
everybody else treated the public flogging
asifitwereamatterofnoconsequence.The
reasonwhyIpersonallyfindthisscaryisbe-
causejustaswehavegotusedtobulldozer
justice, we could someday soon grow ac-
customedtopublicfloggings.Itisworthre-
memberingthatwhenYogiAdityanathbe-
gan practicing jungle justice, there was a
considerabledegreeofhorrorexpressedin
the media but now the bulldozers arrive
andteardownsomeMuslim’spropertyand
we barely pay attention. We should pay
more attention because even convicted
murderers and rapists do not deserve to
have their families made homeless.
ThepeoplewhoarenoticingIndia’sin-
creasingly discriminatory treatment of
Muslimsareinternationalwatchdogsand
soonwemightneedtofacecensureinthe
United Nations. Last week the United
Nations Special Rapporteur for Minority
Rights,FernanddeVarennes,talkedof the
‘magnitude and gravity’ of the violations
of minority rights and said that there was
a‘patternof stigmatization’.Heconcluded
that, “Nothing short of an international
investigative mechanism – as has been
done by the UN Security Council, and
Human Rights Council for countries such
as Syria, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia
– may be necessary.” It should shame us
that India should be mentioned in the
same breath as the countries listed above.
Wheneversomeinternationalobserver
hasbadthingstosayaboutIndia,thereac-
tion of the Government of India’s thin-
skinned officials is usually to whine about
howwesternobserversneverunderstand
India’s concerns. They seem not to under-
standthatwhenhumanrightsareviolated
as blatantly as the rights of Muslims and
Dalits are in ‘new India’, it will be noticed.
But more than international opinion, we
should be much more concerned about
what is going on inside India.
Assomeonewhohasspokenoutoften
against radical Islam, what I have lately
beentroubledbyisthepossibilitythatthe
demonization of all things Muslim could
leadtomoderateMuslimsbecomingrad-
icalized. So far, the numbers of Indian
Muslims joining international jihadist or-
ganizationslikeAlQaedaandISIShasbeen
remarkably small. But this could easily
changeif ourlawenforcementmachinery
starts resorting to public floggings. With
the second largest Muslim population in
theworld,thisconstanthumiliationof the
communitywillleadinevitablytoradical-
ization. If even as little as two percent of
ourMuslimcommunitiesbecomeradical-
ized, we can give up our dream of becom-
ing an economic superpower.
What happened in Gujarat last week
was shameful and not only must it never
happen again but the policemen respon-
sible for the flogging must be sacked. I say
thisalthoughIknowthatthiswillnothap-
pen because the hate speeches, the cow
vigilantes, the lynchings and the silence
of our leaders have created an atmos-
phere in which ordinary Indians have
been infected by the poison of hate.
The media, I am forced to sadly admit,
is as much to blame as our political lead-
ers.TherearefamousTVanchorswhouse
theirprimetimeshowstodemoniseIslam
and Muslims daily. Last week was a good
one to watch them in action. While most
of them banged on about ‘love jihad’ and
Muslims attending Navratri festivities
only to lure Hindu women away, the pub-
lic flogging barely found mention.

13 ECONOMY
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022
FROM RECORD HIGH OF $642.45 BN REGISTERED ON SEPT 3, 2021
Risinginflation,strongUSD:Forex
reservesplummet$110bnin13mths
GEORGE MATHEW
MUMBAI, OCTOBER 8
INDIA’S FOREX reserves have
fallen by $110 billion in the last
13 months as the rising infla-
tion, capital outflows and ap-
preciating dollar created a tur-
moil in the foreign exchange
market.
According to the RBI, forex
reserves fell by $4.854 billion to
$532.664 billion during the
week ended September 30 as
the strong dollar and adverse
external factors reduced India’s
forex kitty. The reserves had de-
clined by over $8.134 billion to
$537.518 billion in the previous
week. The central bank has
been selling dollars from the
forex kitty to defend the rupee
amid pressures caused majorly
by global developments. The
rupee hit a record low of 82.33
against the dollar on Friday.
With this, forex reserves
have plummeted by $110 billion
Brickwork Ratings
mulls ‘legal recourse’
after shutdown order
REUTERS
MUMBAI, OCTOBER 8
BRICKWORK RATINGS said it is
considering “appropriate legal
recourse” after the country’s
market regulator ordered
the credit rating firm to wind
down operations within six
months, citing repeated lapses
and violations.
The Securities and Exchange
Board of India (Sebi) in a rare or-
der on Thursday cancelled
Brickwork’s registration certifi-
cate and prevented it from tak-
ingonnewbusiness,sayingmul-
tiple probes found violations
such as delay in recognition of
default of non-convertible
debenturesandfailuretoreview
ratings even after receiving in-
formation about delayed pay-
ments.
“Brickwork Ratings finds the
recent allegations to be a shock-
BRIEFLY
BandhanBank
Kolkata: Bandhan Bank on
Saturday said its collection
efficiency ratio (CER) in-
creased to 97 per cent, ex-
cluding NPAs and including
restructuredaccounts,atthe
endof thesecondquarterof
thecurrentfiscal.Thebank’s
CER stood at 96 per cent at
theendofthefirstquarterof
the 2022-23 financial year.
Its collection efficiency ratio
at the end of the July-
September period of FY’23
for microlending increased
to 95 per cent as compared
to94percentwhichitregis-
teredattheendoftheprevi-
ous quarter, a spokesperson
of theprivatelendersaid.
HCLTech
NewDelhi:HCLTechnologies
planstohire1,300peoplein
Mexico over the next two
years, according to a state-
ment.Themoveisexpected
tostrengthenitscurrentem-
ployee base of 2,400 people
in that country. It outlined
plansinMexicoatits14-year
anniversary celebration at
Guadalajara. PTI
Rivianrecall
Bengaluru: Rivian Autom-
otive Inc has said it will re-
call nearly all of its vehicles
due to a possible issue of
loose fastener that could
make a driver lose steering
control. California-based
Rivian is recalling about
13,000 vehicles after it dis-
coveredthatafastenercon-
nectingthefrontuppercon-
trol arm and steering
knucklemaynothavebeen
“sufficiently torqued” in
somevehicles,aspokesper-
son said. REUTERS
WEEKENDEDSEPT30:RESERVESAT$532.66BN
■AccordingtotheRBI,forex
reservesfellby$4.854billion
to$532.664billionduring
theweekendedSeptember
30asthestrongdollarand
adverseexternalfactors
reducedIndia’sforexkitty.
Thereserveshaddeclinedby
over$8.134billionto
$537.518billioninthe
previousweek
■Thecentralbankhasbeen
from the record high of $642.45
billion registered on September
3, 2021.
Another major reason for
the decline in forex reserves is
capital outflows by foreign port-
folio investors (FPIs) as the US
Federal Reserve started the
monetary policy tightening and
interest rate hikes. The valua-
ing development,” it said in a
statement late on Friday, adding
it had taken “timely course cor-
rection measures” in line with
regulatory instructions.
Theratingagency“isfullyco-
operatingwiththeauthoritiesto
ensure all compliancesare satis-
factorily met. In parallel, the
company is also considering ap-
propriate legal recourse in the
matter,” it said.
Sebi did not immediately re-
spond to a request for comment
outside business hours.
The regulator has said it in-
vestigatedBrickworksonseveral
occasions and had undertaken a
joint inspection with the India’s
central bank.
Sebi has been tightening dis-
closure rules for credit rating
agencies since 2016 in a bid
to boost transparency and ac-
countability after a number of
sudden sharp changes to corpo-
rate ratings.
‘Committed to needs of
publishers; challenging
when govt involved’
NANDAGOPAL RAJAN
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
“GOOGLE WORKS best with the
newsindustrywhenwearegen-
uinely partnered on common
goals,” Kate Beddoe, director of
Google’s News Partnerships in
APAC, said, adding that “it is
harder to do that when there is
a third party in the mix”.
Beddoe, who “worked very
closely on the news media bar-
gaining code where the govern-
ment did get into the middle” in
Australia, said Google learned
some “very valuable lessons as
to why you want to be listening
and why we need to be a good
partner,respondingtotheneeds
of the industry”. The mandatory
Australian code aimed at help-
ing “sustainability of public in-
terest journalism” enabled eligi-
ble news businesses to bargain
individually or collectively with
digitalplatformslikeGoogleand
Facebook over payment for the
inclusion of news on the plat-
forms and services.
As a result of the experience
in Australia, she said, the launch
of Showcase — a Google News
product that gives more control
to the publishers on what they
want to show readers — in India
happenedveryquickly,“because
we had learnt the lesson that we
need to show up and we need to
be listening”. Google has over 90
publishers on Showcase at the
moment.
“Others have very different
needs. And so, we are commit-
tedtoresponding totheneedsof
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
World Bank Chief
‘INTENSE FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE’
Washington: World Bank President David Malpass said that he was
keeping an “intense” focus on the bank’s efforts to address climate
change and was embracing the US Treasury’s call to boost lending
capacity to address this and other global problems. REUTERS
Pilot launch of e-rupee
for specific use cases:
What is the RBI’s plan CBDC-W, the RBI said.
cial year was due to valuation growth outlook and leading to HITESHVYAS A RISK-FREE
changes arising from an appre-
ciating US dollar and higher US
risk aversion in the markets.
Global currencies depreciated
MUMBAI, OCTOBER 8
VIRTUAL CURRENCY What’s the model for
issuance?
bond yields. “During the current against the dollar as a hotter ON FRIDAY, the Reserve Bank of There are two models for is-
sellingdollarsfromtheforex financial year (up to September than expected US inflation re- India (RBI) indicated that it will ■ The Reserve Bank has suance and management of
kittyto defendtherupee 28), the US dollar has appreci- port drove the currency higher. soon commence limited pilot said that the CBDCs under the RBI’s consider-
amidpressurescaused ated by 14.5 per cent against a Meanwhile, FPIs have re- launches of e-rupee (e`), or development of CBDC ation — direct model (single tier
majorlybyglobal basket of major currencies. It sumed withdrawals from the Central Bank Digital Currency could provide the model)andindirectmodel(two-
developments.Therupeehit (rupee) has depreciated by 7.4 Indian markets. “FPIs again (CBDC) or digital rupee, for spe- public a risk-free tier model). In the direct model,
arecordlowof 82.33against per cent against the US dollar turned sellers in India in cificusecases.Ithashintedattwo virtual currency that the central bank will be respon-
thedollaronFriday during the same period — far- September with a net equity sell broad categories for the use of e- will give them sible for managing all aspects of
ing much better than several re- figure of Rs 7,643 crore. FPIs rupee — retail and wholesale — legitimate benefits the digital rupee system such as
■Anotherreasonfordecline serve currencies as well as were sellers in financial and IT takingthepaymentsysteminthe without the risks of issuance, account-keeping and
inforexreservesiscapital many of its EME and Asian services and buyers in telecom country to a new levelwhere the dealing in private transaction verification.
outflowsbyFPIsastheUS peers,” he said. and capital goods. The renewed common people and businesses virtual currencies An indirect model would be
Fedstartedthemonetary Das said the rupee is a freely selling can be attributed to the willbeabletousethedigitalcur- one where the central bank and
policytightening floating currency and its ex- steady rise in dollar which has rency seamlessly for various other intermediaries (banks and
change rate is market deter- triggered capital outflows from transactions. consumersandbusinesses—and anyotherserviceproviders),each
mined. “The RBI does not have most emerging markets,” said canprovideaccesstosafemoney play their respective role. In this
tion loss, reflecting the appreci- any fixed exchange rate in mind. V K Vijayakumar, chief invest- What’s RBI’s plan? for payment and settlement as it model,thecentralbankwillissue
ation of the US dollar against It intervenes in the market to ment strategist at Geojit The central bank said that the is a direct liability of the central CBDC to consumers indirectly
major currencies and decline in curb excessive volatility and an- Financial Services. development of CBDC could pro- bank. However, the RBI has not through intermediaries and any
gold prices also played a part in chor expectations,” he said “FPIs turned marginal buy- vide the public a risk-free virtual explained how e-rupee can be claimbyconsumerswillbeman-
the decline in foreign exchange while unveiling the monetary ers in early October but there is currency that will used in merchant aged by the intermediary.
reserves. policy. no consistency in FPI activity. give them legitimate transactionsinthere-
RBI Governor Shaktikanta The aggressive policy course FPIs will turn sustained buyers benefits without the tail trade. What are the advantages of
Das had recently said that about by the US Fed to curb rising only when dollar peaks and risksofdealinginpri- Wholesale CBDC e-rupee?
67 per cent of the decline in re- price pressures is exacerbating shows a sustained downtrend,” vate virtual curren- is designed for re- The RBI said the key motiva-
serves during the current finan- fears of a weakening global he said. cies.Theapproachfor stricted access to se- tionsforexploringtheissuanceof
issuanceofCBDCwill lect financial institu- CBDC in India among others in-
be governed by two tions. It has the clude reduction in operational
Since 2017, over 12L registered This compares with 139.17
basic considerations
— to create a digital rupee that is
ascloseaspossibletoapapercur-
potential to trans-
form the settlement systems for
financialtransactionsundertaken
costs involved in physical cash
management, fostering financial
inclusion, bringing resilience, ef-
lakh total registered persons
rency and to manage the process by banks in the government se- ficiency and innovation in the
GST taxpayers paid nil tax in cash under Goods and Services Tax, as
on August 31
of introducing digital rupee in a curities (G-Sec) segment, inter- payments system. It will add ef-
seamless manner. The central bank market and capital market ficiencytothesettlementsystem
Over 12 lakh registered taxpayers have paid nil tax in cash
Amongstates/UTs, bank also feels that it is desirable more efficiently and securely in and boost innovation in cross-
under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime since its Uttar Pradesh has the highest forCBDCs to have offlinecapabil- terms of operational costs, use of border payments space and pro-
implementation in July 2017 number of such taxpayers at 2.22 ities to make it a more attractive collateral and liquidity manage- videthepublicwithusesthatany
lakh, followed by Bihar at 1.10 lakh and accessible medium of pay- ment. privatevirtualcurrenciescanpro-
and Maharashtra at 1.05 lakh. mentforawidecategoryofusers. vide,withouttheassociatedrisks.
NO.OFACTIVE E-rupee is the same as a fiat What are the forms of CBDC?
TAXPAYERS Total* In GST, the tax can be paid by the currency and is exchangeable Thecentralbanksayse-rupee, Can e-rupee be transacted in
WHOPAIDNIL 12,22,766 registered person either by
debiting the electronic cash
one-to-onewiththefiatcurrency.
Onlyitsformisdifferent.Itcanbe
or CBDC, can be structured as to-
ken-based or account-based. A
offline mode?
Theofflinefunctionalityasan
TAXINCASH ledger or by debiting the accepted as a medium of pay- token-based CBDC would be a option will allow CBDC to be
electronic credit ledger. Such ment,legaltenderandasafestore bearerinstrumentlikebanknotes, transacted without the internet
250000 taxpayers have paid nil tax in cash of value. The digital rupee would meaningwhosoeverholdstheto- andthusenableaccessinregions
225000 under GST. appear as liability on a central kens at a given point in time withpoor ornointernetconnec-
bank’s balance sheet. would be presumed to own tivity. It will also create digital
200000
2,22,448
Government is using data them.Inatoken-basedCBDC,the footprintsoftheunbankedpopu-
175000 analytics and artificial What are the types of personreceivingatokenwillver- lation in the financial system,
150000 intelligence to identify and track e-rupee? ify that his ownership of the to- which will facilitate the easy
72,226
125000 tax evaders along with other Based on the usage and the ken is genuine. A token-based availability of credit to them.
55,810
54,229
measures such as verification of functionsperformedbythedigital CBDC is viewed as a preferred However, the RBI feels in the of-
1,10,354
100000
1,05,740
business entities through rupee and considering the differ- mode for CBDC-R as it would be fline mode, the risk of ‘double-
90,405
82,441
75,167
75000 Aadhaar authentication for new entlevelsofaccessibility,CBDCcan closer to physical cash. spending’willexistbecauseitwill
50000 registrations and physical bedemarcatedintotwobroadcat- An account-based system be technically possible to use a
0 verification of business premises, egories — general purpose (retail) would require maintenance of CBDC unit more than once with-
centralised suspension of (CBDC-R) and wholesale (CBDC- record of balances and transac- outupdatingthecommonledger
UttarPradesh
Bihar
Maharashtra
TamilNadu
Gujarat
Rajasthan
Karnataka
Delhi
WestBengal
*Total registrations pertaining to W),theRBI’sconceptnotesays. tions of all holders of the CBDC of CBDC. But it can be mitigated
includes registered persons who default in Retail CBDC is an electronic andindicatetheownershipofthe toalargerextentbytechnicalso-
datafor36 timely filing of returns. version of cash primarily meant monetary balances. In this case, lutionsandappropriatebusiness
states/UT for retail transactions. It will be an intermediary will verify the rules including monetary limits
Source: Finance Ministry, Lok Sabha potentiallyavailableforusebyall identityofanaccountholder.This on offline transactions, the cen-
— private sector, non-financial system can be considered for tral bank says.
SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL AT EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING
Ambuja gets nod for raising `20K cr from Adani firm
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 8
raiseRs20,000crorebyissuingse-
curities on a preferential basis to
Harmonia Trade and Investment
proved with 96.51 per cent of the
validvotescastinfavour,whilethe
appointment of Karan Adani re-
Adani Corporate House.
Gautam Adani, who is now
the chairman of the board of
Ltd, an Adani group entity, with ceived99.96percentvotes,asper Ambuja Cements after its
AMBUJA CEMENTS Ltd on 91.37 per cent votes, Ambuja thescrutiniser’sreportonthevot- takeoverbytheAdanigroup,was
Saturdaysaidithasreceivedshare- Cements said in a regulatory up- ing results. The shareholder also not present at the EGM. His son
holders’approvalforallproposals date. ResolutionstoappointAdani approved all special resolutions Karan Adani chaired the EGM in
in its EGM, including a resolution Group Chairman Gautam Adani, related to the appointment of in- his absence.
to raise Rs 20,000 crore from an his son Karan Adani and two di- dependentdirectors,theamend- Ambuja Cements, which also
Adani group firm and appoint- rectors and four independent di- menttotheArticlesofAssociation owns 50.05 per cent of ACC Ltd,
mentofGautamAdaniandothers rectors on the board of Ambuja (AoA) and the change of its regis- had called an EGM of the share-
ontheboardof thecompany. Cements were also approved by teredofficetoAhmedabad-based holders on Saturday.
The Extraordinary General the shareholders.
Meeting (EGM) has passed the The proposal for the appoint-
special resolution proposing to ment of Gautam Adani was ap- Rajasthan State Road Development And Construction Corporation Ltd., JAIPUR
No. NIT/2022-23/17142-54
BÊ-d³fdUQf Àfc¨f³ff ÀfÔ£¹ff 311/2022-23
Date 07.10.2022
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Electrical work in new Nursing College at Bundi/Sikar/Lalsot (Dausa)/Jhunjhunu. 873.53 Lakh
(04 works) UBN: (2) RRC2223WSOB00682 (3) RRC2223WSOB00695
(4) RRC2223WSOB00691 (5) RRC2223WSOB00696
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Rajasthan State Road Development And Construction Corporation Ltd., JAIPUR
No. NIT/2022-23/17165-76 BÊX-d³fd½fQf Àfc¨f³ff/2022-23 Date: 07.10.2022
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Indian publishers in India in a hand there is the response to (2) RRC2223WSOB00702, (3) RRC2223WSOB00703, (4) RRC2223WSOB00704,
(5) RRC2223WSOB00705, (6) RRC2223WSOB00706, (7) RRC2223WSOB00707
way that works. I think when users and you know, what is it Construction of B.Sc. Nursing College & Hostel Building at Banswara. 1466.00 BÊ -316/
you have government involved, that they’re looking for, and how UBN: RRC2223WLOB00677 Lakh 22-23
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Beddoe, a former journalist
herself, said the thing most im-
based news which is becoming
increasingly important,” she Government of India, Department of Atomic
portant to her was, “to find the said, of a trend that became Energy, Heavy Water Plant (Kota)
right balance of how can I help moreprominentduringthepan-
Corrigendum (Re- TENDER)
quality news reach an audience demic months.
Tender no. - HWPK/I&C/ITCAMC/2022/01, is re-tendered with Tender ID:
in a meaningful way. But in or- On what she termed as the 2022_HWB_709991_2 for the work “Comprehensive Maintenance Contract
der to do that, how do we find “interesting challenge” of bal- for IT Infrastructure at HWPK” are hereby retendered with mentioned dates: -
the business models that will al- ancing between what publish- NIT clause- 9 : Dates of availability of Tender Documents for view and
low that quality content to exist ersthinkreadersshouldberead- download including Tender Drawings - Up to 17/10/2022 (16:00 Hrs); NIT
andreach audiences”. The North ing and what they actually want clause-12 : Last date and time of closing of online submission of tenders -
17/10/2022(16:00 Hrs.); NIT clause-13 : Last date for submission of
StargoalforGoogle,shesaid,was to read, Beddoe said: “I don’t
Original EMD : General Manager office, Heavy water plant Kota, Post -
this balance in the relationship think that anybody has yet Anushakti, 323303 Via - Kota, Rajasthan on or before 20/10/2022 (14:30
between users, technology and cracked the challenge of getting Hrs); NIT clause-14: Date and time of online opening of Technical Bid (Part
news organisations, and finding people to read what they need A) - 21/10/2022 (15:00 Hrs).
aworkable equilibriumonthose toknow,againstwhattheywant NOTE: NIT details and bid documents for the above tender can be
three factors. to know or what entertains downloaded from the website eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app for free.
But there is a combination of them.” Other terms and conditions are remaining same.
things that Google needs to bal- Read the full interview General Manager
For & on behalf of President of India
ance, Beddoe clarified. “On one on www.indianexpress.com
New Delhi

14 THE WORLD
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022
TOPOFTHE
WORLD
Seksan Sriraj, the man
who lost his pregnant
wife in the attack. AP
THAILAND
Mournerspray
attemple
Uthai Sawan: Grief-
stricken families prayed
Saturday at a Buddhist
temple filled with chil-
dren’s keepsakes, flowers
and photos of the smiling
toddlers who were slain
as they napped on blan-
kets at a day care center in
northeastern Thailand.
Coffins containing the 36
killed,24of themchildren
and most of them
preschoolers, were re-
leased Friday and placed
inside Wat Rat Samakee
and two other temples in
the town nestled among
rice paddies in one of
Thailand’s poorest re-
gions. Several mourners
stayed at Wat Rat
Samakee overnight in the
tradition of keeping com-
pany for those who died
young. No clear motive
may ever be known for
the mass killing. AP
HONG KONG
5teensdetained
in1stsecuritycase
involvingminors
HongKong:Fiveteenagers
with a Hong Kong group
advocatingindependence
fromChineserulewereor-
dered by a judge on
Saturday to serve up to
threeyearsindetentionat
a correctional facility, for
urging an "armed revolu-
tion"inanationalsecurity
case. The five, some of
whom were minors aged
between 15 and 18 at the
timeoftheallegedoffence,
had pleaded guilty to “in-
citing others to subvert
state power” through a
group named “Returning
Valiant". Sentences for
twomore,aged21and26,
will be delivered at a later
date. REUTERS
UK
Indianmission
probesillegal
visahandlers
London: The Indian High
Commission in London
has said it is investigating
reports of unauthorised
agents illegally charging
fees to get visas processed
fortravellerstoIndia,amid
reports of a severe visa
crunch faced by British
tourists to the country.
While British travellers
booked to fly out to India
inthecomingweekshave
beencomplainingofalack
of availability of visa slots,
the Indian mission on
Fridayalertedtravellersto
scams and stressed that it
isworkingonstreamlining
processes. PTI
USA
Texasshooting:
Entirepolice
forcesuspended
THE SCHOOL district in
Uvalde, Texas, suspended
its entire police force on
Friday, pending the out-
come of a probe following
the mass shooting in May
that killed 19 students and
two teachers, the district
said. It added that it sus-
pended all activities of the
Uvalde Consolidated
Independent School
DistrictPoliceDepartment
“for a period of time.” The
policeforceconsistedoffive
officers and one guard, as
peritswebsite.Thedistrict
is awaiting the results of a
probe led by Texas Police
Chiefs Association and a
firm into the shooting at
Robb Elementary School,
expectedtobereleasedthis
month. REUTERS
A BLOW TO MOSCOW’S WAR EFFORT
Bridge linking Crimea to Russia targeted,
partial collapse disrupts key supply lines
The Kerch bridge ablaze in the Kerch Strait, Crimea, on Saturday. AP
Truck bomb caused the blast, says Russian authority, names new commander for war
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KYIV, OCTOBER 8
AN EXPLOSION on Saturday
caused the partial collapse of a
bridge linking the Crimean
Peninsula with Russia, damag-
ing an important supply artery
fortheKremlin’sfalteringwaref-
fort in southern Ukraineandhit-
ting an unmistakable symbol of
Russian power in the region.
Nobodyimmediatelyclaimed
responsibilityfortheblast,which
killed three people. The speaker
of the Russian-backed regional
Parliament in Crimea accused
OPEC+ oil cut shows Women students tell Raisi to Columbia university
growing rift between ‘get lost’ as Iran protest rages to pay $165 million to
US and Saudi royals
REUTERS
WASHINGTON, LONDON, OCT 8
THE OPEC+ organisation’s deci-
sion this week to cut oil produc-
tion despite stiff US opposition
has further strained already
tense relations between White
House and Saudi Arabia’s royal
family, according to interviews
with about a dozen government
officials and experts in
Washington and the Gulf.
The White House pushed
hardtopreventtheOPEC output
cut, these sources said. Biden
hopes to keep US gasoline prices
from spiking again ahead of
midterm elections.
The US administration lob-
bied OPEC+ for weeks. In recent
days, senior US officials from en-
ergy, foreign policy and eco-
nomic teams urged their foreign
counterparts to vote against an
outputcut,aspertwosourcesfa-
miliar with the discussions.
RESIDENTS OF MERCED HAVE BEEN ORGANISING CANDLELIGHT VIGILS EVERY NIGHT
American dream gone wrong: Wife of Indian-origin Sikh man killed in US
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
SAN FRANCISCO, OCTOBER 8
“Thisisthestoryof ourAmerican
dreamgonewrong,”thegrieving
wifeof anIndian-originSikhman
killedalongwiththreemembers
of his brother’s family, including
an 8-month-old girl, has said.
Bodiesof 36-year-oldJasdeep
Singh, 27-year-old Jasleen Kaur,
their eight-month-old child
Aroohi Dheri and the child’s un-
cle,39-year-oldAmandeepSingh
were found on Wednesday
evening in an orchard after they
were kidnapped on Monday.
The family, originally from
HarsiPindinHoshiarpur,Punjab,
was kidnapped at a business in
Ukraine but Moscow didn’t ap-
portionblame.Ukrainianofficials
have repeatedly threatened to
strikethebridgeandsomelauded
the destruction on Saturday, but
Kyivstoppedshortofclaimingre-
sponsibility.
Theexplosion,whichRussian
authoritieswascausedbyatruck
bomb,riskedasharpescalationin
Russia’s eight-month war, with
some Russian lawmakers calling
forPresidentVladimirPutintode-
clare a “counterterrorism opera-
tion” in retaliation, shedding the
term “special military operation”
thathaddownplayedthescopeof
fighting to ordinary Russians.
victims of sexual abuse
Amos Hochstein, Biden’s top
energy envoy, along with na-
tional security official Brett
McGurk and the administra-
tion’s special envoy to Yemen
Tim Lenderking, travelled to
Saudi Arabia last month to dis-
cussenergyissues,includingthe
OPEC+ decision. They failed to
prevent an output cut, just as
Biden did after his own July visit.
US officials “tried to position
it as “US vs Russia,'” said one
source briefed on the discus-
sions, telling Saudi officials they
needed to make a choice. That
argument failed, the source said,
addingthattheSaudissaid if the
US wanted more oil, it should
start producing more of its own.
Washington'shandlingof the
Iran nuclear deal and with-
drawalof supportforaSaudi-led
coalition's offensive military op-
erations in Yemen have upset
Saudi officials, as have actions
againstRussiaaftertheFebruary
2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Merced County, California.
Jaspreet Kaur, Amandeep’s
widow, said in a GoFundMe
fundraiser that her husband and
hisbrotherhadbeenintheUSfor
18 years and supported not only
their families in California, but
also their parents back in India.
“This is the story of our
shared American dream gone
wrong,” she wrote. “Our loving
family was violently taken away
from us on October 3rd,” the
family's gofundme page said.
Kaur said her husband rou-
tinely donated food to the local
food bank and never missed
Sunday service in the local Sikh
temple. They had a 9-year-old
daughter and an 8-year-old son.
The family’s gofundme page
Hours after the explosion,
Russia’s Defence Ministry an-
nounced that the air force chief,
General Sergei Surovikin, would
nowcommandallRussiantroops
in Ukraine. Surovikin, who over
the summer was placed in
charge of troops in southern
Ukraine, had led Russian forces
inSyriaandwasaccusedof over-
seeing a brutal bombardment
that destroyed much of Aleppo.
Moscow,however,continues
to suffer battlefield losses.
On Saturday, a Kremlin-
backed official in Ukraine’s
Kherson region announced a
partial evacuation of civilians
REUTERS
DUBAI, OCTOBER 8
WOMEN STUDENTS in Tehran
chanted “get lost” as Iranian
President Ebrahim Raisi visited
their university campus on
Saturday and condemned pro-
testers enraged by the death of a
woman incustody,activistssaid.
Raisi addressed professors
and students at Alzahra
University in Tehran, reciting a
poem that equated “rioters”
withflies,asnationwidedemon-
strations entered a fourth week.
“They imagine they can
achievetheirevilgoalsinuniver-
sities,” state TV reported.
“Unbeknownstto them, ourstu-
dents and professors are alert
and will not allow the enemy to
realise their evil goals.”
A video posted on Twitter by
the activist 1500tasvir website
showedwhatitsaidwerewomen
students chanting “Raisi get lost”
and“Mullahsgetlost”asthepres-
ident visited their campus.
An Iranian state coroner’s re-
The family was kidnapped in Merced, California, on Monday
and reported dead on Wednesday. AP
said the two brothers were "the
primary bread earners for the
family(and)supportedtheireld-
erly parents.” the appeal said.
from the southern province, one
of four illegally annexed by
Moscow last week. Kirill
Stremousov told Russia’s state-
run RIA Novosti agency that
youngchildren,theirparentsand
the elderly could be relocated to
twosouthernRussianregionsbe-
cause Kherson was getting
“ready for a difficult period.”
The attack on it “will have a
furthersappingeffortonRussian
morale, (and) will give an extra
boost to Ukraine’s,” said James
Nixeyof ChathamHouse,athink
tankinLondon.“Conceivablythe
Russians can rebuild it, but they
can’tdefenditwhilelosingawar.”
Thousands showed support for Iranian protesters during a
demonstration in The Hague, on Saturday. AP
port denied that 22-year-old
Mahsa Amini had died due to
blows to the head and limbs
while in morality police custody
and linked her death to pre-ex-
isting medical conditions, state
media said on Friday.
Amini, an Iranian Kurd, was
arrestedinTehranonSept.13for
wearing "inappropriate attire",
and died three days later.
Rights groups say more than
185peoplehavebeenkilled,hun-
Jaspreet has organised this
fundraiser. The suspect in the
killinghasbeenarrested.Heonce
worked for the family’s trucking
HONG KONG AUCTION
PINK DIAMOND SELLS FOR RECORD $49.9MN
A pink diamond was sold for $49.9 million in Hong Kong on Friday, setting a world
record for the highest price per carat for a diamond sold at auction. The 11.15-carat
Williamson Pink Star diamond, auctioned by Sotheby’s Hong Kong, sold for $392
million Hong Kong dollars ($49.9 million). It was originally estimated at $21 million.
E
E X P L A I NE D
Of
symbolic
● value
THE 19-KM bridge
across the Kerch Strait
linking the Black Sea and
the Sea of Azov opened
in 2018 and is the longest
in Europe. The $3.6 bil-
lion project is a tangible
symbol of Moscow’s
claims on Crimea and has
provided an essential
link to the peninsula,
which Russia annexed
from Ukraine in 2014.
dreds injured and thousands ar-
rested by security forces con-
fronting protests. After a call for
mass demonstrations on
Saturday, security forces shot at
protestersandusedteargasinthe
Kurdish cities of Sanandaj and
Saqez, according to the Iranian
human rights group Hengaw.
Meanwhile, after a weekly
meeting, President Raisi and
Iran's head of judiciary and par-
liament speaker called for unity.
businessandhadalongstanding
dispute with them that got
“prettynasty”andculminatedin
anactof senselesskilling,author-
ities and a relative said.
Authorities said they were
kidnapped from the family's
trucking business in the central
California city of Merced, and
parts of the kidnapping were
captured on surveillance video.
JesusManuelSalgado,48,was
formally arrested late on
Thursday on four counts of mur-
derandfourcountsofkidnapping
in the case, Merced County sher-
iff's spokesperson Alexandra
Britton said. The city of Merced
has also organised a candlelight
vigil for the family every night at
7pmfromOctober6toOctober9.
New Delhi
Mechanism for
bilateral issues
needed, status quo
devastating: Bajwa
SAJJAD HUSSAIN
ISLAMABAD, OCTOBER 8
PAKISTAN ARMY Chief General
Qamar Javed Bajwa on Saturday
emphasised the need for re-
gional peace and developing a
mechanism for resolving all bi-
lateral issues peacefully among
countriesevenashewarnedthat
the “price of status quo will be
devastating for all of us”.
In what could possibly be his
last address at the prestigious
Pakistan Military Academy in
Kakul, as he is set to retire by the
end of November, the 61-year-
old Pakistan Chief of Army Staff
(COAS) said, “We must give
peace a chance by developing a
mechanism to resolve all our bi-
lateral issues peacefully.
Moreover,asopposedtofighting
each other, we should collec-
tively fight hunger, poverty, illit-
eracy, population explosion, cli-
mate change and disease... The
worldhaschanged,soshouldwe
as the price of status quo will be
devastating for all of us.”
Bajwa said “in our quest for
peace,wehaveextendedsincere
andall-outeffortstoevolvegood
neighbourly relations with all
our neighbours and regional
countries...Wearetryingourbest
to break the political logjam,
which has denied the countries
China silent on India’s
abstention at UNHRC vote
Beijing: ChinaonSaturdaymain-
tained silence on India’s absten-
tion at the voting at the UNHRC
on the human rights situation in
Xinjiang, but defended its crack-
down against Uygur Muslims,
saying it was aimed at counter-
ing “terrorism and separatism.”
China’s comments came af-
ter India abstained from voting
on the Xinjiang issue at the
UNHRC in Geneva on Thursday
and adayafter NewDelhifor the
HURUBIE MEKO
OCTOBER 8
COLUMBIAUNIVERSITYanditsaf-
filiated hospitals on Friday an-
nounced a $165 million settle-
mentwith147patientsofaformer
gynecologist accused of sexual
abuse by dozens of women.
Among the people who have ac-
cused him of abuse was Evelyn
Yang, the wife of the former pres-
identialcandidateAndrewYang.
Robert A Hadden, who ac-
cording to the hospitals has not
worked as a doctor since 2012,
pleaded guilty in 2016 to abus-
ing 19 women, but was spared
prison time. Now, Hadden is
awaiting trial on federal charges
of enticing and inducing
women, including a minor, to
travel from outside New York
State to his Manhattan offices to
engage in illegal sex acts.
The hospitals will establish
a compensation fund to distrib-
Brother of suspect in
family’s killing arrested
San Francisco: The younger
brotherofamansuspectedinthe
kidnapping and killings of an 8-
month-old baby, her parents and
an uncle, was arrested on suspi-
cionhehelpedhisbrotherdestroy
evidence, authorities said Friday.
Alberto Salgado, 41, was ar-
rested late Thursday and ac-
cusedof criminalconspiracy, ac-
cessory, and destroying
evidence, the Merced County
Sheriff’s Office said. He’s booked
in the Merced County Jail — the
same place where suspect Jesus
Salgado, 48, is being held on kid-
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
MILITANTS BRIEFLY
KIDNAP MINISTER
Islamabad: Militants de-
manding the release of their
jailed accomplices set up
blockades on one of the ma-
jorarterieslinkingPakistan’s
restive provinces of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa with Gilgit-
Baltistan , abducted a senior
minister, Abaidullah Baig,
and several tourists, accord-
ing to media reports on
Saturday.Aftersuccessfulne-
gotiations, the kidnappers
lateronSaturdayreleasedthe
ministerandthetourists. PTI
NBWAGAINSTINTERIOR
MINISTERINGRAFTCASE
Islamabad: A Pakistani court
on Saturday issued a non-
bailable arrest warrant
againstthecountry’sInterior
Minister Rana Sanaullah for
failingtoappearbeforeitde-
spite repeated summons in
acorruptioncaseof allegedly
receiving two properties as
bribe. PTI
of South Asia to move forward
and resolve all regional and bi-
lateral issues in a peaceful and
dignified manner.” PTI
first time called for respecting
and guaranteeing the rights of
people of the autonomous re-
gion. “I want to stress that the is-
sues related to Xinjiang are not
about human rights. They are
about countering violent terror-
ism, radicalisation and sepa-
ratism," Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesperson Mao
Ning said, responding to a ques-
tionon India’s ArindamBagchi's
remarks. PTI
ute the money, according to a
news release from the univer-
sity. The settlement follows a
$71.5 million deal reached last
year between the hospitals and
79 of his former patients who
had been represented by a dif-
ferent lawyer.
“We deeply regret the pain
that Robert Hadden’s patients
sufferedandhopethattheseres-
olutionswillprovidesomemeas-
ure of support for the women he
hurt,”ColumbiaUniversityIrving
MedicalCentresaidintherelease.
The settlement is “scratching
the surface,” said Anthony T
DiPietro,whorepresentedthevic-
tims. “I represent nearly a dozen
additionalwomenwhoColumbia
has refused to address,” he said.
On Saturday, a spokesman for
Columbia University Irving
Medical Center said the hospitals
knew of only two unresolved
claimsbroughtbyformerpatients
whohavebeenidentifiedandare
representedby DiPietro. NYT
Alberto
Salgado
napping and murder charges. It
wasn’t clear whether either
brother had a lawyer who could
speak on their behalf. Jesus
Salgadohadworkedforthefam-
ily’s trucking business and had a
longstanding feud with them,
Merced County Sheriff Vern
Warnkes aid Thursday. AP

THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE
POINT OF VIEW
Seeing Art in the Everyday
A recent Kolkata exhibition showcases over
five decades of veteran artist Lalu Prasad
Shaw’s works
Shubhra Gupta
B
Y THE time you read this, a
new film starring Amitabh
Bachchan will be in the-
atres.CalledGoodbye,itfea-
tures him as a paternal fig-
ure, the kind we have
become familiar with: grey hair, rimless
glasses,surroundedbyfamilyandfriends,
dealing with the ups and downs of life.
So what, you might ask. Why is that
remarkable? Because, quite simply, the
one and only Bachchan, who will turn 80
this week, is still working. He is still a top
star.Givenhisbusyslate,withfilmssched-
uled to release at regular intervals down
theroad,itisquiteclearthathehasnoin-
tention of bidding us farewell anytime
soon. No goodbye, only “hello viewer, I’m
back,onceagain,tobeguile,toentertain.”
Bachchan is still the Big B, and as busy as
his much younger co-stars, if not busier.
His contemporaries have either retired or
havepassedon.Hislong-runningTVshow
KaunBanegaCrorepatiisinits14thseason.
Then,therearetheadvertisements,public
serviceandprivateenterprisebroadcasts,
and print and television presence. His so-
cialmediaaccountsaredenselypopulated
by his doings. At an age when most peo-
ple have hung up their boots, Bachchan is
indefatigable, non-stop.
How did this man, who entered the
Hindi film industry in 1969 with Saat
Hindustani,ensurethatheisstillaforceto
reckon with, in 2022? What is the secret
of his enduring appeal, more than half a
century later? That question may have
several answers. But from a long-time
film critic’s perspective, Bachchan still
matters because he spoke for us, and to
GOING ON 80
us, those many years ago, in films which
turned iconic even as they were playing
for the first time in the ramshackle pic-
ture halls of the ’70s.
He was an unstoppable force of na-
ture as he leaned against a locked
godown door in that knotted shirt and
beckoned the baddies to do their best; as
he schooled a ginger-haired Pathan in ci-
vility; as he walked slo-mo towards us as
the mounds of barood exploded behind
him; as he popped out of a giant Easter
egg and burst into a delightful nonsensi- What is the secret of Amitabh Bachchan’s enduring appeal more than half a century later?
caldittyandsomanyotherunforgettable
scenes. I welcome you to add yours here.
With his height (too tall, said some
dismissively, the moniker “Lambu” had
to work hard to travelfrom derisionto af-
fection), and his unconventional looks
(not handsome enough, said others), he
was not like the pretty boys that lorded
over Hindi cinema at that time. In the age
of the clean-cut Rajesh Khanna with his
neat guru kurtas and crinkly smile,
Bachchan was the classic rumpled dis-
rupter we were waiting for. For the first
time in Hindi cinema, we welcomed an
anti-hero with open arms; the onlyother
superstar who came after him, Shah
Rukh Khan, had to open his arms to
gather us in. But by SRK’s time, India was
a different country, liberalised, aspira-
tional, where sanskaar (tradition) once
andforalltrumped bagaawat (rebellion).
BachchanwastheOGasfarasarebel-
with-a-causewent.Oncehehithisstride,
with the immortal troika that came out
in ’74-’75 — Zanjeer, Sholay and Deewaar
—hechangedeverysingleruleof engage-
ment. His unsmiling visage with the long
sideburns, the rage that rocketed out of
the screen, those explosive moves: he
THE BIG B
PHENOMENON
What makes a retrospective of Amitabh Bachchan’s
early films a show-stopper
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur
TO PARAPHRASE François Truffaut, it was a
lovelytimeoflife,whenonecaredmoreabout
those we admired than oneself. That’s how I
felt about Amitabh Bachchan growing up. It
was an obsession. I have broken bounds in
boarding school to watch his films, been
thrown out of class for writing notes in my
Bachchan diary that had details of every film
that I had watched from Bansi Birju (1972) to
Don(1978)toMr.Natwarlal(1979),stoodout-
side his Juhu home as a college student wait-
ing for that momentary glimpse and that
smallwavefrommyidol.Thisobsessionmade
me decide to become a filmmaker right from
my school days. The first time I met him was
as a young student at a Film and Television
eye
OCTOBER 9, 2022 | WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM | PAGE 15
(Clockwise from top) Amitabh Bachchan; stills from Kabhi Kabhie (1976); Don (1978); Deewaar (1975); Kaala Patthar (1979);
Institute of India (FTII) workshop and I was
overwhelmed. I would never have imagined
then that years later I would have the oppor-
tunity to direct him in several commercials
and films for the Film Heritage Foundation,
whichIstartedin2014,andmoreimportantly
to work with him so closely on saving India’s
film heritage.
When I established the Foundation in re-
sponsetothecolossallossofourfilmheritage,
I knew I needed a champion — Amitabh
Bachchan. No other actor has that towering
personaandwhoevenhalfacenturysincehis
debut continues to be as relevant to contem-
porary audiences, and who represents the
past, the present and the future. Even as he
turns80,heisonKaunBanegaCrorepati(KBC),
night after night, engaging with such ease
with people. He continues to be one of the
ONE MAN, MANY PARTS
Abhimaan (1973); Amar Akbar Anthony (1977)
COURTESYSHIVENDRASINGHDUNGARPUR
REEL LIFE busiest actors and yet he finds time to tweet
Shivendra Singh and blog and to respond to hundreds of re-
quests every day.
Dungarpur (above)
Thebestdiscoveryof all,though,wasthat
has curated the film hewasafellowarchivist.Inascenario,where
festival that the original camera negatives of hundreds of
showcases the best of classics have vanished and even prints are
Bachchan’s early sometimes hard to come by, Bachchan has
films that launched beenarchivingprintsofseveralof hisfilmson
35mmfordecades.Wherebigproducers,stu-
him as a superstar
diosandlabshaddiscardedourcelluloidher-
itage,hehadtheforesighttopreservehisfilms.
He has been advocating for the preservation
and restoration of India’s film heritage.
Hisbirthdayseemedaperfectoccasionnot
just to celebrate an icon, but also to demon-
● Review of Rahul Ramagundam’s The Life
and Times of George Fernandes
● Review of Vaasanthi’s Breaking Free
● Review of John Zubrzycki’s The Shortest
stratethathisfilms,likethesuperstarhimself,
are ageless. We want to change the percep-
tionthatclassiccinemashouldbeconfinedto
retrospectives. An actor of his stature should
have a showcase at a grand scale. Ajay Bijli of
PVR Cinemas has given us an amazing plat-
form to show these films over four days in 25
cinemasacross19cities,makingitthebiggest
festival that the country has ever seen.
There’sa“BachchanBacktotheBeginning”
exhibition at PVR Juhu to coincide with the
screenings curated by film historian and au-
thor SMM Ausaja. It will display rare photo-
graphs and artworks.
It’sbeenamammothtaskpersuadingpro-
ducersandcopyrightholders,findingthebest
material of these films, and converting them
into a format that can be shown in cinemas.
The “Bachchan Back to the Beginning” festi-
val presents 11 iconic films, which bring back
thephenomenonoftheangryyoungman,the
poet,thecomic,themannextdoor,themany
avatars of an extraordinary actor. These in-
clude films such as Deewaar (1975), Kabhie
Kabhie(1976),AmarAkbarAnthony(1977)and
Abhimaan (1973).
Watching the films the other day, I had
tears in my eyes as all the memories and
emotions of growing up with Amitabh
Bachchan came rushing back — the thrill of
watching a Bachchan first day first show,
buying tickets in black, feeling 10-ft tall,
New Delhi
BOOKS
History of India
shifted the needle so decisively that he
became the only imprimatur of Hindi
cinemaafter1975,atimewhenIndiahad
begun emerging from the battering it re-
ceived during the Emergency.
Thepeopleneededbothadeliverance
and a cleansing, and Bachchan exempli-
fied Vijay or victory, of the commonman.
The blow-hot-and-blow-cold anger of
the Angry Young Man, created by writers
Salim-Javed by tapping into the zeitgeist,
became ours, a potent weapon to push
back against the inequalities heaped
upon us by a crumbling, corrupt state.
Afterhisnear-totalswayoverthe’70s,
when coiled-spring action accommo-
dated loopy comedy and everything else
in between, too many of his films may
have veered between being indifferent
and plain bad. Too many of them may
have come attached to slushy scripts and
assembly-line products that existed only
to hop on to the Bachchan Bandwagon.
He may have had a rocky stint as a parlia-
mentarian (1984-87), where his reputa-
tion,alongwithhispowerfulfriends,was
soughttobetarnished.Hemayhavebeen
at the helm of an ambitious production
house, Amitabh Bachchan Corporation
Limited (1996), which failed. He may
have vanished from our sights for some
time.Buthe istheonlyoneof his erawho
reinvented himself, and came roaring
back. This time to stay.
As someone who’s watched almost
everyfilmthathe’sdone,Isometimesfeel
that his anger got so much press that his
comedic chops got lost in broad-stroke
burlesque. And I can safely say that not
one of the younger directors in the last
decade or so have managed to create a
role that breaks out of the latter-day
Bachchan persona. Switching between
thebenevolentorauthoritarianpatriarch
seemstobetheonlyoptionforthesefilm-
makers who use both kid gloves and rev-
erencetocagethisactorwhoisoneforthe
ages, who was once phenomenal, and is
now being made to do more of the same.
How about breaking free, and letting
him be? No one can deliver dialogue the
way he can, and that voice, oh, that voice,
isstillaspowerfullyseductive.Howabout
anallget-outcomedy? Howaboutalate-
stage romance? In his prime, Bachchan
was blow-your-socks-off sexy. He still is.
Not a young spirit that sears the throat,
but a mellow wine that goes down easy,
and settles in our crevices. Anyone out
there, brave enough?
In his last outing, Brahmastra, he was
Raghu the Guru, one of the mighty
weapons the film’s mythic universe
dreamtupinthefightof goodagainstevil.
This may have happened in 2022. But
those who have been tracking him since
he arrived in Hindi cinema know that, in
his best work, he has been instrumental
in pulping the bad guys out of existence.
The residue of those years still rever-
berates in cinematic memory and our
viewing DNA. As Bachchan, who has
worked with yesteryear leading ladies
like Waheeda Rehman to spanking new
stars like Alia Bhatt, continues to stride
across the screens that have metamor-
phosed from the raucous single-screen
thousands to the swish multiplex hun-
dreds, he has become a continuum, re-
minding us of the time that was, and the
promise of a time to come.
Amitabh Bachchan is still a work in
progress. And if that’s not something to
celebrate, I don’t know what is.
laughing, crying, singing and dancing along
with him in a darkened cinema hall... I felt
like it was yesterday. And I knew that this is
exactly how people would feel and would
want to relive those times and come back to
the cinema to watch him larger than life on
the big screen, the way these films were
meant to be seen.
The response has been overwhelming.
People from all over the country have been
calling and writing to ask for tickets, includ-
ing many contemporary filmmakers and ac-
tors.Wehavehadinternationalenquiriesask-
ing if we could take the festival overseas. For
manyof them,itisafirsttime,despitethefact
thatthesefilmsareavailableonYouTubeand
otherstreamingplatforms.Thesweetestthing
I have heard is that the cast of Satte Pe Satta
(1982)haveplannedareuniontogotothecin-
ema to watch the film together.
AsBachchansaid,“Thisfestivalshowcases
not just my work, but the work of my direc-
tors,fellowactorsandtechniciansof thetime.
It brings back an era that is gone, but not for-
gotten.ThisiswhysavingIndia’sfilmheritage
is so important. I hope that this is just the be-
ginning of many festivals that will celebrate
landmark films of Indian cinema back on the
big screen.”
ShivendraSinghDungarpurisafilmmakerandthe
founderdirectorofFilmHeritageFoundation

16 P O I N T
‘Amitabh
Bachchan is
eternally
aspirational’
Never just a character, always
more than a star — the
quintessential Bachchan through
a filmmaker’s eyes
R Balki
W
HAT MAKES Amitabh Bachchan a
sought-after actor at the age of 80 is
what created his star appeal at the very
beginning of his career. He is a unique
personality in the history of cinema, one of the last
Indian stars to preserve the air of mystique around him.
More than a star, he is a character called Amitabh
Bachchan. He brings a lot of what it is to be Bachchan —
his traits and uniqueness — into every role that he es-
says. You can’t compare him with anyone else.
A person is born with certain qualities, then there are
some other traits that one cultivates. He has preserved
this character of Amitabh Bachchan quite beautifully.
From his early days, he has established his heroic per-
sona — with the way he styled himself, his walk and his
baritone. What I find mesmerising is his ability to deliver
his lines with a poker-face and yet managing to blow
your mind off each time. He delivers dialogues the way
no one can, expressing himself in a thousand different
ways without breaking into a sweat. Most importantly,
he can convey so much without trying too hard to
emote. He comes to the sets, faces the camera and
knocks it off the park. That’s the power he has.
Even today, his movies don’t appear dated in spite of
him wearing bell-bottoms and acting on sets that look
old-fashioned. That’s because his performances have al-
ways been cool and modern. What has stood out every
time is his distinct personality, understated acting and
sarcasm. The way he performs is measured yet power-
ful; the way he speaks is never too dramatic. It is his per-
sonality that fascinated all. Men wanted to be like him,
women desired men like him. He became the quintes-
sential man.
Like many others, I have been his fan from my child-
hood. I can’t write a movie script without imagining
Amitji to be part of it in some way. My directorial debut
Cheeni Kum (2007) was not the story of an elderly man
falling in love with a younger woman, it was about
Amitji falling in love with Tabu on screen. Had they said
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
Stills from (Top) Cheeni Kum; Paa
no, I wouldn’t have made that movie. There are certain
traits of Amitji that I love very much. I try to incorporate
those in my films. I wanted to see him as a child. Paa
(2009), in which he plays the role of a 12-year-old suf-
fering from a rare genetic disorder called progeria, tries
to explore that. In Cheeni Kum, I wanted to showcase his
sarcasm and wit. Shamitabh (2015) tries to capture his
dramatic persona. Even in his cameos, I try to bring in a
bit of the Bachchan that I love.
As a star, he is eternally aspirational. There is a reason
why the audience goes to watch a star on the big screen.
You don’t want a star dissolving into a character. So, it’s
Bachchan’s persona that captivates me when he appears
on screen. He has always been this way. Instead of judg-
ing what has been his outstanding performances, I
would rather pick the movies that have captured the
persona of Bachchan, such as Naseeb (1981). Of course, I
love most of his movies like Amar Akbar Anthony (1977),
Trishul (1978), Kasme Vaade (1978), Satte Pe Satta (1982),
and Namak Halaal (1982). There is a particular scene in
Dostana (1980) where he is teasing Zeenat Aman at a he-
lipad — he is so cool and clearly having fun in that mo-
ment, it has stayed with me.
Over the years, movie-making has evolved. But he
has not changed much. But then he is not a person who
needs to evolve. Even in his debut movie Saat
Hindustani (1969), you will catch glimpses of the same
Bachchan that burst into the world of cinema in the
’70s. The industry pundits take time to notice someone
till that person proves his commercial worth but he al-
ways exuded star power.
I can’t dream of a bigger star to write for. Every proj-
ect of mine, barring Padman (2018), I have discussed
with Amitji. There is a certain meter in my writing that I
call “the Amitabh Bachchan meter”. I share my ideas
with him and he politely offers his suggestions. What
he says will always have logic. Paa was initially written
as a comedy. He asked me if the story could be bigger
and more emotional. I tore up the first script and
started writing with a fresh perspective. In 20 days, we
had Paa.
(AS TOLD TO ALAKA SAHANI)
EYE, THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE
Seeing Art in the Everyday
Borrowing from Indian traditions and contemporary ethos, a recent Kolkata exhibition brought
together over five decades of veteran artist Lalu Prasad Shaw’s works
Vandana Kalra
You started at the age of 30 and have
constantly experimented with
mediums, from gouache and
printmaking to tempera. Can you tell us
about this need to experiment?
The mediums I’ve used best fit my need
for both expression and sustenance at the
time. In art college (Government College of
Art and Craft, Kolkata), I switched from a
course called commercial art to painting,
where I gained skills across various medi-
ums — experimentation was a natural part
of the learning.
I ventured into printmaking after seeing
a graphic arts show in the late ’60s, organ-
ised by Kekoo Gandhy of Chemould Gallery.
I also loved the works of the abstractionist
Sailen Mitra. However, graphics required
costly material and didn’t really sell at the
time. I didn’t have the means to continue
printmaking after 1973. So, I shifted focus to
tempera in the late ’90s.
The exhibition also includes your early
fine-line drawings. Tell us about those.
Minutepatternsandfinelinesalwaysfas-
cinated me. I admired the works of Jamini
Roy, particularly those that were inspired by
Kalighatpaintings.Eveninmypaintings,you
will see heavy emphasisand distinct demar-
cation of lines.
Since the late ’90s, you have worked
on the “Babu–Bibi” series — an idea that
came from teaching at Santiniketan —
on Bengali babus in dhotis, and the
ladies decked up in saris.
I was in Santiniketan for two decades or
so, studying and then later, returned to
teach and practise my art. Photography
stalls were very popular, especially during
Poush Mela; I was struck by the idea. I saw
families and couples flock to them. I
thought, why not create paintings from
scenes I see in the photos on display? That’s
when I first started painting with temperas.
The stark realism in your paintings is in
contrast to your graphics and drawings
A Seat at the Table
A film on queer and non-binary people shows us
the power of acceptance and the golden rule
by which life must be lived
SLICEOFLIFE
SuvirSaran
Suvir Saran is a chef, author, educator
and world traveller
LASTFRIDAYhadmanyofusfromDelhirush-
ing to Gurugram to attend the opening night
of Tushar Tyagi’s Yellowstone International
Film Festival at DLF Cyber Park. The audito-
rium was abuzz with glamour and clamour.
Cameras clicking away, cocktails flowing, the
glitterfest of the glitterati dazzling, as rush-
hour traffic lit the highway with all shades of
ruby, emerald and diamond. It was a trans-
portivemomentbeforethestartof theaward
ceremony and the Delhi premiere of director
Faraz Arif Ansari’s film Sheer Qorma (2021).
O F
that are most often surreal and
distorted. Was it a deliberate
distinction?
Both styles are very close to my heart.
My affinity for abstractionism was chan-
nelised through my graphic prints, which I
made during some very trying as well as
hopeful points of my life. My first graphic
works from 1966 were a marker of sickness
and political turmoil, while also seeing me
through to happier times. On the other
hand, my observations of the lives of ordi-
nary people around me, with their quirks,
drama, foibles and routines, had to be in full
of colour and distinct lines; I suppose these
choices were initially subconscious.
If you could talk about your love for
Kolkata and how that has been part of
your pictorial story.
I was born and brought up in Bengal;
Kolkata is home. It is an essential part of me
just as I am of it. I have always been drawn
to its people, its culture and politics. There
is no separating Kolkata from me — it is very
much a part of my psyche.
In 35 soulfully mind-altering minutes of
rivetingcinema,Faraztacklesissuesthatmake
and break homes and societies. Through a
storyoffamily,womanhood,faithandnation-
ality, Faraz courageously brings alive the sto-
ries of queer and non-binary people. Their
struggles andvictoriesarewovenintoacine-
matictriumphthattakesusbeyondpersonal
beliefsandsocietalmoralitytoembracingone
another for our shared humanity and desire
to love and be loved.
One would imagine a gay newspaper
columnisttounderstandwhatitmeanstobe
the other. But think again! Generational mi-
sogyny and patriarchal constructs of societal
normshaveleftusallmaimed.InSheerQorma,
Farazgivesthemaseatatthetablethatcomes
with equality of access, delicious dining and
sharing, and the right to sense a feeling of be-
longing and dignity.
How lucky that Faraz is the director be-
hind this film! They started getting bullied
from Grade II onwards. “As I walked down
the corridors of the school, the boys called
outtomewithhorribleexpletives.Wecreate
comfort by surrounding ourselves with
things that make us feel less vulnerable, so I
was a loner with colourful bags and shoes,
stationery always in place. I was organised
and well groomed. I suppose that had me
more visible and open to being singled out,”
Faraz told me.
Because India didn’t have as many film-
making options when Faraz was a teen, they
were sent to live with a family friend, Auntie
Romila, in Pennsylvania, and attend high
school with her son, Vihan. Despite Vihan’s
protection, life only got worse for Faraz. “In a
post 9/11 world, having a Muslim name and
V I E W
PHOTOSCOURTESYGALLERYARTEXPOSURE
COAT OF How did your teachers influence you?
MANY I had joined a group called the Society of
COLOURS Contemporary Artists in the late ’60s, where
I delved into my fascination for printmaking
(Clockwise from at length. It was artist Sanat Kar who actu-
above)Lalu Prasad ally encouraged me to try my hand at mak-
Shaw; from his ing graphic prints. My colleague Suhas Roy
‘Babu-Bibi’ series; had come back from Paris full of new ideas
Untitled mixed and techniques, and helped me learn the
processof etching.AjitGuptawasmyteacher
media on board;
during first year college and quickly became
Untitled, tempera on one of my favourites thereafter. I loved both
board; Durga his teaching and artistic style, and wanted to
imbibe as much as I could from him. Much
later, I carved out time on the weekends to
master the art of painting, using temperas,
under his guidance, after I had returned
to Santiniketan.
What were the influences from your
growing up in Birbhum, where you
observed the malakars work on
Sholapith craft and sculpt idols of
Goddess Durga?
Yes, that is what first prompted me to
pursueartasasubject.Inmypaintingcourse
SUVIRSARAN
LOVE ALL being a person of colour in America, I had to
Faraz Arif Ansari's seebullyingthroughyetanotherlens.Aclass-
mateinGradeXIaskedmeif Ihadabombin-
film Sheer Qorma
side my bag and if I carried guns. ‘Are you go-
shows us that ingtokillusall?Isn’tOsamayouruncle?’Ifelt
belonging in this horrible. I was at the forefront of the comin-
world is all about gledIslamophobia,racismandhomophobia.”
accepting the When I asked Faraz how they made their
identity of oneself peacewithanunfairworld,theysaid,“Imake
films to escape from reality. It was in my cre-
and protecting that
ativity and my work as a filmmaker where I
of the other found solace and acceptance. It is this that
compelledme to makeSheer Qorma.A world
whereacceptancebecomescommonplaceaf-
ter living life more mindfully. That is why I
make films.”
Faraz draws from a deep well of genera-
tional goodness and good fortune. Their
mother,Marryam,whopassedawayrecently
at age 63, was a homemaker and a teacher.
She spent her adult life teaching underprivi-
leged children from her community for free.
Arif,Faraz’sfather,isnowtheirgo-toguardian
angel in a world that scorns those not easily
fitting into boxes of conforming comfort. A
businessman by profession, he has always
been a most involved and loving father. “He
told me that he wanted me to be happy, that
was all that mattered. The way he always
stands up for me is most incredible. He has
neverquestionedmeaboutmycareerchoices
New Delhi
OCTOBER 9, 2022
I could explore a variety of mediums, includ-
ing clay modelling. Malakars and sculptors,
deftlyshapingwhatbecameidols,hadmuch
to do with this. What I learnt from Kalighat
and Ajanta paintings still influence my tem-
pera paintings, as well as line drawings.
There was a period when you drew
drawings of birds, capturing their
movements, and preferred decorative
borders. Were those inspired by Mughal
miniatures?
Therewasalittlegardenrightoutsidemy
window in Santiniketan, which I tended to
myself. It gave me the pleasure of a beauti-
ful view from my studio. Birds would often
payavisit,andItooktheopportunitytodraw
and paint while admiring them. Several of
my birds and still life scenes were drawn
from that garden.
Was your family supportive of your
decision to join art college in 1954?
Could you talk about the driving factors?
My family was not particularly support-
iveof thatdecision.Thiswasnotsurprisingas
the field of arts was not known to be excep-
tionally lucrative. Financial constraints did
not allow me to go beyond and dabble in
what was considered frivolous. However, it
was my calling for a very long time and I
knew that if I did not explore art, my
life would remain unfulfilled and no other
success would hold any meaning. So, I
pressed on.
You are 89 and have been an artist for
over five decades now, what’s the legacy
you want to leave behind? What are your
thoughts on art in India today?
From what I can see, contemporary art in
India has taken some new and very interest-
ing turns. However, something I would al-
ways tell my students and continue to be-
lieve in is that it is very important to create
and develop one’s own style of artistic ex-
pression rather than blindly aping what
seems to be trending. Definitely explore dif-
ferent concepts and keep pushing the
boundaries, but always remember to chan-
nel your own authentic voice when creating
— this is one of my key principles.
or anything at all. He says that he is there to
give me love and support and just wants me
to fly,” said Faraz.
Faraz’s decision to fly as a teenager saw
them land at Penn State for their bachelor’s
andmaster’sdegreesinfilmdirection,theater
and screenplay writing with minors in psy-
chology and film production. When I asked
themhowitwasbeingincollegeatPennState,
Faraz said, “During my time at Penn, I fell in
love with a senior. We shared an apartment
together. He was a total jock and I, a total
weirdo.Itwasastrangelovestorythatbecame
a fairy-tale romance. I lost him in 2009 when
he fell off a horse and broke his spinal cord.
My parents had known him as my “friend”
until then, but at his passing they supported
me with the knowledge that he meant more
to me than the words gave away.”
Suchlossesinourlivesforceustofindways
to be stronger and stronger, as life must be
lived.“Therearenooptions;yougivein,oryou
findawayout.Ihavechosentofindawayout
and live and celebrate life daily. I give 100 per
centofmyselfeveryday,”saidFaraz.Inspiteof
the passing of the fairy-tale lover and later, of
their beloved mother, and the bullying and
scorn, Faraz finds a way to love one and all.
Theirsocialmediapostsareallaboutanabun-
danceof joyandwelcome,of acceptancethat
comes with generous grace and infectious
smiling. Faraz lives to love and creates with
love. Sheer Qorma is no outlier. It is Faraz at
their very best.
Shortandsweet,richwithgorgeouscine-
matographyandboththespokenandunspo-
kenword,Farazshowsusthepowerofaccept-
ance and the golden rule by which life must
be lived. The proof of the sheer qorma pud-
dingliesinthelovewithwhichitisshared.In
SheerQorma,Farazgivesusallaglimpseoflife
that is rich when lived with love and accept-
ance. They show us that belonging in this
world is all about accepting the identity of
oneself and protecting that of the other. They
tell a miraculous story that had the glitterati
ofthecamerasandtheredcarpetfadingaway
asweleftthehallwithmoistenedeyes,seeing
hope in a glamorous but fractured world.
 EYE, THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE

OCTOBER 9, 2022 B O O K S 17
The story of George
Fernandes’s life, told
with diligence, is a
Dancing in
tale of how youthful
idealism gives way
the Shadows
The complex world of devadasis
to compromises and their struggle for individuality
Ajay Singh come alive in this novel translated
into English from Tamil

S
OCIALISM IS cursed. Perhaps, no
political ideology in the world has Anuradha Vellat
gone through as many virulent

B
mutations as socialism has. Its ir-
resistible charm had once ap- REAKING FREE, the recently released transla-
peared likely to embrace the entire world. tion of Vaasanthi’s 2012 Tamil novel Vittu
The language and idioms emanating from Vidhuthalaiyagi, by N Kalyan Raman, is a power-
the practitioners of socialism turned out to ful feminist work that exposes the deep-seated
be fatally seductive to people of many na- trauma associated with the disenfranchisement of the
tions, yet these continued to get traction. community of hereditary courtesan dancers — the de-
The Indian variant of socialism tried to vadasis — of south India. Historically, the dancers from
chart a different path right from the begin- the Isai Vellalar community were married to the local
ning. It broke free from classical Marxist so- deity and served in the temples and courts. Their art
cialism and claimed to be a political philos- (dance and vocal music) was patronised by kings and
ophy rooted in Indian reality. With the zamindars, which often meant that the women had to
exception of Acharya Narendra Deo, each of enter into non-conjugal, sexual relations with their pa-
the stalwart socialist leaders such as Ram trons, rendering them as objects of ridicule and os-
Manohar Lohia, Madhu Limaye and George tracism outside of this structure.
Fernandes, belonged to an exceptional genre Set in the late 19th century and told through the sto-
— articulate and intellectual with highly in- ries of three generations of a family, Breaking Free brings
consistent public conduct. the intergenerational trauma faced by an entire com-
EXPRESSARCHIVE
The Life and Times of George Fernandes is munity to the fore against crucial historical events such
a comprehensive chronicling of the maver- SPIRIT OF THE TIME as the Devadasi Abolition Bill and the Madras Devadasis
ick leader whose inconsistencies are the George Fernandes addressing an All India Railwaymen’s rally in Delhi on May 8, 1979 (Prevention of Dedication) Act (1947) and the Indian
stuff of legend. Recall the George Fernandes struggle for Independence. Vaasanthi’s protagonists are

The Portrait of a
of the ’70s, and you remember a fearless, two women born into the community: while Kasturi is
handcuffed young man with a defiant de- born to dance, truly in love with the deity she is married
meanour. Those were the times when Che to, Lakshmi is loosely based on Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy,
Guevara was still the youth icon, and stu- who was at the forefront of abolishing the devadasi prac-
dent unrest across the world in the late ’60s tice from temples.
was not yet in the distant past. Fernandes Lakshmi and Kasturi both long for their father, who,

emerged as a powerful trade union leader
in the shadow of a student movement that
snowballed into a popular protest against
the mighty prime minister Indira Gandhi.
He was not a student leader, but he captured
the spirit of the time by taking recourse to
militant methods of protest. During the
Emergency, he was accused of planning to
execute explosions across the country to
paralyse the government.
Once again, the tactics and strategy he
seemed wedded to were quite akin to guer-
rilla warfare, usually preferred by subversive
ideologies on either extreme — right or left.
Herein lies the catch. Which ideology did
Fernandesespouse?Thebookthattracesthe
curious trajectory of Fernandes’s life is un-
able to find the answer. In reality, there is
none. Fernandes’s socialism was anarchic,
self-serving and agnostic to the left-right bi-
nary of ideologies. Call it opportunism if you
like, but Fernandes remained unflappable.
When Morarji Desai was forced to quit as
prime minister, to be replaced by his rival,
ChaudharyCharanSingh,in1979,Fernandes
demonstratedhis oratorical skillsbyarguing
for both sides with equal vehemence.
But why should anybody blame
Fernandes for this inconsistency? Before
him, his mentor, Ram Manohar Lohia — one
of the most revolutionary thinkers of his
time — had also displayed similar inconsis-
tencies. From being a Gandhi acolyte close
to Jawaharlal Nehru, Lohia not only turned
against the Congress but found a common
cause with the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the
Maverick Politician
precursor of the BJP. He disdained Indian
Marxists. But Lohia revolutionised Indian
politics by introducing the grammar of
castes into it. His battle cry for extending
reservation benefits to the OBCs resonated
across the country and spawned a political
programme that subverted traditional pol-
itics. As a result, from the late ’60s, the
Congress, for the first time, began ceding po-
litical ground to the regional forces across
the country. Thus began the era of an axis of
non-Congressism. Fernandes was the prod-
uct of that era.
But look at the irony that Fernandes was
literally a fanboy of Jawaharlal Nehru. He
was so fond of him that he joined the social-
ist movement with a precondition that
Nehru would not be replaced, should the so-
cialist movement succeed! But in the post-
Nehru phase, he developed a pathological
aversion to Nehru’s successors, from Indira
Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
At times, he would not mind getting per-
sonal with the family. The cause of this could
be traced back to the sufferings he and his
family had undergone during the
Emergency, apparently at the behest of
Indira Gandhi. Fernandes remained bitter
about it till the end.
Ramagundam’s detailed research gives a
graphicaccountof thisunusualleader’spolit-
ical prowess, chicanery and betrayal, as well
ashismessypersonallifeonaccountofhises-
trangedwifeandliaisonswithotherwomen.
The biography brings alive the personal
lifeof themaverickwhobetrayedmanyinhis
quest for power and eventually got betrayed
inreturn.Towardstheendof hiseventfullife,
Fernandes was reduced to a caricature of his
former self by his own comrades-in-arms
THELIFE AND such as Sharad Yadav and Nitish Kumar. As
TIMES OF hispartyJanataDal(U)wasconfinedtoBihar,
GEORGE hisstatureonthenationalstagewassubstan-
FERNANDES: tially diminished. By the end of 2004, he lost
MANYPEAKSOF A
POLITICALLIFE control over the party and was replaced by
Sharad Yadav as the party president. In the
BY RAHUL
2009 Lok Sabha elections, his party even de-
RAMAGUNDAM nied him the ticket. He had to contest as an
Penguin Random independent candidate from Muzaffarpur,
House India but forfeited his deposit. The ignominy was
624 pages furthercompoundedwhenNitishKumarof-
`799 fered him a Rajya Sabha seat in consolation
for his humiliation.
The journey of an intrepid young
Christian boy from Mangalore, who cap-
tured people’s imagination in the ’70s and
’80s, ends on a rather tragic and sombre
note. He leaves behind a legacy which is nei-
ther politically inspiring nor personally
worth emulating. But there is no doubt that
the story of Fernandes’s life is extraordinary
in every sense of the term. Enamoured of an
ideology that promised a utopia, Fernandes
seemed to have lost his way in the web of
deceit and personal ambitions created
around him.
When he was substantially gripped by
Alzheimer’s, his wife, Leila Kabir, once took
him to his friend LK Advani to give him some
diversion. Fernandes showed no signs of
recognising Advani. The veteran BJP leader
rued, “George, I find it sad that now you
don’t recognise me.” Fernandes’s eyes sud-
denly flickered and he mumbled, “Lal-ji” (as
Advani was referred to by his friends). This
pleasure was momentary as Fernandes
again slipped deep into the dark crevices and
alleys of the human psyche from where it is
impossible to get out. No doubt, Fernandes’s
story is an incredible depiction of human ca-
pacities and vulnerabilities.
Ajay Singh is press secretary to
the President of India
even though known to Lakshmi, remains a metaphor in
their lives. The metaphor rests in patronage, meaning
that any of their mothers’ patrons could be their father, a
truth that haunts them. It is this righteous indignation
that spears Lakshmi's ambitions to become an educated
woman, the first one from her community to “break
free”. She is unflinching in her vision and has no room
for the art that has brought her
and her mother shame.
Kasturi, on the other hand,
has the soul of an artiste. A
charming dancer, she finds her-
self a suitable patron in no time.
Her body is for the public gaze.
The few times she tries to exer-
cise her agency, she is met with
contempt from her mother, the
Durai; her patron the Raja, and
others. Unfazed by this, for as
long as she can, Kasturi embraces
BREAKINGFREE her art. Suppuni, who secretly
BY VAASANTHI longs for her, says, “Those who
HarperCollins watch Kasturi dance... certainly
352 pages feel the joy of seeing god in
`399 flesh.” She falls in love with
Singaram but never betrays her
deity. Kasturi's righteous indignation surfaces when she
learns that her old friend is spearheading the movement
to abolish her art. It is the only thing that brings honour
to her otherwise dishonourable life.
Lakshmi and Kasturi’s struggle to break free from
their chains runs parallel to the nation’s struggle for
freedom from the British yoke. In many ways, Lakshmi’s
own quest for morality, mirroring Dr Reddy’s often pa-
triarchal ambitions for womanhood which sought to
make “useful citizens and chaste wives” out of the de-
vadasis, echoes the nation’s idea of morality, too. The
novel’s omniscient narratorial voice seamlessly blends

SHELF LIFE in with the characters’ voices, its stream-of-conscious-

ness observations throwing light on the upheavals

Designed for Success

IN JANUARY this year, there was a storm
of social-media protests over an episode
of the Sex and the City sequel series, And
Just Like That. Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah
Jessica Parker) is invited by her new
friend Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury)
to her family’s Diwali party and the two
walk into a “sari” shop to buy appropri-
ate apparel for the event. Only, as most
South Asian viewers pointed out, the
outfits in the shop are actually lehengas
andwhatCarriefinallywearstotheparty
is also a lehenga. Outraged cries rung out
over this “cultural flattening” — presum-
ablythemakersof theshowthoughtthat
distinguishing one South Asian garment
from another would prove too bother-
some for a viewership that speaks flu-
ently in Balenciaga and Alaïa — but the
episodehelped highlight,albeitinadver-
tently, the zones of grey between inspi-
ration and appropriation.
Anthropologist Phyllida Jay’s book
Inspired by India: How India Transformed
Global Design examines these zones of
grey, raising important questions about
the differences between the two, espe-
ciallywhenseeninthelightof acomplex
history of commerce, intellectual ex-
change and violent colonial subjugation.
A sumptuously produced book, illus-
trated with a wealth of photographs of
eye-poppinglygorgeousclothesandjew-
ellery,itattemptstolookatthehistoryof
fashion from the Indian perspective —
and to a great degree, is successful in this
attempt, especially in the three excellent
sections, ‘From Kashmir to Paisley’, ‘The
Sari’ and ‘Fabled Jewels of India and
Contemporary Design’. Her analysis is
sharpest in these sections about specific
objects or design elements, while the
broader history chapters that bookend
them tend to ramble a little.
There is little doubt about the sub-
continent’s role in the history of global
fashion — think silk and muslin, chintz
and paisley, Kashmiri shawls and jodh-
INSPIRED BY purs. But Jay’s great triumph in this book
INDIA: HOW INDIA is in going beyond the obvious. Take, for
TRANSFORMED example, howsheanalysestheinfluence
GLOBAL DESIGN of the sari on European — and by exten-
BY PHYLLIDA JAY sion global — fashion. She suggests that
Roli Books the bias cut, which revolutionised how
256 pages dresses for women were constructed in
`4,995 the 1930s, might just have been inspired
by the sari. The bias cut was pioneered
by French couturier Madeleine Vionnet
and involved cutting the pattern of a
dress at a 45-degree angle on a length of
woven fabric, instead of following the
straight line of the weave as had been
done previously. This, in expert hands,
could be used to make dresses that ac-
centuated the lines of the body, creating
fluid drapes and soft curves — much like
a sari. Vionnet, along with contempo-
raries like Madame Alix Grès and Elsa
Schiaparelli,wasfascinatedbythegrace-
ful, flattering lines created by the sari, in-
creasingly visible in the West thanks to
travelling Indian royals.
Could one argue then that if it hadn’t
beenforthesari,MarilynMonroe’siconic
white bias-cut dress, worn in that mem-
orable scene from The Seven Year Itch
(1955),mightnothaveexisted?Thebook
doesn’t settle such questions — and that
maynotevenbeitslargerpurpose.What
the book does successfully is point the
curious in new directions of inquiry.
POOJA PILLAI
within and outside. Vaasanthi serves us the ambitions of
love, art, honour and the aspirations of a nation-state,
without taking away from the intricacies and dilemmas
of wanting one or more of those things together. The
writer deals with the subject of disenfranchisement
with empathy and carefully presents her characters’
cases without antagonising the readers’ opinions of
them. The novel also holds a mirror to modern society,
especially one with a Brahminical neo-Bharatanatyam,
non-Bahujan stance, that perpetuates caste and gender-
based atrocities meted out to the hereditary dancer.
Breaking Free does not, however, go into the subject of
Bharatanatyam and stays with Sadir (as Bharatanatyam
was known before its revival), without betraying it. N
Kalyan Raman’s translation ties the work together and
opens it up for an entirely new audience. In the timelines
it offers, the novel only slips when it tries to thrill the
reader with Lakshmi’s granddaughter Maya’s search for
clues into her mother’s unnatural death.
In the short list of works that have dealt with the
subject of devadasis with sensitivity and responsibility,
including Srividya Natarajan’s The Undoing Dance (2018),
Breaking Free adds nuance for the interested audience.

A Wonder That is India

From the Harappan civilisation to the ‘New India’ being shaped by current politics,
John Zubrzycki traces India’s complex diversity through a compact historical analysis
Kaushik Das Gupta
ONEOFthekeyaxiomsofthedisciplineofhis-
tory is that the past finds a way to sneak its
way into the present. That truism is finding
expression today in disparate, even paradox-
ical, ways. On the one hand, the discipline of
history seems to be embattled as the past is
drawnintocurrentideologicalbattles.Events
and personalities of ancient and medieval
times are subject matter for popular culture,
notably cinema. On the other hand, interest
in historical research seems to be spreading
beyond academia. The proliferation of works
directedatanon-academicaudiencetestifies
to this phenomenon. Professional historians
andscholarswithoutaffiliationtoinstitutions
have participated in this efflorescence.
ItisdifficulttoslotJohnZubrzyckiintoany
of these neat categories. He has worked as a
journalist,diplomat,andteacherandistheau-
thorof severalcriticallyacclaimedIndianhis-
tory and culture books. His ability to straddle
diverseprofessionalboundaries,perhaps,en-
ables the Australian scholar to pull off what
many might think to be impossible: The
Shortest History of India compresses 5,000
years of the country’s history — from the
Harappan period to the “New India” being
shaped by the current political dispensation
— in less than 300 pages. It’s a book that will
find a place in university libraries. But The
ShortestHistoryofIndiashouldhaveareader-
shipbeyondinstitutions.BecauseasZubrzycki
writes, “As India looks beyond the 75th an-
niversary of its independence, the burden of
history and the desire to restore its past glory
isweighingheavilyonitspoliticsandsociety”.
Very often such broad-brush accounts
lapse into the Rankean folly of looking at his-
tory as descriptions of kings and rulers.
Zubrzycki’saccounthasplaceofeminencefor
theChola,Maurya,Mughals,theBritishrulers,
andIndiannationalists.Thepreliminarypages
also have a list of dates of some of the semi-
nal events in the country’s history. But The
Shortest History of India’s greatest merit is
drawing the reader toward other interesting
aspects of the past: How did religion shape
the country’s history? What was the role of
trade? How did the caste system function?
What were the views of foreign travellers? It
also takes the reader to significant post-
Independenceevents:MahatmaGandhi’sas-
sassination, the war with China, the turmoil
in the Congress, the Emergency, the Mandal
Commission, the economic reforms and the
tearing down of the Babri Masjid and the rise
of Hindutva.
Thebrief biographiesinthebookwillhelp
the reader unravel social processes and she
issuretocomeawaywithapictureof acoun-
trythatisdiverseandcomplex—onethatre-
sistsbeingcastasamonolith.Hisabidingcon-
cern for the country’s diversity is, in fact, one
reason that Zubrzycki describes India’s
democracyasthecountry’sgreatestachieve-
ment after Independence: “Over more than
THE SHORTEST sevendecades,ithassuccessfullyconducted
HISTORY OF INDIA 17 general elections and hundreds of state
BY JOHN polls with participation rates that regularly
ZUBRZYCKI outstrip the world’s next largest democratic
Picador India country,theUSA.Afreeandvibrantpressand
288 pages a civil society keep a check on the inevitable
`599 lapses of its politicians”.
Heisalsorightincautioningthatthissuc-
cess shouldn’t blinker India watchers to the
mainunfulfilledtasks—improvingstandards
of life,removinggenderandcastedisparities,
cleaningrivers,addressingpollution,anded-
ucational and health-related shortcomings.
Zubrzycki’s greatest concern, however, is
thenation’srecentsliptowardsmajoritarian-
ism. “What India has lost and what will be
hardesttorestoreisthestate’scommitmentto
secularism,” he writes in the book’s conclud-
ing chapter. As a powerful caveat for people
interested in history, he writes: “In recent
decades,notionsof Indiaasahistoricalentity,
apeopleandacivilisationhasbecomehighly
politicised.HindunationalistsrefertoIndiaas
Bharat Varsha, the ancient Sanskrit name for
a homeland that stretches from the ‘Indus to
theSeas’.TheevidenceforchartingIndia’shis-
toryislongerfoundinarchaeologicalrecords
orgeneticDNAbutinmythologicalepicssuch
as Mahabharata. India’s ‘real heritage’ is con-
tained in even older texts such as the Vedas.”
That’s also the reason that works such as his
should be antidotes to accounts of the past
thatarepeddledtodayinforaasdiverseasTV
andcinematosocialmediaplatformssuchas
WhatsApp and Twitter.
Zubrzycki, however, is not all pessimistic.
“Asacivilisation,Indiahasshownremarkable
resilience, tackling challenges such as grow-
inginequalityandauthoritarianism,andpro-
viding a model to the world. Visionary lead-
ers will emerge who can unite the country’s
diverse communities and ensure that the
country’s social and economic progress are
spread equitably and sustainably.”

New Delhi
 18 CLASSIFIEDS & TENDERS
Classifieds
PERSONAL
I,Monika D/o-Harish
Kumar,R/o.B-42, Top-
Floor,Kishan Kunj,Part-
2,Laxmi Nagar,Delhi-
110092,have changed my
name from Monika to Monika
Sharma,for all,future
purposes. 0040635724-3
I,Ishtiyak S/o-Abdul
Aziz,R/o.H.No.-16,Street.No-
1,Moonga
Nagar,Mustafabad,Delhi-
110094,inform that my name is
wrongly-written as Ishtiaq in
my passport.No.L5825055.That
the correct-name of mine is
Ishtiyak. 0040635724-5
I,YATI D/O.SHYAM SARAN, ADD-
H-19-E,THIRD-
FLOOR,SHAKARPUR EAST
DELHI-110092,Changed my
name to YATI KASHYAP,for
all,future Purposes.
0040635719-1
I MANJU RANI daughter of SH.
BHAGWAN DASS and wife of
SH.DHIRAJ KUMAR SAXENA
residing at A-68, BUDH VIHAR,
TAJPUR PAHARI, BADARPUR,
NEW DELHI – 110044 have
changed my name from
MANJU RANI to MANJU
SAXENA for allpurposes.
0040635701-7
I Rahul Mathur S/o-Anand
Saroop R/o-1285,Satghra
Village,Karala,Delhi-81
declare-that My-Father name
wrongly-written as Anand
Shrauff in my 12th-Certificate
instead of Anand Saroop.
0040635680-1
I Sonu Dei W/o-Kishan R/o-F-
2/206, Mangol Puri, Delhi-83
have changed my name to
Sohan Devi for all purposes.
0040635681-1
I, Ajay Kumar Pandey, have
changed the name of my
minor daughter Kriti born on
21.07.2005 residing at D -2, 300,
Vinay Marg, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi to Jayashri Kriti vide
affidavit dated 04.10.2022 at
New Delhi. 0050205666-1
I, I,Ansh jain,S/o Ankur Jain,R/o
69,1st floor,Ramprasta green
vaishali Ghaziabad-
201010,U.P.have Changed my
name from Ansh Jain to Vansh
Jain and shall be known as
Vansh Jain,for all purposes in
future. 0040635756-7
My actual-name Saroj
Bala,W/o-Ravinder Singh R/o
WZ-26,Gali.No.6, Tihar-Village,
Tilak-Nagar,Delhi-110018,My-
name wrongly-mentioned in
my son’s documents as Saroj.
0040635719-6
Lone,R/O- Lachipora,Tehsil-
Boniyar,District- Baramulla.In
my service records the name
of my son has been wrongly
mentioned as Rashid Ahmad
Lone instead of Rashid Gani
Lone.It needs correction.
Objections be filled to 161 TA
JAKLI within seven days.
0020446951-2
It,is for general information
that I,Anita Sharma wife of
Sunil Sharma,residing at
House-No.20-21,C-2/3,2nd-
Floor,Kh.No-23/20/1,Vashisht
Park,West-Sagarpur,South-
West Delhi,Delhi-
110046,declare that name of
mine has been wrongly-
written as Anita in my minor
daughter Yashika Pandit
aged-16,Years in her
Educational-documents.The
actual name of mine is Anita
Sharma,which may be
amended accordingly.
0040635711-1
It is for general information
that I,BHIKHARI,S/O-
RAMUNI,R/O.CH-3,P & T
QTR.TYPE-3,GROUND-
FLOOR,ATUL GROVE-
ROAD,CANNAUGHT
PLACE,NEW DELHI-
110001,declare that name of
my-wife has been wrongly-
written as RAMPATI DEVI in my
Service-Record.The actual-
name of my-wife is
RAMPATI,which may be
amended accordingly.
0040635751-5
I,Warees s/o Mohd Asgar,R/o-
E-297 Gali No.10,Shastri
Park,Delhi-110053,have
changed my name to Warees
Qureshi,for all purposes
0040635751-1
I,Virender Kumar Tomar S/o
Vijay Pal Singh R/o A1/104,
Cleo County, GH-05, Sector-
121, Noida(U.P) have changed
my name to Virender Kumar
for all purposes. 0040635668-1
I,Sangeeta Gupta W/o,Tilak Raj
Taneja R/o-B-39, S-1, Shiv-
Apartment, Ramprastha-
Colony, Ghaziabad, U.P.-
201011,have changed
my-minor son’s name Aagaaz
to Atharv Taneja. 0040635751-3
I,SUKRITI D/O.HARISH VATS,
ADD-FLAT.NO-5,POCKET-H-33,
SECTOR-3, ROHINI,NORTH-
WEST DELHI-110085, changed
my name to SUKRITI VATS,for
all,future Purposes.
0040635751-4
I,SATYAVAN/SATYAWAN
DHANDA,S/O RATAN
SINGH,R/O.D-6,280/1,SECTOR-
6, ROHINI,DELHI-110085,have
changed my name to
SATYAVAN DHANDA.
0040635719-7
I,SARITA W/O ASHISH
DEWAN,R/O.B-89,FIRST-
FLOOR,SOUTH CITY-2,SECTOR-
49,GURGAON-122018.HAVE
CHANGED MY NAME TO SARITA
DEWAN,FOR ALL PURPOSES.
0040635719-8
I Ravinder Kumar S/o Sh.
Baljeet Singh R/o House No.
12-13, Block-D-2, Sector-11,
Rohini, Delhi-110085 have
changed my name to Ravinder
Siwach for all purposes.
0040635701-8
I,SALVEE NAIDU,W/O SURAJ
KUMAR R/O C. P. O, 139
MADANGIR DR, AMBEDKAR
NAGAR,N.DELHI-62,HAVE
CHANGE MY NAME TO SHIVANI
ALL PURPOSES.
0040635756-8
I,Ranjeet Singh,S/O-Shri
Harbans Singh,R/O-D-1273-
74,Jahangir Puri Delhi-
110033,have changed my
minor son name from
Harvinder to Harvinder
Singh.D.O.B. 22/07/2005.
0040635756-1
I,Rajeev Chug alias Rajeev
Chugh,S/O-Prem Lal
Chugh,R/O-B-406,Printer
Apartment,Sector-
13,Rohini,Delhi-110085,have
changed my name to Rajiv
Chugh.
0040635756-2
I,RITIKA D/O RAJ KUMAR
DHINGRA,R/O C-146,CLOCK
TOWER,HARI NAGAR,DELHI-
110064.HAVE CHANGED MY
NAME TO RITIKA DHINGRA.
0040635719-3
I,RAJU DHINGRA,S/O OM
PRAKASH DHINGRA,R/O.C-
146,CLOCK TOWER,HARI
NAGAR,DELHI-110064.HAVE
CHANGED MY NAME TO RAJ
KUMAR DHINGRA.
0040635719-2
I,RAJEEV KUMAR,S/O RAM
MURTI CHAUHAN,R/O
65,SAINIK
VIHAR,PITAMPURA,DELHI-
110034.HAVE CHANGED MY
NAME TO RAJEEV CHAUHAN.
0040635719-4
I,Purnima,W/O-Gaurav
Bansal,Residing at Plot
no.17,Block-G,Ashok
Vihar,Phase-1, Delhi-
110052,have changed my
name to Purnima Bansal.
0040635756-6
I,Poonam Jindal,W/O-Dhanraj
Jindal,Residing at 24/3,2nd
floor,Vyas Marg,Shakti
Nagar,Delhi-110007,have
changed my name to Poonam
Gupta.
0040635756-4
I,Pawan Kumar Verma,S/O Shri
Ram Sahay Verma Residing at
RZ-31-B,Shankar Park,West
Sagar Pur,Delhi-110046,have
changed my name to Pawan
Verma.
0040635756-5
I,MOHAMMED IRFAQ
SIDDIQ,S/o-Md.SHAHID
KHAN,R/o-A-159,ABUL FAZAL-
ENCLAVE-II,JAMIA-
NAGAR,NEW DELHI-
110025,declare that
my-mother’s name wrongly-
mentioned as NUZHAT BEGAM
in my SSE-Certificate issued
by CBSE-2012-14 instead-of
correct-name NUZHAT
BEGUM.
0040635719-9
I,Lal Mnohammed,S/o Noor
Mohammed R/o New F-80
Raghubir-Nagar Delhi-
110027,have changed my
name to Lal Mohammed.
0040635724-1
I,Jai Parkash S/o-
Parmanand,R/o.A-35 A-
Block,Mahipalpur,New Delhi-
110037,have changed my
name to Jai Prakash,for all
purposes.
0040635751-2
I,Ishwar Mangla R/o-
203,Arunodaya Apartment, H-
Block-Vikaspuri New Delhi-
110018,have changed my
minor Son’s name,from Kunj
Mangla to Kartik
Mangla,permanently.
0040635724-9
I,Hazra W/o-Ishtiyak R/o.H.No.-
16,Street No-1,Moonga-
Nagar,Mustafabad,Delhi-
110094,inform that my name is
wrongly-written as Hazara in
my passport.No.H
1381493.That the correct-
name of mine is Hazra.
0040635724-4
I,Gunjan Mittal W/o Arvind
Mittal R/o C-106 Sector-41
Noida(U.P) have changed my
name from Gunjan Garg to
Gunjan Mittal for all future
purposes
0040635668-2
I,Dhanraj,S/O-Sardara Mal
Jindal,Residing at 24/3,2nd
floor,Vyas Marg,Shakti
Nagar,Delhi-110007,have
changed my name to Dhanraj
Jindal. 0040635756-3
I,Ananya D/o Vikas Beniwal R/o
A-106, Saraswati
Vihar,Pitampura,Delhi-34,
have changed my name from
Ananya to Ananya Beniwal.
0040635719-10
I,ASTHA
SHARMA,D/O,ASHWANI
KUMAR SHARMA
R/O,2203,PARK-ROYAL
RESIDENCY-VASUDHARA CGHS
LTD PLOT.NO-1B,SECTOR-
22,DWARKA BAGDOLA,NEW
DELHI-110077,HAVE CHANGED
MY NAME TO AASTHA
SHARMA. 0040635724-8
I,ASHIKA JAIN,D/O.RAJESH
JAIN,ADD-24/08, 2ND-
FLOOR,OLD RAJINDER-
NAGAR,CENTRAL,DELHI-
110060,Changed my name to
AASHIQA JAIN,For all,future
Purposes. 0040635719-5
I,AMARJEET SINGH
SINGH,S/o.Sh.Shiv Pratap
Singh,R/o.B-208, J.J.Colony,
Khanpur,Dr.Ambedkar-
Nagar,Sector-2, South-
Delhi,New-Delhi-110062,have
changed my name to
AMARJEET SINGH,for all,future
Purposes. 0040635724-6
I, Balvinder Singh S/o Late
Ranjit Singh R/O WB-24/3,
Shakarpur, Delhi-92 have
changed my name to
Balvinder Singh Oberoi for all
purposes. 0040635123-10
I,AMARJEET KAUR,W/o-
AMARJEET SINGH,R/o.B-
208,J.J.Colony,Khanpur,
Dr.Ambedkar-Nagar Sector-
2,South-Delhi,New Delhi-
110062,have changed my
name to AMARJEET KAUR
SAHOTA,for all,future
Purposes. 0040635724-7
I, Tanu Arora, W/O Sagar
Arora,R/O 1/214 Second-
floor,Subhash nagar,New
Delhi -110027, have changed
my name to Tanu Mehta
permanently. 0040635724-2
I, Rajeev Monga S/o Tilak Raj
Monga, R/o WZ-283/104 West
Block Vishnu Garden Delhi-
110018, have changed my
name to Rajiv Monga for all
purposes. 0070807433-1
I, Ibaditbir kaur W/o Akram,
house no 36, vill-Khandawli,
Teh - Ballabgarh, Dist -
Faridabad, Have changed my
name to Ibadat. 0070807432-1
I,Vijay Pal,S/o
Mr.Dharmapal,R/o-138
Meerapur,Baraily,Uttar
Pradesh,U.P-243001,have lost
my-Documents like Adhar-
Card,office-bag documents of
our office in the name of
CENTRE FOR DEVELOPMENTAL
INITIATIVE having
registered,address at,389-
A,Pocket-2,DDA-Flats,Mayur-
Vihar-I,Delhi-110091,
documents-including some-
files,Bank
Statements,Invoices,Expense
s-file,Misc. Files and my-
documents for past few years
& cash of Rs.1200/approx.Any
finder-may contact.on.
address. 0040635724-10
I Rajeev Jain son of
Sh.Narender Kumar Jain R/o
4/1526, Dalhai Mohalla,Bhola
Nath Nagar, Shahdara, Delhi-
110032 have lost one Original
GPA, executed by Shri Om
Parkash Gupta in favour of
Shri Sunil Gupta, having
Document No.19495, Book-IV,
SR-IV, dated 08.05.2003 from
chain of documents of
abovesaid property. Finders
may contact at above address.
0040635701-4
LOST & FOUND
I Kamla Devi Thapar Informs
That I Have Lost Allotment And
Possession Letters Of My
Property GH7 1104, Orchid
Garden Apartments, Suncity,
Sector 54, Gurgaon /
Gurugram. 91-9990479713
0050205665-1
KHATRIS/ ARORAS
Suitable match for punjabi
Khatri boy non manglik
vegetarian boy M. tech,
17.06.1992, 1.35 a.m, Delhi, 167
cm, Manager, MNC, Gurugram,
11.40 - 12LPA. Own house at
Shimla. Contact and send
biodata at 8219020842,
9418109169 0050205411-1
MALYALEE KERALITE
KERALITE Pune well settled
Nair Boy 30 (Chuva Dosham),
BE, MBA, 15 LPA. Educated Nair
Family. Contact: 9867770184.
0070807146-1
NRI/GREEN CARD
Seeking professionally
qualified US or Canada based
boy for Punjabi Saraswat
Brahmin girl, 30/5’4”, Masters
in CS,working as a Software
Engineer in US. Mob:
9899956568. 0040635403-1
DOCTORS
Suitable Qualified match for 31
years MBBS Doctor Brahmin
Smart Girl belongs to well
educated family of Punjab.
Call: 80545-11901
0020446145-3
GUPTA/ AGGARWAL
Match for tall fair well educated
Aggarwal girl working in
multinational Permanent wfh (
BTech- PEC, MBA - XIMB)1993
Born 8847613090. 0050205564-1
KHATRIS/ ARORAS
Suitable match for Bhasin
Khatri ( Punjabi ) girl, 5’-5:, 07-
08-1993, 10:47 am , Chandigarh
. B.E. (IT), working MNC ,Pune .
Tricity preferred. Contact:
98151-93535.
bhasins321@gmail.com
0020446938-1
NRI/GREEN CARD
Seeking professionally
qualified Canada or India
based girl for Punjabi
Saraswat Brahmin boy,
28/5’9”, Advanced diploma in
Marketing,working as a Sales
Associate in Canada. Mob:
9899956568. 0040635403-2
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022
GOVERNMENT OF PUNJAB
Tender Notice No. PEDA/2022-23/21
Online bids are invited for Supply, Installation &
Commissioning of Grid Connected Roof Top/Ground Mounted
Solar Power Plants with Net Metering facility through RESCO
Model of Cumulative Capacity 4.5 MW.
Date of Start : 10.10.2022
Closing Date & Time : 31.10.2022 upto 05.00 P.M.
For detail log on to: eproc.punjab.gov.in
NOTE: Any corrigendum(s) to the Tender Notice shall be pub-
lished on the website only
17642/Pb
DIRECTOR, PEDA
OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDUSTRIES
GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHI
UDYOG SADAN, PLOT NO. 419, F.I.E.,
PATPARGANJ INDUSTRIAL AREA, DELHI-110092
(Handloom & Textiles Section)
PRESS ADVERTISEMENT
Reference advertisement dated 31.07.2022 vide which Applications are
invited from registered Primary Weaver’s Handloom Cooperative
Societies of Delhi for obtaining financial assistant (under Plan Scheme)
Loan-cum-Grant for modernization and renovation of existing looms and
pre-loom equipments for the year 2022-23. The last date of
submission of forms is extended from 31st August, 2022 to 14th
November, 2022 up to 06:00 P.M.
All other contents of the said advertisement will remain same.
Sd/-
(MUKESH RAJORA)
Dip/Shabdarth/0382/22-23 DY. COMMISSIONER OF INDUSTRIES (H/H)
OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDUSTRIES
GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHI
UDYOG SADAN, PLOT NO. 419, F.I.E.,
PATPARGANJ INDUSTRIAL AREA, DELHI-110092
(Handloom & Textiles Section)
PRESS ADVERTISEMENT
Reference advertisement dated 31.07.2022 vide which applications
were invited from existing and functioning primary handloom weavers
cooperative societies and apex handloom cooperative federations of
Delhi duly registered with RCS Department, Govt. of NCT of Delhi for
availing financial assistant as Marketing Incentive (MI) Component
under the National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP) for the
PUBLIC NOTICE year 2022-23. The last date of submission of forms is extended
My clientess Sh. Shiv Kumar S/o Late from 31st August, 2022 to 14th November, 2022 up to 06:00 P.M.
Subhash Chander and Smt. Sunita W/o Sh.
All other contents of the said advertisement will remain same.
Shiv Kumar R/o L-231, Shastri Nagar, Near
Shiv Vatika, New Delhi-110052 has disowned Sd/-
and debarred his son Chanki Kumar and his
wife Kiran from all movable and immovable (MUKESH RAJORA)
properties. Due to their disrespectful
behaviour disobedience and out of control of
Dip/Shabdarth/0381/22-23 DY. COMMISSIONER OF INDUSTRIES (H/H)
my clientess. My clientess have also several
all his relations with them. If anybody deals
with them he/she shall do so at his/her own
risk cost and consequences. My clientess
shall not be liable or responsible for the same
in any manner.
Sd/-
TRIBHUWAN KUMAR
Advocate
Ch. No. B-8, B.G.S. Block
Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi-54
PUBLIC NOTICE
My Clients Sh Mohan Lal Sehgal S/o Ganpat
Ram and Veera Vali W/O Mohan Lal Sehgal,
both R/o 300, BHAI PARMANAND COLONY,
Near Shahi Data Darbar Gurudwara
Mukherjee Nagar, North West, Delhi-110009,
have disowned their son namely Akshay
Kumar Sehgal from all their movable and
immoveable properties & severe their
relations from him as they are no more in the
control of my clients. If anybody dealing with
them shall be doing at his /her own risk &
responsibility. My clients shall not be
responsible for any act, deed and omission of
them.
Sd/-
HIMANSHU NAGPAL
ADVOCATE
D/1328/11
Chamber no 591, second floor
Western wing ,Tis Hazari Court
PUBLIC NOTICE
This is to inform the public at large that my
clients Smt. KHURSHID BEGUM & JAMIL
AHMAD R/o G-2, 18/228, Sangam Vihar,
New Delhi-110080, has disowned,
disinherited their son FIROJ ANSARI and his
wife Smt. TARANA D/o Munne, from their all
movable and immovable properties and also
have severed all their relations from them,
henceforth, whosoever deals with them shall
do so on their own risk and my clients shall
not be responsible & liable for any acts or
deeds of them in any manner whatsoever.
Sd/-
D.C. SAXENA
Advocate
Enrolment No. D- 616/90.
Residence-cum- Office: House No. 16/80,
Block-B, Gali No. 2, Sai Nagar,
Meethapur Extn., Badarpur,
New Delhi-110044
PUBLIC NOTICE
To be known to all that my client Mohit
Sharma S/o Chander Shekhar Sharma R/o
Tower No. 093, DLF Ultima, Sector-81,
Gurugram, Haryana Allottee of G-2803,
Mapsko Mount Ville, Sector 78-79,
Gurugram, Haryana The original Possession
Letter and Adhar Card has been lost/
misplaced an N.C.R. to this effect has been
lodged in the Police Station Khedki Daula,
Gurugram vide N.C.R. No.471/2022 dated
27/09/2022. Any person(s) or found in
possession of original documents may write
to or contact with the undersigned.
Sd/-
ANIRUDH GARG
(ADVOCATE)
Chamber No.211, Second Floor,
Lawyers Chamber BIock, Rohini Distt.
Court, Sector-14 Rohini, Delhi-110085
PUBLIC NOTICE
To be known to all that I, Vasantha
Prasad W/o Sh. Mangla Prasad
R/o DDA Flat No.GG-1/31-
A.Vikas Puri, New Delhi-
110018.The original documents
i.e. DDA Possession Letter and
Water & electricity NOC of above
DDA Flat No.GG-1/31-A. Vikas
Puri,New Delhi -110018 have
been lost. An FIR to this effect
has been lodged in Police Station
Vide NCR / LR No. 850189/2022
dated. 01/10/2022. Any person (s)
claiming any right, interest, having
any objection or found in
possession of original
documents,may write/contact with
above named person at above
address within 15 days from the
date of publication of this notice.
The person claiming any right,
interest, objections with respect to
this property can personally
inform or write to Dy. Dir. (LAB) or
Dir.(H)-I, D-Block, 3rd Floor, Vikas
Sadan, INA, New Delhi.
Sd/- B.B.N.Deo, Advocate
S.R. IInd,B. Coumpus,Janak Puri,ND-58.
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022 SPORT/CALENDAR 19

BabarshinesasPak
wintri-seriesoverNZ
BRIEFLY
The suitable boy Haaland nets
20th goal of
season as City
beat Saints
Christchurch: Pakistan captain Babar
Azam struck an unbeaten 79 from 53 Selectors have missed a trick by not picking Sanju Samson for the T20 World Cup. He is a better
balls and shared a 61-run partnership
with Shadab Khan in a six-wicket win No.5 than those in contention, including Deepak Hooda and Rishabh Pant
over New Zealand on Saturday in the REUTERS
Twenty20 tri-series. New Zealand cap- best.Hehasdroppeddowntheline-upbutstill OCTOBER 8
tain Kane Williamson made the un- SANDEEP DWIVEDI themoreexperiencedSanjuisabetteroption.
usual decision to bat first after winning OCTOBER 8 There are more factors that favour him. MANCHESTER CITY continued their imperi-
the toss and the Black Caps managed ous home form to ease to a 4-0 win over
only 147-8 in their 20 overs, stalled by AMONG THE cricketers to attend Sanju T20 specialist Southampton and move top of the Premier
tight bowling from Haris Rauf and Samson’s wedding reception at a The brand of T20 that Rohit Sharma’s LeagueasChelseaandNewcastleUnitedalso
Mohammad Wasim. AP Thiruvananthapuram suburb was Rahul team has been aspiring to master for the enjoyed comfortable victories to show their
Dravid. A youtube clip of the event captures past one year comes naturally to Sanju. The top-four ambitions.
BengaluruFCekeout Sanju’s beaming face on seeing his captain
and coach. For once, the wedding invite
see-ball-hit-ball batter doesn’t need time
to settle, balls to get his eye in or few runs to
City, who had trounced Manchester
United 6-3 last week, barely had to break
winoverNEUFC template “we request the pleasure of your
company” didn’t seem like a cliche.
get the blood speeding. He is the natural
born self-starting T20 specialist.
stride against Southampton, with Joao
Cancelo, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez net-
Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC rode on Alan Dravid, in understated wedding formals, Sanju’s batting technique is made-to-or- ting before Erling Haaland struck the fourth
Costa's87thminutestriketobeatNorth stood with his folded hand next to the cou- derforaNo.5.Holdingthebathighonthehan- goaltostretchhisscoringstreakto10straight
East United 1-0 in their Indian Super ple. Sanju, like a deeply obliged student dle,hekeepshisshoulderextremelyloose.This matchesinallcompetitions.Injust13games,
League (ISL) opener on Saturday. The overwhelmed to see his favourite teacher helpshimtoswingthebatlikeagiantpendu- he has scored 20 goals.
BraziliandefendernoddedhomeaJavier on Day D, looks around to see if he can find lum — any half decent connection results in City have won all five of their Premier
Hernandez corner at the far post to log someone to take extra care of the special boundaries.Hisweaknessisfarmingthestrike, League games at the Etihad Stadium, scor-
home full points for Sunil Chhetri-led guest. He draws the attention of his family he isn’t known to steal singles and this makes ing 24 goals in the process.
side. Incidentally Hernandez had come and friends. The father climbs the stage. hima‘dot’or‘six’kindofabatter.It’saflawthat The victory took champions City top of
in as a substitute for Fijian striker Roy Dravid is shaking heads, embarrassed by becomes his strength at the business end of the table with 23 points after nine matches
Krishna. Bengaluru could have gone the attention. He pats Sanju, shakes his T20 games when the batter throws the entire and cranked up the pressure on early title ri-
aheadinthe 78thminutewhenUdanta hand and leaves the spotlight. modular kitchen at the ball. vals Arsenal, who host Liverpool on Sunday
Singh had received a ball at the edge of SanjuandDravidgobackalongway.Back Contrastingly different from Dravid with the chance to reclaim the lead.
theNorthEastpenaltybox.Howeverhis in2013,SanjuhadbeenreleasedbyKKRafter when it comes to batting, Sanju is similar Chelsea continued to show signs of im-
shot sailed over the cross-bar. PTI hehadwarmedthedug-outbenchfortheen- to his mentor when it comes to tempera- provement under coach Graham Potter as
tire 2012 season. Just 18, the wicket-keeper ment. Very early in his career, when in the they strolled toa 3-0 win at home to Wolves,
AsianLiftingC'ships: batter was getting restless. On a hunch, he
wentfortheRajasthanRoyals’trials.TheJaipur
company of his loud and bling-loving peers
, he would stand out as an old-school. He
who are without a manager after sacking
Bruno Lage last week.
Harshadabagsbronze franchiseskipperDravidwouldwatchhimbat
thereandwasimpressedbyhisinstinctivebat-
was mature, he brought a sense of calm
when batting and also while keeping.
Former Chelsea forward Diego Costa
madehisfirststartforthevisitorsbutPotter's
Manama: Fast-rising Indian lifter ting approach. OntheSuperOverpodcastduringthepan- sideweredominantandsecuredathirdcon-
Harshada Garud was far from her best Yearslater,Sanjuwouldrecallthedaythat demic, Sanju laughed at how his non-pulsed secutive win in all competitions thanks to
butstillmanagedtobagabronzemedal changed his life and also got a taste of the fa- mannerism made people see a Dhoni in him. goals from Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and
in the women's 45kg event at the Asian mous Dravid humility. “Will you play for my “I had a basic maturity from a young age. I Armando Broja, moving up to fourth in the
Weightlifting Championship here on team?”thegenialformerIndiaskipperwould know people talk but I need to be realistic table on 16 points.
Saturday. The 18-year-old reigning jun- ask the teenager. It was the start of a dream, aboutwhereIstand.Whensomeonesaid,‘You Newcastle climbed up to fifth with an
ior world champion claimed the third andalsoanassociationthatcontinuestilldate. are the next Dhoni’, I would say ‘Are you seri- emphatic 5-1 home victory over Brentford,
place on the podium with an aggregate Sanju, 27, now the Rajasthan Royals skipper, ous, what you are saying, you can’t say that’.” one year and one day after the completion
of 152kg (68kg+84kg) in the non- says he can call Dravid whenever he wants. On the same podcast, Sanju’s teammate of their Saudi Arabia-backed takeover.
Olympic category. The total effort was That’s the rapport they share. at his former franchise Delhi Daredevils JP Bournemouth came from behind to beat
five kilograms less than what she had Duminy, recalls an evening they spent in his Leicester City 2-1, scoring two goals in the
achieved at the Asian Youth and Junior Rare cricketing talent room. “You wanted to understand how faith space of five second-half minutes to and in-
Weightlifting Championship in July A rare cricketing talent to emerge from plays a part in our career. It was a great talk. flict a fifth consecutive away defeat on
where she won the gold. PTI sport-crazy Kerala and the inspiration of That day I discovered that you do have ma- Brendan Rodgers' side.
multiple fan forums, Sanju, if social media Sanju Samson, if social media is to be believed, was the people’s choice to be tured head on shoulders. You were quietly
Sherawatclinches is to be believed, was the people’s choice to
be India’s wicket-keeper at the T20 World
India’s wicket-keeper at the T20 World Cup. Sportzpics/BCCI driven, you had a calmness. There was no
arrogance and there was humility. There
Milan ease to 2-0 win over Juve
81kgjudogold Cup. But this time around Dravid didn’t ask
him to play for his team. chances are that they would have second in the playing XI is down the order. Among
was quiet confidence,” he said.
And then he said something that almost
AC Milan secured a 2-0 win over rivals
Juventus with goals from defender Fikayo
Gandhinagar: Delhi's Mohit Sherawat In the race to be on the flight to Australia, thoughts about the choices they had made. those in contention, and that include Hooda embarrassed Sanju. “There was a lot of TomoriandmidfielderBrahimDiazinaspir-
battled through a dislocated shoulder the wicket-keeper and a T20 batter with Sanju’s omission has been a decision that and Pant, Sanju is easily the better No.5. Virender Sehwag in the way you play,” said ited Serie A clash at the San Siro on Saturday.
to clinch the gold medal in men's 81kg more than 100 IPL games behind him, lost excites the trolls and pundits. It isn’t that he Pant and Hooda are better suited to bat as the man who post-retirement became a Tomori made it 1-0 just before the break
judo at the National Games here on out to Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik and was miles ahead of his competition on pure openersandNo.3respectivelybutinaline-up born-again Christain. whenhefollowedupashotbyOlivierGiroud
Saturday. Mohit needed to protect his even Deepak Hooda. And while the World skills and numbers. But in the jigsaw that the that has Rohit, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, they Either Dravid didn’t see those qualities and rifled the ball into the roof of the net,
dislocated right shoulder but instead Cup squad was still in the skies, Sanju was teammanagementhastakenoverayeartoput can only be injury replacements. Pant takes in him or he wasn’t in a position to push his sending Juve goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny
of defending to avoid further injury, he playing a magical knock on a difficult track together, Sanju is a better fit than at least two timetogetintothezonewhenhecanhitsixes case. It could even be “bias of being too the wrong way.
went for broke and won both his semi- against South Africa’s world class bowling pieces – Pant and Hooda. with a single hand and even while sprawled close”, he was aware of the weak points oth- Diaz doubled Milan's lead in the 54th
finalandfinalboutswithinthefirstfew attack. He almost took India Seconds home In a top-heavy team, with seniors occu- ontheground.No.5doesn’tgiveyouthatlux- ers didn’t know that they existed. Still how minute when he took advantage of Dusan
seconds at the Mahatma Mandir in a game that at one point seemed lost. On pying the first three spots, and world’s best ury.Hooda’ssuccessinIPLtooismostlywhen could anyone not be excited about a lower Vlahovic's mistake and raced towards Juve's
Complex. PTI landing, when the Team India decision T20 batter Suryakumar Yadav making No.4 hebatsatNo.3.WithKohliaround,it’sunlikely order that has Sanju, Hardik Pandya, DK at goal, finishing off a solo effort with a brilliant
makers would have checked scores, his own for good, the only realistic vacancy Hooda would get the position that suits him No. 5, 6, 7? strike

BRIDGE YOUR WEEK AHEAD

Dealer:EastVulnerable:East/West SUNDAY CROSSWORD 2394 If it’s your
NORTH
QUICK CLUES
ACROSS
1. Uneasy (8)
Birthday ARIES (Mar 21 - Apr 20)
This is your very
special time of year,
LIBRA (Sep 24 - Oct 23)
Wednesday and
Thursday should
♠ QJ 5. Prejudice against old people (6) what with all those be your two of best
upcoming planetary days of the coming
❤KJ53 WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH
9. Death notice (8)
Sunday October 9 changes. This week will be week, for these will be the
10. Adolescents (6)
♦ J8543 1C 1NT 11. Went beyond limit (8) Today's lunar alignments are special, coloured by a series of rather times when the Moon
♣K3 Pass 2C dbl 2D 12. Teaching of the Buddha (6) raising the level of excitement, but mysterious emotional events. encourages you to do
14. Air (10) Perhaps a close friend will set your very best. If you’ve
SOUTH Pass 3NT Pass Pass 18. Familiar (10)
encouraging you to move ten steps closer
the cat among the pigeons by important family
♠ K97 Pass 22. Lethal (6) to an ambition. The sooner you make changing an arrangement. arrangements to confirm
❤A8 23. Pasta tubes (8) your mind up, the better. or useful repairs to
24. Noon (6) TAURUS (Apr 21 - May 21) implement, then Friday is
♦ AKQ10 25. Evil-looking (8) You should probably
♣J872 26. Cadaver (6)
Monday October 10 pay more attention
the day to get those tasks out
An element of chance is introduced into of the way.
27. Capital of Tripura (8) to family affairs over
the routine of your life. That allows you the coming few SCORPIO (Oct 24 - Nov 22)
Westleadsthefiveofclubs.ThismarksEastwithsixclubsoriginally. East DOWN
continueswiththetenofclubs,whichSouthtakes. Atthispointyouknow
to exert your free will, for you will be weeks. There are a number of There’s so much
1. Disorderly lout (6) ways in which you can going on in your
that East has three good clubs and you also know that East has the ace of 2. Discredit (6) able to make new arrangements.
spades,whichheneedsforhisopeningbid.WhatshouldSouththinkabout? brighten up your home, stars that it’s
3. Watchmaking aids (6)
including a spot of decorating. difficult to know
TheWestHand:S-65432H-10972 D-976C-5 4. Snakelike (10) Tuesday October 11 You may not be aware of any where to start. Venus is
TheEastHand:S-A108H-Q64 D-2 C-AQ10964 6. Cape (of optimism?) (4,4) There's cosmic determination in the air.
7. Cyberspace (8)
plans to move house now, but probably your brightest
South should realize that East probably has the queen of hearts too. Have 8. Errors (8) Your best plan is to listen to what family some people will be upping planet, offering the
you bothered to count up the missing high card points yet? If you do that 13. Bearing with, standing says and give them maximum assistance. sticks soon. chance of romance to all
youwillseethatEast-WesthaveonlytwelvepointsandEastratestoneed adventurous individuals,
(10)
allofthemforhisopeningbid.Whatisyourplan? GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) no matter what their age
15. Very widespread disease (8)
16. Spend wastefully (8)
Wednesday October 12 The heat is off in or inclination.
Run off five diamond winners. And watch East's play very carefully. East
followsonceindiamonds. Thenhediscardsthetenandeightofspades. On 17. "R" in CR or WR ? (8) You're passing through a period of most financial
the last two diamond tricks he discards the four of clubs and the four of 19. Simpler (6) 26. After an age, allow one to be 19. Most reliable and constant in credit inspiration and confusion. Get back to matters, at least for SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 - Dec 22)
hearts.Nowwhat? 20. Merchant of Venice lawyer (6) chicken (6) (6)
facts and build hopes on firm bases. now. On the other You’re entering a
21. Mountain range (6) 27. Squanders food ? 20. Do this to immobilise the swine? hand, you're going to be obliged marvellous period
YouareexpectingEasttohavethemissinghighcardpoints. Hisdistribution (6)
(8) to explain yourself better in for travel and long-
includes six clubs, three spades at least (he has discarded two spades and
he is known to have the ace too) and therefore a maximum of three hearts. CRYPTIC CLUES 21. Supplies rushed into sea-going Thursday October 13 future. Your travel stars are distance adventure
He discarded one heart on the diamonds so he must have only two hearts ACROSS DOWN craft (6) You're heading for emotional excitement looking considerably more and if you’ve delayed a well-
leftatmost. Playtheaceandkingofhearts,rejectingthefinesse,andexpect 1. Quiet seaman gets by looking lively and many short trips are deserved rest until now, then
toseeEast'squeencomedown.Youcanseethatthislineworks.IfEastdis-
1. Does he play for the church teams? as more planets approach your sign. The
scruffy (6)
cardedtwoclubs,youwouldbeabletosetupaspadewinnerwithoutworry.
(8)
5. In cinema, coat needed, just above 2. Modest drink knocked back in Solutions to 2393 personal importance of invitations forecast over the next month. get on and make your
East'sopeningbidgavetheshowaway. plans. Business and pleasure
freezing point? (6) water (6) QUICKCLUESAcross:8 Yogini,9
cannot be emphasised enough. CANCER (June 22 - July 23) seem to mix in strange ways
9. A jolly college, we hear, of heraldry 3. Cleans the prison Spurious,10 Obstruct,11 Kowtow,12
Dealer:SouthVulnerable:North/South Many of you sensitive and you’ll gain from past
(8) (6)
4. Homes for the legally separated ?
Depend,13 Aircraft,15 Gossips,17 Friday October 14 people will be too investments in old artifacts or
Potency,20 Wardrobe,22 Tookin,23
WEST 10. Bible, on its own, not quite defining
paradise? (6) (10) Manali,25 Seamiles,26 Choosing,27 You may soon take steps to fulfil a wound up in an the arts.
emotional whirlwind
♠ 10953 11. Garden construction not 6. After surgery Ivan covers patients Erased.Down: 1 Sombrero,2 favouritefantasy.You'relivinginyourown
to bother about ordinary day-to- CAPRICORN (Dec 23 - Jan 20)
Distressed,3 Liquid,4 Ash-tray,5
❤A necessarily for dippers and divers? (8)
Buckaroo,6 View,7 Runoff,14
private dream world, and now is the time
day issues. You may be having You may have no
(8) 7. Tiny amount of pressure for
♦ 10572 Rhetorical,16 Prohibit,18 Chiseled,19 to make a vision of the future come to too much fun to notice that the choice but to allow
12. A runaway affair, perhaps weathermen
practical fruition. Do the best you can. other people to take
♣ K Q85 (6) (8) Message,21 Agatha,22 Thames,24
Anon.CRYPTICCLUESAcross: 8
Sun is now offering you a
the lead. However,
14. It’s used on watch (6-4) 8. Vies for business objectives about wonderful chance to set yourself
Grapes,9 AdamBede,10 Winifred,11 if you do put yourself second,
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH 18. Promising the struggle will bring the Northern Territory Pidgin,12 Tangly,13 Brandies,15 Saturday October 15 up financially for the next
you’ll gain enormously. First,
wild speechmaking (10) (8) Bygones,17 Wentoff,20 Deflated,22 You've every right to be secretive. That, few years.
1H 13. Does he talk nonsense about
close partners will become
22. Get better sort of truck Cochin,23 Redder,25 Allright,26 after all, is the best way to avoid criticism LEO (July 24 - Aug 23) much more appreciative
Pass 3H Pass 4H (4-2) operating still? (10) Magritte,27 Naevus.Down: 1 Ordinary,
and come out on top while others are A number of planets and loving. Secondly, new
23. Our haste ruins the distribution 15. Some sort of outfit for a couple 2 Springroll,3 Astray,4 Baddebt,5
Pass Pass Pass (5,3) getting on a bit (3-5) Warplane,6 Abed,7 Advice,14 still on the starting line. All you have to are now occupying a vistas will open in your most
24. They are forced to live off their land 16. Putting up with nice Gert for a Detectives,16 Entirety,18 Faithful,19 colourful region of personal affairs.
PDJames,21 Enemas,22 Colony,
do is make sure that other people don't
Southopens1HandgetsalimitraisepromisingfourcardsupportfromNorth. (6) change (8) your solar chart. I
SouthacceptsandWestdecidesonhisopeninglead.Whatwouldyoulead? 25. Ripping at tree, an insectivore may 17. The French CID is certain to be 24 Dirk. feel misled. am happy to tell you that, for
AQUARIUS (Jan 21- Feb 19)
Working and
(8) delayed outside (2,6) the next few weeks, you will
ambitious
therefore be granted a
individuals will
tremendous degree of celestial
happily soon find
protection and help. And just
JUMBLED WORDS DifficultyLevel4s as well, too, you might say.
that relationships with
colleagues will improve. A
SOLUTION SUDOKU 4981

Instructions VIRGO (Aug 24 - Sep 23) partner is also about to shed

Givenbelowarefourjumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemto TosolveaSudokupuzzle, It's because you're light on all sorts of personal
therespectivesquaresbelow.Selectthelettersintheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtoget everydigitfrom1to9 such a discreet and questions that have remained
SUDOKU 4982

theanswerforthegivenquip. serious person that unanswered until now.

mustappearineachofthe
Alean___isbetterthanafatlawsuit.-GeorgeHerbert(10) nineverticalcolumns,in you can be so PISCES (Feb 20 - Mar 20)
reserved - and happy with your
eachoftheninehorizontal own company. But strangely
The planet Venus is
XXEOR BISUCM rowsandineachofthe spreading the good
it’s because the Sun is so word about love.
nineboxes. supportive that you’re entering This planet is so
a phase in which all your quiet, well placed in your chart
delicate and delightful that you really must enjoy the
GMIOS ABLUMP DifficultyLevel qualities are about to become absolutely happy influences it
1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy; much more noticeable. All brings and refuse to let family
3s=Medium;4s=Hard; your hard work should be responsibilities or differences
rewarded in about six that you have at work drag
5s=VeryHard;6s= months’ time.
Answer: A lean compromise is better than a fat lawsuit. - George Herbert Genius you down.
SOLUTION: XEROX, GISMO, CUBISM, PABLUM

New Delhi
 20 SPORT
THERE’S THIS silver medal that 2012 London
OlympicssilvermedallistVijayKumarrecently
won,whichhetakesgreatpainstoundermine.
It was at an All-India inter-Police meet.
“Others must not have shot too well,” he
says, shooting straight as an arrow.
“Actually,thedepartmentinsistedbecause
I was a shooter. So, I entered reluctantly and
wasn’t expecting any medal.”
“Qualificationscorewastheek-thaak(ok).”
Vijay tempers all expectations of a fairytale
comeback at the upcoming World
Championships in Cairo, saying it’s still too
earlyintohisreturntohitthehighnotesofper-
formance.TheParisOlympics,though,isfirmly
inhissights.AndreturningtotheIndianteam,
four years exactly since the 2018 Changwon
Worlds where he last participated, Vijay says
he’s happy triggering in the super-speedy,
quick-reflexed 25m Rapid Fire event. Happy
yes, haughty, not quite.
“IonlyqualifiedasNo.3inrankinginIndia.
Scoresweren’ttoohigh,”heissuesadisclaimer,
reminding again of only a gradual build-up,
andthelowerechelonshe’sfiddlingandclam-
bering about.
Ten years since he won a silver at London,
Vijay's not too
fussed about the Vijay reckons if
changedformatof one is out of
competition (8-
man final now in- long-term
steadof6).“It'sthe training, but the
third rule change
inmycareer.I’mok mental status is
with it. I’m always good and
OK,” he chuckles.
So, was shoot- willpower strong,
ingforgotteninthe it takes only a
years he had dis-
appeared since few days to start
2018?“Iwasnever retrieving the old
gone from the
sport. But wasn’t feel around the
good enough to grip.
qualify (for top
events),” Vijay says candidly.
Completinghis16-yeartenureintheArmy
by2017,hewouldswitchtocivilforces,andbe
appointed DSP in Himachal Police. “I hadn’t
qualifiedfortheOlympicssoIthoughtImight
as well complete my service training. It was a
goodtime to start, and the right choice. Then
after 2019, the pandemic happened, and it
helped because I could train systematically
withoutthepressureofamajorcompetition.”
He’d pick a silver at the inter-Police tour-
nament without training, feel inadequate
abouthispreps,anddeclarethesilveramatte,
ratherthanashiningindicationofanOlympic
medallist’s glorious return in one of India’s
most sentimentally-followed sport. Yet, since
London2012,ithasbeenabarrentwoGames
forIndianshooters-pointing totheOlympics
beingadifferentkettleoffish,needinganother
level of preparation.
“IwasrootingforanIndiantoqualifyatthe
2019AsiansforTokyo.Butwecouldn’tgetthe
quota,sadly.Youhavetomastercontrolof the
weapon at crucial stages. We are all learning,
let’s see if we will be there in 2024,” he says.
Vijay reckons if one is out of long-term
Injury-hit India hobble on in a
mindless ODI series pre-WC
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
MUMBAI, OCTOBER 8
THE LAST time India played an ODI in
Ranchi, in March 2019, the city’s favourite
son MS Dhoni was still striding out to bat
in the middle order and manoeuvring the
field around from behind the stumps. More
topically, India were gearing up for a global
tournament, like they currently are, but un-
like the present, it was to be in the same
format in which they were playing that
particular series (against Australia), and
their first squad had not concurrently trav-
elled across the Indian Ocean instead.
So devoid of context is the ongoing ODI
series against South Africa – with the T20
World Cup set to begin in a week – that the
primary concern for India at the moment
has to be the growing injury list. After
Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja’s with-
drawals hit the main T20 World Cup squad,
the reserves list has also suffered a dent,
with Deepak Chahar ruled out for the re-
maining two ODIs; a BCCI release stated
that Chahar had felt “stiffness in his back”
after the third T20I against South Africa in
Indore last Tuesday; the seamer’s recovery
will now be monitored at the National
Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
Chahar had made a comeback in August
after a six-month injury layoff, and his lat-
est hiccup means that all the pacers in the
main T20 World Cup squad as well as the
reserves are either injured (Bumrah,
Chahar) or recovering from illness
(Mohammed Shami) or at least have had
the injury cloud hanging over them in the
recent past (Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel,
Bhuvneshwar Kumar).
Amid such uncertainty over the pace at-
tack, Shardul Thakur was asked whether
he still fancied his chances for the T20
World Cup, despite missing out on the orig-
inal flight to Perth. “If injuries happen, then
anyone can come in at any point of time.
As of now, your responsibility is to be ready
whenever you’re asked to play. I will be
mentally ready if I’m given a call-up. That is
all (there is) in my hands,” Thakur said
ahead of the second ODI in Ranchi.
Batting depth
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SPORTLINE: A decade after tasting glory on the London podium,
there’s no rapid fire route to dominating again at international level.
A big medal is no guarantee but 37-year-old Vijay Kumar tells
Shivani Naik he has left no stone unturned in his comeback trail
Vijay Kumar’s London 2012 silver remains special because only eight out of 57 Olympic medallists since WW2 in
Rapid Fire have been non-Europeans.
IndianteamwithcoachVVSLaxman
duringatrainingsessioninRanchi. PTI
Chahar’s pullout has meant the inclu-
sion of another man on the injury come-
back trail, Washington Sundar, as his re-
placement. Washington hasn’t played for
India in any format since February, and
Thakur hasn’t played a T20I since the same
month. But what both bring to the table,
apart from their bowling skills, is additional
batting depth, something India are sorely
lacking in their T20 World Cup squad.
Washington has a first-class century
and three Test fifties to his name, and
Thakur again showed his value with the bat
in the Lucknow ODI on Thursday with 33
off 31 at No 7, helping Sanju Samson repair
India’s chase from 51 for 4 and 118 for 5.
"I have been focusing on my batting for
a long time now. Obviously, batting at No
7 or 8, or even the one who is coming at No
9, if he can add a few runs for the team, it is
always great. It gives you a cushion to de-
fend the total or when you are chasing, it
allows the top order to play freely. That is
the difference one can make at No 7, 8 or
9," Thakur said.
"If you see Australia, Pat Cummins and
Mitchell Starc bat at No 8 and 9, even for
that matter England, even their batting is
deep. So why not India, even we can have
our batting line-up deep and make that dif-
ference of 15-20 runs in the game," Thakur
added.
In case Washington (or Shahbaz
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, OCTOBER 9, 2022
training, but the mental status is good and Olympic champion in London, winning gold
willpower strong, it takes only a few days to aheadof Vijayin2012,whilebeatingbackthe
start retrieving the old feel around the grip. rehearsed perfection and mad accuracy of
Meanwhile, a day job beckoned. RussianAlexeiKlimov,whoshotarecordscore
inqualification.Thatwashis4thOlympics,af-
Back on the bike ter starting at Sydney 2000. Pupo would win
“I reached the rank I could after 16 years silver in Tokyo 21 years after his first Games,
and auto-retired in 2017. It took two years for and Vijay reckonshecan gethimself a second
the police file to get processed, and by shot too.
November 2018 clearance was complete. It
was a significant shift though Tough competition
bothareservices,onecivil.This Rapid fire with legends
involvedalotofacademicstuff such as triple Olympic cham-
-casefiles,investigations,court pion Ralf Schumann, and later
proceedings,tacklingdetection Christian Reitz (gold at Rio,
tools,” he explains. Bandobast
(arrangement), traffic and
bronze at Beijing), is currently
underthespellof gap-toothed
court sittings - the days rolled Frenchmagnifiquemarksman,
by. Policinginvolvesmorepub- Jean Quiquampoix (pr: Ki-
lic dealings, and books. “I was kaam-puaa) - silver at Rio and
ok at studies. Never failed any gold at Tokyo.
class in school. But in the early Vijay’ssilverwassignificant
days of training, yes, it was alsobecausedespitedominat-
toughtoconcentrate,”hesays. ing Rapid fire at World
Those heady moments of Championships, the Chinese
Olympicpodiumsandfelicita- have never managed to better
tions and the athlete's typical I reached the rank theirbronzepositioninthelast
bubble life became a distant (in the army) I could three Olympics. The Germans
memory. and Russians are rather formi-
India, meanwhile, floun-
after 16 years and dableinthisevent,andonlysix
deredfromoneOlympictothe auto-retired in Asians have ever medalled in
next - a medal-less nightmare 2017. It took two RF.
that 2024 is expected to end. years for the police Preps have pushed Vijay
ArmymanGurpreetSinghnar- file to get backinto“hostellife”,wherehe
rowlymissedtheRiofinal-fin- processed, and by slums it out in a dorm-like en-
ishing 7th in Rapid fire. But vironment, staying away from
given no one could nail the RF
November 2018 family,andfocusedonveryex-
quota for Tokyo, Gurpreet’s clearance was treme physical training, seek-
near-miss hurts even more. complete. It was a ing technical perfection over
For Vijay, December 2021 significant shift longhoursspentretrievinghis
was when the itch to compete though both are zone with hardcore simula-
inthebigleaguegottoomuch. services, one civil." tions.“It’shardtoreturntothat
“A circular came in late 2021, hostellife.ButIdon’tcrib.Never
andIsentanapplicationsaying VIJAY KUMAR, didinthearmy,won’tnow.This
I wanted to participate. It was ON SWITCH FROM ARMY TO is what we chose. A medal
approved,” he says, sounding POLICE needs this. All medallists pre-
happy to return. He’d start with a pare like this,” he says simply.
week's training, retracing his steps. Yet, this isn’t the return of the creaking
“There’re4-5pointerstofollowwhichcan Terminator to shooting Pro. His personality,
get you a respectable score. Body stability, muchlikethelevel-headedrealismoftheother
smooth grip, continuity of movement, chal- three Indian Olympic medallist shooters
lenge per shot, per series. It takes time to re- (RajyavardhanRathore,AbhinavBindra,Gagan
gain the steadiness though," he says. Narang),eschewsallsuchflourish.Vijaylaughs
Vijay’s London silver was special, because away those images, though Indian shooting
only8of57OlympicmedallistssinceWW2in could do with a sprinkling of a sensational re-
Rapid Fire have been non-Europeans. It’s a turn of any of its four medalling musketeers
staggering 85 percent from Europe in what is comeParis-suchhasbeenitsinexplicablehor-
considered sport shooting’s fastest, quick-re- ror run chasing an elusive medal from Rio to
flexedeventontherange.It’saccuracyyes,but Tokyo.
accuracy on acceleration, as RF (Rapid Fire) Howdidhisfellowshootersreactonseeing
shootersaimatfivelined-uptargetsinaseries himback?“Afewwereshocked,fewwerejeal-
shotover8seconds,6secondsandthetough- ous. But many were happy,” he chortles.
est-4seconds.Vijay’ssilverbackin2012came Hopeswillalwaysrestontheyoungbunch
from a special speed skill, besides enormous withtheirprodigioustalentandfearlessways.
preparation. There’s no age bar in rapid fire, Yet, here’s a shooter who went to one
thoughVijay-aftergettingoveraslightaffront Olympics, brought one silver, and is under no
he feels when asked about slowing instincts illusion that a medal will simply conjure out
withage-insists:“Myshootingreactionspeed ofatarget.TheRapidFireisshooting’sonlysur-
is still good. I’m using the old technique and viving event from 1896. Vijay Kumar knows
feeling the same speed as before.” the old ways of pickled-in-perfection prepa-
CubanLeurisPupowontheTokyosilverat ration.Asunfinishedbusinessesgo,silversare
age 44 in Rapid Fire. He had been the surprise best to keep the pining after gold alive.
So devoid of context is the
ongoing ODI series against
South Africa – with the T20
World Cup set to begin in a week
– that the primary concern for
India at the moment has to be
the growing injury list
Ahmed) were to come in, presumably in
place of Ravi Bishnoi, it would give India
batting options till at least No 8. Even then,
there is plenty of work for the specialist
batters to do after their collapse in
Lucknow. After Shikhar Dhawan and
Shubman Gill fell early to the pacers,
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan some-
how survived the initial barrage only to
give it away while trying to break free
against spin.
There isn’t too much rain expected in
the Jharkhand capital on Sunday, so unlike
Lucknow, a full 50-over game could be on
the cards. For trivia, that 2019 game in
Ranchi was also the last time Virat Kohli
made a home ODI hundred.
Shafali takes India
to Asia Cup semis
New Delhi: Shafali Verma showed her
match-winning prowess with 55 off
44 balls as India out-batted
Bangladesh by 59 runs to win their
fourth match and clinch a semi-final
spot in the Women's Asia Cup T20 on
Saturday. India put up an improved
performancescoring159for5,largely
due to a 96-run opening stand be-
tween Shafali and stand-in skipper
SmritiMandhana(47off 38balls). PTI
BRIEF SCORES: India W 159/5 in 20
overs (Shafali Varma 55 of 44, Smriti
Mandhana 47 of 38; Rumana Ahmed
3/27) beat Bangladesh W 100/7 in 20
overs (Nigar Sultana 36 of 29; Shafali
Varma 2/10) by 59 runs.
New Delhi