Gen Rawat appeaRs befoRe standinG CommitteeNew Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat ap-peared before Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence which met on Friday at Parlia-ment annexe building, sources said. They said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was among mem-bers who attended the meeting. The agenda of the meeting was

“provisioning and monitoring of the quality of rations to the defence forces, especially in border areas.” Sources said Gandhi raised the issue of “difference in meals” for officers and soldiers and NCP Chief Sharad Pawar sought a detailed presentation over it. Par-liament will meet on September 14 for the monsoon session.

Jee- Results out, 24 students sCoRe 100 peRCentileNew Delhi: The results for Joint entrance examination (Mains)

— the country’s premier engineer-ing entrance test — were de-clared on Friday by the National Testing Agency, the nodal body for engineering and medical entrance exams. in the test, which had to be postponed twice because of the coronavirus pan-demic, 24 students have scored 100 percentiles. Telangana has the greatest number of students with 100 percentiles at 8; Delhi is on the second spot with 5 top scorers, followed by Rajasthan (4), Andhra Pradesh (3), haryana (2) and one candidate each from Gujarat and Maharashtra.

soCial aCtivist swami aGnivesh passes away at the aGe of 80New Delhi: Social activist and former haryana MlA Swami Agnivesh passed away on Friday at the institute of liver and Biliary Sciences in Delhi. he was suffering from liver cirrhosis and was critically ill. Swami Agnivesh was associated with Arya Samaj and had led a campaign against bonded labour. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi paid his tributes on the demise of Swami Agnivesh.

“The founder of Bandhua Mukti Morcha and revolutionary leader of Arya Samaj Swami Agnivesh passed away today. his death is an irreparable loss for Arya Samaj and for the country.,” Gandhi said.

saturday | 12 september 2020 | Issue 117 | new delhi

Before flying out to the Neth-erlands, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on

Friday reshuffled the entire AICC organisation and named nine new general secretaries. She has also reconstituted the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and Central Election Authority of the

party. Sonia Gandhi has reshuffled the

team drastically before leaving for the Netherlands on Saturday, where she is going for her check-up and treatment. Her son Rahul Gandhi is also accompanying her on the foreign visit. Both Sonia and Rahul will not be attending the monsoon session of Parlia-ment. The Daily Guardian had earlier reported that a big AICC reshuffle is on the cards, and dis-

senters’ wings will be clipped. With an objective to revamp the

organisation, Sonia Gandhi re-jigged her team in the Congress. Senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni, Motilal Vora, Luizinho Falerio and Mal-likarjun Kharge were dropped from the list of general secretar-ies.

Jitin Prasad has been made in-charge of the party in poll-bound West Bengal. Madhusudan Mis-

try, Rajesh Mishra, Krishna Byre Gowda, S. Jothimani and Arvin-der Singh Lovely were appointed members of the Central Election Authority. Rejigging of CEA as-sumes significance in the light of the organisational elections next year.

Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala, Jitendra Singh and Ajay Maken were appointed as new general secretaries and in charge of Karnataka, Assam and

Rajasthan respectively.Former Uttarakhand Chief

Minister Harish Rawat has been named the general secretary and in charge of party affairs in Pun-jab.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, among the dissenters who had written to Sonia Gandhi seeking changes in the party set-up, has been dropped as AICC general secretary. Vivek Bansal

has been given the charge of Haryana.

Sonia Gandhi also constituted a six-member special committee to assist her in organisational and operational matters.

A.K. Antony, Ahmed Patel, Am-bika Soni, K.C. Venugopal, Mukul Wasnik, Randeep Surjwala were appointed as members of this panel. During the last meeting of Congress Working Committee (CWC) held on 24 August, it was

decided that a committee would be set up to assist Sonia Gandhi to look into the issues raised in the letter by 23 leaders, who called for sweeping reforms within the Congress.

Former Union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has been made AICC in charge of administration, replacing Motilal Vora.

Former Haryana MLA and AICC media in-charge Randeep

leaving no stone unturned

Indian Army vehicles moving in Leh on Friday, as situation remains tense on the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. ANI

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Congress interim president appoints nine new general secretaries; Rahul too will miss Parliament’s monsoon session as he will accompany Sonia Gandhi to the Netherlands for her check-up and treatment.

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Post Jaishankar meet, China ready for ‘conciliatory steps’ at LAC

Lalu’s prof to take on Nitish’s journalist in RS Dy Chairman election

China to hand oveR 5 aRunaChal youths on satuRday: RiJiJu

Delhi records 4k-plus Covid-19 cases for three days in a row

paRliamentaRy panel bats foR ‘diGital JustiCe’; viRtual CouRts to Continue

China is ready to take “con-ciliatory steps” in order to de-escalate tensions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday, a day after holding a crucial meeting with External Af-fairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

Speaking during a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minis-ter Sergey Lavrov, Wang said troops and equipment should be withdrawn from the LAC. “As for relations between China and India, the whole world follows de-velopments. BRICS mem-ber states are in contact on the matter, I discuss it all the time with Minister Jais-hankar and India’s security officials ... Yesterday, I had a

long conversation with my Indian counterpart (Jais-hankar),” Sputnik quoted Wang as saying.

“Indian partners ex-pressed commitment to cooperation and dialogue for de-escalating tensions at the border. We are ready to take conciliatory steps... The most important thing is to avoid new violations of the obligations on the bor-der... Troops and equipment should be withdrawn from the Line of Actual Control,” he added.

Sources told The Daily Guardian that Jaishankar with his “logical arguments and clinching evidence” countered the Chinese for-eign minister’s attempts to put the blame on Indian armed forces “for creating flashpoints” on the LAC. Jaishankar, without

beating about the bush, raised the concern at “the amassing of PLA troops without any credible expla-nation.”

However, after two-and-a-half hour-long discussion meandering through vari-ous points of differences, In-dia and China finally agreed on five points to “guide their approach to the situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), including the disen-gagement of troops and eas-ing of tensions.”

The five-point agreements between New Delhi and Bei-jing, however, remind one of the historic Panchsheel pact based on five princi-ples of mutual coexistence. But eight years after that historic agreement of what was described as “mutual existence”, there was a war

The stage is set in Bihar for an intense political battle between Janata Dal-United (JDU) along with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rash-triya Janata Dal (RJD) which is hoping to take revenge. Though dates are yet to be announced, political activi-ties have started gathering steam. A miniature version of conflict will be also wit-nessed in Rajya Sabha (RS) when Harivansh of the JD-U, backed by NDA will take on Manoj Jha of the RJD, backed by other Opposition parties for the post of Deputy Chair-man.

Both candidates have cut their teeth in Bihar politics and follow a socialist ideol-ogy. Both leaders also carry their own identities separate from their parties. In such a situation, it’ll be interest-ing to see which political party comes out in support of which candidate. The election for the post of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman is expected on September 14, the first day of the monsoon session. In this case, the last date for filing nomination would be September 11. On behalf of NDA, JD-U MP Harivansh filed his nomina-tion on Wednesday, while Manoj Jha filed his nomina-

With the highest single-day spike of 96,551 coronavi-rus cases, India’s tally has surged past the 4.5 million mark to a total of 4,562,414 cases. As many as 1,213 died in the last twenty-four hours which is the most in a day so far, taking India’s death toll to 76,304. Yet, India’s recov-ery rate continues to rise and now stands at 77.7%.

Looking at the case count of different states, Maha-rashtra crossed the 10 lakh mark with its highest single-day jump so far, with 24,886 new Covid-19-positive cases being reported in the past

24 hours, along with 393 deaths. The total number of coronavirus cases in Ma-harashtra is now 10,15,681, including 7,15,023 recovered patients, 2,71,566 active cases and 28,724 deaths.

Delhi also recorded 4,266 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to over 2.09 lakh, while the death toll climbed to 4,687. The total number of cases in the national capital now stands at 2,09,748. This is the third successive day with over 4,000 recorded cases in Delhi.

In the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh, 76 more peo-ple died due to the coronavi-

A parliamentary panel on Friday recommended con-tinuation of virtual courts which began in March due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Headed by Ra-jya Sabha MP Bhupender Yadav, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice mentioned that “digital justice is cheap-er and faster” and that the court was “more a service than a place”.

This was the first report

on the impacts of Covid-19 presented by a parliamenta-ry panel, the interim report of which was submitted to Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu. «Virtual courts have their own shortcomings, however, they constitute ad-vancement over the existing system, and therefore, on the overall, they are worth embracing. It is time, the courtroom, which is often regarded as the last bastion of antiquated working prac-tices, opens its doors to the latest technology,” the panel stated.

A press note released by the panel said,” The par-liamentary panel strongly pitched for virtual courts stating that digital justice is cheaper and faster be-sides addressing locational and economic handicaps; ensures safety of vulner-able witnesses providing testimony; expedites pro-cesses and procedures and are an improvement over traditional courts as they are most affordable, citizen friendly and offers greater access to justice.” The com-mittee added,” In coming

2delay in mp bypolls may divest two sCindia aides of ministeRial posts

4delhi Riots: spontaneous violenCe oR planned ConspiRaCy?

3histoRy will JudGe youR ‘silenCe’: kanGana Ranaut hits out at sonia Gandhi

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Five youths from Arunachal Pradesh, who went missing on 2 September and were later found to be in Chinese territory, would be handed over to Indian authorities on Saturday, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju announced on Friday.

Rijiju, the Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister and an MP from Arunachal Pradesh, in a tweet, said: “The Chinese PLA has con-firmed to Indian Army to hand over the youths from Arunachal Pradesh to our side. The handing over is likely to take place anytime tomorrow—12th Septem-ber—at a designated loca-tion.”

Contacted by IANS, Taru Gussar, the Superintendent of Police of Upper Sub-ansiri district from where

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2 news t h e da i ly gua r d i a nsat u r day | 1 2 s e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 0n ew d e l h i

With the by-elections for the 27 Assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh likely to be delayed beyond October, two key ministers of Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s cabinet, Tulsi Sil-awat and Govind Singh Ra-jput, are at the risk of losing their posts. Both the leaders had deserted the Congress and joined the BJP along with Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Twenty-two Congress MLAs had also joined the BJP then leading to the fall of the 15-month old Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh. But now, with the Election Commission keep-ing the situation dicey by not

announcing the poll sched-ule apparently due to corona pandemic, the Scindia camp is heavily disappointed and worried.

The two staunch support-ers of Scindia, Govind Singh Rajput and Tulsi Silavat are on the verge of losing the ministerial posts if they are not elected to the Assembly in the month of October. Indications are such that by-elections could be held only in November. With that being the case, both Rajput and Silavat will have to quit as ministers for not being MLAs. As per the rule, both of them should be elected to assembly by 22 October as they had taken oath as minis-ter on 22 April. Any minister,

who is not a member of the Assembly, should become an MLA before the comple-tion of six-month period after his oath as minister, says the rule. Hence, the six-month period for Silawat and Rajput will be over by 22 October. If elections are not held by then it will be too late for them.

Apart from this, despite several months after joining the BJP, Jyotiraditya Scindia is yet to become a minister in the cabinet of Narendra Modi. Scindia supporters are unhappy with his not being inducted in the cabi-net as of now. They are of the view that Scindia as a min-ister would have created an impact during the campaign for by-elections.

Meanwhile, the Congress is happy with the delay in elec-tions thinking that it is going to benefit in the by-polls due to this. The party on Friday announced 15 candidates for Madhya Pradesh by-elections.

Sources said that the Elec-tion Commission of India may take some more time in announcing the dates of elections due to the current corona crisis. By-elections in 64 seats across the coun-try including 27 of Madhya Pradesh have to take place. It is expected that these by-polls will be held together with Bihar elections. Bihar polls are to be held before November 29. Speculations are that Bihar elections can

be held after the second week of November in one or two phases.

The ECI may announce the schedule at the end of this month. With this in view, there are speculations that by-elections for Madhya Pradesh’ 27 seats may be held in November. But this does not bode well for the Scindia camp, with two ministers of his camp set to lose their posts in that condition.

However, Scindia is put-ting in his best as far as cam-paigning is concerned. He is campaigning along with CM Chauhan and Union minis-ter Narendra Singh Tomar in MP. This is certain that the BJP will give tickets to all those who left Congress.

delay in mp bypolls may divest two sCindia aides of ministeRial postsaJit maindolaNew Delhi

CorrespondentMuMBAi

post JaishankaR meet, China Ready foR ‘ConCiliatoRy steps’ at laC

Lalu’s prof to take on Nitish’s journalist in RS Dy Chairman election

China to hand oveR 5 aRunaChal youths on satuRday: RiJiJu

paRliamentaRy panel bats foR ‘diGital JustiCe’; viRtual CouRts to Continue

An FIR has been registered against a man named Kam-lesh Kadam and eight to ten of his associates after they beat up a former Navy officer in Mumbai on Friday.

Speaking to ANI on Friday, Madan Sharma, the former Navy officer, said that he was attacked after he forwarded a message on Whatsapp. “Eight to ten persons at-tacked and beat me up today after I received threatening calls for a message that I had

forwarded. I have worked for the nation my entire life. A government like this should not exist,” Sharma said.

Dr Sheela Sharma, daugh-ter of the former officer said that he was attacked by peo-ple from the Shiv Sena after the received threats for for-warding a message on What-sapp. “My father received threats for forwarding a message. A number of people from the Shiv Sena attacked him. Later, the police came to our residence and insisted on taking my father with them. We’ve registered an FIR.

Reacting to the incident, BJP and opposition leader in Maharashtra Devendra Fad-navis had earlier expressed shock and appealed to the state’s Chief Minister to take action against the accused.

“An extremely sad and shocking incident. A retired naval officer got beaten up by goons because of just a Whatsapp forward. Please stop this GundaRaj Hon Uddhav Thackeray ji. We demand strong action and punishment to these goons,” Fadnavis tweeted, along with a picture of the officer.

FIR filed against Sena man for beating up former Navy officer

Surjewala has been appoint-ed as AICC Gen-eral Secretary in

charge of Karnataka, while Rajeev Shukla has been ap-pointed as the in-charge of Himachal Pradesh.

The new CEA constituted in the reshuffle includes Madhusudan Mistry, Rajesh Mishra, Krishna Byre Gow-

da, S Jothimani and Arvin-der Singh Lovely.

In the new appointments, Sonia Gandhi has experi-mented a mix of old hands and younger faces. Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, who comes from Rajasthan and enjoys support of Ashok Gehlot, has been given charge of Assam. Former Rail Min-ister Pawan kumar Bansal

has been given key role of administration replacing Congress stalwart Motilal Vora. Rajeev Shukla, Jitin Prasada, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Manikam Tagore, H.K. Patil and secretaries like Manish Chatrath, Kuljit Nagra and Vivek Bansal who were as-sisting in states and organi-sation have been promoted to lead states as in charge .

An assessment of the re-jig suggests that Sonia has given younger leaders seri-ous responsibilities of the organisation. Moreover, she has struck the balance between the old guards and young turks. Sonia Gandhi has retained the dissenters in the CWC.

The general secretaries of AICC with the states un-

der their charge are Mukul Wasnik (Madhya Pradesh), Harish Rawat (Punjab), Oommen Chandy (Andhra Pradesh), Tariq Anwar (Kerala and Lakshadweep), Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (Ut-tar Pradesh), Randeep Singh Surjewala (Karnataka), Jin-tendra Singh (Assam), Ajay Maken (Rajasthan) and K.C. Venugopal (Organisation).

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between India and China, which is still fresh in everybody’s

memory. While referring to this incident, Indian dip-lomats want China to walk the ‘talk’ that the five-point agreements reflect.

According to five points, both the sides have agreed on continuation of dialogue. Apart from stressing on dis-engagement at the border, India and China have agreed not to allow differences to become disputes. Both have also agreed to respect the past border agreements and new trust-measures. Sourc-es said that while stressing on the point “respecting the past border agreements”, Jaishankar told Wang that PLA is disrespectful to such border pacts of the past.

“The provocative behav-iour of Chinese frontline troops at numerous inci-dents of friction along the LAC showed disregard for bilateral agreements and protocols,” EAM, according to sources, told his Chinese counterpart. India has also told China that the immedi-ate task is to ensure a com-prehensive disengagement

of troops in all friction areas. Sources said that Indian for-eign minister categorically told Chinese minister that there should be full adher-ence to the agreements on management on border ar-eas. “India would not accept any attempt to change the status quo unilaterally on LAC,” sources said quoting Jaishankar.

According to sources, Jais-hankar assertively said that Indian troops followed all agreements and protocols pertaining to the manage-ment of the border areas. “Indian Army doesn’t want to escalate and has no intent to change the status quo but shall defend its territory, come what may, without an offensive intent,” added Jaishankar while talking to Wang.

MEA officials said Jais-hankar knows Wang very well, as he has been India’s ambassador in China for a long period of time. He out-right rejected all assertions by Beijing that Indian troops had crossed the LAC and blamed the latest face-offs during August 29-30 and on September 7 on provocative military actions by Chinese

forces.According to a joint state-

ment issued by the Ministry of External Affairs Friday, both ministers had a “frank and constructive” discus-sion on the developments in the India-China border are-as, as well as on India-China relations.

According to the state-ment, the two ministers agreed that both sides should take guidance from the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries on developing India-China relations, and ensure dif-ferences do not become dis-putes.

“They agreed therefore that the border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly dis-engage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions,” the MEA statement said.

The two ministers also agreed both sides should abide by all existing agree-ments and protocol on Chi-na-India boundary affairs, maintain peace and tran-quility in the border areas and avoid any action that could escalate matters, the statement said.with agency inputs

the youths hailed, said it was a very sensitive is-sue, and they were

unable to tell the media any-thing before the actual hand-ing over takes place.

Rijiju had on Tuesday said that China’s PLA has re-sponded to the hotline mes-sage sent by the Indian Army about the youths, confirming they had been found while modalities to return them were being worked out.

Defence sources had said that persistent efforts of In-dian Army had led to the five missing hunters, who had in-advertently crossed over the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on September 2, being traced.

“Chinese Army on Tuesday responded on the hotline and confirmed that the missing

Indians have been found on their side. Formalities for their early transfer is being coordinated with the Chinese Army,” a source said.

As the issue of the missing youth came to light, Con-gress’ deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, had urged Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to ensure their safe return amid local media reports that the youths had been kidnapped.

The state government had said that it was closely moni-toring the case, and the dis-trict administration has been directed to assist all agencies concerned to trace the miss-ing boys.

Local media had reported that the reported kidnap-pings occurred in a forest area near Nacho in Upper

Subansiri. According to the reports, Toch Singkam, Pra-sat Ringling, Dongtu Ebiya, Tanu Baker and Ngaru Diri, all from the Tagin communi-ty, had gone to the forest for hunting. Two other villagers, who had managed to flee the spot, had informed the other villagers.

The India-China border is about 170 km from Daporijo, the headquarters of Upper Subansiri, which is itself 280 km from Itanagar.

A team from the police sta-tion at Nacho - the last ad-ministrative circle along the McMahon Line and around 120 km from Daporijo - had been sent to the forward area village to make inquiries.

Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,080 km-long border with China. with ians inputs

tion on Fri-day. Harivansh has been a jour-nalist and under-

stands the politics of Bihar. At the same time, Manoj Jha has been a professor in the social work department of Delhi University. He is a vo-cal voice of the RJD as a Ra-jya Sabha MP and is a party spokesperson as well.

There has been an appeal to form a general consensus in the name of Harivansh, but the opposition seems to be in no mood to give in. That is why the opposition has ex-pressed its intention by pit-ting Manoj Jha. On the very first day of the Parliament session, the opposition want-ed to send a political message of solidarity in the House as well as in Bihar. Jha also has the advantage of belonging to the Brahmin community of Mithilanchal area of Bihar, where Maithil Brahmin vot-ers are in a decision-making role.

The parties which are back-ing Harivansh are BJP (87), AIADMK (9), JDU (5), Akali Dal (3), AJP (1), BPF (1), RPI (1), NPF (1), MNF (1), NPP (1) and government nominated members (7). This takes the total to 116 supporting mem-

bers but in the 245-member house, Harivansh needs 123 votes. The BJP will hope to mobilize the support of TRS (7), YSRCP (6) and the (9) members of BJD, AIADMK. JDU chief Nitish Kumar has also called upon the support of BNJD.

On the other hand, par-ties in the favour of Manoj Jha are Congress (40), Left parties (6), DMK (7), RJD (5), Shiv Sena (3), NCP (4), Muslim League (1), JDS (1), JMM (1), Kerala Congress (1) and TDP (1). Apart from this, SP (8), TMC (13), PDP (2) and National Conference (1) are also in favour of this coalition. Opposition parties are trying to push the case of Manoj Jha with parties that are not formally members of the NDA but have on many occasions stood in favour of the ruling coalition. How-ever, even after joining with these political parties, Manoj Jha seems to have the sup-port of only 100 members. Jha would be eyeing the support of BSP (4) and Aam Aadmi Party MPs. During the last election held in Au-gust 2018, Harivansh had defeated Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad by 125 votes against 105 of the opposition.

times, technology will emerge as a game changer and ad-

vocates would be required to use technological skills in combination with their specialised legal knowledge and therefore, they should keep up with the changing times.”

On the other hand, law-yers had raised their voices against the shortcomings of infrastructure for virtual court proceedings. Claims of over 50 percent of advo-

cates not having laptops or computers were brought to light and many of them ar-gued that the virtual court system only favoured ‘tech savvy advocates’. They also said it deprived lawyers of the opportunity to alter the course of argument based on the ‘changing dynamics of a case during a hearing’.

“An advocate gets to un-derstand the mood of the judges and stands a better chance at convincing them during physical hearings. However, online hearing

creates a psychological pres-sure on both the advocates as well as the judges. Evi-dence recorded by means of video conferencing may dis-tort non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, postures and gestures,” the advocates claimed. The parliamentary panel suggested that vari-ous Appellate Tribunals like TDSAT, NCLAT and IPAB can adapt to a system of complete virtual proceed-ings as they do not require personal appearances of the advocates or parties.

rus in the last 24 hours, as UP also reported its highest single-

day spike with 7,103 cases, pushing the total numbers to over 2.99 lakh. The state has also reported 4,282 fatali-ties, while the total number of Covid-19 cases has risen to 2,99,045.

Haryana reported 2,388 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the state’s tally to 88,332, while 25 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 932. Currently, there are 18,875 active Covid-19 cases in Har-yana, while 68,525 people have been discharged after recovery.

Uttarakhand’s Covid-19 tally climbed to 29,221 with 995 fresh cases, while the death toll mounted to 388 as 11 more patients succumbed to the disease.

Jammu and Kashmir also reported 1,578 new Covid-19 cases, taking the infection tally to 50,712, while nine more coronavirus deaths in the last 24 hours pushed the union territory’s death toll to 854.

Gujarat also registered its highest single-day spike with 1,344 coronavirus cases be-ing recorded in the last 24 hours, which took the case tally in the state to 1,10,971. 16 Covid-19 patients also died, taking the state›s death toll to 3,183. However, 1,240 patients were discharged from the hospital in the last 24 hours, taking the total re-coveries to 91,470.

Madhya Pradesh too wit-nessed its highest single-day increase in coronavirus cas-es at 2,240, pushing the case count in the state to 83,619. With 30 patients dying in

past 24 hours, the death toll in the state reached 1,691. However, at least 1,651 pa-tients were also discharged from hospitals during the day, raising the count of recoveries in the state to 62,936.

Among the southern states, Andhra Pradesh re-corded 9,999 Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours. Unfor-tunately, 77 more Covid-19 patients succumbed in the same period. The state also saw more than 11,000 pa-tients recovering from the infection.

On the other hand, Kerala›s Covid-19 tally touched the one lakh mark. In the last 24 hours, 2,988 fresh cases were reported, which took the state›s tally to 1,02,254. The number of deaths in Kerala also rose to 410 due to the deadly virus.

no Respite

Delhi records 4k-plus Covid-19 cases for three days in a row

Former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis demands strict action.

daRda eleCted ChaiRman of audit buReau of CiRCulations

Devendra V Darda, Managing Di-rector of Lokmat Media Group, has been elected Chairman of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) for the year 2020-2021.

Lokmat Media Group is one of the largest regional media groups in In-dia and has a presence in print, digi-tal, TV and events, encompassing all media. Darda has served on several

media industry bodies namely, INS and IFRA. He also presides over several educational institutions in Yavatmal, Maharashtra, and is on the managing committee of Western

India Football Association.Karunesh Bajaj, ITC Ltd, represent-

ing the Advertiser category on the Council was unanimously elected as the Deputy Chairman of the Bureau for the year 2020-2021.

Members on the Bureau’s Council of Management for the year 2020-2021 are as under: Publishers Representa-tives: 1. Devendra V. Darda (Lokmat Media Pvt. Ltd.) - Chairman; 2. Riyad Mathew (Malayala Manorama Co. Ltd.) - Hony. Secretary; 3. Hormusji

N. Cama (The Bombay Samachar Pvt. Ltd.); Shailesh Gupta (Jagran Prakashan Ltd); 5. Pratap G. Pawar (Sakal Papers Pvt. Ltd.); 6. Praveen Someshwar (HT Media Ltd.); 7. Mo-hit Jain (Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.); 8. Dhruba Mukherjee (ABP Pvt. Ltd.).

Advertisers Representatives: 1. Karunesh Bajaj - ITC Ltd. – Deputy Chairman; 2. Debabrata Mukherjee - United Breweries Ltd.; 3. Aniruddha Haldar - TVS Motor Company Ltd.

CorrespondentNew Delhi

devendra V. darda, chairman, audit Bureau of circulation.

Telugu Desam Party President and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu called for unity among the Dalit organisations, opposition parties and silently suffering victims to fight back against the rising atrocities under “the oppressive” regime of CM Jagan Mo-han Reddy in Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu, in his inaugural speech at the ‘Dalita Sankaravam’, launched a blis-tering attack saying that the YSRCP government was anti-Dalit and AP people were suffering under the lead-ership of an anti-Dalit Chief Minister.

“Though countless atrocities were occurring in the nook and corner of the state in the past 15 months, the CM was maintaining an enigmatic silence without opening his mouth to con-demn the incidents”, said Naidu fur-ther adding that this was motivating the miscreants to target and exploit Dalits more and more. A relentless struggle should be waged to put an end to this injustice.

Stating that the Dalits enjoyed rights and liberties under the TDP regime, Naidu asked why the Jagan Reddy regime was maintaining an unusual silence on the heinous crimes like the gang-rape of a 16-year-old Dalit girl by 12 members in Rajahmundry.

“Nobody was arrested till now. Moreover, the girl’s parents were threatened not to open their mouths. The government behaved atrociously even though the girl was harassed and tortured for over 5 days before being left in front of the police station in utter disregard for the laws of the land. Lawlessness has risen to a peak level under the insensitive and indif-ferent regime”, said Naidu.

Chandrababu Naidu accused the YSRCP rule of turning a blind eye to the ghastly incident in which some ruling party miscreants attempted to burn alive the whole family of a Dalit girl in Mudinepalli area in Krishna district.

Naidu said, “By God’s grace, they es-caped with their lives but their house was burnt to the ground. The govern-ment did not care to take any action so far and the Dalit organisations should wage a battle against this atrocity. Pressure should be mounted on the Ja-

gan Reddy regime to build new houses and shelter for all the Dalits who were becoming victims of injustices. The victims should be given Government jobs to lead normal lives”

The TDP chief called for a massive agitation on the lines of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ stir that was waged across America forcing the Don-ald Trump administration there to change its attitude eventually under tremendous public pressure.

Similarly, ‘Dalits Lives Matter’ agi-tation should be run relentlessly to bring the Jagan Reddy regime to its knees. The fight should be taken to Delhi where complaints should be given to the Constitutional heads, the President of India, the Union Minis-ters and also to the institutions like the SC Commission and the Human Rights Commission, he said.

Naidu demanded the YSRCP gov-ernment to explain why it failed to take any action when a Dalit woman was murdered in cold blood for her property and her body was left in the neighbouring Telangana state.

Naidu referred to the ‘heinous at-tack’ in the middle of the road on Dalit doctor Dr. Sudhakar in Visakhapat-nam and he was branded as insane and thrown into a mental hospital. The court took suo motu notice of the case and ordered a CBI investigation. The CBI has now said that there was a big conspiracy angle in the Dr. Sudha-kar case and that it would submit full evidence to the court in due course of time. In another case, Dalit doctor Dr. Anitha Rani was also harassed by taking her photographs while in the bathroom. She was targeted just for opposing the ruling party excesses, it was alleged.

Chandrababu Naidu slams Jagan government over ‘rising atrocities’ against Dalits

‘Chalo Assembly’: Several BJP leaders arrested in Telangana

BIG FIGHT

HIsTory wIll judGe your ‘sIlence’: KanGana ranauT HITs ouT aT sonIa GandHIActor Kangana Ranaut, in her fight against Maharashtra’s ruling Shiv Sena, has now targeted Congress Pres-ident, Sonia Gandhi.

Congress is a part of the Sena-led co-alition government in Maharashtra.

“History will judge your silence and indifference,” she told the Congress president, calling the demolition at her office on Wednesday an act of “harass-ment” by the state government.

“Dear respected honourable Con-gress President Sonia Gandhi Ji, being a woman aren’t you anguished by the treatment I am given by your govern-ment in Maharashtra? Can you not re-

quest your government to uphold the principles of the constitution given to us by Dr. Ambedkar (BR Ambedkar),”

Kangana Ranaut said in a series of tweets.

“You have grown up in the west and

lived here in India. You may be aware of the struggles of women. History will judge your silence and indifference when your own government is harass-ing women and ensuring a total mock-ery of law and order. I hope you will intervene,” said the 33-year-old actor.

Meanwhile, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that the Maharashtra government has nothing to do with the Kangana of-fice demolition. BMC has demolished the Kangana office.

Whereas BJP leader Narayan Rane told The Daily Guardian that Shiv Sena is doing vindictive politics. In Mumbai, Shiv Sena MLA and councillor offices are illegal. Act on these illegal premis-es. To demolish the premises in just 24 hours’ notice is an illegal activity.

dalIT PolITIcs

Preeti SomPuraMuMbai

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy has decided to order a CBI inquiry into the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy tem-ple’s chariot blaze in East Godavari district. The Andhra Pradesh gov-ernment has released a GO in this regard also. The six-decades old chariot of An-tarvedi temple, which was being used during the procession of the Lord, was completely burnt to ash-es in the wee hours of Sunday, re-sulting in protests from VHP Hin-du groups, various political parties like TDP, BJP and Jana Sena. As the protests are likely to take a serious turn, CM Jagan quickly ordered a CBI inquiry into the incident.

“Some political parties have de-manded for a CBI probe, the chief minister in order to manifest trans-parency has instructed the DGP to hand over the case to the premier investigation agency,” said a CMO note.

The DGP office has written a let-ter to this effect to the Union Home Ministry seeking a CBI probe into

the Antarvedi incident.YSRCP spokesman Dr. Kammela

Sridhar told “The Daily Guardian”, “From the beginning, we have been very transparent about it. The CBI will find out the truth behind the Chariot burning issue. Since it’s a sensitive issue, the CBI enquiry was ordered. The opposition tried to politicise it now all of them are silent. The government of Andhra Pradesh treats all religions equally there is no bias at all.”

Some YSRCP senior leaders like Vijay Sai Reddy are pointing fingers at Chandrababu for the Chariot fire. YSRCP parliamentary party chief and MP Vijay Sai Reddy tweeted, “We strongly believe that there was a clear case of conspiracy in

the chariot burning by Chandrab-abu Naidu to create law and order issues in the state. He is sitting in Hyderabad and instigating violence in Andhra Pradesh.”

BJP leader Lanka Dinakar said, “The government should take the decision to hold CBI inquiry for not only Antarvedi Chariot fire damage conspiracy episode, but also dam-age of Goddess idols in Pithapuram. Apart from this, forcible Alienation of Hindu temple properties across the state and most particularly al-legations around Simhachalam Devasthanam merit CBI inquiry to protect the interest of the Hindus across the State.”

Janasena Party Chief Pawan Kaly-an welcomed the decision but said he will raise his voice to protect the culture in the state. He has with-drawn the “Chalo Antarvedi” call.

BJP State President Somu Veer-raju welcomed the YSRCP gov-ernment’s decision and described it as a joint victory of the BJP and Jana Sena online Deeksha pro-tests. He said that the AP govern-ment was shaken at the thought of the ‘Chalo Antarvedi’ call given by their parties.

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3newsthe daily guardianूूूूsaturday | 12 sep tember 2020

new delhi

Theaters are closed for more than 175 days in Tamil Nadu and theaters associations have been raising continuous de-mands with the government asking to allow the function-ing of theaters at the earliest.

Though several rounds of talks between the theater’s associations and the govern-ment have taken place so far, the state government is still to take a decision as it is waiting for the central government’s nod.

According to the Business insiders, after the meeting be-tween the state and the central government last Monday, they are hopeful of reopening the theaters at the earliest and the

association has now decided to request the government asking them to screen IPL matches in theaters to make

up the losses.Theater owner associations

said that they have arrived at this conclusion of screening

IPL as they expect the pro-ducers will not be releasing any big-ticket films fearing audiences will not turn up

due to Covid-19 infection ap-prehensions.

“As the producers are tak-ing alternative ways by opt-ing for the OTT platform to release the movie, we also have to look for alternatives as we cannot keep the theaters empty even after the state government permitting us”, says President of Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners’ Association, Tiruppur Subramanian.

Talking to the reporters, the minister for information and publicity said that they will allow the theaters to function only after getting the opinion from the Expert medical com-mittee and expressed fear that it will be difficult for the gov-ernment if people don’t follow physical distancing norms in-side the theaters.

The SIT and Punjab police on Fri-day morning raided three more places to nab former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini — a house in Sector 10-A, Chandigarh, and his native vil-lage Khuda Krala in Hoshiarpur. Saini was not found at any of the residences.

Meanwhile, Saini has moved the Supreme Court on Friday af-ter the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed his bail petition.

Sumedh Saini, former DGP, is ac-cused in the case of kidnapping and murder of Balwant Singh Multani.

Earlier on Thursday, the police team raided his ancestral village Khuda Karala in Hoshiarpur, in-cluding Delhi, Shimla, Rajasthan in search of Saini.

Saini’s anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Mohali district court on 1 September. After this, the police had sufficient time to ar-rest Saini. But he could not be ar-rested despite so many raids.

BedeviLment

docTor arresTed For ‘quesTIonInG’ lacK oF covId-19 Beds In andHra PradesHgunTur: in a Covid-19 review meeting at narsaraopet of andhra Pradesh, a doctor was dragged from the meeting after the collector ordered the police to arrest him.

The doctor Somla naik had raised questions about the lack of Covid-19 beds due to which pa-tients are coming back to the health centres even after the reference.

guntur Collector Samuel anand Kumar lost his temper at the doctor and ordered for his suspen-sion and arrest.

Dr. Somla Naik is a medical officer working at nadendla’s primary health care centre. He was later taken away from the meet and put inside the police station. The entire incident was caught on camera. in the video that surfaced, the collector can be heard angrily saying, “What nonsense. Where is this doctor from? Take him away and ar-rest him. arrest him under disaster management sections. Take him away. Who is the Sub inspector of police here?”

The Collector directed the dMHO dr. J yasmin to suspend dr. Somla naik who raised the problem and directed nasaraopet dSP Veera reddy to arrest him. However, police released him later without any case.

TdP leader and son of Chandrababu naidu nara Lokesh tweeted, “This is Jagan Mohan reddy government’s atrocity on a tribal officer. During a review meeting on coronavirus in narasaraopet in Guntur district, Nadendla medical officer Somlu Nayak, who questioned why officers like him were being blamed for the increase in cases without minimum facilities being provided, was arrested. i condemn his brutal arrest. Somlu nayak should be released immediately!”.

The andhra Pradesh govt doctors’ association has condemned the incident. The collector of guntur said that there is no problem with the beds and asked the doctor why he raised it. The doctor adamantly said it is the fact that there are no beds.

One doctor who participated in the meeting said if the problem is brought to notice, it would be solved but this is the result.

dr. Somla naik has been working very hard after the outbreak of Covid-19. He collected 1,600 samples in the nadendla area. When he refers the Covid-19 patients to higher government hospitals, they are sent back due to a lack of beds. Lokeswara Rao

Several Bharatiya Janata Par-ty (BJP) leaders in Telangana state were placed on house ar-rest on Friday morning by the Telangana Police in various locations in the state. The state BJP unit gave a call for a pro-test called ‘Chalo Assembly’ on September 11 demanding that September 17 be declared as Telangana Liberation Day.

BJP cadres from various districts planned to come to Hyderabad for ‘Chalo assem-bly’ protests but the police stopped them midway. All the

roads leading to the assembly complex were blocked by the police and the commuters were diverted to other roads.

BJP Telangana President Bandi Sanjay said, “We could have successfully seized the assembly today. This is the government of Nizams, that’s why it’s not celebrating the Telangana Emancipation Day. Because of Sardar Val-labhabai Patel, Telangana was given freedom from the Nizam Nawabs and became part of India. CM KCR is the eighth Nizam Nawab. He is going to be confined to his farmhouse soon. The police lathis cannot

control us.” BJP state secretary Pre-

mendhar Reddy said, “The cause was successfully highlighted by the BJP. We strongly condemn the arrests of party state president Bandi Sanjay and others. We are not afraid of these arrests and re-strictions. “

The leaders who were taken into police custody were sent to Goshamahal Police station in the old City of Hyderabad. At Gunpark opposite the As-sembly, some Mahila Morcha activists protested. Police had to use a lot of force to stop them. Police crackdown on ‘Chalo Assembly’ protestors

Punjab Police at the residence of the former state DGP.

(From left to right) Actress Kangana Ranaut and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu.

quIcK acTIon

Delhi is considered to be one of the posh cosmopolitan cit-

ies of our country which would give any outsider the vibe that people here are all about looking good and eating well. This could very well be true for those in the Lutyens’ Zone and a substantial part of South Delhi. However, there is a large part of the city which has been kept away from pop-ular culture -- a part which has consistently seen extreme violence and communal strife.

Most of us have either read or heard about the mass vio-lence and riots that took place in the aftermath of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s

assassination. But this was not the only time that such mayhem had erupted in the national capital. Time and again, communal violence has reared its ugly head in Delhi, but the memory of these in-cidents quickly fade away as the epicentre of such violence is generally away from the bright lights of Connaught Place, Khan Market and Greater Kailash.

A few years ago, certain pockets of Trilokpuri wit-nessed large-scale violence and arson due to a dispute between two communities. But there was something different about the violence that broke out in February 2020, just weeks after the Delhi elections, which had taken place in the backdrop of protests against the Citizen-ship Amendment Act. Arte-rial roads had been blocked by Shaheen Bagh protesters which had led to massive jams and congestion in substan-tial areas of South Delhi all the way to Noida. Although several protesters made state-ments inviting the govern-

ment to have a dialogue, in the same breath, they made it clear that they had no inten-tion of moving till the Act was revoked. Several Opposition leaders jumped at the oppor-tunity to attack the govern-ment and many known gov-ernment baiters shared the stage to make it look as if the people of this country were coming together against an Act which did not affect any citizen of this country.

However, the Chief Minister of Delhi was conspicuously silent throughout. He was probably advised that taking a clear stand could offend cer-tain sections of the majority and jeopardise his re-election. But it was also necessary for him to show support for the protesters to get them to vote en bloc for his party. There-fore, a cunning strategy was devised wherein he himself dodged the issue in interviews while his subordinates came out in support of the protest-ers. As a result, the Deputy Chief Minister clearly stated that he firmly stood behind the protesters and the MLA from Okhla (which includes Shaheen Bagh) gave speeches indicating his party’s support. This move emboldened pro-testers in other parts of the city and also helped in the transfer of a substantial vote-bank to the Aam Aadmi party (AAP) which had earlier been with the Congress.

The move paid off and the AAP was re-elected to power

in Delhi. The results also led the protesters to believe that they could now do anything as they had the tacit support of the newly elected govern-ment. Since the protest itself was losing sheen and the peo-ple of Delhi were also becom-ing highly frustrated with the chaos, it was time to up the ante and provoke the police. This led to the beginning of one of the bloodiest riots in Delhi in a long time.

Retaliatory violence soon ensued and the spin doctors started working overtime to portray as if the riots were spontaneous in nature. It was only later that videos surfaced showing AAP councillor Tahir Hussain controlling a mob from his terrace and targeting people in his locality. Petrol bombs and other arms were also

recovered from his property but most importantly, the dead body of an Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma was found near his house. Following this, the police ar-rested several people from both the communities who had indulged in violence but the AAP councillor decided to flee.

After absconding for a long time and playing the victim card through scripted videos shot possibly by the IT cell of his party, Hussain finally surrendered before the court. During interrogation, he con-fessed to mobilising people of his community to go on a rampage in North-East Delhi. The court also said that Tahir Hussain provoked his com-munity to riot and that the riots took place in a “planned manner”, resulting from a

“well-hatched conspiracy”. Now there are certain ques-

tions which remain unan-swered: Is it believable that the Chief Minister and his close aides were completely oblivious that his party coun-cillor was indulging in mass violence? Can this massive conspiracy be buried by simply suggesting that some statements triggered the violence? Can the people of Delhi truly trust someone who has not made his stand clear either on the root cause of the violence or the CAA itself? These questions need to be answered if we are truly interested in preventing such violence taking place in the future.

The writer is Member of Parlia-ment, East Delhi. The views ex-pressed are personal.

Delhi riots: Spontaneous violence or planned conspiracy?Is it believable that the Chief Minister and his close aides were completely oblivious that their party councillor was indulging in mass violence? It needs to be answered if we are interested in preventing such violence in the future.

File photo of the Delhi riots in February this year.

Civilisational war

Big question

Finally, Parliament is all set to reopen for a delayed monsoon session. Keeping Covid-19 in mind, ap-propriate seating arrangements have been made, with the rules of engagement clearly spelt out by the Speaker. But one wonders about the other rules of engagement regarding what all will be discussed inside Parliament? Will it be chaos as usual, or will social distancing ensure lesser walkouts and there-by fewer tantrums? 

Well, doesn’t look like it. Already there has been much up-roar over the gov-ernment’s decision to suspend Question Hour. The govern-ment claims that it’s because of paucity of time (shorter ses-sions) stating that unstarred questions (those requiring a written reply) will however be allowed. The Opposition has called this a murder of democracy, with TMC MP Derek O Brien stating that this was an excuse to duck uncomfortable questions on pan-demic and economy. For its part the government claims that “Question Hour was done away with in the years 1962, 1975, 1976, 1991, 2004 and 2009 for various reasons. While in 1975 and 1976 it was on account of the Emergency.” BJP Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni has also pointed out that several state Assemblies have functioned post lockdown and that there has been no Question Hour in the Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Even Zero Hour has been cut into half. All this leaves the Opposition little scope to hold the government accountable except of course during the debates. 

But, as Rasheed Kidwai, senior journalist and au-thor, pointed out on the NewsX show Roundtable, as many as 105 countries have reconvened their parliament post Covid, the exceptions including both India and Russia. Boris Johnson has not only recovered from Covid but also taken questions, so what is stopping Indian Parliament? And as Radhika Ramaseshan, columnist and commenta-tor, added in the same show, “The Zero Hour and Question Hour really added zest to Parliament. It’s not about written questions but the fun is in the supplementary questions that the Opposition gets to ask during Question Hour.”

Some party leaders like Mamata Banerjee have asked their MPs above the age of 65 not to attend but most have indicated that they will, which is a good sign.

Then comes the next question: What are the is-sues that will be discussed? Will the economy, Covid and the face-off with China get a fair hear-ing? These issues have been taken up by the Busi-ness Advisory Committee and are on Parliament’s agenda. As are eleven ordinances that were passed since the last session of Parliament. These include the amendment to the Essential Commodity Act passed as one of the relief measures to counter the pandemic.

The Congress also needs to figure out its floor strategy. Its leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, has been promoted as the party’s PCC chief in West Bengal. Will he be allowed to hold both posts? Party sources cite a precedent claiming that the late Pranab Mukherjee too was both PCC chief and leader of the Lok Sabha. However names of possible replacements are also doing the rounds ranging from Rahul Gandhi to K. Suresh. But being the Congress, if a decision has to be taken it will be at the last minute. What should worry the party is speculation that Sonia Gandhi may not attend the first 10 days. If that happens, then will Rahul step up and take charge?

Provided the Opposition gets its act right, the government could be facing some tough questions on the handling of the migrant crisis, the timing and the length of the lockdown, the economy that has seen its sharpest contraction in four decades, as well as the face-off with China at the border. The Opposition is also planning to bring up the decision not to delay the NEET and JEE exams though the government will be able to use the Supreme Court order giving the go ahead as a counter.

And one can only hope that the Sushan Singh Ra-jput case doesn’t reach Parliament, and derails the entire process as it has been overtaking the news cycle in our national media.Priya Sahgal

perspectiveParliament’s monsoon session

will opposition unite to ask tough questions to govt?

In the previous columns, this author had argued the need for our leadership to recali-brate India’s geopolitical ap-proach such that becoming Kautilyan Chakravarti or a global superpower should be our strategic goal and how this alone will pave the way for India to truly don the mantle of ‘Vishwa Guru’. It was further argued that be-coming global superpower not only involves gaining economic strength and cul-tural influence, but more im-portantly positioning India as a ‘Vijigishu’ or a conqueror.

The question of whether India should become expan-sionist in its outlook requires further deliberation. Though geopolitical expansionism has existed throughout his-tory and across the world, today we have been largely

made to perceive war and expansionism as being inher-ently bad. With the memories of the two World Wars still fresh, many people advocate extreme pacifism as the way forward for peace.

However, such utopian ideas have little basis in real-ity. The fact is in world poli-tics, self-interest has always been supreme and it is the duty of a ruler/government to ensure the overall wellbe-ing of his subjects and this involves not only fighting aggression with aggression, but also continuously striv-ing to expand one’s territory and influence. The Kautilyan Mandala theory aims to help nations achieve just that.

In Arthashastra (Book 12, Chapter 1), Kautilya lists out three kinds of expan-sionists: Dharmavijayi or the righteous conqueror, Lobhavijayi or the greedy conqueror, and Asuravijayi or the Asura-like aggressive and uncompassionate con-queror. He says that while a Dharmavijayi is satisfied with the opponent accepting his suzerainty through mere obeisance, the Lobhavijayi is satisfied with what he gains in terms of land and wealth. The Asuravijayi not only

takes the land, wealth etc, of his opponent, he completely vanquishes them.

Writing about the superior-ity of Dharmavijaya in terms of ethics, V.R. Ramachandra Dikshitar in his War in An-cient India says: “According to Kautilya Dharmavijay (a) meant that a conquer-ing king was satisfied with the acknowledgment of his overlordship by the inferior or defeated powers as also by others… Dharamvijay (a) means a righteous method of warfare where diplo-macy and conciliation were pressed into service to avoid actual fighting as far as pos-sible.” Further, in Kalidasa’s Raghuvamsa, Kind Raghu is praised as a Dharmavijayi who conquered many lands but restored the lands to the defeated kings and instead received only symbolic trib-utes. We see Indian kings like Samudragupta following this Dharmavijayi ideal of restor-ing kingdoms to defeated kings.

From this it is very clear that not all forms of expansionism is bad or unethical and Indian culture and history has had a very clearly articulated the notion of an ideal, ethical, and beneficial form of expansion-ism in the form of Dharmavi-jayi. However, it is important to add a caveat here.

While Dharmavijaya may be an ideal for of expansion-ism, however, in reality, it may not always be desirable. The three modes of conquest should not be seen as three distinct silos, but as three options available for each nation/ruler to properly uti-

lise them based on different situations.

A good example of misap-plication of ideals of Dhar-mavijaya from history is the case of Rajput King Prithviraj Chauhan. Prithviraj allowed a defeated Mohammed Ghori to return to his homeland be-cause he was upholding the Indic ideal of Dharmavijaya. However, this misapplica-tion not only cost Prithviraj his kingdom and life, but also cost Hindu civilisation centuries of slavery under Islamic rule where their temples were razed, people were forcibly converted, and Hindus were made to live as dhimmis. Another example could be how India messed up Tibetan situation. India’s lack of expansionist mindset resulted in China -- clearly an Asuravijayi -- not only gob-bling up Tibet in entirety but also causing destruction of life, culture, and religion of Tibetan people.

Thus, a nuanced way of un-derstanding Kautilyan modes of conquest is that they are three modes in the hands of a Dharmic Vijigishu who while fighting a dharmic battle and has the ideal of Dharmavijaya in mind, he does not hesitate from employing modes of Lobhavijaya and Asuravijaya wherever necessary. It is not for no reason that Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita that there is nothing better for a Kshatriya than fighting a righteous battle. The dhar-mic/righteous battle is one which is waged for dharmic reasons and in such a battle one must employ all the means necessary -- be it the

three modes of conquest or the four strategies of sama, dama, danda and bheda.

What does it all translate into in current terms if India were to embrace ‘dharmic ex-pansionism’ as a geopolitical goal?

First, Indian State will have to recognise that it is a Civilisational State which is many millennia old and not a modern nation-state created in 1947. Second, Indian State will have to recognise that Indian civilisation has been in a perpetual war since last 1,200 years imposed upon us by Abrahamic religions, Eu-ropean colonisers, and other global geopolitical actors. Third, Indian State will have to recognise and accept the historical fact the perpetual war has cost India hugely not only in terms of loss of geo-graphical territory, but also in terms of loss of culture, re-ligion, and civilisational ethos in the lost territories.

India did not lose territory during 1947 Partition. We have been continuously losing territory since the advent of Islamic invasion. On the eve of Islamic invasion, India as a Civilizational State not only included present countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh, but also Afghanistan and beyond. In the north, the Hindu-Bud-dhist influence was present in Central Asia and China. In the east, the Hindu-Buddhist in-fluence was spread through-out South-East Asia. While India lost direct geographical territories at some places, it lost cultural and civilisational influence in other places (example: South-East Asia).

Post-Independence when India allowed China to con-quer Tibet and Aksai Chin, we further lost geographies which were under Indian civilisational influence.

Once the Indian State rec-ognises these historical and civilisational realities about our nation, then it will have the necessary clarity and confidence to develop an ex-pansionist geopolitical goals for retaking the lost geog-raphies and cultural spaces and finally bring an end to the perpetual war that has been imposed upon Indian civilisa-tion. Reclaiming lost geogra-phies must not only translate into undoing Partition of In-dia in 1947, but also translate into reclaiming geographical territories and cultural spaces that Indian civilisational state lost in the last 1,200 years including Afghanistan and Tibet. This would involve Indian state employing all the three modes of conquest -- ac-quisition of allies, acquisition of wealth and territories, and the complete vanquishing of the enemy — as necessary.

India cannot move forward by breaking itself from its past. The only way forward is to accept the reality of our past, fight the perpetual ci-vilisational war imposed upon us, embrace ‘dharmic expansionism’ as a geopo-litical goal to reclaim the lost geographies and cultural spaces, and fight our way to become a global superpower. Nithin Sridhar is an author, speaker, and commentator on religion, politics, and society. He is the chief curator of Advaita Academy.

Time for India to adopt and embrace ‘dharmic expansionism’ as a geopolitical goal

4 comment & analysis the daily guardiansaturday | 12 sep tember 2020new delhi

opinionGautam Gambhir

opinionNithiN SriDhar

the Congress also needs to figure out its floor strategy. its leader in the Lok Sabha, adhir ranjan Choudhary, has been promoted as the party’s PCC chief in West bengal. Will he be allowed to hold both posts? Party sources cite a precedent claiming that the late Pranab mukherjee too was both PCC chief and leader of the Lok Sabha.

ANALYSIS

legally speakingthe daily guardian saturday | 12 sep tember 2020

new delhi 5

IntroductIon India has often faced and still faces situations where the pillars of its democracy clash. Kesavananda Bharati vs. State of Kerala (Kesava-nanda) was one such situa-tion where the Legislature and the Judiciary of the world’s largest democracy ran in a power struggle. In the background of a tussle for constitutional suprem-acy, the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India on April 24, 1973 delivered what is ar-guably the most monumen-tal decision in the history.

Kesavananda created his-tory, I say this because of several reasons, viz. for-mation of a thirteen-judge bench of the Hon’ble Su-preme Court of India, the unprecedented number of separate judgments and opinions delivered by the Bench, the number of hear-ings which ran into over 68 days making it the longest heard case in the history of Indian Judiciary, (the second longest being the Ram Janmabhoomi case 2020 – about 40 days), as well as the sheer length of the Judgment itself which spans about 800 pages and about 4,20,000 words long.

The significance of Ke-savananda in the Constitu-tional Law of India is not only because of its excep-tional length but also be-cause of the part it played in preserving the integrity of the Constitution of In-dia. The ‘basic structure’ doctrine as we see it today was first introduced in this landmark judgment.

To analyse Kesavana-nda it is really important to first briefly understand the cases which led up to this Judgment in 1973.

ShankarI PraSad v. unIon of IndIa (1951) The validity of first amend-ment to the Constitution of India which condensed the privilege to property was challenged and with that, the Parliament’s right to amend the fundamen-tal rights was challenged. A Five-Judge Bench of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India asserted that the Constitutional scheme pro-vided for a clear distinction between ‘ordinary law’ and ‘constitutional law’, the ef-fect of this decision was that judicial review of the amendments to the Consti-tution was dis-allowed.

Sajjan SIngh v. State of rajaSthan (1965)The validity of the Seven-teenth Amendment Act, 1964 that inter-alia added 44 additional Statutes re-lating to land reforms to the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution in order to secure their Constitutional Validity and prevent them from judicial review on the ground that they were inconsistent with any of

the Provisions of Part III of the Constitution relat-ing to Fundamental Rights. The Amendment was chal-lenged on the ground that the Parliament failed to follow the procedure pre-scribed to amend the Con-stitution. Another Five-Judge Bench of the Hon’ble Supreme Court dismissed the petition on the ground that it was not under the scope of judicial review and held that amendment includes amendment to all provisions of the Constitu-tion.

I.c. golaknath v. State of Punjab (1967) Could the Parl iament a m e n d f u n d a m e n t a l rights? The issue was yet again before the Hon’ble S u p r e m e C o u r t . A n Eleven-Judge Bench was constituted to examine whether Constitutional amendments could be passed to take away the fundamental rights and whether such amendments were under the scope of judicial review. Hon’ble Supreme Court of India prospectively overruled its judgment in Shankari Prasad and Sajjan Singh and held that Parliament could not amend Part III of the Constitution so as to abridge or take away any of the Fundamental Rights.

The Hon’ble Supreme Court also cleared the air with respect to Article 368 and held that it merely lays down the procedure for amendment to the Consti-tution. Further, the Hon’ble Court also held an amend-ment to be a law under Ar-ticle 13(2) of the Constitu-tion and that it was under the scope of judicial review. Thus, making it quite clear that amendments which ‘take away or abridge’ the Fundamental Rights, can-

not be passed. What is interesting to

note is that the tussle be-tween the two pillars of our Constitution continued as the Parliament to nullify the I.C. Golaknath verdict, enacted the Twenty-Fourth Amendment to the Con-stitution, which laid down that the Parliament’s pow-ers to amend the Constitu-tion were unrestricted and unlimited.

leadIng to keSavananda Late Swami Kesavananda Bharati Sripadagalvaru, the head of Edneer Math

in Kerala affected by the Kerala Land Reforms Act, 1963 challenged the state land reform legislation in Kerala, meanwhile the Par-liament passed the Twenty Ninth Amendment Act 1972 which inserted cer-tain land reform statutes to the Ninth Schedule and thus affecting the case of Late Swami Kesavananda Bharati.

Swami Kesavananda was represented by none other than Late Shri Nani Palkh-ivala, who challenged the constitutional validity of the Twenty-Fourth, Twen-ty-Fifth and Twenty-Ninth Amendments to the Con-stitution of India.

As I have already men-tioned, the Twenty-Fourth Amendment was enacted to nullify I.C. Golaknath as the Parliament vide this Amendment stated that the constitutional amend-ments were not ‘law’ under Article 13, and that the Par-liament had the power to amend any provision of the Constitution of India. The Twenty-Fifth Amendment gave precedence to ‘Direc-tive Principles of State Pol-icy’ over the ‘Fundamental Rights’ and also took away the scope of Judicial Re-view for policies laid down under Articles 39 (b) and 39 (c). And, the Twenty-Ninth Amendment added two land reform legislations to the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution of India.

ISSueS before the hon’ble SuPreme court of IndIa The unprecedented Thir-teen-Judge Bench of the Su-preme Court of India had to decide some of the most crucial questions regard-ing the scope of the powers of the Parliament to amend the Constitution under Article 368, and whether those powers of the Parlia-ment were autonomous, or there was a scope of judi-cial review. Quite ironically it was a judicial review of the scope of judicial review of the Apex Court of India which lasted for almost five months.

The Petitioners had con-tended that the amend-ments invalidated some

of the fundamental and basic principles of the Constitution and the Par-liament could not derive the authority to alter such principles of Constitution from the Constitution itself. However, at the other end, the Government of India argued that there was no limit to the powers of the Parliament to amend the Constitution pursuant to Article 368 and the Parlia-ment could do anything barring repealing the Con-stitution itself. Hence, it became all the more im-portant for the Apex Court to examine the amending

powers of the Parliament and to determine the con-stitutional validity of the amendments.

‘baSIc Structure’ doctrIne and the majorIty vIewAn unprecedented eleven separate opinions each having different views on each issue, suggesting that there was no pure indi-cation as to what the Su-preme Court actually held. Interestingly, the first time ever the Judges gave a sum-mary of their decision.

The majority of the Thir-teen-Judge Bench held that the Twenty-Fourth Amendment to the Consti-tution was valid, the Twen-ty-Fifth Amendment to the

Constitution was also valid except for the part which ousted the scope of Judicial review, the Twenty-Ninth Amendment was also held to be valid, the judgment in I.C. Golaknath was over-ruled and it was held that there was no implicit limi-tation on the powers of the Parliament to amend the Constitution of India under Article 368.

However, the most impor-tant decision, was that the Parliament while amend-ing any part of the Consti-tution could not alter or de-stroy the ‘basic structure’ of the Constitution. This de-

cision was made by a thin majority of 7:6. The Hon’ble Supreme Court mentioned that all constitutional amendments enacted post the date of Kesavananda Judgment will have to pass the ‘Basic Structure’ doc-trine. Thus, in this tussle of power, the Apex Court em-powered itself to judge the validity and constitution-ality of the amendments to the Constitution.

What’s interesting is that there was no concord of opinion on what the ba-sic structure was. Each Judge prepared his own list which was not exhaustive. However, in outlining the basic structure of the Con-stitution, most relied upon the Preamble, the Funda-

mental Rights and the Di-rective Principles of State Policies. In words of Mr. Upendra Baxi, in this Judg-ment of uncertainties one thing was certain that the Judges were free to mould the ‘Basic Structure’ doc-trine to struck down any constitutional amendment that attacks the very spirit of the Indian Democracy.

obServatIonS & analySISIt can be said that while the Judgment in I.C. Go-laknath was first major indication of judicial su-premacy. Kesavananda

proved and established that the Apex Court had no match when it comes to authority in Constitutional matters. The Hon’ble Su-preme Court drastically widened the scope of its ju-dicial review assuming the power to examine not only the amendments affecting fundamental rights but all the constitutional amend-ments.

If the Parliament had an autonomous right to amend the Constitution, the Apex Court had an equivalent power to review and annul any amend-ment that destroyed the basic structure of the Con-stitution. In this tussle of power between the two significant institutions, the Judges sought to achieve a win-win situation for both the Parliament and the Su-preme Court.

One of the gravest criti-cisms of Kesavananda is that the ‘Basic Structure’ doctrine finds no reference in the language of the Con-stitution. The doctrine has very little to do with what is written in the Constitu-tion. The Judgment has also been critiqued for being too lengthy, thus making it doubtful as to what the eleven opinions collectively mean and what the basic structure essentially com-prised. Amusingly it is re-ferred to as an ‘outstanding study on lack of consensus’.

The intrinsic uncertainty of the doctrine, as well as that of the ratio in Kesavana-nda, brought about numer-ous challenges both to and under the doctrine before the Hon’ble Supreme Court. The phase following Ke-savananda was one where the doctrine has evolved on a case-to-case basis, result-ing in a steady development

of the doctrine.The Hon’ble Supreme

Court in Indira Gandhi v. Raj Narain , struck down a Constitutional amendment which tend to legalise the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s election citing the basic features of democra-cy, rule of law and equality. The Parliament, through the Forty-Second Consti-tutional Amendment, tried to circumvent Kesavana-nda by making Parliamen-tary power unlimited. The Hon’ble Supreme Court in Minerva Mills v. Union of India struck down the amendment on the ground that the judicial review of Parliamentary legislations, and the limitation of Parlia-mentary power to amend the Constitution, were themselves part of the basic structure of the Constitu-tion.

The courts have construed and long drawn out the doctrine to include secu-larism and federalism , the freedoms under Article 19, judicial review of decisions by the High Court and Su-preme Court under Articles 226 and 32, judicial inde-pendence , judicial primacy in the judicial appointment process to the basic struc-ture of the Constitution.

More importantly, the Hon’ble Supreme Court in I.R. Coelho v. State of Tamil Nadu had come across the issue whether an ad-dition to the Ninth Sched-ule would give immunity to the listed statute from the requirement of being consistent with the funda-mental rights. The Hon’ble Supreme Court held that all laws were subject to the test of being consistent with fundamental rights, which are a part of the basic struc-ture.

concluSIon

Though the Kesavana-nda does not find approval with those who have been brought up with the con-ventional concept of judicial review, even cynics would admit that it was the Judi-ciary’s rescue operation that saved Indian democracy.

What India faced in 1973 was a struggle of suprema-cy between the Hon’ble Su-preme Court and the Parlia-ment. Kesavananda created a check on Parliament’s en-deavour to wipe out judicial review and strive for uncon-ditional power to amend the Constitution. However, it allowed Parliament the ex-tensive liberty to carve out socio-economic policies.

Before Kesavananda, al-most 30 Constitutional amendments were already passed since the Constitu-tion came into effect in 1950, and there have been about 74 amendments since Kesa-vananda. Regardless of, the large number of amend-ments made to the Indian Constitution, the expecta-tions and philosophies of its framers remain integral and perceptible as the Constitu-tion adopted by the Con-stituent Assembly in 1949 and this is principally owed to the Apex Court’s decision in Kesavananda.

However, one thing that triggered me when I was a law student was that even after a 800 page judgment and discussions running over 68 days the petitioner Swami Kesavananda Bhara-ti did not actually win the case, as the Amendments he challenged were held to be valid by the Hon’ble Court, but what he won was a name in the History of Indian Constitutional Law. May his soul rest in peace!

Milestone case: Kesavananda Bharati vs State of KeralaA tussle between India’s two paramount democratic institutions—Parliament and judiciary.

If the Parliament had an autonomous right to amend the Constitution, the Apex Court had an equivalent power to review and annul any amendment that destroyed the basic structure of the Constitution. In this tussle for power between the two significant institutions, the Judges sought to achieve a win-win situation for both the Parliament and the Supreme Court.

opinionPratik Jain

The courts have construed and long drawn out the doctrine to include secularism and federalism, the freedoms under Article 19, judicial review of decisions by the High Court and Supreme Court under Articles 226 and 32, judicial independence, judicial primacy in the judicial appointment process to the basic structure of the Constitution.

Ashish singhNew Delhi

AnAlysis

More powerful

6 defence the daily guardiansaturday | 12 sep tember 2020new delhi

A bird’s eye view indicates conflict zones are in Africa,

Middle East, West Asia, South Asia and the South China Sea. Major defence spenders will also be in this region.   India is central to these zones. Recent Chi-nese aggression and asser-tion has driven up security stakes for nations. The In-do-Pacific region has shot into prominence.   Many na-tions will now arm them-selves as per the evolving paradigm. Nations which were dependent on China are looking for other op-tions. An example is the submarine deal between China and Thailand which has been put on hold. It opens up space for India and gives it a unique oppor-tunity to be a net defence exporter.

 The question which aris-es: Is India prepared to be a major defence exporter?  The draft ‘Defence Produc-tion & Export Promotion Policy (DPEPP) 2020’ was released recently. It aims to export Rs 35,000 Crore ($5 billion) in Aerospace and Defence goods and services by 2025. While the ambition is clear, there is no clarity on how to go about it. There is a need for a landscape for defence ex-porters to traverse. Essen-tially, there are two facets to defence exports. There is a major strategic opportuni-ty. It is also an opportunity to earn revenue and build an indigenous self-sustain-ing and self-regulating de-fence industry. The STraTegic OppOrTuniTyOur current military stand against China is already en-hancing India’s reputation. Defence  exports will estab-lish us a regional power of consequence.  Resultantly, there are two sub-themes which emanate. One is ex-ports to secure our imme-diate neighbourhood and the second is to spread our

influence beyond.Neighbourhood Oppor-

tunity: There is no denying that China has made major insidious moves in our immediate neighbour-hood. Besides Pakistan, other neighbours are also equipped with Chinese weapons. These include Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Mal-dives and Myanmar. Nepal will soon follow. A  senior Sri Lankan officer once  mentioned that China and Pakistan gained space since India refused to arm the country during the LTTE days. Context understood. Time to  reset the equation. The officer also added that Sri Lanka would prefer weapons, equipment and training from India to re-build ties. A similar story exists with other neigh-bours also. Hence our di-plomacy and export policy should ensure that all our neighbours are armed with our weapons and look to-wards us for their security requirements.  Building defence related dependen-cies in our neighbourhood will enhance our security even if we have to give them some equipment in gratis. In a ‘Walk the Talk’ show Shekar Gupta asked two Afghani Cricketers as to which country they would like to defeat always. Pat came the answer -- Pakis-tan.  Taliban or no Taliban, there is a need for a prag-matic approach.

Regional Opportuni-ties: Regionally, opportu-nities abound for defence exports in the West Asian conflict cauldron and the tension zones of South China Sea. Countries will increase their defence ex-penditures. Having inter-acted with some reasonably senior armed forces per-sonnel of these countries I am confident that they are more comfortable with  India as a defence supplier. The strength of our histori-cal linkages, culture, soft power, economy and hard power are attractive. I was doing an international course in the US a decade back. Whenever there was a discussion on any issue in which I expressed an opin-ion there was backing and acknowledgement from officers from countries as diverse as Qatar, Egypt, Yemen, Taiwan and Phil-

ippines. If we take a step forward on defence and se-curity exports, we will reap dividends. India can be the true regional power of reck-oning. However, some deep thinking and diplomatic input will be required since we should be careful about whom to arm with what. The standard MoD ap-proach will not suffice.

 Defence expOrTS: a TriaDDefence exports must be based on a long-term triad. The triad consists of weap-ons & equipment, services and training. Export can be of new weapons and equip-ment or refurbishing of existing/obsolescent equip-ment -- either of that coun-try or from our inventory. Many countries cannot af-ford new equipment and hence would prefer the re-furbishment route which suits their pockets and defence requirements. Re-furbishment can be under-taken by government and/or Private players. For ex-ample, many old guns will be available with sufficient spares once new 155mm systems are inducted. They are prime candidates for export. However, all weap-ons need ammunition.

That will be a perennial demand. Services could pertain to maintenance of equipment or building infrastructure. Spares and maintenance are long term earners.  It goes hand in hand with weapon export. It needs long term thinking and commitment with ma-jor flexibilities. The third component of the triad is military training. It is the soft component force mul-tiplier. Training is our great strength. Defence export and training must be com-bined to create long-term dependencies and allianc-es. Military Training alters behaviours and conditions the way people think. How-ever, our current capacities are limited and will not be able to meet the train-ing needs of many coun-tries. Before we embark on weapons export, expansion of our training capacities is warranted. Resultantly, deep  integration of Services in this enterprise is manda-tory. If that does not hap-pen -- forget exports.

 requiSiTeS fOr Defence expOrTSDefence Export Architec-ture: Defence exports must take place under a well thought out architecture

and organisation. It must integrate and be driven by all stakeholders. At the government level, it is visu-alised that the Ministries of Defence, External Affairs and Home will have to lay down the major policy di-rections based on our na-tional interests.  At the MOD level, the stakeholders must be the MOD, DDP, Service HQs and any nominated Industry body. DDP can be the nodal department but it cannot row this boat with just an export cell. Defence exports need an elaborate organisation and flexibilities.  The Foreign Military Sales organisation of the US and the export architecture of Rosoboron Exports of Russia are good models. Even the ONGC Videsh could serve as a reasonable model. Exports should take place strictly under this architecture lest everyone pulls in different directions. Industry (Pub-lic or Private) should not be allowed to run around like mavericks and start peddling their equipment to other countries. The ramifications could be  loss of national credibility. This point is specifically being made since the major con-stituents of the DDP viz

OFB and DPSUs have nar-row visions, one-dimen-sional views and tend to be self-serving. They must be made to look beyond themselves. Additionally, the organisation must be apart from the MoD with a degree of autonomy and permanence. Develop-ing defence exports is also about developing long term institutional or personal linkages  and equations.Requirement Analysis: An analysis needs to be done to establish defence require-ments of various countries that are on our export ra-dar. We need  a strategy to edge out competition. The Government should also be prepared for collaborative efforts in Research, Devel-opments and Production. Such effort will result in deeper linkages. A lot of groundwork is required.Capacity Analysis: A care-ful capacity analysis and audit should take place. It cannot happen that we are exporting items which we are short of, like am-munition. Also, capacities should not be diverted for export at the cost of domes-tic utilisation. First fulfil own needs. Most impor-tantly countries will not buy items unless they are

in use in our Forces.  We should have the capacity or retain capacities  to produce and maintain the equip-ment being exported. This is especially important for older equipment. Pricing Issues: Defence export markets are tra-ditionally dominated by Westerners.  Attractive  pricing and presenting a value proposition is im-portant to wean customers. Being centrally located, we have the advantage of sav-ing on transportation costs (these are considerable). However Indian Public Defence Industry is terri-bly overpriced. Runaway and opaque pricing is the norm. This trend is known internationally. It cannot continue when we enter international markets. We will be priced out by experienced competitors. If we enter international markets competitively  our pricing and financials must be right. The re-branding and name tag production exercise which some of our defence industry is quite adept at, cannot be repli-cated. We will be exposed as hollow.

S e c u r i t y I m p l i c a -t i o n s :   T h e s e c u r i t y implications of  weapons and equipment to sell or export needs careful evalu-ation. We have a few tech-nologies which we have mastered and can fetch handsome results. How-ever, on the flip side such technology cannot be ex-ported without adequate checks and balance. In some cases, these tech-nologies cannot even be thought of for export. For instance, we had an export request for the indigenous Swati Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) when I was in service.  I turned it down simply because technologi-cally this was equivalent to the latest mark of the ANT-PQ37 WLR. The US made us go through all hoops a decade and a half back be-fore they sold us an almost vintage mark of this ra-dar.  We can never part with such technology or equip-ment. Our adversaries will be devising methods to lay their hands on our latest weapon systems through third parties as and when exports open.Volumes: Defence export

volumes will be small, but the range will be diverse. This is simply because countries who might im-port from us will invari-ably have small security set ups and consequently their needs will be small. How-ever, once we establish a line of export for any prod-uct and develop a reputa-tion there will be a rebound effect and volumes will grow. It will be a game of patience. Quality:  One critical is-sue is Quality. Our defence industry is notorious, notorious and notorious internationally - for poor quality. In fact, it does not have a sense of pride in the weapons and equipment it produces. What a shame. The lesser said the better.  The  private sector has a better record. Even in small items and spares there is contagion of poor quality. Reliability, Quality and De-pendability are paramount in weapon systems. If this is not ensured exports will simply not fetch.

 MiSSing WOODS fOr TreeSThe intent of the MoD to open export of Defence Equipment and Services is welcome and overdue. However, the strategic as-pect is very important and should be grasped with both hands. While the in-tent is great, the threat will be delivery with Quality. Quality is the pitfall of our indigenous defence produc-tion system. The  Services must play a huge part in defence exports. If any at-tempt is made without the Services on board, it will be a failure. The  MoD or-ganisation has been miss-ing this wood for the trees for 70 years by keeping the Services out of the equation. Repeat the trick and there will be no exports. That I will guarantee today.

 Lt Gen P.R. Shankar was India’s DG Artillery. He is high-ly decorated and qualified with vast operational experience. He contributed significantly to the modernisation and indigeni-sation of Artillery. He is now a Professor in the Aerospace Dept of IIT Madras and is involved in applied research for defence technology. His other articles can be read on his blog www.gunnersshot.com. 

The Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant of the Russian Heli-copters holding (part of the Rostec State Corporation) has supplied a Mi-171 he-licopter with VK-2500-03 engines to a Chinese civil aviation company. In 2019, the Civil Aviation Admin-istration of China issued a national type certificate for Mi-171 with the new power plant. The decision of the Chinese aviation authorities expanded the capabilities of Russian Helicopters to meet the needs of the Chinese market.

“The key advantages of the helicopter, high thrust-to-weight ratio and operational safety in mountainous re-gions, caught the attention

of potential buyers in the end of 2018, when Mi-171 was demonstrated in Chi-na,” pointed out Leonid Be-lykh, Managing Director of U-UAZ. He also mentioned, “Chinese Civil Aviation Ad-ministration and leadership of the Ministry of Emer-gency Situations were im-pressed by the helicopter’s capabilities for transporting goods on an external sling, emergency response, as well as for the ability to quickly load and unload of rescue and firefighter personnel.”

The VK-2500-03 engine, designed and supplied by UEC-Klimov, is more powerful that the older TV3-117VM engine series 02, especially when used in high altitude due to its heat-resistant materials and improved design. The

introduction of the BARK-78 digital automatic control system gives more detailed control over the engines and their different modes, and generally simplifies their

operation. The use of VK-2500-03

engines in Mi-171 helicop-ters ensures higher  load capacity and increases the operational and hover-

ing ceiling. Besides, great-er available engine power in an emergency mode en-

sures greater safety during the flight with one running engine.

This was already a second Chinese civilian airline to buy helicopters of this con-

figuration. China currently operates a total of about 200 Mi-171 helicopters.

A lAndscApe for defence exports

Russian Helicopters deliver Mi-171 to China

India’s defence export chances brighten as many countries turn away from China. But the big question is: Are we ready to take advantage of this situation?

Lt gen P.R. shAnkAR (Retd.)

The VK-2500-03 engine, designed and supplied by UEC-Klimov, is more powerful that the older TV3-117VM engine series 02, especially when used in high altitude due to its heat-resistant materials and improved design. The introduction of the BARK-78 digital automatic control system gives more detailed control over the engines and their different modes, and generally simplifies their operation.

A Mi-171 helicopter with Vk-2500-03 engines.

Today in the 21st cen-tury, India has wit-nessed a major change

in the education policy after 1986, 34 years ago wherein 1992; a simple modification was made out. A prolific liberal intellectual named, Henry S. Commager once said, “Change does not neces-sarily assure progress, but prog-ress implacably requires change. Education is essential to change, for education creates both new wants and the ability to satisfy them”. By this, we can under-stand that education is a step towards learning the whole of your life. Education makes people skill & productive, but changes in the system is real-ly a step progressing towards “Acche Din”?

Addressing a conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education, Indian Prime Minister, Shri Nar-endra Modi said, the focus of education was on “what to think” and to modify this after decades, the focus will now be on “how to think” instead. 1 While the whole world is battling the COVID – 19 virus, India, on the other hand, had major reforms in the education sector. In a nut-shell, the policy welcomes a single regulatory body for higher educational institu-tions, removal of M.Phil. programmes, providing mul-tiple entries and exit points in graduation courses, set-ting up of top 100 foreign universities (like Oxford and Harvard), allowing Indian universities to set up a cam-pus abroad, the introduction of coding from 6th grade, and the option of mandato-rily teaching mother tongue language.

Why This Change?The old policy (34-year-old) is no more relevant in the present dynamic environ-ment.

India will have the highest population of young people in the world over the next decade. There will be a grow-ing demand for humanities and art, as India moves to-wards becoming a developed country as well as among the three largest economies in the world. Also, to ensure inclusive and equitable qual-ity education and promote lifelong learning opportuni-ties for all by 2030. Ensure the right talent and skills are not leaving the country & every deserving one gets a proper platform to explore his/her skills.

At the time of the global pandemic, a major change in the education system has come at the right time ac-cording to ed-tech players all around. With schools being shut down and online education is at its par, ed-tech players are raising funds to transform schools and col-leges through digitalisation processes. COVID-19 out-break have lead the students’ life at standstill and it’s been more than 5 months now that education is provided through online mediums. Industry players like Un-academy, Byjus, Vedantu and Ediusfun technologies hope

post NEP, the industry will play a major role and provide universal access to quality education and training using all digital technology.

hoW The neP Was formulaTed A new educational policy was one of the promises made by the BJP during their 2014 campaign for general elections. Since then, efforts were underway. First con-sultation process initiated in early 2015 and only in 2017, the committee was formed under the chairmanship of Dr K Kasturirangan, former chief ISRO, which was then submitted to Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal who took the charge post the former’s re-tirement. A summary of the Draft National Education Policy 2019 was circulated among various stakeholders, which was also translated in 22 languages and uploaded on the Ministry’s website. Meetings with State Educa-tion Secretaries of School Ed-ucation and with State Secre-taries of Higher & Technical Education were held. There were several meetings & con-ferences held at every stage of formulating the policy.

A special meeting of CABE on National Education Policy was held where 26 Education Ministers of various States and UTs, representatives of States and Union Territories, Members of CABE, Heads of Autonomous Organisations, Vice-Chancellors of Univer-sities, attended the meeting along with senior officials of the Central and State Gov-ernments. The NEP 2020 has been formulated after having considered nearly over 2 lakh suggestions from 2.5 lakh gram panchayats, 6,600 blocks, 6,000 ULBs and 676 districts.2

WhaT does iT offer To younger generaTion?The existing school system structure of 10+2 will be re-vamped and a new structure formulating 5+3+3+4 system will be introduced making children aged 3 – 18 years under the umbrella of formal schooling focussing on voca-tional education along with internships. The system of 5+3+3+4 is divided into mul-tiple levels were • Three years of Anganwadi

or preschool + two years in a primary school in grades 1-2 covering ages 3 to 8 years,

• The ‘preparatory stage’ covering ages 8 to 11 years or grades 3-5.

• The ‘middle stage’ cover-ing ages 11 to 14 years or grades 6-8, (emphasis on vocational subjects).

• The ‘secondary stage’ covering ages 14 to 18 years in two phases – grades 9-10 in the first and grades 11-12 in the second.3

Out with the changes in the system, the policy aims to expand its hands-on open schooling facilities through the establishment of an au-tonomous body to march open and distance learn-

ing (ODL) as well as mas-sive open online courses (MOOCs). This is a step to-wards the children working or by any means are not able to attend physical classes. NEP 2020 will bring two (2) crores out of school children back into the mainstream through the open school-ing system. Scrapping the old school system of 3-year graduation programmes, a 4 – year UG programme is underway by removing MPhil courses. The NEP also aims to create a new highest regulating body, the Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog or National Education Commis-sion that would be headed by the Prime Minister of India4.

In addition to it, the policy also focuses on Three - Lan-guage formula whereby the students will be learning based on the states, regions and the choice of the stu-dents themselves.5 Teaching up to at least Grade 5 to be in mother tongue/ regional language. No language will be imposed on any student. Other major reforms in-clude the start of Vocational Education from Class 6 with Internships, assess-ment reforms with 360-de-gree Holistic Progress Card, tracking Student Progress for achieving Learning Out-comes, Bagless days are en-couraged, the introduction of coding from 6th grade, Board exam to promote knowledge application rather than rote learning, NIOS to develop high-quality modules for Indian Sign Language and establishment of Academic Bank of Credits to facilitate the transfer of Credits.

“The Gross Enrolment Ratio of 50 per cent is an important target and all universities must contribute to it,” said Mala-bika Sarkar, VC of Ashoka University whereby the ex-isting 26.3 percentage was increased to 50 per cent. The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in the Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest. Cur-rently, the expenditure in the Education sector is 3% of GDP i.e. 5.6 lakh crores. The policy has introduced major reforms in the exist-ing system of education, but the question is by when and how the policy will be im-plemented and rolled out for students?

imPlemenTaTion of The PoliCyHere is an overview of our present education system6:

In this huge & complex structure, any implementa-tion of the policy requires consideration and approval of several bodies system-atically. Bodies like MHRD,

CABE, Union and State Governments, education-related Ministries, State Departments of Education, Boards need to give their prior permission and imple-ment the policy at respective state-levels. We all know that Education is a matter of Con-current list out of the three lists divided, thus requires systematic coordination be-tween centre and states. Both the centre and state require individual strategy focus-sing on implementation of the policy in a strategical manner where the policy will be divided into differ-ent phases, timely infusion of requisite resources - hu-man, infrastructural, and financial - at the Central and State levels will be crucial for the satisfactory execution of the Policy.7

The successful implemen-tation of the policy requires patience and is a long-term and vision project. the Policy recommends strengthening and empowering the Cen-tral Advisory Board of Edu-cation (CABE) which will have a much greater man-date and not only a forum for widespread consultation and examination of issues relating to educational and cultural development.8 The centre has a strong feeling of completing all the policy work and get the approval of all the bodies and state governments thus 1st Decade (2021-2030) policy will be gradually implemented & 2nd Decade (2030-2040) the policy will be operational.

language: barrier or bridge? Language should be a bridge and not a barrier. Every language carries a unique knowledge with itself and when we lose a language, we also lose its unique knowl-edge. UNESCO says 197 lan-guages in India are endan-gered. In the last 60 years, we have lost more than 250 languages.9

It is important to teach a child in his/her local lan-guage in the early stage as this would help the child understand things more lu-cidly and help him relate it with his/her everyday living. Although this policy doesn’t prohibit the use of English policy, it mandates to give an option to the child to choose local language over the Eng-lish language. While Eng-lish is the language that was imposed on us for centuries and is the language of our

coloniser, it does gives us a great comparative global ad-vantage because it is the lan-guage that the world talks in. It is possible to promote both things at once as children are very adaptive in their young age & learn very quickly in their home language.

The policy continues the three-language formula. The three-language formula was introduced way back by

Indira Gandhi with an idea to make students learn another Indian language, different from their regional language (apart from their mother tongue). However, since education is a state subject, the implementation lay with the states due to which the three-language formula was never implemented fully as it was meant to be. The new policy pushes away from the English-Hindi approach and provides a choice for the state to select the languages to fit the needs of the children of the respective regions. The three-language formula will be flexible, and no language

will be imposed on any state. The policy also mentions that wherever possible, the me-dium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the local language. This will be followed by both public and private schools. Teachers will be encouraged to use a bilingual approach. Special attention will be giv-en to employing local teach-ers or those with familiarity with local languages. Teach-ers will be trained, encour-aged, and supported - with continuous professional de-velopment. This will ensure quality education is imparted

in the child and provide a great opportunity for local teachers.

Foreign languages will also be offered but from the sec-ondary level, for students to learn about the cultures of the world and to enrich their global knowledge and mobility. The teaching of all languages will be enhanced through innovative and ex-periential methods, includ-ing through gamification and apps, films, theatre, storytell-ing, poetry, and music.

The policy never aimed at imposition of Hindi language across the country nor it aims to curb the use of English language. It aims at promot-ing the use of local languages before they become extinct.

ConClusion The coming time will only let us know the impact and the results of this future-oriented policy. However, it is our responsibility to keep providing inputs and help this policy be implemented in the best manner possi-ble. NEP is for our future generation children as they are the assets for our future country in all aspects. Stu-dents and academicians have welcomed the policy with open arms. The result will be a time taking process and only after the nod of re-spective States and UTs is made.

National Education Policy, 2020: Step towards ‘Achhe Din’?

ANALYSIS

opinionSHYAM AGARWAL &

GAURAV SANGHI

policy & politicsthe daily guardiansaturday | 12 sep tember 2020

new delhi 7

S.no. Particulars Figures (approx.)

1 Number of Schools 15.5 lakhs

2 Number of Teachers 94.1 lakhs

3 Number of Students 24.78 crores

India has crossed more than 95,000 cases in a single day which is a serious concern.

However, the country’s recov-ery rate is higher than other countries. Dr Giridhar J. Gyani, director general, Association of Healthcare Providers (India), explains the latest survey done by AHPI which has shown that India will hit 80 percent recov-ery rate by September end.Q: What has the latest report by AHPI revealed?A: Based on the data present-ed in our report, we are in the middle of the first stage itself. India has so far conducted 5.18 crore Covid tests whereas Brazil has conducted only 1.44

crore tests out of which 41.23 lakh have been tested positive. Brazil’s positivity rate is 28 percent and India’s positivity rate is 7.75 percent. In India, the number of active cases has

gone down to 20.71 percent and the recovery rate stands at 77.3 percent. The month of August has shown a downturn in the positivity rate from 9.4% to 7.8%. These figures, when put together, are a clear indication of the pandemic slowing down rather than a rumoured second wave. We should hit a recovery rate of 80% by September end or by October first week.Q: Do you think we are in the second stage? Do you think the cases re-corded can be ten times in numbers?A: The percentage of positive cases every day has been hold-ing steady since 15 August. It had peaked in July itself. The more we test, the more we will find. It will be worrisome when the percentage positively rises to a high number. Currently,

India is holding steady at 8.01%; in Brazil, it’s 28%.Q: When do you think the curve will flatten?A: If you see the number of ac-tive cases per day, we’re begin-ning to flatten. However, it’s worrisome that our recovery rate has not risen the way it was supposed to but we should touch the 80% recovery rate by the end of September.Q: What can be done to control ris-ing numbers?A: Rising numbers can be con-trolled only by imposing rules strictly. In a city with highly educated people like Pune, it’s a shame that rules are being flouted. Lockdowns are not the answer. Our lockdowns were not to stop the spread but to manage it, and we’ve done that.

Covid-19 continues to spread around the world with new cases being reported all the time. The pandemic has given rise to many new conspiracy theories. Counter-actions include calling out false in-formation, contacting the author, and taking care not to spread it further.

Conspiracy theories often start as a suspicion based on someone benefiting from an event or situation. ‘Evidence’ is then forced to fit around the theory. It can be hard to refute them because the person do-ing so is often seen as part of the conspiracy.

The theories can then spread rapidly, particularly over so-cial media, where people are

easily taken in by them. Oth-ers spread them because they want to deliberately provoke or manipulate groups or indi-viduals. Conspiracy theories can often target or discrimi-nate against a group which is perceived to benefit from a situation. Some groups are particularly prone to being targeted, including people of a particular religion or sexual orientation. For example, var-ious conspiracies have falsely accused people of assumed Asian origin, Jews and Mus-lims of spreading Covid-19 in Europe. As a result, con-spiracies can polarise societ-ies, worsen existing tensions and fuel violent extremism.

Uncertainty and worry create the perfect environ-ment for conspiracies to be born. Although it is still not confirmed where or how Covid-19 originated, theo-ries abound. They largely ignore scientific evidence and attempt to come up with reasons why the pandemic happened and who stands to benefit.

7 traits of conspiratorial thinkingThe conspiracy theory video “Plandemic” recently went vi-ral. Despite being taken down by YouTube and Facebook, it continues to get uploaded and viewed millions of times. The video is an interview with conspiracy theorist Judy Mikovits, a disgraced former virology researcher who believes Covid-19 is based on vast deception, with the purpose of profiting from selling vaccines. The video is rife with misinformation and conspiracy theories. Since then, many high-quality fact-checks and debunking information have been pub-lished by reputable outlets such as Science, Politifact and FactCheck.

As scholars who research how to counter scientific misinformation and con-spiracy theories, we believe there is also value in expos-ing the rhetorical techniques used in “Plandemic.” The research could help iden-

tify conspiracy theories and prevent them from spreading and taking hold, especially as coronavirus theories spread further day by day.

A new guide outlines seven distinctive traits of conspir-atorial thinking. Learning these traits can help you spot the red flags of a baseless con-spiracy theory and hopefully build some resistance to be-ing taken in by this kind of thinking. This is an important skill given the current surge of pandemic-fueled conspir-acy theories.

1. Contradictory beliefs: Conspiracy theorists are so committed to disbelieving an official account that it doesn’t matter if their belief system is internally contradictory. The “Plandemic” video advances

two false origin stories for the coronavirus. It argues that SARS-CoV-2 came from a lab in Wuhan, but also argues that everybody already has the coronavirus from previ-ous vaccinations and wearing masks activates it. Believing both causes is mutually in-consistent.

2. Overriding suspicion: Conspiracy theorists are overwhelmingly suspicious towards the official account. That means any scientific evidence that doesn’t fit into the conspiracy theory must be faked. But if you think the scientific data is faked, that leads you down the rabbit hole of believing that any scientific organization publishing or endorsing re-search consistent with the “official account” must be in on the conspiracy. For Cov-id-19, this includes the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, Anthony Fauci… Basically, any group or person who

actually knows anything about science must be part of the conspiracy.

3. Nefarious intent: In a conspiracy theory, the con-spirators are assumed to have evil motives. In the case of “Plandemic”, there’s no limit to the nefarious intent. The video suggests scientists including Anthony Fauci engineered the COVID-19 pandemic, a plot which in-volves killing hundreds of thousands of people for po-tentially billions of dollars of profit.

4. Wrong conviction: Conspiracy theorists may occasionally abandon spe-cific ideas when they be-come untenable. But those revisions tend not to change their overall conclusion that “something must be wrong” and that the official account is based on deception.

5. Persecuted victims: Conspiracy theorists think of themselves as the victims of organized persecution. “Plandemic” further ratch-ets up the persecuted vic-

timhood by characterizing the entire world’s population as victims of a vast deception which is being disseminated by the media, and even see-ing ourselves as unwitting accomplices. At the same time, conspiracy theorists see themselves as brave he-roes taking on the villainous conspirators.

6. Immunity to evidence: It’s so hard to change a con-spiracy theorist’s mind be-cause their theories are self-sealing. Even the absence of evidence for a theory becomes evidence for the theory: there’s no proof of the conspiracy because the conspirators did such a good job of covering it up.

7. Reinterpreting random-ness: Conspiracy theorists see patterns everywhere -- they’re all about connecting the dots. Random events are reinterpreted as being caused by the conspiracy and woven into a broader, interconnected pattern. Any connections are imbued with sinister mean-ing.

critical thinking is the antidoteThere are a variety of strate-gies you can use in response to conspiracy theories.

One approach is to inocu-late yourself and your social networks by identifying and calling out the traits of con-spiratorial thinking. An-other approach is to “cogni-tively empower” people by encouraging them to think analytically. The antidote to conspiratorial thinking is critical thinking, which involves having a healthy scepticism of official accounts while carefully considering available evidence.

Understanding and re-vealing the techniques of conspiracy theorists is key for inoculating yourself and others from being misled, especially when we are most vulnerable in times of crises and uncertainty.The writer is Treasurer, World Medical Association, President, SAARC Medical Association and former National President, IMA.

India to hit 80% recovery rate by September end: Dr Giridhar Gyani

EXCLUSIVE

ANTIDOTE

DIET MATTERS

Dr Giridhar J. Gyani, Director General, Association of Healthcare Providers (India), tells The Daily Guardian that the country is in the middle of the first stage of Covid-19.

medically speaking the daily guardiansaturday | 12 sep tember 2020new delhi8

shalini BhardwajNew Delhi

ravi wankhedkar

dr suneet khanna

Dr Giridhar J. Gyani.

CONSpIRACy ThEORIES AbOUND IN ThE TIME Of A pANDEMIC

5 REASONS why VEgAN DIETS ARE hEALThIER AND bETTER

Veganism centres around eating wholesome, plant-based foods and cutting out animal products like meat, seafood, eggs and dairy. You can incorporate this kind of diet by includ-ing more nutritious foods using unsweetened soya milk or by adding extra

beans to salads instead of meat. Filling your plate with fruits, vegetables, legumes (soya & beans) and whole grains is also in-teresting. The substituted options are low in protein. Also eliminating animal products and eating most-ly refined grains like white flour or rice won’t provide any health benefits either. In addition, cutting certain processed options may decrease saturated fat, so-dium and added sugar in your diet.

How vegan diet princi-ples in lifestyle give health-ier outcomes: 1) Vegetarians typically have a decreased BMI than

people on a typical West-ern diet.2) Plant-based diets incor-porate more fibre and are more filling.3) As they are rich in an-tioxidants, they boost the immune system.4) Soya milk, bok choy, broccoli, fortified break-fast cereals, chia, flax, wal-nuts, canola oil, soy, help to prevent vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin D, omega 3 fatty acids and iron defi-ciencies in your body.5) Vitamin C, zinc (found in soy, legumes, grains, nuts and citrus fruits) help to absorb iron. Dr Suneet Khanna is dieti-cian at the Westside Clinic.

shalini BhardwajNew Delhi

pRIVATE hOSpITALS CAN’T DENy TREATMENT TO pATIENTS DURINg pANDEMIC: COURT

COVID-19 SpREAD wIDELy IN MAy: ICMR SERO SURVEy

IMA wRITES LETTER TO UNION hOME MINISTER AMIT ShAh

KARNATAKA MINISTER ASKS fOR CLINICAL REpORT ON RE-INfECTION CASES

DCgI’S ShOw CAUSE NOTICE TO SII fOR hOLDINg COVIShIELD TRIALS

The Nagpur division bench comprising Justices Ravi Desh-pande and Pushpa Ganediwada said that the main issue

which required the court’s attention is making ventilators and beds available to patients so as to reduce the death rate.

“We want all doc-tors and paramedical staff to rise to the oc-casion of the severity of the situation and make themselves available 24x7 in this pandemic situation,” the court said. “We do not want a situation

where patients are required to travel from one hospital to another to secure a bed in the ICU, ven-tilated beds or go to another hospital due to non-availability of doctors and medical

staff,” the bench said.

The court has also said that if a hospital cannot accommodate a patient, the au-thorities should

help the patient reach another hospital. Patients cannot be denied admission to a hospital on the ground of non-avail-ability of medical and paramedical staff, the court added.

The ICMR sero survey re-sults revealed that 64 lakh Indians have been already infected by Covid-19 in May, which marked the initial stage. However, these cases had been undiagnosed and the patients de-veloped antibodies against the novel coronavirus. The findings were revealed a day after India reported the highest rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in a single day -- at 95,735 cases -- which took the overall tally to 44.6 lakh cases.

After receiving several complaints of vio-lence against doctors, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah about strength-ening the anti-violence act until the central law is enacted.

The statement given by IMA read, “The larger issue of safety of our hospitals, doctors, nurses and caregivers remains. Physical, verbal and social media violence continues in spite of the selfless sacrifice of the doctor community during this Public Health emergency.”

Karnataka Medical Education Min-ister Dr K. Sudhakar has instructed officials to conduct a clinical study on re-infection cases reported in the state. Recently, a 27-year-old woman tested positive for Covid-19 for the second time at a private hos-pital in the state, after which, in a meeting with Task Force officials, Sudhakar asked for a clinical study on relapse cases. During the meeting, an official said it takes 15 days to recover from the infection. Dr Sudhakar has asked for an in-depth report and treatment for such cases in other states too.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has is-sued a show cause notice to the Serum Institute of India (SII). The SII is manufac-turing Oxford University’s vaccine ‘Covishield’, in col-laboration with the UK’s AstraZeneca.

Regarding the show cause notice issued by the DCGI, SII said, “We are going by DCGI’s direction and so far have not been told to pause the trials. If DCGI has any safety concerns, we will follow their instructions and abide by the standard protocols.”

The UK-based pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca paused the trials of the vaccine on 8 September after one of the recipients of the vaccine in the UK developed an “unexplained illness”. However, in India, none of the volunteers have shown any signs of health-related complications after receiving the vaccine from SII.

MEDICAL NEwS

Meditation is to cultivate the mind. Just like a garden, the mind needs weeding, fertilis-ing and nurturing in order to flourish. Here is an invitation to experiment with a ‘diet’ and ‘ex-ercise’ to lighten the mind and to taste the sweetness of silence. for one week.

Start the day at dawn with a ‘spiritual breakfast’ of healthy thoughts. Step into the experi-

ence of oneness with nature… a slow morning walk, or sit on the rooftop or balcony. You can also simply use your imagination. Hold the word silence in the mind, savour the feeling and let that quietude spread through-out your body.

With the rays of the rising sun, detox the heart from any bitter-ness of resentment and blame. Close your eyes and feel the powerful Light of the Sun. Let those rays pass through you to the people you need to forgive, including yourself. Do not filter this light, let it flow. Forgive-ness is not rational, it is an act of grace, of letting go, emptying the heart of pain and releasing it from tension.

‘Fast’ by abstaining from feel-ings and attitudes that injure health and well-being. Refrain

from waste thoughts and pro-tect the heart from negative feel-

ings. Check the impact of any emotions arising in the mind.

Sit on the seat of the Master and practise replacing any negative feelings with courage, forgive-ness and confidence.

Just as the body needs to be replenished with whatever it is made of, such as minerals, vita-mins and liquids, we need to re-plenish the soul with whatever it is made of — peace, love, hap-piness and inner power.

Stop and ‘smell the roses’, create thoughts of gratitude and compassion. Connect with plants, birds, animals, and

small children, especially ba-bies, if possible. Marvel at the intricacy of all creation. Slow down and match the pace of nature.

Focus on your inner world. Who am I? What is important for me to be doing right now in my life? Simple practises such as keeping a vase of flowers on your desk, or a beautiful stone or picture can act as a reminder of your special attention this week.

Sleep early. If possible, use

your bedroom only for sleep-ing. Avoid working, talking and ‘busy-ness’ in the late evening. The ‘city sickness’ of insomnia, stress and anxiety is due to not spending time winding down and clearing the mind before sleeping and from the habit of sleeping late.

Close the day with silent re-flection so that I can learn from any mistakes I may have made throughout the day. Let them go. Forgive. Return to silence. The thoughts you sleep with will affect your dream state and morning mindset.

Maureen has established and sus-tained Brahma Kumaris medita-tion centres in Australia and Asia for over 40 years, as well as various charities in Hong Kong and Cam-bodia

Good wishes, it is said, have the power to cool down burning situations. They keep the mind calm in challenging situations and touch the hearts of others, inducing positive feelings and a like response.

Often we do not have good wishes for others be-cause we are ignorant of their value.

Good wishes help to end

ill will between people and bring us cooperation and love from others. In addi-tion, they aid our spiritual progress by saving us from negative thinking.

The phrase, ‘you reap what you sow’, sums up the benefit of having good wishes—if you think good of others, the return will eventually be good.

When someone criticises or insults you, you may be able to have good wishes for them if you understand why they are doing that, but how do you receive good wishes from them? At that time, if you remem-ber that they have lost their composure and are not in control of themselves, you will feel sorry for them, and also realise that the best response is to remain

peaceful. The other person will sense that peace and be thankful for it, even if they do not say so.

But first one has to have good wishes for the self. The way to do that is to be content – appreciate all that one has and be happy about it. For contentment, one also has to live by certain principles, as oth-erwise there will be the gnawing feeling that one is bad, or not good enough. The resulting despondency and low self-esteem can rob one of strength and happi-ness and will lead to no-where. On the other hand, the higher the principles one lives by, the more con-tent, happy and hopeful one will be.

Going a step further, when we are grateful for

everything we have, not taking our good fortune for granted, we earn good wishes from God, which smooth the journey of life. On reflection we re-alise there is a lot in our life that calls for gratitude, but which we take casu-ally. Gratitude teaches us to value even small things and share them with oth-ers, which earns us their good wishes.

Finally, it is important to have good wishes for na-ture, which provides us so much, and our body, which is made of the five elements. Appreciating nature’s gifts and serving nature create a bond with the five elements that enriches our life.

Having good wishes for the body is to give thanks for how it enables us to work and serve. In return, the body will remain active. This is not wishful think-ing. A positive attitude trig-gers a beneficial hormonal response, which helps to keep the mind and body healthy. The more we use the body to serve others, the longer it will remain healthy.B.K. Mruthyunjaya is Execu-tive Secretary of the Brahma Kumaris

Looking at the world right now, we wonder if this is a time of crisis or opportunity. We all understand that we are living in precarious times, and we all recognise the need to rise, support and help oth-ers. Spiritual traditions share insights into principles and practices that will be help-ful in doing this. We all are aware that love can do magic. Every faith tradition has em-phasized that time spent in silence, prayer or meditation develops one’s inner power and capacity for love. The power of love will increase our capacity to serve and support those in need. Igno-rance of love allowed violence to erupt against the human family and nature itself.

From a spiritual viewpoint, the current circumstances hold an incredible oppor-tunity for transformation.

Transformation of the self and transformation of this planet. Looking at time from a linear perspective, it feels as if we are approaching the end of an era. We are totally unsure of what comes next, if anything at all. However, looking closely, we can see that days, months, seasons and nature itself moves in cir-cles and cycles. Interestingly, there is not a straight line to be found in nature. Human-ity has always gone through periods of light and darkness and there was always a new beginning. Seeing time in a

cyclical way offers hope for the future and teaches us hu-mility and compassion. This is the most critical period in history, and time is asking humanity to take the lead in a transition to move from the lowest to the highest, from negativity into goodness, truth and beauty.

Humans do have an incred-ible potential to bring change to the world. We have to open our hearts and minds to the divine and reconnect with our eternal self – the soul. This interaction will liberate us and set free our creative

potential. Once we visualize a better world, we soon realise that compassion, love, peace and joy are among the most essential qualities. Mind is above matter!

The world is definitely at the turning point where soon the darkness will end and there will be a world of light, a bet-ter world in which there can be truth, justice, love, happi-ness and peace for all. Let us join hands in this task and create a beautiful world.B.K. Jayanti is the director of the Brahma Kumaris’ services in Europe

An invitation to experience sweet silence

The imporTance of having good wishes This is an opporTuniTy for TransformaTion

do noT make comparisons wiTh oThers

the daily guardiansaturday | 12 sep tember 2020

new delhi 9forgiveness

mediTaTion

posiTive aTTiTude BeauTiful world

discourse

spiritually speaking

When we think of mercy, some related words

come to mind, such as pity, sympathy and compas-sion. Pity is to feel sorry for someone but not do any-thing about it. We look at the poor or those who are suffering and we pity them, but are unable to offer suc-cour.

Mercy is to go a step fur-ther and lend a helping hand — we sympathise and understand others’ feelings.

Compassion is a higher consciousness that includes sympathy and concern for the suffering of others. God, it is said, has compassion for all souls.

Pity can take the form of self-pity. We may be going

through difficult times and think, “No one loves me. No one cares for me. I’m so poor”, and so on. This kind of self-absorbed unhappi-ness over one’s own trou-bles does not help anyone.

Mercy can also be futile, even damaging, if it is false mercy. We may think we are being merciful by help-ing others, but if we do it in such a way that the other person does not progress, they will become depend-ent on us.

Sometimes, those who have such mercy get trapped in the problems of others. Out of attachment or poor discernment, we may have mercy on some-one who may not have the capacity to change for the better. We fail to see the long-term consequences of our actions and rush in to help. The results may not be what we intended. In fact, we may end up suffering in the process. So one needs to be careful before getting involved in helping others.

The first mercy we need to have is on the self, by look-ing after our own spiritual and physical well-being.

This includes living by principles that will help me stay emotionally and physi-cally healthy.

When we have mercy on others, we must watch our motives: Do I sincerely want to help the other per-son, or am I doing it because I have been asked to, or my role requires me to do it? If I am volunteering help, what is in my mind? Am I looking for acknowledge-ment, praise or some other return? Am I trying to show myself to be more merciful than others?

In a family, mercy born of attachment can cause par-ents to spoil their children. Where there is attachment we tend to ignore the other person’s weaknesses, and there is no effort to make the other person realise their faults and remove them. Here, what is needed is a balance of love and dis-cipline.

Our mercy cannot be limited to those we know or like. Can I be merci-ful towards someone who criticises or insults me? Do I have merciful feelings for terrorists and criminals, or

those who have harassed or cheated me? We tend to fear or hate such people.

These negative feelings can be transformed into a positive attitude through meditation, which helps us realise that every soul is on a unique journey, and there is a reason why people are the way they are and do the things they do. This is not condoning wrong actions, but understanding, with empathy and wisdom, how they came about. Only when we are positive to-wards such people can we help them live a better life.

Mercy also enables us to forgive others for their wrongs. Forgiveness is necessary to let go of the burden of an unhappy past and move on in life.

Mercy and forgiveness are not merely virtues that ben-efit others — they do much more good to me by freeing me from harmful thoughts and feelings, making me a truly humane being who can serve the world.B.K. Dr. Nirmala is the director of Brahma Kumaris Rajyoga centres in the Asia-Pacific re-gion

Mercy makes us humane beings

B.K. Dr. Nirmala

Comparing your progress in self-development with that of others will leave you vul-nerable on three counts: You will feel inferior, superior, or impressed. All three of these states are dangerous because they disregard the underlying principle of our

true connection with each other – mutual love and re-gard, based on independent-ly generated self-esteem.

To protect yourself from this vulnerability, make sure that your attention remains turned within, to-wards the spiritual experi-ence of pure pride. Staying centred in your elevated self-respect will help you remain undisturbed by others around you. Keep asking yourself, ‘Who am I?’ ‘How would my spiri-tual personality respond to this event or person?’ This will help centre you further, and allow you to enjoy the successful efforts of others.

DaDi JaNKi

maureeN CheN

B.K. mruthyuNJaya B.K. JayaNti

Just as the body needs to be replenished with whatever it is made of, such as minerals, vitamins and liquids, we need to replenish the soul with whatever it is made of—peace, love, happiness and inner power.

10 t h e da i ly gua r d i a nsat u r day | 1 2 s e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 0n ew d e l h igastronomically speaking

Food Republic

upwaRd mobility in the time oF lockdownWith a little help from us, our domestic help could harness their talents to create profitable food businesses. Here’s one such heartening story born out of the compulsions of the lockdown.

I believe that if each one of us who is fortunately placed in life can make a real differ-

ence, for starters, to the lives of our house help, we could con-tribute collectively to the unfin-ished task of rooting out poverty. I’d like to share how a couple, both outstanding professionals living in Defence Colony, turned the Lockdown into an opportu-nity for their maid and her son.

Neeta Raheja (a noted wed-ding planner and head of a PR firm) and Adishwar Puri (who’s in the fragrant business of pro-ducing potpourri) are famous for treats that their household staff keep producing in a jiffy whenever visitors drop in. I am a great fan of the shammi kabab served at their home, but Neeta and Adishwar realised the com-mercial potential of the food they served at home when a friend of theirs -- at a time when home de-livery services had not yet gath-ered momentum -- asked them to pack some biryani, kababs and mirchi ka saalan to be sent over to Puneet Sikand, Delhi’s much-acclaimed wedding caterer, to celebrate a matrimonial alliance.

The family that ordered the food, which was prepared by the cook who has been serving Raheja and Puri for the past 25 years, got back saying that Si-kand, who knows his food better than most of us, just loved the mirchi ka saalan. Raheja and Puri

knew immediately that their cook, Saraswati Thapa, who’s from the city of Butwal in Nepal, was on to a good thing, so they got her home delivery service off the ground with a limited menu -- mutton and chicken biryani, vegetarian pulao, shaami kabab, mirchi ka saalan and raita.

Neeta got an old colleague of hers, Tejween Kaur, who runs her own wedding agency, to help with the packaging, which means the handi of biryani comes wrapped in a piece of ornamen-tal cloth, and the order is deliv-ered home in an elegant-look-ing brown paper bag. Thapa’s son Rahul doubles as delivery boy and keeper of accounts. And Adishwar is the in-house critic -- it is who takes the call on whether the complimentary accompaniment of the day will be mirchi ka saalan or a daal, de-pending on the thickness of the green chillies that go into the saalan.

The other day I asked for a mutton biryani (made to perfec-tion with really juicy mutton, some still on the bone), which came with generous helpings of mirchi ka saalan, raita and sirka pyaaz (baby pearl onions soaked

in vinegar), and a kilo of meaty, coal-smoked shammi kababs, pan-fried so delicately as not to leave any sign of the cooking medium. The cost worked out to be Rs 800 for biryani good enough to feed four people and Rs 850 for a kilo of shammi kababs (10 to 12 pieces to a kilo).

With such friendly pricing a family of four can happily have a satisfying home-cooked meal for Rs 400 per person. It’s a great deal for the patrons of what is still a limited home delivery ser-vice. And for Thapa, it’s an op-portunity to turn entrepreneur-ial along with her son and rise above her present station in life.

Kachoris on callBanker-turned-food entrepre-neur Sid Mathur hasn’t been complaining about Covid-19 for a good reason. He has tasted suc-cess with his mithai brand Khoya, whose sales figures for July and August surpassed those record-ed in the same months last year.

At a time when Covid-19 has left the hospitality sector wounded, online food sales have never done better, riding of course on the unexpected surge in e-commerce, which has seen

10 years of growth in just the past five months. Indian mithai, moreover, is not easy to make at home, so if you’re locked down at home, you have no option but to order online when you crave for besan laddoos, or ghewar, as I discovered more recently. Khoya’s ghewar gave my favourite from Kaleva a run for its money.

Buoyed by the success of Khoya’s sweetmeats, Sid has just launched a range of home-delivered, heat-and-eat pyaaz ka-choris, inspired by the ones his staff had prepared as a tea-time

snack for his office staff. It’s not easy to find good-quality kachoris in Delhi, unless you go to Bengali Market or Chandni Chowk. Sid has made this evergreen tea-time snack accessible to all. What I loved about the kachoris is that, though they come with the cau-tionary note that they have to be consumed within an hour, I had the last one of them three days after they arrived and found no difference in taste or freshness. (And do check out khoyamithai.com.)

ElanEEr & old MonKI DON’T know whether you re-alised it, apart from becoming home cooks -- the startling num-bers follow in the next item -- we have also become pros at mix-ing our own cocktails, thanks to what seemed like an endless ban on restaurants serving alcohol (and even now the nightclubs are shut). With their workplaces shut, a number of bartenders turned to creative ways to earn a living and out of their efforts was

born a cottage industry of non-alcoholic cocktail mixers.

What caught my attention, though, was the Elaneer Colada (from the Craft Cocktails range of 11 pre-mixes of the Bar Engi-neers) -- inspired no doubt by Kerala’s coconut milk kheer, ela-neer payasam -- because it got along with my Old Monk rum like a house on fire. I did mix it with soda fearing an overpow-ering sweetness, but it was bal-anced and complemented the rum as if their match was made in heaven. The fruit-based mix-ers were all seasonal, so the Jamun and Basil combination may not be available now as a substitute for tonic in a GNT, nor may the raw mango, cucumber and mint mix, but I am sure the inventive folks at Bar Engineers must have come up with more. (Go to www.barengineers.com to find out more.)

a nation of rE-born cooKsIF THE Lockdown achieved something, it was to unlock the vast reservoir of home cooking talent in our country. Overnight, women who left cooking at home to household help, started cook-ing, as did men, sometimes out of sheer boredom, and young working couples with no chil-dren, who either ate out or or-dered in. You just had to look up Facebook or Instagram in those three or four months, and all you could see were pictures of home-cooked meals popping up. Statistically speaking, people cooked at home 53 per cent more than before. Does it spell a new and unforeseen challenge for the restaurant business? Watch this space to find out more.Sourish Bhattacharyya has been writing about food and drinks for the past two decades. He is also co-editing with Colleen Taylor Sen ‘The Companion to Indian Food’ for Bloomsbury, UK, which is scheduled to come out in 2022.

anuriMa roy

GRound RepoRt

Sagging spirits: Is it the time to raise the bar?

The world has been reeling under the effects of the Cov-id-19 pandemic with econo-mies hitting rock bottom, people losing jobs in hordes, businesses shutting down, and so on. The impact on the F&B and tourism indus-tries has been the maximum with people having com-pletely stopped eating out and travelling. At this point, one does wonder if liquor service at outlets could be the magic that could turn it all around, especially when it is freely available at all the ‘thekas’, and would people really make a dash to their favourite joints because of this?

September 9 has become something like an iconic date in 2020 when the entire (or at least a majority of) F&B industry breathes a sigh of relief in the capital city. Res-taurant owners and hoteliers see this as an opportunity to revive their much-stalled businesses, while hospitality professionals are hopeful of getting back their jobs some-where in the industry. With so many establishments hav-ing shut down, what is in

store for the ones that have opened/plan to reopen in the near future?

Minakshi Singh, for one, is excited and happy that things are getting back to normal and quite confident that business will be on a high again soon. As the co-owner of Sidecar, Café Lungta and Speakeasy, she says, “People have put their faith in us; our regulars had already started dining here when we opened our kitchen, but with the our very popular cocktails from Yangdup Lama’s bar, we are confident that our customers are as excited as we are and people will be happy to start coming in!”

However, people from dif-ferent strata of society differ in their opinions on this. Rajiv Aneja, a food influencer and ex-restaurateur, feels that he is not ready to go out yet. “We have waited for so many months, a few more won’t harm, especially with cases on the rise. I wonder how people are going to be sud-denly ready to flock at res-taurants despite job losses, pay cuts, etc.”

Simi Kohli, one of the co-owners of Shibuya, is one of those who would “not be jumping into the bandwag-on of opening the restaurant immediately just because of the alcohol service”. She says, “I will be taking baby steps in terms of opening the restaurant. For me, it is

more important to build a model that is sustainable, so we don’t have to take a step back at any time. I would also like to get most of my staff back to keep their home fires burning; we are work-ing with limited people right now.”

Shammi Manik, CEO of a large Indian company, however, feels very strongly about dining out now that the liquor service has be-gun. He adds, “Establish-ments should open and peo-ple need to start going out at the earliest to revive the economy and the social con-nect. Jobs will come as soon as people start mingling and with due precautions, and hu-

man beings need to have that social con-nection. Alcohol is not just for consumption; it’s for the experience of meeting peo-ple and taking businesses forward. I already have.”

Not only have the prices of everything gone up, the way of working has evolved

in a big way too, especially for the F&B industry. The most important word to-day is ‘contactless’; ‘safe and hygienic’ have always been there. When it comes to op-erational costs, things have changed drastically. With only 50% occupancy al-lowed at an establishment, most restaurant owners feel terrible about not being able to bring their entire staff back and work with a smaller menu.

With costs and stress lev-els for main-taining top class safety

and hygiene, Simi adds: “For some of us, F&B is what we have totally invested in. This is all we have, and this is what we do. The stress is huge; we’ve bled for months, but I want to make sure that people who have loved our

food should put their faith in us again. There is no point in rushing it because that may push us back further rather than taking us forward. We will start with deliveries and opening one floor of the res-taurant in the evenings for dinner, but the idea is to go slow and get the entire staff back step by step.”

The ball game at hotels is slightly more complicated though because maintenance of a group of hotels and an entire prop-

erty in a city needs far more SOPs than a restaurant. Says Rohit Arora, general man-ager of The Park, “Having taken all the precautions, we have also started a contact-less menu where you come in and scan the QR code for the menu to come alive on

your

phone. The same thing goes for our in-room dining as well. We have also launched an in-house programme called SHIELD (Sanitisation Hygiene ISO stand-ards Excel-

lence Luxury re-defined Distancing), which is an SOP document that has to be strictly abided by, not only the staff but all our guests too. Opening will be gradual for our restaurants.”

Even with Unlock 4.0, many companies have de-clared that they would not be reopening their offices in 2020 at all and their em-ployees will work from home till 2021. There is also a segment of people who are very clear that they will not go out and eat till the Covid vaccine is out. Home deliv-eries are still acceptable to many, but going to a res-taurant is something that is off the menu. However, the other side of the coin is that people have been holed up at their homes for so long that they just need to get out and get that drink out-side! With the boundary lines fading between one’s personal and professional life, working from home is fast becoming no less than a burden! For them, going out is not about the availability of alcohol; it’s the entire experi-ence of mingling, laughing and spending a memorable evening with one’s circle.

Minakshi adds, “These are testing times for us all, especially those who have invested everything -- from our money to our life’s skills -- in this business. We are F&B people: We are in it for the passion, our love for food and what we believe in. That’s why we are still here even though there’s no certainty about when the government will announce another lockdown. We will need to keep investing at this time and keep afloat, rather

than thinking of profitability. Our cost of operations and produce has gone higher, but we cannot increase the cost in our menus for the end cus-tomer. People have started coming in for our signature cocktails and our food.”

Sugandha Saxena, a chef entrepreneur, who has re-cently launched her brand, Okhli, is very clear in say-ing, “People are happy to order the food they want to have from a particular brand or person they know person-ally at the moment. Going out to restaurants is a big no for people for safety reasons like using their cutlery and washrooms. I feel that the comfort of home with the cuisine you like is going to be the way for the next few months.”

Talking about the impact of being able to serve liquor on the business, Rohit Aro-ra adds, “The sentiments of people are not great yet. Most aren’t happy about spending the money to begin with; fear of Covid-19 comes next. The business is likely to pick up but not immediately; the liquor service is an added advantage and we will have to wait for weekends to see how everything goes.”

With India slowly unlock-ing itself, we are gearing up for exciting times ahead. Or, are we?Anurima Roy is a publishing professional, marketeer and edi-tor who writes on the food and alchobev industries.

sourish bhattacharyya cRaFt cocktails

sid mathuR’s online sweet shop, khoya, has just launched its new line oF pyaaz kachoRis.

saRaswati thapa has been woRkinG FoR a couple FoR 25 yeaRs, but FoR the FiRst time heR biRyanis and shammi kababs have Found an appReciative maRket beyond heR employeRs’ home.

Tired of trying market-based synthetic face packs that promise you glowing, smooth and radiant skin? However, a great alternative to your expensive beauty prod-ucts in the market is fruit face packs which are quite effective, have no side effects and are cost-efficient as well. The homemade fruit face pack is natural and easy to make and gives you clear, smooth and glowing skin with regular use.

Here are some fruit face packs that help you achieve a beauti-ful glowing skin that you always wanted.

MangoMango is rich in Vitamins A and C, E and a host of skin rejuvenat-ing formulas. It contains antioxi-dants that have anti-inflamma-tory effects on your skin. Mango softens, nourishes and brightens the skin. Take 3 tablespoons of mango pulp and mix with one teaspoon of ground almonds, oats and lemon juice. Apply on the face, avoiding the lips and area around the eyes. Wash off after 20 to 30 minutes.

Take slices of ripe mango. Mash it until it is smooth and add one teaspoon of multani mitti (fuller’s earth) to make a thick, smooth paste. Apply this paste your skin around face and neck and wash it off after 30 minutes to get supple and glowing skin.

Ripe papayaPapaya has so many benefits that it used to be called “the food of the angels.” It is a rich source of anti-oxidants, like Vitamins A, C and B, folate and pantothenic acid, as well as minerals like potassium,

copper, and magnesium. Papaya contains the enzyme papain which helps to soften and remove dead skin cells, making the skin clearer and brighter. Mix 3 tea-spoons of ripe papaya with 3 tea-spoons of oats and one teaspoon each of curd and honey. Leave on for 20 to 30 minutes and wash off with water. It softens the skin and adds a glow.

Alternatively, mash a few slices of ripe papaya until it is smooth. Add a few drops of honey and lemon juice to make a thick paste. Apply the paste on the face for 30 minutes and wash it off with fresh clean water.

Take two pieces of papaya and one tablespoon of honey. Blend the papaya into a smooth pulp and add the honey to it. Once you have gotten a thick consistency, apply the mixture on the face and wash it off with cold water after 30 minutes and apply moisturis-er for glowing, radiant and supple skin.

Mix one tablespoon of grated apples, ripe papaya pulp and

mashed banana. Add oats to make a mixture that does not drip. Apply it on the face, avoid-ing the lips and area around the eyes. Leave it on for half an hour. Wash off with plain water. It not only adds glow but also cleanses the skin and removes tan.

BananaBanana is one of the richest sources of potassium and also contains Vitamin C and B6, silica,

potassium, and other nutrients. It is extremely nourishing for the skin, not only due to its vitamin content but also because potas-sium helps to soften the skin. Banana helps clear hyperpig-mentation and protects the skin from sun damage. It is a perfect ingredient for dry and sensitive skin and tightens and tones the skin. The banana pulp can be added to the egg white and one teaspoon honey. Leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes and then wash it off. Almond oil may also be added to the pack, especially during the dry winter season.

appleApple contains a wealth of vita-mins and minerals. It is a won-derful skin toner, helps to tighten the skin and stimulate blood cir-culation to the skin surface. Ap-ple contains vitamin C that helps build collagen. It contains power-ful antioxidants and polyphenols that protect your skin from UV damage and ageing.

Apple also contains fruit acids,

which have a powerful cleansing effect on the skin, removing dead skin cells. This helps to brighten the skin and gradually clear away blemishes, like dark spots. It helps to achieve healthy, glowing and youthful skin.

Raw apple pulp or apple juice can be applied on the skin daily and then washed off after 20 min-utes. Grated apple can be added to face masks. Mix oats with curd, honey and apple pulp or grated apple into a paste. Apply on the face and wash it off after 20 to 30 minutes.

poMegRanatePomegranate is a rich source of Vitamin C and antioxidants. It’s excellent for skincare, as it helps to moisturise the skin. The pome-granate also helps to improve the skin’s moisture retention ability too. Used regularly on the face, it can remove tan, lighten skin colour and also brighten the skin.

Pomegranate juice can be mixed with lemon juice in equal quanti-ties and applied on the face. Rinse

off after 20 minutes with water. Pomegranate peel can be dried and powdered and used in face packs. Mix two teaspoons each pomegranate peel powder and multani mitti with enough rose water to make a paste. Apply on the face, avoiding the lips and area around the eyes. Wash off when it dries.

gRapefRuitBoth pink and red grapefruit are said to be rich in Vitamin A, caro-tene and lycopene. They are also rich in Vitamins C and A, as well as potassium and magnesium. Additionally, they contain B-Complex Vitamins and minerals such as iron, calcium, copper and phosphorus.

Like other citrus fruits, grape-fruit also has a cleansing and toning effect on the skin. It is particularly good for oily and pimple-prone skin. It reduces oiliness and also helps to reduce tan with time.The author is a well-known beauty expert.

Ever heard of Midas and his touch, turning all into gold? Now meet Manuu

Mansheet, the designer with the Midas touch, who, with the swish of his hand, the dash of his brain, makes everything look picture perfect. People call him an interior stylist but I prefer the word ‘visual maestro’ who has an inner aesthetic scanner. He can walk into a room, find its design fault lines and set it right in a jiffy. Voila!

Visualiser, food stylist, design academic and a self-taught in-terior designer who has this inborn knack to ‘turn things around’, his design bastion is using heritage and making it look modern, liable and warm. Even a rare, vintage ‘Pichwai’, a ‘Jamevar’ throw, a precious ‘Pat-tachitra’ can blend in seamlessly into the classic environs he con-jures. In this day and age, when the call to go local for vocal is turning everyone into clones of Indian, ethnic, we catch up with this cultural mixologist to find out how the twain meet in his design horizon.

A visiting faculty of visual mer-chandising in front running de-sign schools like NIFT and Pearl, Manuu is a brave designer who takes on any design challenge. To him, the idiom ‘art has no boundaries’ holds true. Hence at the wedding of Ambani’s daugh-ter, you found him doing up the favor corner as a heritage store calling it the Swadeshi Bazaar. At the famed Diacolor-Chaudhary wedding, he was busy styling food at a vibrant, experiential chaat corner. “Indian weddings are like James Bond thrillers. They call for all the frills, fancies and the shenanigans but it all flashes by in jiffy,” says Manuu.

He humbly submits, “My jour-ney so far took me from being an amateur stylist to a professional one. Growing up on Indian mythological stories, the famous comics and many more rooted

art influences, naturally made me gravitate towards the purest of arts, Tanjores, Pattachitras, Pichwais, Tangkhas, Urdu cal-ligraphy, Catholic iconography… the list can go on endlessly. Even the design elements I source are Indian in their technique and historic reference: wood work, lacquer work, carpets, durries, metal work, textiles, jamawars.”

The delicate shift from ethnic Indian to classic contemporary happens in the way Manuu cu-rates the entire look of a space which might be modern but never a replica of a New York studio apartment or a minimal-ist, Norwegian home. He says, “I have never understood (not that I condemn it or look down upon it) the need to ape the West. The newfound and newfangled theories of interior design, use of glass, steel and foreign materials; these and jacketed, non-aired (windows not allowing fresh air) air-conditioned havens, leather sofas and large minimalist spac-es.”

Instead Manuu, in his many design journeys including the visual merchandising for ac-claimed brands like Ikea, Godrej and Boyce, Taj Khazana, Tata Westside, goes for rooted maxi-malism, classic contemporary. Not just in the choice of ele-ments but also the entire zoning of design, the pantone shades he carefully selects, the textures, materials and props. He says, “A lot of clients these days come up with inspirational pictures from Pinterest and other sources and think that the same colours and textures that were used in in-fancy houses in Manhattan or Mykonos or Paris or London would look great in Delhi also. India is a diverse country. It’s got different regions, different states, different cultures, differ-ent weathers and different sea-sonal conditions. Our diversity is our essence.”

He goes on to say, “We have our own inherent styles which are unique to various cultures and states. India is a land of colours and artisans and textiles. There is a lot to learn and still discover in various rural and urban areas then why must we ape the west? Why must we look for inspira-tions elsewhere when there is so much more available within our country? I do not agree that all the colours and all the designs and the style of living in different parts of the world can be incor-porated in India.”

Associated with Tata’s craft project, Taj Khazana for years, Manuu had the good fortune to work with masters of ‘hand-made’ in India up close. What thrilled him in this experience was the skilled way in which even an artisan living in a distant

village was able to adapt his tech-nique to a newer dialect. He says, “Creativity is not a destination. It is a process which keeps evolv-ing with time. India has gone through its own journey with regards to its motifs, colours, product design etc. Design has its own shelf life. Hence you will still see the use of Kutchi mir-ror work, miniature art, Tanjore and various other textile forms embroideries and embellish-ment but the entire interpre-tation is subtle, contemporary and a paradigm shift from its ancient avatar. India can no longer be associated with snake charmers, elephants, the bindi or the sari. India’s stance today on the world map as a producer of world-class art products tex-tiles jewels etc these need not be ethnic village centric or rustic if

I may say so.”Talking on the need to go vo-

cal for locals, he suggests that first we need to make all those marvellous products we export available to the Indian con-sumer. “ It surprises me when I go abroad and I see products at Crate & Barrel, restoration hardware, Ikea etc. which are made in India yet we do not see them in our own country even more appalling is when I get to see homes here designed with products from China and the Middle East,” he adds.

“We live in a country where artisans are ready to produce whatever we like, whether it’s a frame, a piece of furniture, metalwork, a lamp ,an acces-sory. Having said that using tra-ditional art forms needn’t take us through the ethnic route. Our artisans need a little bit of handholding and they are ca-pable of producing amazing products that perfectly fit our contemporary way of life,” says Manuu. And this mastery over the two realms, one rooted and the other euphemistic modern is best portrayed in his Delhi home that is like walking into a candy store for design sore eyes. Picture perfect, lived in and full of art, some rare some rooted but always divine.

Though Teachers’ Day was most relevant during our formative years, there is merit in celebrating everyone who has taught us a skill, impart-ed knowledge, gifted experiences or added value to us in any capacity, throughout our lives. I stopped paying attention to the peculiar Indian celebration of Teachers’ Day, which also marks the birth anniversary of India’s erstwhile President, Dr S. Radhakrishnan, when I graduated from university. However, now that I have donned my teacher’s hat to assist with my child’s online home-schooling, I often reflect on the quali-ties of great teachers.• THEY MUST BE PATIENTTeachers deal with different levels of intellect and interest in their class-rooms. The only way to correctly serve each individual is by being as patient as possible. No question is ever too stupid, no problem without a solution, and no situation worth losing one’s temper without assess-ment. Great teachers impart knowledge by patiently encouraging their students to think, rather than dictating terms of learning.• THEY MUST TEMPER THEIR EXPECTATIONSWhile a lot is expected of teachers, they must not entertain excessive expectations from their students. This applies to academic or other per-formances, as well as to appreciation of their efforts. If appreciation of their teaching skill is received without expectation, it is a welcome bonus!• THEY MUST ACCEPT CRITICISM & RIDICULENo teacher escapes ridicule and criticism, whether from students or par-ents of the students. It is natural for teachers to be blamed for failures, even if they are not credited for accomplishments. Further, bored and rebellious students are bound to target their teachers and make fun of them. What sets a great teacher apart from others is their ability to take it in their stride and continue onward.• THEY MUST CONTINUOUSLY KEEP LEARNINGGood teachers study their textbooks and teach them diligently, but great teachers study the latest developments in their fields and generously add them to the existing curricula. Further, great teachers stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and methodologies of teaching their disci-plines, by attending webinars and conferences and through continuous reading. • THEY MUST BE GOOD PERFORMERSWhether a pre-school teacher or someone with a doctoral degree, every great teacher has one thing in common -- they are born performers. A healthy imagination, good oratorical skills and a penchant for drama keep their audience, or students in this case, enthralled despite the te-dium of the subjects!• THEY MUST BE FRIENDLY, YET COMMAND RESPECTThere are many teachers with whom one forms friendly connections, but they are likely to be forgotten if they do not command respect. A great teacher should be approachable and relatable but never lose their authority, if they are to be taken seriously. • THEY MUST BE ADAPTABLEThe pandemic has shown us the many failings of a traditional educa-tional system. It became clear that some teachers were not equipped for online schooling, despite clear indications of technological systems being the way forward. In order for teachers to be termed great, they must be willing to accept the challenges they face in their professions, and adapt to the situation so they can guide their students to do the same.• THEY MUST BE CREATIVEIn addition to being performers and sympathetic listeners, great teachers must be creative in their teaching methods, so their classes can appeal to a wide range of personalities and situations. • THEY MUST HAVE A HARD EXTERIOR WITH A SOFT COREEncapsulating all the qualities mentioned above, great teachers must be tough on the outside and soft and pliable on the inside. This allows them to effectively impart knowledge, impact growing personalities and permanently remain etched in the minds of their students.

There is no course or programme that teachers can follow to be excel-lent at teaching. Great teachers are simply gifted with this ability. Most of us have had the pleasure of learning from a few great teachers in our lifetime, but have we been great students? With low standards of pay-ment and a growing restlessness with formalised education, the world is losing amazing teachers to more outwardly rewarding career paths. It is high time we changed this mindset by according due respect to the oldest and most noble of professions.

The writer is a lawyer who pens lifestyle articles on her successful blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be found on Instagram @nooranandchawla.

People call Manuu Mansheet an interior stylist but he is more like a ‘visual maestro’ who has an inner aesthetic scanner.

SNIPPETS of lifeNoor ANANd ChAwlA

The qualiTies of a greaT Teacher

DIY fruIt face packs to make Your skIn trulY shIne & rejuvenate

lifestyle the daily guardiansaturday | 12 sep tember 2020

new delhi 11pIcture perfect

eXpert aDvIce

ANSHU KHANNANew delhi

A designer with the Midas touch

SHAHNAz HUSAIN

12 t h e da i ly gua r d i a nsat u r day | 1 2 s e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 0n ew d e l h ientertainment

JL50, the new Sony LIV se-ries created and directed by Shailender Vyas, was origi-

nally meant to be a science fic-tion movie but now it has been released as a four-part minise-ries with each episode clocking roughly 30 minutes. The sci-fi thriller series revolves around a CBI investigation of a flight crash in the hill town of Lava situated in West Bengal. The investiga-tion takes a shocking turn when it is discovered that JL50 which crashed a week ago is the same

aeroplane that had mysteriously disappeared after taking off from Kolkata (erstwhile Calcutta) 35 years ago. 

JL50 stars Abhay Deol, Pankaj Kapur, Piyush Mishra, Rajesh Sharma, Amrita Chattopadhyay, and Ritika Anand who is also one of the producers on the series. While Deol plays a CBI officer named Shantanu, Kapur plays a professor of quantum physics who holds the key to the mystery surrounding the crashed aero-plane.

Now, as evident from the afore-mentioned storyline, the theme of time travel is central to the series. According to Wikipedia, the concept of time travel in-volves “movement between cer-tain points in time”. It is widely accepted that even though time travel may be theoretically pos-sible, it is beyond our current technological capabilities. But that hasn’t stopped the science fiction writers from exploring the

different aspects of time travel. If we talk of cinema, film franchises including Star Trek, Back to the Future, X-Men and Avengers have depicted humans arrive in the past or future, almost at will. Each time a new time travel the-ory is put into effect. Generally, the most popular means of time travel involves a time machine—originally made famous by H. G. Wells’ 1895 novel The Time Ma-chine.

Over the years, we have be-come more sophisticated when it comes to time travel. Take, for ex-ample, the concept of wormhole (aka Einstein–Rosen bridge). A wormhole can be visualised as a tunnel that links disparate points in spacetime. So, if we enter the tunnel which is connected to the present at its opening we can ef-fectively travel into the past or the future connected to its other end. It’s like taking a shortcut in time.

JL50 too relies on the wormhole concept to explore the possibili-ties of time travel.

It is heartening to see serious sci-fi finally working out reason-ably well in India. In the past, we have seen the concept of time travel used ludicrously in films like Fun2shh and Action Replayy, but JL50 finally brings some dig-nity to time travel. Credit goes to creator-director Shailender Vyas and actor-producer Ritika Anand for the belief and commit-ment to their vision. Abhay Deol and Pankaj Kapur also need to be commended for backing a project like this.

The series has all the right in-gredients and yet it falls short of attaining brilliance. And it’s mainly because of two reasons. Firstly, it lacks the deep explora-tion that the long-form narrative requires. The ending is too quick and slick. While it may have worked for a movie, it leaves a lot to be desired within the con-

struct of a miniseries. Secondly, the makers appear to take the viewers for granted when they choose to go easy on science and the concept of time travel. Gone are those days when the Indian audiences weren’t exposed to international films and series. Viewers of today, especially those on the web, are well-accustomed to watching sci-fi films and se-ries. For example, a viewer who has seen Christopher Nolan’s In-terstellar is bound to feel a bit let down by JL50. Why stick to the elementary stuff when the audi-ences have an appetite for more?

Despite the misses, JL50 holds a great promise for the future of sci-fi films and series in India. Pankaj Kapur’s riveting perfor-mance is the strongest point of the series followed by Abhay Deol’s long-awaited return to form. Kapur is right up there with the very best actors in the coun-try. He plays a Bengali professor specialising in quantum physics

with such effortless ease that one can seldom associate with a non-Bengali actor essaying a Bengali part. And he makes the character delectable to watch. Every time he is on the screen the show at-tains a different level of brilliance.

As for Deol, he finally brings his A-game to the fore ever since he lost his mojo during the 2010s. He did essay some truly amazing characters during the 2000s but then the last decade wasn’t so productive for him. One hopes to see his best work yet during the 2020s. And this series is cer-tainly a good start.

Also, the performances of Ri-tika Anand and Rajesh Sharma are solid. Amrita Chattopadhyay also makes her presence felt dur-ing her short but memorable ap-pearance. The couple of scenes she shares with Deol are quite in-tense. If you are a sci-fi lover then JL50 will certainly not disappoint you as long as you don’t approach it with very high expectations.

MuMBAI: Actor Aftab Shivdasani on Fri-day revealed he has tested Covid-19 positive. “Hello everyone, hope you all are fit and fine and are taking care of yourselves. Recently I started showing minor symptoms of a dry cough and mild fever and I got myself tested for Covid-19. unfortunately, the results came out positive and under the medical supervi-sion of doctors and authorities, I have been ad-vised to home quarantine,” the actor tweeted.

Aftab also requested that those who had come in his proximity in recent days should get themselves tested. “I request all those who may have come in contact with me recently please get yourself tested just to be safe. With your support and good wishes, I will recover soon and be back to normal. I can’t empha-sise more the need to socially be distant, use masks and sanitisers as much as possible,” he wrote.

NEW DELHI: An upcoming romantic drama ‘Sitara’ star-ring Sobhita Dhulipala is all set to resume shooting in November. The film, which is set for digital release, stars ‘Made In Heaven’ actor Sobhita Dhulipala and ‘Four More Shots Please!’ actor Rajeev Siddhartha in the lead roles. Having completed a brief schedule in Mumbai, the shoot of the film was halted in March, owing to the pandemic. “A film like sitara is a step taken with small feet to-wards a larger newness in Indian cinema. Now that we go back to shoot in Novem-ber, we as a team are returning stronger in mind, body and spirit. Rearing to go!” says Sobhita Dhulipala. Producer Ronnie Screwvala adds “Sitara is a story about love, appre-ciation, acceptance, forgiveness and redemption. There can be no bet-ter woman than Vandana Kataria to direct this digital film for RSVP. Hoping to bring this story about a dysfunctional family to audiences early next year.”

— Our Correspondent

Hollywood star Kate Winslet recently opened up about her time in front of the camera, including collaborations with directors Woody Allen and Roman Polanski, both of whom have been scarred by accu-sations of sexual misconduct. According to an America-based media

house,she pointed out, “It’s like, what the f**k was I doing working with Woody Allen and

Roman Polanski? It’s unbelievable to me now how those men were held in such high regard, so widely in the film indus-try and for as long as they were. It’s f**king disgraceful.” This topic arose when Winslet said that she hoped to do her “best when it comes to set-ting a decent example to younger women.” The ‘Titanic’ actor add-ed that now, she must “take re-

sponsibility that I worked with them both.” Winslet said, “I

can’t turn back the clock. I’m grappling with those

regrets but what do we have if we aren’t able

to just be f**king truthful about

all of it?” — Correspondent

Despite the misses, Abhay’s JL50 holds promise for the future of Indian sci-fi films

Murtaza ali Khan

Ankita Lokhande has responded to remarks by Shibani Dandekar, where the latter claimed that Ankita is tar-geting actress Rhea Chakraborty for “two seconds of fame”. Ankita ques-tioned if she was being criticised be-cause she has extensive work experi-ence in the television world, instead of Bollywood. She asked Shibani to “stop looking down on television ac-tors”. The actress said: “Fame is only a byproduct of the love and warmth that an actor receives from the mass-es. Along with all the viewers, I, too still feel connected to my character in ‘Pavitra Rishta’. Both, my fate and the people have

been kind enough to me shower their blessings and love upon me. The aspi-ration of an actor trying to portray as many different roles and characters as possible, led me to explore. Luck-ily, I got the opportunity to work in ‘Manikarnika’ as well as ‘Baaghi 3’.”

Ankita has responded to the words put out by Shibani after she slammed Rhea Chakraborty for allegedly allow-ing late Sushant to consume drugs. Ankita said that she didn’t need to take a stand for a friend to get public-ity. “I have been an actor in television & Bollywood for the past 17 years & now, when I am trying to support

justice for my late friend, a view has been expressed that

I am seeking justice because I need 2

seconds of fame

and cheap publicity! I cannot fathom as to why any person would take such a stand.” She added: “Is it because I have worked mostly on TV and not in Bollywood? Is that why you would take a stand for the person with whom you have had a relationship for almost a decade? Stop looking down on tel-evision actors if that was your reason for describing my words as ‘gro-tesque’... I shall always raise my voice for the people I love and care about #ProudToBeATelevisionActor.”

Mumbai: Actor-filmmaker Sajid Khan has been accused of fresh sexual misconduct charges. A model has claimed that Khan tried to touch her inappropriately and also asked her to strip before him. On Friday, the hashtag #Arrest-SajidKhan started trending on Twitter following the latest MeToo claim against Khan.

The allegations have been posted on an unverified Insta-gram account of Dimple Paul, with the handle paulaa__of-ficial. “When #MeToo move-ment started, a lot of people spoke about Sajid Khan but I did not dare to because like every other actor who has no godfather and had to earn for a family I kept quiet. Now I don’t have my parents with me. I’m earn- ing for myself. I

can dare to tell that I have been harassed by Sajid Khan at the age of 17,” she stated. She went on to narrate the incident, saying it happened during an audition. “He spoke dirty to

me. He tried to touch me. He even told me to strip in front of him just to get a role in his upcoming Housefull movie,” she shared. —Correspondent

AnkitA hits bAck At shibAni for tAking A jibeCOrrESPOnDEnt MuMbai

AftAb shivdAsAni tests covid-19 positive

Sexual haraSSment charge on Sajid Khan,  #ArrestsAjidkhAn trends

kAte Winslet regrets Working With Woody Allen, romAn polAnski

sobhitA dhulipAlA to resume shooting for ‘sitArA’ in nov

Sports have become a fore-most global business. The 1990s saw a huge surge in the sports business and this era has also been described as the golden age of sports. The field of sports witnessed massive commercialisation after the rapid stretch of satellite small screen TV. No doubt, some people say it is an idiot box but this resulted in financial stability to play-ers and organisers.

Indian Premier League (IPL) and Twenty-20 cricket have brought mind-blowing riches to the Indian sub-continent. The ICC Women’s World Cup Cricket final be-tween India and host Eng-land held on 23 July 2017 at Lords (the premier cricket ground of the world) in London clocked 19.53 million impressions on TV, making it the most watched women’s sporting event in India.

It was a heartbreaking end to a fantastic run. India lost to England by 9 runs. In the run up to the final, India de-feated England, Pakistan, West Indies and Australia.

With a substantial mix of marketing, promotion and corporate sponsors have endorsed a match that gen-erates a financially feasible situation for the sponsor and the women’s sports. Nevertheless, marketing to women’s sport through and through women’s sport has been deemed calling edge tactics.

Companies have started to cash in on the flourishing awareness and attention in women sports. The medium has become new forceful and further recognizable one.

Ace star P.V. Sindhu was the first Indian badminton player to play in an Olympic final. Sindhu went to Rio Olympic 2016 with no spon-sorship deals, but she came back with silver medal and super status that will be dif-ficult to overthrow. She be-came India’s second highest paid sports celebrity for en-dorsements. The mega star is already the ambassador for about a dozen brands, rang-ing from a health drink to a bank.

In fact, there are several more in the pipeline espe-cially after she became the first Indian woman to win a silver medal in women singles badminton at the Asian Games 2018 and won the coveted gold in women’s singles. She also won first badminton world title in 2019 in Basel (city in north Switzerland). She won the

match in 38 minutes making it the shortest final to decide the women’s world title. She won five medals in the world – two bronze, two silver and a gold.

Dutee Chand, 23, national record holder 100 m sprint. She joins an impressive list of world class PUMA athletes, including sprint legend Us-ain Bolt in 2019.

Sportswomen have hit the headlines for managing both the sport and the mother-hood. Female athletes are drawing inspiration from one another as they fight for same or identical treatment.

Flex, six times Olympic and 11-time world champion. She gave birth to a daughter via emergency caesarean section in November 2019. In May 2020 the long-time athlete sponsor Nike wanted to pay her 70 percent after having her first child. Nike also said it would end financial penal-ties for pregnant athletes.

The most glaring pay dis-parities are seen in sports where females and stars who are mothers are paid less than half of what their male counterparts get, even if they have better performance in sports. Studies suggest that motherhood impacts athlet-ic performance in a complex way. Many foreigner and Indian athletes return after giving birth. These mothers have performed well on the field.  Examples are galore to establish this. There is no dearth of such shining stars in India. Few names are as follows: P.T. Usha, Shiny

Abraham Wilson, Suman Rawat Mehta, Sarita Devi, Mary Kom, Koneru Humpy and Sania Mirza. They all won global titles in their re-spective fields of sports.

On 31 August 2020, Indian chess contingent became joint winners with Russia in the World chess Champion-ship, the first of its kind to be hosted on a virtual platform. The 33-year-old as World No. 2 Koneru Humpy’s class act was the raison d’être for the Indian making the cut. She had to make the painful choice of staying away from her two-year-old daughter Ahana and playing games from her parent’s home in Vijayawada. She conquered during the country’s Olym-piad.

M.C. Mary Kom is the first female pugilist to win the World Championship crown six times (2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2018). She won the world titles five times in a row between 2002 and 2010.

Two women are having the longest career. One, P.T. Usha who represented India from 1980 to 1998 in four Olym-pic Games, five Asian Games and in five ATF meets. Two, Shiny Wilson who repre-sented India 72 times in In-ternational meets from 1981 to 1995. She won the 800 m race in her last major meet: The ATF meet in 1995 in Ja-karta, Indonesia.The writer is a former Associ-ate Professor at the University of Delhi and a Consultant at the Limca Book of Records.

Yuvraj Singh and the Pun-jab Cricket Association (PCA) are waiting for the Indian cricket boards nod that would allow the swash-buckling all-rounder to stage a comeback in domestic com-petitions, a year after quit-ting the game, PCA secretary Puneet Bali said on Friday.

Yuvraj had retired from all forms of cricket in June last year, having last turned out for India in 2017. But last month, Bali approached him to come out of retirement and mentor youngsters from Punjab, the home state of the left-hander. Yuvraj agreed to do so.

After that Yuvraj ap-proached the Board of

Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to permit him to stage a comeback to competitive cricket. The permission from the game’s governing body is required as players are regis-tered with their state associa-tions ahead of every domes-tic season.

“The confirmation hasn’t

come. The PCA has accept-ed his comeback. But we are waiting for communication from the BCCI,” Bali told IANS on Friday.

Yuvraj, who was adjudged the Man of the Tournament at the 2011 World Cup, is likely to play only the T20 format for Punjab. He has been practising with young-sters from Punjab at the PCA Stadium in Mohali for some time.

In an off-season PCA camp, Yuvraj played in a few practice matches and it was at that point that Bali requested him to come out of retirement and guide the youngsters.

Yuvraj, a brilliant fielder, played 40 Tests, 304 ODIs, and 58 T20 Internationals between 2000 and 2017.

Sports is that element which carries the power that helps to regain the power. Now be it an indi-vidual trying to regain his or her physical power or be it an entire region try-ing to regain its financial power, sports caters all. But if we raise questions like: Are we truthful enough to-wards sports? Is the sports culture of our nation good enough? Are we satisfied with the government, fed-

erations, facilities, infra-structure, etc? Then where do we stand in celebrating sports? And if we ask our-selves whether India can become the best country in the world in sports, we all know what the answer to this would be.

We all speak of bringing about the change from the grassroots level. No doubt, we need that but that is not all we need. Just providing the athletes with the basic facilities will not lead us anywhere. We need to un-derstand the condition of Indian sports, athletes, fed-erations, government and every other stakeholder in-volved.  We should use this time of coming back to ac-tion to hit the reset button and restart afresh. All the government bodies should work towards a common motive of success. The gov-ernment should fund the

national, state and district level associations as the sports sector needs these to rise higher. And the returns of every investment made, whether big or small, in terms of activities, success-ful athletes, etc. should be analysed regularly. Well-managed games and tour-naments of international level should be managed regularly to provide the athletes with the exposure they deserve. This will help to strengthen the state-lev-el athlete base.

Most important of all is to instil the culture of sports right from the elementary level. Sports should be re-garded as important as any other subject in schools and colleges. Keen consid-eration is required when it comes to selection of school and college coaches. More former players should show interest in this front.

This is likely possible if the salary package offered to them is good enough that one can never refuse. This will help maintain their enthusiasm and hence bet-ter results. As we talk about hitting the reset button, we need to do the same with the stadiums and sports complexes. These need to be renewed according to the present international standards with ultra-mod-ern and highly advanced facilities to prepare the athletes well and make them feel right at home when they go out to rep-resent the country to en-hance their performance. Without any doubt, every stakeholder here hopes for India to be number one in sports but this does not depend on a single aspect. Entire structure, right from the performance to

the management,  should be dedicated to this  sec-tor. A strong foundation of today will turn to a stron-ger display of tomorrow. Who knows if we work together with light-speed, we could even come dou-ble digit wins in the fol-lowing Olympics. Games have a large following so we should even get the high-end companies to be involved in this mission. Everyone and anyone can help the athletes in sev-eral aspects and this way we’ll reach our goal faster. As sport is one such sector that interests all and will help foster a healthy and progressive culture for the entire nation.

The writer is a national level cricket player-turned-sports promoter and entre-preneur who runs several sports NGOs and organisa-tions.

Women catapult sports to high financial rung

Yuvraj still aWaiting Bcci’s nod for his comeBack

reset and rise again in sports in post-covid phase

The Indian Premier L e ag u e ( I P L ) i s where opportunity

meets talent. In this coun-try, the IPL is the biggest platform for upcoming cricket stars. The tourna-ment, which had been brought into being with this idea in mind, has been largely successful in its ob-jectives so far.

The top six young guns to watch for in the 2020 edi-tion of the IPL are likely to make a mark on the world’s most prestigious T20 fran-chise leagues.

Devdutt Padikkal, the only Karnataka lad who stands a chance of being in the playing XI for the Royal Challengers Ban-galore, is coming with a dream domestic debut sea-son. Padikkal has been the top scorer in both the Vijay Hazare Trophy and SMAT.

Padikkal scored an un-real 609 runs for the Vijay Hazare Trophy in just 11 games, with 2 centuries and an average of 67.66. Immediately afterwards, he amassed 456 runs in 10 innings with an average of 57 and a surreal strike rate of  171. Padikkal is also flex-ible with his batting posi-tion as he has opened the innings as well as played at

numbers 3, 4 and 5 for Kar-nataka.

Though RCB bought him ahead of last year’s IPL, Pa-dikkal hasn’t gotten a game yet. This might change soon though, given his do-mestic performances.

Riyan Parag has long been heralded as the next great spin bowling all-rounder in the country. Known for his ability to play the big shots and the wide selection of variations in his pulling arsenal, the 18-year-old is said to play a big role for the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

In the 2019 IPL, he be-came the youngest player

to score a fifty in the league, when he scored a fighting half-century against the Delhi Capitals, and seems to be ready to be a regular feature in the XI of a team that is renowned for pro-ducing the next generation of Indian stars.

The 2018 U-19 World Cup star will partner with Shreyas Gopal in the RR spin bowling attack and is definitely one to watch out for in the 2020 IPL.

Kartik Tyagi is another young player that the RR has invested heavily in, and he seems to have all the right skills to succeed at the highest level. The star of

the 2020 U-19 World Cup, this pacer has been likened to Jasprit Bumrah due to his ability to ball pinpoint yorkers.

RR is all but guaranteed to provide the youngster with an opportunity to ex-press himself, and he could take the 13th edition of the IPL by storm.

18-year-old Abdul Samad has been making waves in the Indian domestic circuit due to his performance with Jammu and Kashmir. Samad, who has been la-belled an effortless 6 seater, was spotted by former In-dian all-rounder Irfan.

Blessed with a deceptive googly, Samad is more than handy with the ball in hand as well. With the likes of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan to mentor him, the leg-spin-ning all-rounder might truly break onto the scene in the 2020 IPL.

Ravi Bishnoi was snapped

by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), and his speed through air, coupled with an almost un-readable googly, make him tailor-made for the T20 format. Bishnoi is also an excellent fielder and can prosper under the tutelage of his team’s coach, the great Anil Kumble.

K.L. Rahul’s side recently traded veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin with the Delhi Capitals, opening a slot for Bishnoi in their XI. He is expected to feature heavily for them in the spin-friendly UAE conditions.

Last but not least is Yas-hasvi Jaiswal, who amassed 400 runs in the high pro-file tournament and top-scored for his side in almost every single match. If that wasn’t enough, he often found himself among the wickets as well with his right-arm off-spinners. He also holds the record of be-ing the youngest player to score a double hundred in List A cricket.

Being a player who has experienced hardships at a very young age, Jaiswal has shown that he is far beyond his years. Having been picked up for the Rajast-han Royals for a whopping rupees 2.4 crores, Jaiswal would be hungry to prove that he is worthy of higher honours.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Annual General Meeting (AGM) has been post-poned indefinitely due to Covid-19 pandemic. BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a letter addressed to the BC-CI’s state affiliates that according to the Tamil Nadu government’s direc-tive, the AGM of the societies regis-tered under Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975, could not be held online.

Shah also said that a three-

month extension had been granted, from September to De-cember, to all the societies reg-istered under the Tamil Nadu

Societies Registration Act, 1975. The Rules and Regulations of the BCCI requires it to hold an AGM by September 30 of each year. “Owing to the prevailing Covid-19 pandem-ic, the Registration Department, Tamil Nadu Government, in their press release No.557 dated 29th July 2020 have extended the period for a registered society under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975, to conduct an AGM by three months, from September 2020 to December 2020,” said Shah in the letter, seen by IANS.

“We also sought legal opinion

regarding the applicability of the press release and the Notification on BCCI, and as per their view the same is applicable and BCCI is not required to conduct its AGM by 30 September 2020,” he said.

“In view thereof, you are hereby informed that the BCCI will not have its AGM by 30 September 2020. We will keep you informed regarding the date of the Annual General Meeting,” he said, address-ing the state units, in the one-page letter.

The last AGM that the BCCI con-ducted was late last year.

Young guns to watch out for in IPL 2020

fantastic run

suspense

analYsis

pandemic

promising plaYers

The Daily Guardian brings to you six young players to look out for in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League to be held in the UAE from 19 September.

BCCI indefinitely postpones its annual general meeting due to Covid-19

M.C. Mary Kom.

P.V. Sindhu.

Yuvraj Singh.

Neev Goswaminew delhi

our correspoNdeNtnew delhi

our correspoNdeNtnew delhi

piyush sachdeva

sportsthe daily guardiansaturday | 12 sep tember 2020

new delhi 13

suresh Kumar Launew delhi

Abdul Samad. Devdutt Padikkal. Ravi Bishnoi.

Riyan Parag. Kartik Tyagi.