the hindu delhi friday,november15,2019 market watch ... · ter given the fragile state of the...
TRANSCRIPT
CMYK
BUSINESSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU DELHI
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2019 15EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
NIFTY 50
PRICE CHANGE
Adani Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369.10. . . . . . . . -1.70
Asian Paints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1771.85. . . . . . . . . 1.40
Axis Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 715.90. . . . . . . . . 4.70
Bajaj Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3233.30. . . . . . . 27.30
Bajaj Finserv. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9061.85. . . . . . . 83.50
Bajaj Finance . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 4210.55. . . . . . . 66.00
Bharti Airtel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362.50. . . . . . . . -6.10
BPCL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514.65. . . . . . . . . 4.55
Britannia Ind . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 3230.80. . . . . . -38.95
Cipla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451.40. . . . . . . . . 3.50
Coal India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202.35. . . . . . . . -4.90
Dr Reddys Lab . . . . . . . .. . . . 2734.05. . . . . . -29.10
Eicher Motors. . . . . . . . .. 21558.15. . . . . 205.95
GAIL (India). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121.80. . . . . . . . -2.05
Grasim Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 733.95. . . . . . . . -5.60
HCL Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1147.80. . . . . . . . . 9.20
HDFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2226.80. . . . . . . 19.35
HDFC Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1273.90. . . . . . . 16.35
Hero MotoCorp . . . . . .. . . . 2591.65. . . . . . . . . 2.55
Hindalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188.50. . . . . . . . -4.65
Hind Unilever . . . . . . . . .. . . . 2069.05. . . . . . -21.95
ICICI Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498.65. . . . . . . 12.90
IndusInd Bank . . . . . . . .. . . . 1375.10. . . . . . -39.10
Bharti Infratel . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 208.65. . . . . . . . -9.55
Infosys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705.30. . . . . . . 13.95
Indian OilCorp . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 136.85. . . . . . . . . 3.00
ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253.90. . . . . . . . . 0.05
JSW Steel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245.75. . . . . . . . -3.00
Kotak Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1597.60. . . . . . . . -8.20
L&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1380.45. . . . . . -12.55
M&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 578.45. . . . . . . . . 3.75
Maruti Suzuki . . . . . . . . .. . . . 7247.15. . . . . . . 92.55
Nestle India Ltd. . . . .. 14231.35. . . . . . . . -1.90
NTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118.55. . . . . . . . . 0.25
ONGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136.20. . . . . . . . -2.00
PowerGrid Corp . . . . .. . . . . . 188.00. . . . . . . . -1.25
Reliance Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1462.75. . . . . . . . -9.55
State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306.00. . . . . . . . -0.80
Sun Pharma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410.20. . . . . . . . -1.80
Tata Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167.05. . . . . . . . -3.55
Tata Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391.95. . . . . . . . -5.95
TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2196.80. . . . . . . 18.20
Tech Mahindra . . . . . . .. . . . . . 758.35. . . . . . . . . 1.30
Titan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1169.10. . . . . . . 10.05
UltraTech Cement. .. . . . 4003.40. . . -112.20
UPL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535.55. . . . . . . . -5.75
Vedanta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144.00. . . . . . . . -4.40
Wipro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252.75. . . . . . . . -0.35
YES Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68.75. . . . . . . . . 0.55
Zee Entertainment . . . . . . 282.00. . . . . . . . -8.55
EXCHANGE RATES
Indicative direct rates in rupees a unitexcept yen at 4 p.m. on November 14
CURRENCY TT BUY TT SELL
US Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 71.77. . . . . . . 72.09
Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 78.93. . . . . . . 79.28
British Pound. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 92.20. . . . . . . 92.62
Japanese Yen (100) . .. . 66.08. . . . . . . 66.37
Chinese Yuan . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 10.22. . . . . . . 10.27
Swiss Franc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 72.59. . . . . . . 72.92
Singapore Dollar . . . . . . .. . 52.66. . . . . . . 52.90
Canadian Dollar. . . . . . . . .. . 54.11. . . . . . . 54.36
Malaysian Ringitt . . . . . .. . 17.26. . . . . . . 17.35
Source:Indian Bank
BULLION RATES CHENNAI
November 14 rates in rupees with pre-vious rates in parentheses
Retail Silver (1g) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48.4. . . . . . . . . . (48)
22 ct gold (1 g) . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 3663. . . . . . (3644)
market watch
14-11-2019 % CHANGE
Sensex dddddddddddddddddddddd 40,286 ddddddddddddddd0.42
US Dollardddddddddddddddddddd 71.96 ddddddddddddddd0.18
Gold ddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 38,995 ddddddddddddddd0.03
Brent oil ddddddddddddddddddddd 63.02 ddddddddddddddd1.04
Bharti Airtel posted a massive net loss of ₹��22,830.1crore for the quarter endedSeptember 30 due to the ‘signifi��cant fi��nancial implication’ following the recent Supreme Court ruling in favourof the Department of Telecom’s interpretation of adjusted gross revenues (AGR).
For the quarter, the company, which had posted netprofi��t of ₹��249.2 crore in Q2 oflast year, recognised exceptional items of ₹��22,394.4crore (net of tax). It providedfor an additional amount of₹��28,450 crore for licence feeas estimated based on theapex court judgment andspectrum usage charges asestimated based on the defi��nition of AGR.
“These provisions havebeen made without prejudice to the company’s right tocontest DoT’s demands onfacts as well as on rightsavailable in law,” it said, adding it was hopeful of relief.The Supreme Court, in its or
der on October 24, ruled infavour of DoT, while directing telecom operators to paytheir statutory dues withinthree months. The fi��rm’sconsolidated revenue was₹��21,131 crore, up 5%. Following the provisions, it said theliabilities/provisions as atSeptember 30, 2019, were₹��34,260 crore. This comprises principal of ₹��8,747 crore,interest of ₹��15,446 crore, penalty of ₹��3,760 crore and interest on penalty of ₹��6,307
crore. “On the AGR verdictof the Supreme Court, wecontinue to engage with thegovernment and are evaluating various options availableto us. We are hopeful thatthe government will take aconsiderate view in this matter given the fragile state ofthe industry,” Gopal Vittal,MD and CEO, India & SouthAsia, said. “The management is reviewing its optionsand remedies available, including fi��ling petitions be
fore the Supreme Court andalso seeking other reliefs,with others aff��ected in theindustry, from the government,” the company said.
In a regulatory fi��ling, itsaid the group would needsignifi��cant additional fi��nancing to discharge its obligations under the court judgment. “The group has anestablished track record ofaccessing diversifi��ed sourcesof fi��nance across marketsand currencies. However,there can be no assurance ofthe success of management’splans to access additionalsources of fi��nance to the extent required, on terms acceptable to the Group, andto raise these amounts in atimely manner.”
“This represents a material uncertainty whereby, itmay be unable to realise itsassets and discharge its liabilities in the normal courseof business, and accordinglymay cast signifi��cant doubton the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern,” itadded.
Airtel posts ₹��22,830 crore loss in Q2Firm recognised exceptional items of ₹��22,394 crore
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
The country’s biggest lowcost carrier, IndiGo, has decided to make a major strategic shift as it plans to connect farfl��ung internationaldestinations. Operating asingleaisle fl��eet until now,the airline will venture intowidebody operations to provide nonstop connectivityto London. The airline willalso be off��ering a businessclass option.
IndiGo was earlier exploring connecting London witha onestop with its A320NEO planes, but it nowseems to have some defi��niteanswers.
“If you want to do MumbaiLondon we have to dowidebodies and we need abusiness class — that’s onedecision we have made. Ifwe go alleconomy, we can’tmake the numbers work.
The answer is a small business class and a dense economy. How big the businessclass should be – we havesized it, we have the answerto that,” CEO Ronojoy Duttatold The Hindu in aninterview.
London launch
Asked about the Londonlaunch, Mr. Dutta said, “London is not far off��, it is not fi��veyears [down the line], it iscoming. But we don’t wantto jump the gun.”
'The airline is looking atthree key airports near London Heathrow, Stansted
and Gatwick. IndiGo couldbe leasing fi��ve to six widebody planes, which would beused to provide daily connectivity each from Mumbaiand New Delhi. With the leftover aircraft, IndiGo couldlook at connecting Singapore or Istanbul.
But the airline is yet to decide on how big it would gowith widebodies in its fl��eet.It is going to test the lease arrangement, and if thatworks, it may order 30 widebodies or be prepared to cutback. The airline has 245planes, including A320s andATRs, in its fl��eet.
While IndiGo considersU.S. unviable because of theamount of fuel burn, Australia is a market it is interestedin, though it is not on the radar right now.
“We will eventually beeverywhere, except theU.S.,” Mr. Dutta added.
IndiGo to go nonstop to London withwidebody planes, off��er business class We will go everywhere in the world, except U.S., says CEO
JAGRITI CHANDRA
NEW DELHI
Even as a debt resolutionplan for troubled mortgagelender Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd. isbeing contemplated, somecommercial banks have already classifi��ed the accountas ‘nonperforming’ as repayment has been due formore than 90 days.
ICICI Bank, Union Bank ofIndia and UCO Bank haveclassifi��ed the loan as ‘nonperforming’ in the currentquarter. Other lenders suchas Bank of Maharashtra,Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank,Syndicate Bank and IndianOverseas Bank, which haveclassifi��ed the loan in the special mention account(SMA)2 at end September,may also tag it as a bad loanwhile fi��nalising their ac
counts for the OctoberDecember period. If interest orprincipal is due for over 60days, but for less than 90days, the loan is categorisedas SMA2.
“We have classifi��ed theloan as NPA in the thirdquarter,” Union Bank of India MD & CEO Rajkiran Rai Gsaid. Union Bank has exposure of about ₹��2,000 crore.The bank has already madea provision of 15% for its exposure in DHFL.
State Bank of India is alsolikely to mark the loan asNPA as it has started to buildprovisions for the troubledaccount. SBI, which has anexposure of ₹��7,000 crore,has already provided ₹��1,400crore for the stressed loan.
According to bankers, thelast payment made by DHFLwas on July 5, and hence, the90day period got over onOctober 5. A loan is classifi��ed NPA after interest orprincipal is due for morethan 90 days.
A debt resolution processinitiated by banks to recastloans of ₹��80,000 crore ofDHFL is yet to get fi��nalised.Of this, the share of commercial banks’ is ₹��40,000 crore.
The fi��nal report on a special review by KPMG ofDHFL’s fi��nances for the period April 2015 to March2019 is awaited.
ICICI Bank, Union Bank, UCOBank classify DHFL as NPARepayments have been due for more than 90 days
MANOJIT SAHA
Mumbai
Drugmaker AurobindoPharma shares declined8.73% on Thursday afterthe company’s general injectable formulation manufacturing facility in Pashamylaram here received 14observations from the USFood and Drug Administration (USFDA).
The ₹��395.55 at which thescrip closed the day was asemblance of recovery asduring intraday the sharehad touched a 52week lowof ₹��389.70.
The fall came after thecompany, on Wednesday,said the USFDA, on conclusion of an inspection of theUnit IV general injectableformulation manufacturing facility from November413 had issued a Form 483with 14 observations.
“We believe that none ofthese observations is related to data integrity issues.The company will respondto the USFDA within thestipulated timeline,” Aurobindo Pharma said in a fi��ling. But that seems to havemade little diff��erence withthe share opening the dayat ₹��414 each as comparedto the previous close of₹��433.40.
According to Emkay Global Financial Services, thefacility is the company’skey injectable formulationsplant and has around 47pending fi��lings or about30% of the overall fi��lings.
“The sheer number [ofobservations] is on thehigher side and likely tokeep investors nervous until details emerge,” Emkaysaid.
According to its assessment, the Unit IV accounted for 910% of US salesand 89% of overall EBITDAin FY19. It accounts for 5060% of total injectablesales ($213mn in FY19),with the rest being fromUnit XII, Eugia and Auronext facilities.
Aurobindoshares tank on USFDAobservations
Special Correspondent
HYDERABAD
Vodafone Idea, India’s second largest telco by number of subscribers, reporteda record net loss of ₹��50,922crore, the largest in Indiancorporate history, due to aonetime provision of₹��30,774.5 crore made postthe Supreme Court’s ruling.
“Consequent to the recent judgment by the Supreme Court, we have accounted for the estimatedliability of ₹��27,610 crore related to license fee and₹��16,540 crore related tospectrum usage charges upto September 30, 2019 including the interest, penaltyand interest thereon of₹��33,010 crore,” VodafoneIdea said in a statement.
This estimate was basedon demands received fromDoT till date, an estimationfor the period for which demands had not been raised,together with interest andpenalty adjusting for certaincomputation corrections, itadded.
The loss was reported inspite of a 41.5% increase inrevenue to ₹��10,844 croreduring the quarter. Company’s EBITDA during thequarter stood at ₹��3,347crore.
“Whilst the Company hasprovided for SUC, considering that no spectrum is usedfor generating nontelecomincome, the Company isevaluating the levy of SUCon such income. Accordingly, during the quarter we re
cognised a charge of ₹��25,680crore as a part of exceptionalitem after adjusting the available provision and potentialpayments, on satisfaction ofcontractual conditions, under amechanism with Vodafone Group,” the statementadded.
Ravinder Takkar, MD &CEO, said “We are in activediscussions with the government seeking fi��nancial relieffollowing the recent Hon’bleSupreme Court ruling.”
Humongous loss came despite 41.5% increase in revenue
special correspondent
MUMBAI
Vodafone Idea loss at ₹��50,922 cr.
Telecom majors feel sting of top court’s verdict on AGR
Staterun lender UnionBank of India posted ₹��1,194crore loss in the secondquarter of the current fi��nancial year due to higher provisioning for divergence innonperforming assets. Thebank posted ₹��139 crore profi��t during the same period ofthe previous year.
“We had to make ₹��1,587crore provision for the divergence, which is the mainreason for the loss,” Rajkiran Rai G, MD & CEO, UnionBank, said. Divergence occurs when Reserve Bank ofIndia (RBI) inspection classifi��es loans that are ought tobe classifi��ed as NPA whichthe bank did not classifyduring fi��nalising the resultsof a particular quarter. Thetotal provision for nonperforming assets during thequarter was ₹��3,328 crore ascompared to ₹��1,710 croreduring the same period of
the previous fi��nancial year.Total slippages to non
performing assets were₹��4,219 crore during thequarter, of which ₹��2,080crore slipped from corporate loan book. Eight corporate accounts accounted for₹��1,700 crore slippages, Mr.Rai said. Mr. Rai said thebank would return to profi��tability in the Oct.Dec. quarter. Operating profi��t of JulySeptember 2019 increasedby 22.3% to ₹��2,240 croreaided by a 16.5% increase innet interest income to₹��2,906 crore.
Union Bank posts ₹��1,194 crore loss in Q2 Provision for NPA divergence, a reason
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Mumbai
Rajkiran Rai
Apollo Hospitals EnterpriseLtd. (AHEL) has posted 15%rise in its standalone net profi��t for the second quarterended September 2019 to₹��90.60 crore.
During the period underreview, revenue increased18% to ₹��2,464 crore. Health
care services reported 15%revenue growth aided by 12%growth at mature hospitalsand 17% growth in new hospitals. Standalone pharmacies registered 22% growthto ₹��2,230 crore in revenue.
On healthcare services,Apollo Hospitals delivered astrong performance in thesecond quarter of the year,
with continued growth ofvolumes, revenues and margins, it said in a statement.
The revenue of existinghospitals grew 13%, whilethat of new hospitals grew by19% to ₹��536.6 crore. Revenuein the Tamil Nadu clustergrew by 14%. Overall occupancy in the cluster was1,255 beds (57% occupancy)
against 1,211 beds (57% occupancy) in the previous year.
In Telangana region, revenue grew by 11%. Occupancyin the cluster was 877 beds(65% occupancy) comparedto 852 beds (63% occupancy)in the previous year. The occupancy in Karnataka cluster was 572 beds (74%occupancy).
Apollo Hospitals Q2 net rises 15% on volumes
Healthcare services posted 15% growth in revenue
Special Correspondent
CHENNAI
Honda Motorcycle andScooter India (HMSI) expects the slowdown in theautomobile sector to continue for now, mainly due tothe current macro economic factors along with the upcoming switch to BSVInorms that will lead to a 1015% increase in twowheelerprices.
“It is our strong wish thatthe worst is over. Unfortunately, the market forces arenot in our control. All theeconomic indicators so fardo not look very positive forquick revival of the auto industry. We are very cautiousand closely watching,” HMSIsenior vice presi0dent,Sales and Marketing, Yadvinder Singh Guleria, saidon Thursday.
The company, which onThursday launched SP 125, aBSVIcompliant bike starting at ₹��72,900 (exshow
room Delhi), also sees someimpact on demand due to1015% increase in twowheeler prices following theshift to new emissionnorms.
“From the customerpoint of view, it is a big jumpin price. However, the intention of the industry and government are clear... wewant this country to bemore green and ecofriendly... In near future, we foresee that there may be a slowdown because a similarthing was observed when insurance premium was increased,” Mr. Guleria said.
“But over time, demandattributes are still strong forthe twowheeler industry inthe country,” he added.
For SP 125, which will replace the company’s 125ccmodel CB Shine SP, theprice increase is about₹��7,000 or 11%. The companyclaims it will also have 16%better fuel effi��ciency.
Slowdown in auto sectormay continue: Honda ‘BSVI shift may spur 2wheeler prices’
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
Moody’s Investors Serviceon Thursday slashed India’s economic growth forecast to 5.6% for 2019, saying government measuresdo not address the widespread weakness in consumption demand.
“We have revised downour growth forecast for India. We now forecast slower real GDP growth of 5.6%in 2019, from 7.4% in 2018,”it said. “India’s economicslowdown is lasting longerthan previously expected.”
Moody’s had, on October 10, slashed India’s economic growth forecast for201920 fi��scal to 5.8% froman earlier estimate of 6.2%.Last week, it downgradedIndia’s outlook to negativefrom stable. Moody’s saidthe RBI had aggressivelycut rates this year, andmore rate cuts are likely.
Moody’s cutsIndia’s growthforecast to 5.6%
Press Trust of India
New Delhi
cluded various kinds of cuisines –from north Indian, south Indianand AngloIndian to Italian, Burmese, Chinese and African. I was,for instance, surprised to see on it aSouth African dish called the bunnychow (₹��99). This hollowed outbread stuff��ed with spicy curry isone of Durban’s most popularstreet foods.
The restaurant opens at 8 a.m.,and you can have your breakfastthere: eggs to order (poached, omelette, fried, scrambled and so on),stuff��ed parathas, aloo puri and aloobhaji (each ₹��75).
Any dish with the word Railwaysin it interests me. So we asked forthe cutlets and in the meantimewent through the other pages of themenu card.
It had Amritsari Machchi (₹��295),Martaban Murgh (₹��299), OmeletteCurry (₹��149), Vegetable KhaoSuey (₹��249), Dhaba Mutton Curry (₹��349), Prawn Moilee (₹��399),Mutton Biryani (₹��289), ChickenBiryani (₹��219) and El Fungi(pasta with a mix of mushrooms in béchamel sauce for₹��179). And a host of other dishes.
I decided I wanted the Nasi Goreng (with chicken, ₹��229). And weasked for an Italian Green Chick Pizza – with pesto, roast chicken, cherry tomato and mozzarella (₹��249).
Each dish was superb. The cutlethad been browned just right, andthe chicken fi��lling, thick and creamy, was almost like a paste. It waslight without being bland, and I en
Last week, I had a doctor’s appointment. Once I was done, I wanted tohave a good meal somewhere. I hadheard about this restaurant calledArticle 21 in central Delhi, andthought a detour via Rafi�� Margwould do me some good. And itsure did.
Article 21 is a new restaurant inDelhi’s Constitution Club. It’s anarea that’s close to my heart, as Ilived in the apartment block abutting the club for many years. Theclub has been done up in recentyears and is now quite a plushplace, unlike the somewhat seedycomplex that it was when I lived inthe neighbourhood.
Some months ago, I heard that arestaurant had opened up there.Then, last week, someone said thatthe place had expanded and introduced a new menu.
The food was very good and theprices were low. That piqued my interest. It’s quite a big establishmentand looks rather like the usual governmentrun restaurants.
But the menu surprised me. It in
joyed it immensely. The pizza wasdelicious too. The crust was thin, almost like a roti, and the pestotoma
to topping was delightfully tart.
Best of all was myNasi Goreng, an Indone
sian rice dish that I amvery fond of. The rice was
fragrant, and had been lightly fried and browned with va
rious kinds of spices. There werelittle minced chicken balls in therice, and two chicken satays with apeanut sauce and some prawncrackers on the side.
The rice came topped with an
oozy fried egg. The egg went to mycodiner (I like my yolk well fried)and I happily dug into the rice. Itwas out of this world. I have hadthis dish in many places, includingat luxury hotels, but this matched –rather, outdid the best. I am goingto keep coming back to Article 21.The world will be on my platter.
The writer is a seasoned food critic
Rahul Verma
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DELHI THE HINDU
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 201916EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
CMYK
A ND-NDE
SHOWCASE
Sitar and tablaKirana Gharana Music Academy presents Sabras
Music and Dance Festival 2019, a two-day annual
event. This evening’s event will see a sitar recital
by Mehtab Ali Niazi accompanied by Saptak
Sharma on the tabla. This will be followed by a
solo tabla performance by Ustad Rafiuddin Sabri,
and a vocal recital by Naresh Malhotra.
Venue: LTG Auditorium, Copernicus Marg
Time: 5 p.m. onwards
PERFORMANCE
Thai specialThe Spice Route celebrates Loi Krathong, a
Siamese festival with a Thai menu featuring a
range of appetizers, main course options and
desserts, curated by chef Veena Arora. On till
22nd November, there’s Thord Mun Pla (Thai fish
cake), Yum Som-O (Thai pomelo salad), Phad
Phed Kung (Fried prawns), and more.
Venue: The Imperial, Janpath
Time: 12:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.; 7 p.m. - 11:45 p.m.
FOOD
Eastern melodiesBoustan, an ensemble of musicians featuring
Shailendra Wakhlu (guitar), Rahul Sharma
(tabla), Delphine Moulet (flute) and Ejaz Hussain
(sarangi) will perform this evening. They will
present musical compositions based on Indian
ragas, with the strains of a guitar and middle
eastern melodies.
Venue: Amaltas Hall, India Habitat Centre
Time: 7 p.m.
MUSIC
Sushi specialAsian cuisine Oishii Wok has introduced a new
Sushi menu in in both vegetarian and non-
vegetarian variants. The veg menu has signature
rolls such as Maki, Edamame, Avacado, Uramaki
and Tempura. The non-veg menu offers Tuna
Maki Roll, Salman Maki Roll, Coast of Cali, Katsu
Chicken, Tokyo Chicken and Philly Rainbow Rolls.
Venue: DLF Phase 4, Gurugram
Time: 12 noon - 11 p.m.
CUISINE
Italian fi��lmItalian Embassy Cultural Centre will screen
Cronofobia, an Italian film this evening. Directed
by Francesco Rizzi, this psychological film talks
about a relationship between two different kinds
of self-imposed strangers, a lonely man and a
rebel woman, who find a way to communicate
and figure out what they can do to feel better.
Venue: 50-E, Chandragupta Marg, Chanakyapuri
Time: 7 p.m.
FILM
5 EVENTS WORTH YOUR WHILE
B Label has launched their capsule collection, called Ignite
- Dawn Of Green, inspired by the thought of spotting signs
of environmental degradation in order to ignite an
awakening, "where the future is sunnier, greener, and
happier", as the brand puts it. There are black, white and
grey clothes with bursts of green, all made from 100%
hemp fabric. For men, there's a mix of casual day wear and
evening wear. For women, silhouettes include details like
puffy and balloon sleeves, double breasted jackets and
colour coordinated sets with button detailing.
Available at Blabel.in, upward of ₹��2,290
Hemp wear
PRODUCTS
The first India Cocktail Week (November 8 to 17) is seeing 6
liquor brands, 38 Delhi watering holes, and five
international bars come together to offer discounts on their
cocktail menus and do special experiences. For instance,
today, Havana Social from Bangkok will do a pop-up at Ek
Bar, while The Pontiac from Hong Kong will do the same at
Public Affair.
“India is ready,and we wanted to help grow the F&B
scene,” says Rakshay Dhariwal, the Managing Director of
Pass Code Hospitality (that owns PCO, ATM, Pings, PDA,
Jamun and La Latina). He adds that it’s the overall
landscape that indicates this – Michelin star chefs have
come to the country, he himself has launched a bar a year
from 2014 onward, and restaurants look to create bar
menus that are as strong as their food offerings. Besides,
people today are open to visiting some of the top bars
while travelling abroad, and they’re asking for cocktails
when they come back home.
The spirit of the hour will soon be tequila, though gin is
still the highest demanded amongst the 25- to 40-year age
group, he says. With sustainability entering kitchens, “say
we are using oranges in a dish, we save the shavings to use
them in infusions,” says Rakshay. “It helps the environment
and it brings down costing.”
The Cocktail Village, a culmination of the week, is a host
of experiences across a 20,000 square foot area. There’s be
24 participating brands that will set up stalls for alcohol-
related experiences, some of which are Greater Than,
Hendricks, JW Gold, Kahlua, Kettle One, Monkey 47, Simba.
In addition, there’ll be music to with the Peter Cat
Recording Co., Boxout Soundsystem, DJ Kan-iand more.
The Cocktail Village, 1AQ, Mehrauli; November 16, 17; 2 p.m. to 10p.m.; ₹��499; book at Insider.in
Bar buzz India Cocktail Week is on in the city, and will culminate
with a Cocktail Village
PLACES
Contact us at [email protected]
Three years ago, Delhibased artistSeema Kohli made a 12foottallsculpture of Goddess Kali. Attempts to bring her out have so farfailed. “Shows said that she wasn’tcontemporary enough,” says the59yearold artist of the work. Now,the Kali, among 64 sandstonesculptures and fi��ve bronzes, will beshown for three months startingthis Saturday at the openair Sunder Nursery premises.
This is perhaps Kohli’s more forceful foray into taking art out of thegallery and into public spaces.She’s been doing so already withcommissioned pieces at the Delhiand Mumbai airports, at the Manipal University, and hotels like theLeela Palace. In the fi��rst quarter ofnext year, she will unveil a 20foottall installation at the SupremeCourt premises, inspired by TheTree of Life.
This is also Kohli’s return toshowing in her home city afternearly a decade. The artist willopen this collaboration with Gallery Ragini with a narrative performance of her own on Saturday. Theentire eff��ort, titled A Circle of OurOwn, will speak of how her practicehas expanded, she says, and willspecifi��cally take a deep dive intothe idea of the Yogini, a carrier offeminine energy.
A glance into the artist’s overthreedecadelong practice showsher deep engagement with the concept of cosmic and spiritual histories: “There was a time I was talking about the amalgamation of both[male and female] energies. Then, Ispoke of only the womb, the idea ofwhich then evolved into Shakti. Butnow, I’m more about the fragmentsthat comprise and complete theidea of Shakti — how she operates,what are the means of operation.”
As she sits at her long, wooden,paintsplattered desk in her Rajinder Nagar home, the artist talksabout how the exploration of energies must be looked at as a contemporary concern, and how peopleare quick to slot and label her work.Edited excerpts.
This is the fi��rst time you willdo a narrative performance inDelhi. Where else have youperformed?
I fi��rst moved to narrative performance in 2002. That video has stillnot been shown. But I’ve done [oth
er] performances in six universitiesin the U.S., at the NGMA Bengaluru,Kolkata Creativity Centre, RoyalOpera House, Kochi Biennale, Venice Biennale. The earlier performance was called Unending Danceof Light, also based on the idea offeminine energy, but not in thisspecifi��c form of the Yogini, whichthe current performance dealswith. In this one, I’ll be talkingabout how the Yoginis came intoexistence, what the concept evenis.
How long did it take for you towrite and formulate thisnarrative? And what wereyour references?
These are fragments I have consolidated over about two years. I’ve referred to the Kal Bhairav Tantra,the Kali Kaula Tantra, Sapta Matrika by Shivaji Panikkar, and till thetime I was talking about Shakti, theworks of Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, and of course [religious historian] Madhu Khanna.
Is it tough to translatethese scriptural andacademic references intoyour paintings andsculptures?
While I do take a lot ofscriptural reference, Ihave also gone through acomplete personal involvement with this subject over the years. A lot ofthese ideas are our traditions that developedinto our culture. It wasimportant for me tocontemporise it. It’sreally all about the responses to the energiesthat are around us. Ihave also been travelling to many dead sitesacross India to understand this.
What are dead sitesexactly?I mean temples that don’tcurrently do any rituals on
site, but did so at one time – for over centuries. That energy has remained there, and I could still feelit and connect with it. I’ve been to15 such sites in Madhya Pradesh,Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. His
torically, they were very vibrant. Yoginis would stay here,
do their dhyaana. My point isthat the Yogini wasn’t just amythical subject. We are toldnow that they used to fl��yaround or that they had anthropomorphic heads like
snakes — this is all very silly. Ifeel that they had heightened intuitive powers.
Most of your work hasfocused on thereligious, cosmic and
spiritual energythrough history...
This is such anelaboratesubject.And be
cause thereis not much
knowledge about it, everyone slots it: ‘oh this is very
traditional’; ‘this is Hindu art’.But that’s not it. It’s time for us
to be more fl��uid. I am talking about
feminine energy, which, the moment it got into the control of patriarchy, diminished. Suddenly aYogini was seen as someone evil,someone who you’re not to be seenwith. Anyone with that occult power were termed negative. The sameenergy came back as the Ruhaniand Sufi��ani in the Mughal Era. Currently, we see them emerging as various women in power, like CEOsand leaders.
Are you saying then that thisenergy manifests only inwomen?
No, it can be in anyone — any human, plant, animal. But this form ofenergy just cannot be negated. It issuch a contemporary subject. I’veonly given them a form — just asthey were given at one time in order that people can understand.
You distil these ideas intopaintings, murals, sculptures,fi��lm, and now narrativeperformance too. How easy, ornot, is it for you to alternatebetween mediums?
I don’t fi��nd it diffi��cult to move myimage to a diff��erent medium because it’s the image that dictates it.I’m doing its job. I’m also just a medium to take it further. Also, thereare collaborations I do with sculptors, just like any other artistwould. It is the vision that matters,and how you see your images coming forward.
Vangmayi Parakala
The energies of usCity-based artist Seema Kohli is showingin Delhi after a decade — and this timeshe’s taking her art out of the gallery
This part of the world NasiGoreng; (left) Railway ChickenCutlet * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The worldon my plateArticle 21 in theConstitution Club holdsgreat promise with foodthat satiates the heart, atprices that soothe thesoul
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THE HINDU DELHI
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2019 17EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
CMYK
A ND-NDE
SHOWCASE
In just this calendar year,we’ve seen Nawazuddin Siddiqui showcase his range asan actor that would take others a lifetime. Regardless ofthe politics of Thackeray,there’s no denying that theactor capturing the magnetism of the late BalasahebThackeray, slipping eff��ortlessly into the late politician’sskin. In Ritesh Batra’s utterlycharming Photograph, Siddiqui played Rafi��, a shy, struggling street photographer.This summer we saw him reprise his role as the muchfeared Ganesh Gaitonde inthe second season of SacredGames and, more recently,as the exorcist Ramsey Baba,complete with a garland ofskull, in a cameo in Housefull4. In Tannishtha Chatterjee’sdirectorial debut RoamRome Mein that’s currentlyon the round of fi��lm festivalscircuit, he plays a selfrighteous, oldfashioned chauvinist hunting for his sister in aforeign land.
Family fun
This week’s release Moti-choor Chaknachoor is Siddiqui’s last theatrical outing forthe year. He describes thisromcom about a middleaged man looking for a brideas ‘a fun, family fi��lm’ andthat also sums for his reasonsfor wanting to be a part ofthis fi��lm.
“Most of my fi��lms havegotten the Acertifi��cate. Ithink families started thinking that my fi��lms would bevery intense or violent. I decided that I want to do some
fi��lms that can be watched byevery one. My daughter whois eightandahalf has barelyseen any fi��lms of mine. I shotfor this fi��lm, almost immediately after fi��nishing SacredGames Season 2. I felt theneed to do a light fi��lm. I haddone too many intense fi��lmsbacktoback. So, now I amdoing three of these lightfi��lms. These were just somuch easier to shoot. Theydidn’t require a lot of preprep. All I had to do was landup on set and deliver dialogues,” he admits.
Romance his way
Motichoor Chaknachoor,which also stars Athiya Shetty, is a rare romantic comedy in Siddiqui’s fi��lmography.It’s not for the lack of wanting to make romances. Theproblem, though, has beenthe wide gap between Siddiqui’s and Bollywood’s ideaof romance.
“The way I see romance isvery diff��erent from the typical Bollywood love story.For the last 60 years, we’vebeen seeing a good lookingboy, wearing great clothes,woo a beautiful girl and theysing songs. These days,these love stories have a social issue and that’s called‘contentdriven cinema’. Myidea of romance is very different…it might or might notwork at the box offi��ce but itis what it is. People mighthave thought Photographwas too slow but that’s thekind of romantic fi��lms I wantto make. I have seen lovestories like that in real life.”
Siddiqui’s journey fromthe fi��elds of Budhana, in Ut
tar Pradesh to the arc lightsof Bollywood is a welldocumented one. His years ofstruggle in Bollywood endedwith Anusha Rizvi’s PeepliLive (2010) where he playeda journalist. It’s been almosta decade since and a lot haschanged in the 45yearold’slife. What hasn’t, though, are
his reasons for picking a fi��lm,he insists. “I start from aplace of not believing that Ican’t play a certain kind ofcharacter but when I am offered fi��lm where I am required to play that character,then I take it up as a challenge. Every time I sign afi��lm, I fi��nd myself exploring
how much I can push myselfas an actor. This is why I lovebeing in front of the camera,”says Siddiqui.
Dramatic connections
Seated in a nondescriptbanquet room at the Sun n’Sand Hotel, Juhu, there’s anunmistakable glint in Siddi
qui’s eyes as he talks abouthis process. “Before I startshooting, the character isjust in my mind; it’s an abstract. It’s while I am on theset that the character startsto take shape and that process is so fascinating. Sometimes ‘he’ becomes who Ihad imagined and sometimes I fail. That sense of satisfaction when I manage tocreate the character exactlyhow I had imagined him tobe, is the biggest high forme.”
How, then, one wonders,does dancing to ‘The BhootSong’ in Housefull 4, challenge him as an actor? “Intheatre, there are many different forms. In Parsitheatre, everything is largerthan life; body language isexaggerated, much like Molière’s ( JeanBaptiste Poquelin) plays. Even if you don’tunderstand French, the body language and actions ofthe actors are so over thetop that the audience had nodiffi��culty understandingwhat is going on. For me,this role in Housefull 4meant exploring this formthat I hadn’t since mytheatre days,” he explains.
The actor talks about lovestories, what gets him high
and Molière’s infl��uence on hiscameo in Housefull 4
Karishma Upadhyay
Versatile actor This week’s releaseMotichoor Chaknachoor is Siddiqui’s lasttheatrical outing for the year
* SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The many faces ofNawazuddin
Siddiqui
■ Across
1 Agricultural workers (9)
8 List of dishes (4)
9 Roast lamb condiment
(4,5)
10 Courage and
determination (4)
13 Evil presence (5)
15 What truants play? (6)
16 Black grape variety (6)
17 Illegal soft-nosed
bullet (6)
19 Noun formed from a
verb —nudger (anag) (6)
20 Eye’s centre (5)
21 Something made with
16? (4)
24 Tenerife’s main city
(5,4)
25 Stretched circle? (4)
26 Soft toy (5,4)
■ Down
2 1936 alliance between
Germany and Italy (4)
3 Nocturnal insect (4)
4 Lack of enthusiasm (6)
5 Authoritative
declaration (6)
6 Crude oil (9)
7 Great number (9)
11 Spar with an
imaginary opponent
(6-3)
12 Body of legal rules
based on custom and
judicial precedent (6,3)
13 Rise (3,2)
14 Neither winning, nor
losing (5)
18 Change into
something else (6)
19 Adept — given (6)
22 Blackleg (4)
23 Brass wind
instrument (4)
THE GUARDIAN QUICK CROSSWORD-13225
6
Solution will appear in
The Hindu dated
November 16, 2019.
Solution No. 13224
POOCH CAFE
HAGAR THE HORRIBLE
TIGER
PEANUTS
CALVIN AND HOBBES
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
WUMO
CMYK
A ND-NDE
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DELHI THE HINDU
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 201918EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
SPORT
Mohammed Shami was stunning with his trademarkseam position. Ishant Sharma was inspiring up front.Umesh Yadav was unstoppable with his fi��erce pace. AndR. Ashwin was exceptional,as always.
No wonder then that Bangladesh’s brave decision tobat fi��rst on a hard deckboomeranged as India tookfi��rm control of the openingday of the fi��rst Test.
With the pace triumvirateand the lead off��spinner inprime form, Ravindra Jadeja’s accurate leftarm spinwas hardly required as Indiabundled Bangladesh out for150 in a little over two sessions at the Holkar Stadium.
Rohit goes earlyDespite losing Rohit Sharmaearly, Mayank Agarwal andCheteshwar Pujara’s unbroken 72run partnership steadied the ship as Indiareached 86 for one at stumps.
With more faith in its batting order than an inexperienced bowling unit, Bangladesh chose to bat after ViratKohli lost a rare toss. But withIshant and Umesh on the ballright from the word go, thelefthanded openers Shadman Islam and Imrul Kayesstruggled to put bat on theball.
A breakthrough was inevitable all through the openingspell and the relentless pressure from the pace duo fi��nally paid off�� with Kayes off��eringAjinkya Rahane a regulationcatch in the cordon off��Umesh.
Six balls later, Ishantsnared Shadman, with a fuller one that took the edge towicketkeeper WriddhimanSaha. Mohammad Mithunlooked shaky right through
his short stint before beingtrapped in front by Shami.
Useful partnershipIt was followed by Bangladesh’s only positive sessionof the day, with captain Mominul Haque and the experienced Mushfi��qur Rahimcoming up with a 68runpartnership. Both had theirshare of luck, with Mushfi��qurseeing catches beingdropped in the cordon, but
the duo did give a glimpse oftheir skills.
The tiny Mushfi��qur, immediately after surviving a second chance in the slips,danced down the wicket tosend Ashwin into the sightscreen and followed it upwith a delightful square cutoff�� the next ball.
However, Ashwin fi��nallybroke the partnership whenMominul shouldered arms toa delivery that held its line.
Shami then bowled a fi��eryspell to rattle the Bangladeshlower order.
He used the crease well tojag one back in to Mushfi��qurand knock down his stumps
and then trapped Mehidy Hasan with a fuller one the nextball to leave Bangladesh reeling at 140 for seven at tea andShami’s wait for a hattrickwas prolonged, though he
didn’t get it. Ishant startedthe last session by scalpingLiton Das off�� the fi��rst ball. Jadeja then made his only notable contribution of the daywith a throw on target fromthe boundary line to sendback Taijul Islam. Umeshthen wound the innings upwith a full ball shaping awaythat was too good for lastman Ebadat Hossain.
Despite India picking upthe last fi��ve wickets for just 10runs, the innings could wellhave been even shorter hadIndia held on to its catches.
Regulation catchesCaptain Kohli gave Mushfi��qura reprieve at third slip off��Ashwin before Rahanegrassed three catches at fi��rstslip off�� Ashwin. While thefi��rst of the three, a cut by lefty Mominul was a diffi��cultchance, the other two — oneeach off�� Mushfi��qur and Mahmudullah — were regulationcatches by Rahane’s highstandards.
Even Bangladesh took acue from it as Kayes droppeda sitter at fi��rst slip off�� AbuJayed when Mayank was on32.
While none of the Bangladesh batsmen could capitalise on the chances, Mayankwould be hoping to seal thefate of the game with yetanother big fi��rstinningshundred.
Indian bowlers put the team in the driver’s seatBangladesh’s decision to bat fi��rst backfi��res; Shami, Ishant, Umesh and Ashwin do the damage
Amol Karhadkar
INDORE
Deceived: Mahmudullah’s attempted heave off�� R. Ashwin proved fatal. * R.V. MOORTHY
BANGLADESH — 1ST INNINGSShadman Islam c Saha b Ishant6 (24b, 1x4), Imrul Kayes c Rahane b Umesh 6 (18b, 1x4), Mominul Haque b Ashwin 37 (80b,
6x4), Mohammad Mithun lbw bShami 13 (36b, 1x4), MushfiqurRahim b Shami 43 (105b, 4x4,
1x6), Mahmudullah b Ashwin 10(30b, 1x4), Liton Das c Kohli bIshant 21 (31b, 4x4), MehidyHasan lbw b Shami 0 (1b), TaijulIslam run out 1 (7b), Abu Jayed(not out) 7 (14b), EbadatHossain b Umesh 2 (5b); Extras(lb3, w1): 4; Total (in 58.3overs): 150.
FALL OF WICKETS112 (Kayes, 5.6 overs), 212(Shadman, 6.6), 331 (Mithun,17.6), 499 (Mominul, 37.1), 5115 (Mahmudullah, 45.1), 6140(Mushfiqur, 53.5), 7140 (Mehidy, 53.6), 8140 (Liton, 54.1),9148 (Taijul, 56.4).
INDIA BOWLINGIshant 126202, Umesh 14.33472, Shami 135273, Ashwin 161432, Jadeja 30100.
INDIA — 1ST INNINGS
Mayank Agarwal (batting) 37(81b, 6x4), Rohit Sharma c Litonb Jayed 6 (14b, 1x4), Cheteshwar Pujara (batting) 43 (61b,
7x4); Total (for one wkt. in 26overs): 86.
FALL OF WICKET114 (Rohit, 7.2 overs).
BANGLADESH BOWLINGEbadat 112320, Jayed 80211, Taijul 70330.
Toss: Bangladesh.
SCOREBOARD
Mominul Haque was in theline of fi��re on Thursday, onand off�� the fi��eld. Despite aforgettable debut as Testcaptain, he tried his best toput on a brave front duringthe postmatch mediainteraction.
He owned up to the decision to bat fi��rst on a peppyHolkar Stadium pitch againstthe odds, then took theblame for being dismissed atan inopportune time andeven urged the Bangladeshimedia contingent to “not asktoo many negative questions”.
Credits India’s attackIn the midst of all this, hegave credit to India’s unrelenting bowling attack, thatproved to be too good for thevisitors.
“The wicket wasn’t un
playable at all or else Mushfi��q and I wouldn’t havescored the runs. The problem is that when we areplaying the World’s No. 1 Testteam, we have to be mentallymore stronger,” Mominulsaid.
When pressed aboutelecting to bat that surprisedeven the Indian camp, Mominul said: “If we had started well, the questionwouldn’t have been asked inthe fi��rst place… Whether wewin or lose, I take the blame.
“Mushfi��q and I had a goodpartnership. Liton also gotinto the rhythm. I think Ishould take the blame forgetting out at the wrongtime. If I would have stayedon, it could have been diff��erent.”
The pitch wasn’t unplayable: Mominul
Doing his bit: Mominul Haque, leading Bangladesh for the fi��rst time, did the repair job in the company of Mushfi��qur Rahim. * R.V. MOORTHY
Special Correspondent
Indore
India escaped with a 11 drawafter an injurytime goalsaved it the blushes againstlowerranked Afghanistan intheir FIFA World Cup Qualifi��er match here onThursday.
The result meant 106ranked India remained winless in its qualifying campaign so far.
When the visitor seemedheaded for its second defeat,substitute Seiminlen Doungel (90+3) provided Indiawith a lifeline, outjumpinghis markers to head one intothe far post.
Afghanistan had takenthe lead through ZelfagarNazary’s strike (45+1), putting India on the backfoot.
India remained at thefourth position in Group Ewith three points from fourmatches, while Afghanistan
continued to be third withfour points.
Starting the away game,being played in extremelycold conditions at the Central Republican Stadium, ona bright note, India conceded a goal in the fi��rst half injury time (45+1).
Afghanistan lead came after a fi��ne move saw DavidNajem play a square ball toZelfagar Nazary at the centreof the box, and the midfi��elder’s attempt breached theIndian defence before fi��nding the back of the net.
It wasn’t really a homematch for Afghanistan either, but wins here againstCambodia and Bangladesh,followed by draws with Tajikistan and Jordan had givenit some muchneeded confi��dence ahead of the clashagainst Igor Stimac’s India.
And the 149ranked Afghanistan carried that confi��dence into the game on achilly evening when the tem
perature dropped to ninedegree Celsius.
India looked to take onthe opposition but it couldnot create any clear chances, and the couple of halfchances in the opening minutes failed to test the Afghan custodian.
There was a changestraightaway for India afterthe break as Stimac substituted Mandar with FarukhChoudhary.
The visitor showed urgency and looked desperate foran equaliser. It had a chancein the 58th minute but skipper Sunil Chhetri’s headeroff�� a cross from right backPritam Kotal was saved byAzizi. At the other end, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu made adiving save.
While he will be disappointed that the match ended in a stalemate, Stimac’sdecision to bring in Doungelin place of Kotal paid dividends.
Press Trust of India
Dushanbe (Tajikistan)
Rescue act: Substitute Seiminlen Doungel provided India with a lifeline, outjumping hismarkers to head one into the far post. * AIFF
Injurytime goal saves India
WC QUALIFIERS
A day after Virat Kohli reiterated his preference for restricting Test cricket in Indiato fi��ve centres, R. Ashwinechoed his captain’s sentiment.
“Every other nation has acertain pattern of playingTest cricket. They do knowhow the venue behaves, howthe pitch behaves, how thegames pan out. That’s perennially how Test cricket worksin most parts of the world,”Ashwin said.
“Even in India, it was noexception. But, of late, witha lot of cricketers comingfrom diff��erent parts of thecountry, the sport has grownand gone to every nook andcorner which is a great sign.Hence we are playing Testsin various venues.
“The understanding of aparticular venue and keeping it that way will help theplayers. Whether or notthat’s the right thing to do is
something that the decisionmakers will have take.”
About the daynight Test,Ashwin admitted that the Indian players, due to lack of
gametime with the pinkball, were “wary and excited” about their maiden Testunder lights.
“The pink ball Test is awelcome sign. As a Testplaying country, it was necessaryfor us to play a daynightTest. The offi��cegoing crowdwhich couldn’t catch the action can now do so,” saidAshwin.
A challenge“Obviously, it’s a challengeto play with the pink ball.Hopefully, the Test matchwill be a historic momentand be the start of manymore to come.
“I haven’t even bowled asingle ball with the pink ball.Obviously I just saw it. Sometimes I don’t understand ifits orange or pink, still coming to terms with that.”
Ashwin echoes Kohli’s views on Test venuesOff��spinner reveals that the players are ‘wary and excited’ about daynight game
Amol Karhadkar
INDORE
Told you, skip! Mohammed Shami is delighted after nailing Mushfi��qur Rahim. * R.V. MOORTHY
Rahane moves to CapitalsNEW DELHI
Rajasthan Royals on Thursday
traded its mostcapped player
Ajinkya Rahane to Delhi
Capitals in exchange for leg
spinner Mayank Markande and
bowling allrounder Rahul
Tewatia.
Rahane, who captained Royals
in 24 of his 100 IPL games
between 2011 and 2019, is also
their top rungetter with 2810
runs at an average of 34.26
and strike rate of 122.65.
The arrival of Rahane means an
addition to the Indian stars in
the Capitals squad which
already has Shikhar Dhawan,
Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer.
Meanwhile, Dhawal Kulkarni
returned to Mumbai Indians
with whom he spent the first
six seasons before turning out
for Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat
Lions and Royals again.
BCCI ethics offi��cerdismisses Dravid’sCoI caseNEW DELHI
BCCI ethics officer D.K. Jain on
Thursday dismissed the
conflict of interest complaint
against Rahul Dravid, saying it
was “bereft of any merit.”
“I have rejected the complaint.
Rahul Dravid doesn’t have
conflict of interest,” said Jain.
Jain had conducted a second
round of hearing on Tuesday
when Dravid was represented
by his lawyer.
The 46yearold former India
captain had earlier explained
his case in a personal hearing
held in Mumbai on September
26. PTI
Lanka to tour Pakistan for TestsLAHORE
Test cricket will return to Pakistan after more than a decade with
Sri Lanka on Thursday agreeing to a twomatch series in
December, which will be a part of the traditional format’s ongoing
World championship. The upcoming series’ first Test will be
played in Rawalpindi from December 1115, while the second Test
will be held in Karachi from December 1923. PTI
QUICK SINGLES
West Indies wins first T20I against AfghanistanLUCKNOW
West Indies beat Afghanistan by 30 runs in the first T20
International here on Thursday. Put in to bat, West Indies rode on
Evin Lewis’ attacking 68 (41b, 4x4, 6x6) to post 164 for five in 20
overs. The Asian side was rocked early on its chase and never got
going against the Kieron Pollardled side.
The scores: West Indies 164/5 in 20 overs (Lewis 68, Pollard 32n.o., Naib 2/24) bt Afghanistan 134/9 in 20 overs (Najibullah 27,Asghar 25, Williams 3/17, Walsh 2/34, Pollard 2/17).
Toss: Afghanistan. Playerofthe match: Pollard.
Debutant Stefanos Tsitsipascrushed defending champion Alexander Zverev 63,62 on Wednesday to bookhis place in the last four ofthe ATP Finals with a matchto spare.
The 21yearold, the fi��rstGreek player to qualify forthe elite eightman seasonender, backed up his opening win over Daniil Medvedev with a virtuoso performance at the O2 Arena.
His straightset victory secured a toptwo place in thegroup and left Zverev, WorldNo.1 Rafael Nadal and Medvedev scrapping to join himin Saturday’s semifi��nals.
Hit with the crowdTsitsipas’ swashbuckling allcourt game, with a boomingserve, aggressive groundstrokes, deft volleys and silky movement have madehim an instant crowd favourite.
All those weapons wereon display against Zverev inwhat was the youngest, interms of combined age,match at the ATP Finalssince Andy Murray playedJuan Martin del Potro in2009.
Zverev defeated 19timesGrand Slam champion Nadalin his opening match onMonday, having beaten Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic backtoback to winlast year’s title, but he hadno answer to the allcourt
game of Tsitsipas.
The Greek broke in theeighth game when Zverevopted to serve and volley ona second serve but made amess of a low volley andfrom that point on it wasoneway traffi��c. Zverev’s level tailed off�� alarmingly in
the second set and Tsitsipaswrapped things up with anace. The results: Group Bjorn Borg: Matteo Berrettini bt Dominic Thiem 76(3), 63.Group Andre Agassi: StefanosTsitsipas bt Alexander Zverev63, 62.
Tsitsipas seals last-four spotThrashes defending champion Zverev in straight sets
Reuters
LONDON
ATP FINALS
Classy display: Stefanos Tsitsipas put on a sparkling show toget the better of Alexander Zverev. * GETTY IMAGES
CMYK
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THE HINDU DELHI
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2019 19EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
SPORT
Bryan brothers to retire atend of 2020 seasonLOS ANGELES
US men’s doubles duo Bob
Bryan (left in pic) and Mike
Bryan said on Wednesday
they will retire at the end of
the 2020 season, bringing
the curtain down on one of
the most successful pairings
in tennis history. Bob Bryan
said the duo had opted to
end their 2019 season after
the US Open in order to
remain fresh for next year. AFP
IN BRIEF
Harden erupts as Rocketsdown ClippersLOS ANGELES
James Harden erupted for a
fourth quarter scoring spree
as Houston Rockets defeated
Los Angeles Clippers 10293
on Wednesday. Harden led
the scoring with 47 points,
including seven three
pointers, while the former
NBA MVP also added six
rebounds and seven assists.The results: MemphisGrizzlies 119 bt CharlotteHornets 117; Orlando Magic112 bt Philadelphia76ers 97;Boston Celtics 140 btWashington Wizards 133;Houston Rockets 102 bt LosAngeles Clippers 93;Minnesota Timberwolves 129bt San Antonio Spurs 114; LosAngeles Lakers 120 bt GoldenState Warriors 94; TorontoRaptors 114 bt Portland TrailBlazers 106. AGENCIES
Ibrahimovic confirmsLA Galaxy exit LOS ANGELES
Swedish star Zlatan
Ibrahimovic confirmed his
departure from Los Angeles
Galaxy, but gave no clue over
his future plans. The 38year
old striker’s departure from
Galaxy had been widely
expected following the club’s
elimination from the Major
League Soccer playoffs last
month. AFP
Diksha Dagar takes a 3shot leadKOLKATA
Diksha Dagar pulled away
from the rest of the field with
two birdies in the last three
holes in the 15th and final
Leg of the Hero Women’s Pro
Golf Tour here on Thursday.
Diksha is now in sole lead.
She carded her second
straight oneunder 71 to get
to twounder 142 and open
up a threeshot lead over
overnight coleader Ridhima
Dilawari (74). PTI
NBA: Sony Ten 1 (SD & HD),6.30 a.m.India vs Bangladesh: FirstTest, day two, Star Sports 1(SD & HD), 9.30 a.m.Hong Kong Open badminton: Star Sports 3, 9.30 a.m.Syed Mushtaq Ali T20: StarSports 2 (SD & HD), 9.45 a.m.& 1.30 p.m.T10 League: Sony Six & SonyTen 3 (SD & HD), 6.30 p.m.,8.30 p.m. & 10.30 p.m.ATP Finals: Sony ESPN (SD &HD), 7.30 p.m. & 1.30 a.m.(Saturday)Euro 2020 Qualifiers: SonyTen 1, Sony Ten 2 & Sony Six(SD & HD), 10.30 p.m & 1.30a.m. (Saturday)
TV PICKS
Injured Salah to miss Cupof Nations qualifi��ers JOHANNESBURG
African superstar Mohamed
Salah will not play for Egypt
against Kenya on Thursday in
2021 Africa Cup of Nations
qualifying because of a
lingering ankle injury. The
27yearold forward was hurt
against Leicester City last
month and despite making
several subsequent
appearances for Liverpool, is
suffering from slight
discomfort in his left ankle.AFP
Group A: Services 190/6 in 20overs (Lakhan Singh 81, RaviChauhan 61, Malliksab Sirur 5/33) bt Goa 169 in 19.5 overs(Malliksab Sirur 26, SnehalKauthankar 44 n.o., Mohit Kumar 3/33).
Uttarakhand 129/8 in 20 overs (Tanmay Srivastava 57 n.o.)lost to Andhra 130/6 in 18.5 overs (Srikar Bharat 47, AkashMandwaal 3/29).
Bihar 124/7 in 20 overs (Kunal Dabas 45, Rajesh Singh 31,Lukman Meriwala 3/16) lost toBaroda 125/0 in 12.3 overs (Kedar Devdhar 64 n.o., ’–AdityaWaghmode 55 n.o.).
Group B: Kerala 162/7 in 20 overs (Sachin Baby 39, Robin Uthappa 69 n.o., Darshan Nalkande3/34) bt Vidarbha 136/7 in 20overs (Akshay Wadkar 29, Akshay Karnewar 28 n.o., SandeepWarrier 3/29).
Uttar Pradesh 164/9 in 20overs (Saurabh Kumar 33, RinkuSingh 50, Deepak Chahar 3/46,Khaleel Ahmed 3/34) lost to Rajasthan 166/5 in 17.2 overs (Rajesh Bishnoi 87 n.o.).
Manipur 55 in 18.4 overs (T.Natarajan 3/7, M. Ashwin 3/8)lost to Tamil Nadu 58/1 in 4.1overs (M. Vijay 33).
Group C: Chhattisgarh 161/6 in20 overs (Harpreet Singh 44,Vishal Singh 60 n.o., SarandeepSingh 3/31) lost to Chandigarh164/4 in 19 overs (Manan Vohra33, Shivam Bhambri 28, BipulSharma 62 n.o.).
Railways 167/8 in 20 overs(Mrunal Devdhar 37, PrathamSingh 25, Vikrant Rajput 33, Mo
hammed Ahmed 32, SiddarthKaul 4/19) bt Punjab 162/7 in 20overs (Anmolpreet Singh 84,Gurkeerat Singh Mann 30, Karthik Raman 3/40).
Arunachal Pradesh 118/6 in20 overs (Rahul Dalal 62, PankajJaiswal 4/18) lost to Himachal119/4 in 14.2 overs (AbhimanyuRana 41, Ekant Sen 51 n.o.).
Hyderabad 163/6 in 20 overs(Tanmay Agarwal 28, HimalayAgarwal 34, B. Sandeep 55 n.o.)lost to Maharashtra 164/4 in19.5 overs (Rahul Tripathi 25,Kedar Jadhav 68, NaushadShaikh 34, Mohammed Siraj 3/37).
Group D: Pondicherry 114 in 20overs (Harshal Patel 3/14, Ashish Hooda 3/22) lost to Haryana115/4 in 15.1 overs (ChaitanyaBishnoi 33, Guntashveer Singh37).
Bengal 153/4 in 20 overs(Shreevats Goswami 43, VivekSingh 56, Shahbaz Ahmed 26n.o., Shubham Ranjane 3/17)lost to Mumbai 154/7 in 20 overs (Jay Bista 48, Aditya Tare 37,Shubham Ranjane 30 n.o.).
Mizoram 66 in 17.1 overs (Taruwar Kohli 25, Abu Nechim 3/3)lost to Assam 70/1 in 6 overs(Pallavkumar Das 37, SwarupamPurkayastha 27 n.o.).
Madhya Pradesh 244/4 in 20overs (Naman Ojha 56, Ashutosh Sharma 60, Rajat Patidar68 n.o., Venkatesh Iyer 26) btMeghalaya 159/9 in 20 overs(Puneet Bisht 44, Dwaraka RaviTeja 25, Sanjay Yadav 27, Saransh Jain 3/43).
Group E: Delhi 165/7 in 20 ov
ers (Hiten Dalal 35, Anuj Rawat34, Nitish Rana 55) lost to Jammu & Kashmir 166/2 in 15.5 overs (Shubham Khajuria 49, JatinWadhwan 48 n.o., Manzoor Dar58).
Sikkim 49 in 19.2 overs (Piyush Chawla 3/4) lost to Gujarat50/1 in 4.2 overs (Urvil Patel26).
Nagaland 145/6 in 20 overs(Shrikant Mundhe 74, StuartBinny 52, Varun Aaron 3/17) lostto Jharkhand 149/3 in 17.5 overs(Anand Singh 81 n.o., IshanKishan 48).
Odisha 163/5 in 20 overs(Govinda Poddar 57, Biplab Samantray 60 n.o.) bt Saurashtra114 in 19.3 overs (Harvik Desai26, Govinda Poddar 3/7).
Friday’s matches
Group A: Andhra v Goa; Barodav Services; Bihar v Karnataka.
Group B: Kerala v Rajasthan;Manipur v Uttar Pradesh; TamilNadu v Tripura.
Group C: Arunachal Pradesh vHyderabad; Chhattisgarh v Punjab; Railways v Chandigarh; Himachal v Maharashtra.
Group D: Bengal v Madhya Pradesh; Mizoram v Haryana; Assam v Pondicherry; Meghalaya vMumbai.
Group E: Delhi v Jharkhand;Jammu & Kashmir v Nagaland;Gujarat v Odisha; Saurashtra vSikkim.
MUSHTAQ ALI TROPHY SCORES AND SCHEDULE
BENGALURU: Knotty Ash, who isin fine fettle, may score an encorein the Rajyotsava Trophy(1,400m), the chief event of theopening day’s races to be heldhere on Friday (Nov 15).False rails (width about 6m from1,600m to the winning post) willbe in position.Jockey for Turf Magic (4th race)will be declared later.
1 NOVEMBER PLATE (1,200m),rated 15 to 35, 2.15 p.m.: 1.
Tonys Pet (2) Vaibhav 60, 2.Songkran (7) T.S. Jodha 59, 3.Aceros (12) Srinath 58.5, 4. Country’s Jewel (3) A. Ramu 55.5, 5.Eco Friendly (4) Sai Kiran 55, 6.Will To Win (10) Suraj 55, 7. Glorious Days (5) Irvan 54.5, 8. Sea OfCortez (9) Chetan G 54.5, 9. ArecaAngel (1) Rajesh K 54, 10. DaringSweetheart (11) Chetan K 54, 11.Sir Piggot (8) Kiran Rai 53.5 and12. Naayaab (6) Arshad 53.1. WILL TO WIN,
2. TONYS PET, 3. SEA OF CORTEZ
2 INAUGURATION PLATE
(1,400m), rated 00 to 20, 2.45:1. She’s Stylish (1) Naveen K 60, 2.Only Prince (4) Chetan G 59, 3.Bazinga (9) K. Raghu 58.5, 4. Fir
ing Line (12) Md. Akram 58.5, 5.Good Word (11) S. Shareef 57.5, 6.El Matador (7) Chandrashekar 56,7. Tequila Tornado (10) Md. Aliyar55.5, 8. Emerald Green (2) TousifKhan 55, 9. Purity (3) Ankit Yadav55, 10. South Bell (8) Shreyas S 55,11. Phoenix Reached (5) Md. AsifKhan 54.5 and 12. Turf Prospector(6) J.H. Arul 52.5.1. SHE’S STYLISH,
2. PHOENIX REACHED, 3. BAZINGA
3 BANGARAPET PLATE (Div. I),(1,200m), rated 30 to 50, 3.15:
1. Decisive (4) Arshad 60, 2.Kimera (10) J.H. Arul 60, 3. MegaIkon (1) A. Imran 59, 4. Call MeMaybe (2) Md. Akram 58.5, 5. Ultimate Speed (3) Darshan 58.5, 6.Land Of Liberty (5) Rajesh K 57.5,7. Slice Of Heaven (11) Kiran Rai 57,8. Varcasva (6) S. Shareef 57, 9.Winall (7) Suraj 57, 10. Jersey Legend (12) I. Chisty 56, 11. Alexandre Dumas (8) Akshay Kumar 55and 12. Propine (9) Rayan 53.5.1. SLICE OF HEAVEN,
2. WINALL, 3. MEGA IKON
4 VIDHANA SOUDHA CUP
(1,200m), rated 60 & above,3.45: 1. Haedi’s Folly (9) Rayan 60,2. Louisiana (3) Srinath 58, 3. Life
Awaits (2) Md. Aliyar 56.5, 4. TurfMagic (7) () 56.5, 5. Blue Blazer(10) Kiran Rai 56, 6. Side Winder(8) Arvind K 56, 7. Snowdon (5)Sandesh 56, 8. Fire Glow (11) Arshad 55.5, 9. Angelino (4) AkshayKumar 53.5, 10. Star Appearance(6) Suraj 53.5, 11. Miniver Rose ()() 52.5 and 12. Sahara (1) S.Shareef 52.5.1. HAEDI’S FOLLY,
2. STAR APPEARANCE,
3. LOUISIANA
5 RAJYOTSAVA TROPHY
(1,400m), 3yo & over,(Terms), 4.15: 1. Knotty Ash (4) S.John 61, 2. Mauritania (2) Sandesh60.5, 3. Aeolus (3) Zervan 56, 4.Areca Legend (1) I. Chisty 56, 5.Ashwa Raftar (7) A. Vishwanath56, 6. Merlot (5) Suraj 54.5 and 7.Sakura (6) Akshay Kumar 54.5.1. KNOTTY ASH,
2. ARECA LEGEND, 3. AEOLUS
6 KENTUCKY PLATE (1,200m),maiden 3yo only, (Terms),
4.45: 1. Asgardia (1) Suraj 57, 2.Bahurupah (3) S.K. Paswan 57, 3.Bombix (2) Kiran Rai 57, 4.Caesars Palace (9) Mark 57, 5.Cavaliere (10) Srinath 57, 6.Knotty Oak (8) Antony 57, 7. Star
Citizen (7) A. Imran 57, 8. Heavenly Angel (4) Darshan 55.5, 9.High Priestess (5) Sandesh 55.5and 10. Queen Of Sands (6) Arshad 55.5.
1. ASGARDIA,
2. CAVALIERE,
3. KNOTTY OAK
7 BANGARAPET PLATE (Div. II),(1,200m), rated 30 to 50, 5.15:
1. Emidio (10) Naveen K 60, 2.Karadeniz (2) A. Imran 60, 3. BigBoon (3) R. Anand 59, 4. StariGrad (12) A. Vishwanath 59, 5. TheCorporal (8) Zervan 59, 6. DonnaBella (1) Vaibhav 56.5, 7. Fictioneer (6) B. Harish 56.5, 8. Look Out(9) S. Shiva K 56.5, 9. Mohican (11)Nazerul 56.5, 10. Princeazeem (4)Arvind K 56.5, 11. Schafenberg (5)Srinath 56.5 and 12. Red Galileo(7) Arshad 55.5.
1. SCHAFENBERG,
2. THE CORPORAL,
3. KARADENIZ
Day’s best: KNOTTY ASH
Double: SLICE OF HEAVEN -
ASGARDIA
Jkt: 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7; Tr (i): 2, 3 and4; (ii): 5, 6 and 7.
Knotty Ash may score an encore
Reigning national championSowjanya Bavisetti rode onher newfound confi��denceand a sharp game to outwitsecond seed Diana Marcinkevica of Latvia 64, 63 inthe second round of the$25,000 ITF women’s tennistournament at the CityCentre Tennis Complex onThursday.
In the quarterfi��nals, Sowjanya will play qualifi��er Maria Timofeeva of Russia, whosubdued Sathwika Sama instraight sets.
Karman Kaur Thandisailed past Gergana Topalova of Bulgaria for the loss ofsix games. She will playeighth seed Berfu Cengiz ofTurkey in the quarterfi��nals.The results: Second round: JiaJing Lu (Chn) bt Vlada Katic
(Isr) 62, 62; Funa Kozaki (Jpn)bt Silvia Njiric (Cro) 62, 46,62; Karman Kaur Thandi btGergana Topalova (Bul) 62,64; Berfu Cengiz (Tur) bt Melanie Klaff��ner (Aut) 63, 63;Sofi��a Shapatava (Geo) bt Evgeniya Burdinna (Rus) 36, 64,63; Freya Christie (GBR) bt Hiroko Kuwata (Jpn) 62, 63;Maria Timofeevva (Rus) btSathwika Sama 64, 62; Sowjanya Bavisetti bt Diana Marcinkevica (Lat) 64, 63.
Doubles: Qarterfi��nals: ManaKawamura & Funa Kkozaki (Jpn)bt Berfu Cengiz (Tur) & FreyaChristie (GBR) 67(9), 61, [1311]; Karin Kennel (Sui) & SilviaNjiric (Cro) bt Sravya ShivaniChilakalapudi & Snehal Mane63, 61; Petia Arshnikova &Gergana Topalova (Bul) bt Jacqueline Cabaj Awad (Swe) &Melanie Klaff��ner (Aut) 46, 63,[106]; Evgeniya Burdina (Russ)& Ashmitha Easwaramurthi btDiana Marcinkevica (Lat) & Valeriya Strakhova (Ukr) 46, 76(3), [108].
Sowjanya sails into quarterfi��nals ITF TENNIS
Sports bureau
GWALIOR
Powering through: Sowjanya Bavisetti rode on her newfoundconfi��dence to outwit second seed Diana Marcinkevica.
* SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
There is a good chance forLeander Paes and Rohan Bopanna to extend their winning partnership as bothhave been named in the Davis Cup squad for the AsiaOceania Group 1 tie againstPakistan, to be staged at avenue yet to be announced,on November 29 and 30.
At the selection committee meeting here on Thursday, under the chairmanship of Balram Singh, it wasdecided to choose three reserves apart from the fi��veplayers.
Sumit Nagal, RamkumarRamanathan and Saketh Myneni are the other three,apart from doubles specialists Paes and Bopanna.
Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan,Sasi Kumar Mukund and Sidharth Rawat have been announced as reserves. The fi��nal team will be
communicated to the International Tennis Federation(ITF) after it announces thevenue of the tie on November 18.
Rohit Rajpal would be thecaptain for the tie, andhence opted to skip the selection committee meeting.
The committee put on record its appreciation of allthe players who had confi��rmed their unconditionalavailability for the tie to be
played in Islamabad. However, with the aim to fi��eld thebest possible side, it wasstated that some of the committed players like SriramBallaji, Arjun Kadhe and Manissh Sureshkumar couldnot be accommodated.
The team: Sumit Nagal, Ramkumar Ramanathan, SakethMyneni, Rohan Bopanna, Leander Paes. Reserves: Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, Sasi Kumar Mukund and Sidharth Rawat.
Paes and Bopanna in team Fivemember squad named; three others on standby
DAVIS CUP
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
Back on duty: Leander Paes has been picked for the Davis Cuptie against Pakistan. * GETTY IMAGES
India’s assured tally of medals at the Asian youth boxing championships swelledto 12 after four more pugilists advanced to the semifi��nals on Wednesday.
The results (quarterfi��nals):Men: 49kg: Selay Soy bt TzuChen (Tpe); 64kg: DarkhanDuiisebay (Kaz) bt Akshay Kumar; 69kg: Rustambek UuluNuradin (Kgz) bt Vijaydeep;81kg: Shokhjakhon Abdullev(Uzb) bt Lakshya Chahar;91kg: Satender Singh bt Haneul Jung (Kor).
Women: 54kg: Poonam btCaranagan Kaye (Phi); 69kg:Arundhati Choudhary bt PinJu Chen (Tpe) Rajni 48kg:Sinchara Hikaru (Jpn) bt Rajini.
India assuredof four moremedals
Press Trust of India
ULAANBAATAR
For a few weeks now, the National capital and the adjoining regions have been in thenews for persistent smogleading to low visibility andrising pollution levels. OnThursday, the thick blanketof haze played havoc withthe opening day’s proceedings of the $400,000 Panasonic Open at the ClassicGolf and Country Club here.
In the words of the AsianTour, “owing to poor visibility and the prevailing weather conditions” the fi��rst teeoff�� scheduled at 6.50 a.m.could only take place at 11a.m. It was decided to have arare, fourtee start — fromthe fi��rst, sixth, 10th and 15thholes. Only 60 of the 126 golfers could teeup and complete their rounds. The remaining golfers will opentheir campaign on Friday.Those who played on Thursday get a day’s rest.
Although there is no offi��cial word from the AsianTour, the event is headingfor a 54hole fi��nish. The forecast for the weekend indi
cates slight improvement invisibility.
On the course, littleknown Thai Ittipat Buranatanyarat took the clubhouselead at eightunder 64. Following a birdiebirdie startafter teeing off�� from the sixthhole, Buranatanyarat fi��redfi��ve successive birdies starting from the 13th hole.
He owes his twostrokelead over Indonesia’s DannyMasrin to his ‘eagle’ on thethird hole. Masrin, too, began from the sixth hole andfi��red six birdies in his bogeyfree round. Creditably, he
birdied three of the fourpar5 holes.
Shiv Kapur in third spotThis was in contrast withwhat Shiv Kapur could manage in his card of 67. Returning to this course after a decade and starting from the15th hole, Kapur could birdiejust once on the par5s. Hemade up with some consistent putting to share thethird spot.
The trio of Arjun Atwal(69), Jeev Milkha Singh (70)and Jyoti Randhawa (72) hadmixed luck. Jyothi, who cut a
cake to mark his 300 appearance since 1994 on theAsian Tour, was eager to return to the course make upfor the lost opportunities.
The scores: 64: Itthipat Buranatanyarat (Tha); 66: DannyMasrin (Ina); 67: Arjun Prasad,Shiv Kapur, M. Dharma, HungChienYao (Tpe) and ShankarDas; 68: Ben Geyer (USA), Anura Rohana (Sri) and Jesse Yap(Sgp). Other Indians with subpar scores: 69: Viraj Madappa,Aadil Bedi and Arjun Atwal; 70:Om Prakash Chouhan, GauravPratap Singh, Jeev MilkhaSingh; 71: Yashas Chandra andHimmat Rai.
Buranatanyarat in the van Smog hits play, fi��rst round to be completed on Friday
PANASONIC OPEN
Overcoming adversity: Itthipat Buranatanyarat came out on top on the opening day that wasbadly aff��ected by the smog smothering the Capital now. * AFP
Rakesh Rao
GURUGRAM
Tim van Rijthoven of TheNetherlands ousted topseeded Prajnesh Gunneswaran 46, 75, 63 in the prequarterfi��nals of the KPITMSLTA Challenger Seriestennis here on Thursday.
The Indians to advanceinto the last eight were DavisCuppers Sumit Nagal, Ramkumar Ramanathan and Sasi Kumar Mukund.
Easy passageNagal, who had an easy passage into the last eight as hisRussian opponent Ivan Nedelko retired due to lowerback pain, will next faceRamkumar, a 63, 64 winner over Cem Ilkel of Turkey. Sasi Kumar ousted Tur
key’s Ergi Kirkin in straightsets.The results (prequarterfi��nals): Tim van Rijthoven (Ned)bt Prajnesh Gunneswaran 46,75, 63.
Roberto OrtegaOlmedo(Esp) bt Shuichi Sekiguchi(Jpn) 62, 64.
Steven Diez (Can) bt BrydanKlein (GBr) 60, 62; Jay Clarke(GBr) bt Duckhee Lee (Kor) 61,64; Ramkumar Ramanathanbt Cem Ilkel (Tur) 63, 64.
Sumit Nagal bt Ivan Nedelko (Rus) 20 (retd); Sasi KumarMukund bt Ergi Kirkin (Tur)60, 62; James Duckworth(Aus) bt Manish Sureshkumar61, 62.
Doubles (quarterfi��nals): ArjunKadhe & Saketh Myneni btBogdan Bobrov & Ivan Nedelko(Rus) 64, 46, [1614].
Toshide Matsui (Jpn) &Vishnu Vardhan bt Steven Diez(Can) & Roberto Ortega Olmedo (Esp) 36, 62, [104].
van Rijthovendumps Prajnesh Nagal and Ramkumar advance
PUNE CHALLENGER
Sports Bureau
PUNE
Big scalp: Tim Van Rijthoven put paid to Prajnesh’s hopeswith a threeset win * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
World champion P.V. Sindhuexited the $400,000 HongKong Open in the prequarterfi��nals but K. Srikanthmade the quarters for thefi��rst time in seven months after claiming a thrilling win inmen’s singles here on Thursday. It was also curtains for
H.S. Prannoy and P. Kashyapafter they suff��ered contrasting losses in the secondround.
World No. 6 Sindhu wentdown 2118, 1121, 2116 toWorld No. 18 Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand in69 minutes to continue herrecent dismal run in international circuit.
Former World No.1 Srikanth emerged as the only
Indian survivor. The results: Men: K. Srikanthbt Sourabh Verma 2111, 1521,2119; Jonatan Christie (Ina) btH.S. Prannoy 2112, 2119; ChouTien Chen (Tpe) bt P. Kashyap1221, 2321, 2110.Women: Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Tha) bt P.V. Sindhu2118, 1121, 2116. Mixed doubles: Arisa Higashino& Yuta Watanabe (Jpn) bt Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & AshwiniPonnappa 2119, 2112.
Srikanth keeps Indian hopes alive HONG KONG OPEN
On course: K. Srikanth put out compatriot Sourabh Verma tomake the quarterfi��nals. * FILE PHOTO
Press Trust of India
HONG KONG
Cameron Bancroft and JoeBurns got the nod onThursday for Australia’sTest squad to face Pakistan, with Usman Khawajaand Marcus Harris axed after fl��opping during the recent Ashes series.
The squad:
Tim Paine (Capt.), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, PatCummins, Josh Hazlewood,Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, MichaelNeser, James Pattinson, SteveSmith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade and David Warner.
Bancroft andBurns recalled
Agence France-Presse
Sydney
Indian para athlete NishadKumar recorded a personalbest of 2 metres to claimthe bronze medal in men’shigh jump T47 fi��nal at theDubai World Para AthleticsChampionships and alsosecure his place in the2020 Tokyo ParalympicGames.
Nishadsecures quotaPress Trust of India
Dubai
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DELHI THE HINDU
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SPORT
The 63rd National shotgunchampionship will startwith women’s and juniorwomen’s trap at the Dr.Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad, from November 17.
The offi��cial preeventtraining will be held on Saturday. The fi��nals of boththe events are scheduledfor Nov. 18. It will be followed by men’s and juniormen’s trap, which will bespread over three daysfrom Nov. 20 to 22.
The mixed trap teamevent will be held on Nov.23. The double trap is scheduled to be held on Nov.25, for men, women andjuniors.
The skeet competitionfor men, women and juniors will be held fromNov.27 to 29, with all thefour fi��nals slated to bestaged on the third day.The championship willclose with the mixed skeetteam competition on Nov.30.
Natl. shotgunchampionshipfrom Nov. 17
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
Coach Namita Bal waspleased that Indian juniorsManas Dhamne and ShrutiAhlawat fi��nished No. 1 and 2in the boys’ and girls’ sections, in qualifying from theAsiaOceania playoff�� for theLes Petits under14 tennistournament to be staged in January in France.
In the recently tournamentheld in Bali, Manas clinchedthe boys’ title by winning seven matches, including threein the league phase. Shrutilost to Japanese Ena Koike inthe girls’ fi��nal, after winningthree of her earlier six matches in three sets.
Namita was confi��dent thatthe players will be at theirbest in France. “Manas issmart and has terrifi��c ballsense. He has a lot of maturityfor his age, in the way he putsthe point together and in fi��nd
ing a way to win. He was disciplined and focused throughthe week in Bali,” saidNamita.
“He likes to hit the ball early. It will help him in Franceon mediumfast indoor hardcourts. He will be better if hemoves into the ball quicker.He can be better withstrength work and strengthendurance training,” she said.
Namita said that Shruti waseasily the “most versatile”player in her age group in thecountry. “Shruti is able to doanything with the ball. Thatmakes it easy for the coach tostrategise against diff��erent opponents. She knows what todo when she stays calm.
“To do well in France, theyneed to work on the physicaland mental aspects.”
Kamesh Srinivasan
NEW DELHI
Pleased as punch: Namita Bal, centre, is happy with ManasDhamne’s and Shruti Ahlawat’s showing. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Coach Namita exudes confi��dence
Union Sports Minister KirenRijiju on Thursday felicitatedthe team that came up withone of India’s best performances at a World wushuchampionships.
In Shanghai last month,India fi��nished 10th with fourmedals in the sanda event,including Praveen Kumar’sgold in men's 48kg, silvers byY. Sanathoi Devi in women's52kg and Poonam in 75kgand a bronze by Vikrant Baliyan in men's 60kg. The government is looking formore participation in thesport and plans to create better infrastructure,” saidRijiju.
Praveen Kumar, of the Assam Regiment Centre (Shillong) who became the fi��rstman from India to clinch agold at the World championships, told The Hindu: “AfterI won silver at the 2016 Asianchampionships in ChineseTaipei, I worked with theaim of winning a gold at theWorlds. “The bouts werereally tough, especially the
fi��nal against Russel Diaz ofthe the Philippines."
Coach Kuldeep Handoowas delighted with the performance and urged supportfrom the government.
“We won the second goldfor India, after Pooja Kadian
(75kg) in 2017. Wushu is popular in Kashmir, the northeast, Haryana and Rajasthan. The governmentshould lend support to further popularise the sport,"Handoo said.
Sanathoi Devi, fourtime
silver medallist at the Worldchampionships, called forroundtheyear camps toprepare for major competitions.
Sanathoi will participatein the South Asian Games tobe held in Nepal from Dec. 1.
Rijiju felicitates wushu medallistsSays government plans to create better infrastructureAnant Kaur
NEW DELHI
Commendable show: Poonam, Y. Sanathoi Devi, Praveen Kumar and Vikrant Baliyan who didIndia proud at the recent World wushu championships. * ANANT KAUR
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and visiting offi��cials of the CommonwealthGames Federation (CGF)presented an “amiable”front even as issues relatedto India’s participation in the2022 Commonwealth Gamesremained unresolved.
At the end of a series ofmeetings involving the IOA,CGF and the Union SportsMinistry here on Thursday,it became clear that the contentious question related toshooting being part of theGames hung in the balance.
HopeThe IOA held out hope evenas CGF was equally fi��rm inexplaining its stand on the issue. CGF CEO David Grevemberg emphasised,“Shooting was an optional
sport in the CommonwealthGames. Shooting must ownthis problem. Not just for2022, but beyond. We havecome to listen and learn,show respect (to IOA). Do wehave a solution? No. Wewon’t make false promises.”
CGF president LouiseMartin was forthcoming too.“We were impressed by thelegacy of the 2010 CWG.
India can host manychampionships (at the IndiraGandhi Sports Complex). Itis disappointing that somenations have raised the issuerelated to shooting not beingpart of the 2022 Games. TheCGF has to keep evolving.”The decision to excludeshooting was taken in 2015.
IOA president N.K. Batraclarifi��ed, “I was wrong tosuggest India would boycottthe Games. Boycott is notthe word. It should have
been withdraw from theGames. We are not far fromfi��nding the solution. Ourstand persists. We haven’ttaken any decision yet on India’s participation in 2022 ifshooting is excluded fromthe Games.”
IOA secretarygeneral Rajeev Mehta insisted, “Everything is not lost. We arehappy with our discussions.Also, we are going to bid forthe 2026 CWG. I have the government’s assurance in thisregard.” The interactionended on a positive note.Martin said, “We are all stillsmiling.” For Grevamberg, itwas a platform that refl��ected, “peace, sustainabilityand prosperity of theGames. We have becomemore inclusive. We haveevolved as a movement.”
For Batra, the chapter wasnot “closed.”
Commonwealth Games Federationshooting: IOA remains optimistic Interaction with offi��cials end on positive note
Vijay Lokapally
NEW DELHI
“Supplements are necessaryfor recovery, strength and stamina specially in high intensity sports with often backtoback games that give littletime to regroup,” observedIndia hockey goalkeeper P.R.Sreejesh on Thursday.
The use of health and foodsupplements in elite sports isno longer an option but withcontaminated supplementsbeing a major contributor tothe increasingly widespreaddoping menace in sports, theneed for safe, tested and approved alternatives has become important.
“While we get them
through offi��cial channels onlyduring camps, we are allowedto use personal stuff�� outside.But they need to be clean, reputed and permitted by NADA. That responsibility issolely ours,” said Sreejesh.
While the onus lay on theathletes to ensure what theyinjected, it was equally important to ensure availabilityof the same. Trying to fi��ll inthe demand, leading Australian performance nutritionbrand Musashi has launchedits products in India.
Indian hockey stars Rupinder Pal Singh and Harmanpreet Singh, wrestler AmitDhankar and cricketer RahulSharma were also present.
Supplements needed for recovery, says SreejeshSPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI
The 13th edition of the ILeague will kick off�� on November 30 with Aizawl FCtaking on Mohun Bagan inthe opening match.
The 201920 season of theILeague will be the fi��rsttime that it will not be thetop league in the country.
Defending championChennai City FC will beginits campaign at homeagainst TRAU FC on Dec. 1.
The latter earned promotion through the ILeaguesecond division while Shil
long Lajong was relegated.
Kolkata derby The fi��rst Kolkata derby willbe a home game for Baganagainst East Bengal on December 22.
The reverse fi��xture isscheduled for March 15 nextyear.
The new season will alsosee the return of 7 p.m. kickoff��s. Punjab FC, formerlyMinerva Punjab FC, will playnine of its 10 home matchesat 2 p.m.
All matches will be shownlive on Dsport after the AIFFsigned a threeyear dealwith Lex Sportel Vision Pvt.Ltd.
AizawlBagan opener on November 30 I-LEAGUE
SPORTS BUREAU
NEW DELHI
The secretaries of nine Stateassociations face suspensionfor fi��elding overage athletesat the recent National juniorin Guntur. Nearly 100 athletes were found to be overage in the fi��veday meet.
At its AGM in Agra in July,the AFI had decided to suspend secretaries of State associations which had morethan two overage athletes inNational meets in a year.
“They will be suspended... the letter has alreadygone out,” AFI presidentAdille Sumariwalla told The
Hindu on Thursday.
Overage issue:Secretariesface action
Stan Rayan
KOCHI
www.thehindu.com
https://www.facebook.com/thehindu
https://www.twitter.com/The Hindu
Delhi • city EDITION • NOVEMBER 15, 2019
Narthaki Nataraj recounts her
path-breakingjourney
Pages 4 & 5
Dhrupad losesits star
Pandit RamakantGundecha paved theway for broadening
the horizon ofdhrupad by bringingin rich literaryoeuvres of Hindi P3
The chosen one
Veena exponent Dr.Jayanthi Kumaresh
on receiving theBharatiya VidyaBhavan’s “SangeetShikhar Samman” P5
Festival on thepromenade
Guwahati is thedestination as theBrahmaputra
Pushkaram beckonsthe tourist and thedevout alike P6
Gandhi, thehusband
In “Baa”, novelistGiriraj Kishore
describes the mostunregenerate part ofthe life of the Father
of the Nation P7
INSIDE
Dance ofFreedom
*V
.V.
KR
ISH
NA
N
Ustad Bahauddin Dagar gives haazri every threemonths at the tomb of Sufi�� Hazrat Inayat Khanat Nizamuddin, on the date of birth of the saint
The Sufi�� was not only a great musician (he played theveena, and was a grandson of the famous Ustad Maula Baksh of the Baroda court) but also a spiritually enlightened saint. Bahauddin’s connection with him isvisible in the quality of his musical off��ering at histomb.
As usual, recently, he played with muted amplifi��cation which is so much nicer. One has got too used tovery loud classical music which verges on the dissonant. For this musical off��ering , Bahauddin did notplay with a percussion accompanist, allowing his spirit to muse between notes, create connections between them, exploring diff��erent avenues of the raga.
Bahauddin played raga Puriya Kalyan, his hourlong aalap jor jhala, creating an ambience of total absorption in the largely young audience. His style is ofcourse as per the dhrupad tradition of the Dagar family of which he is the 19th generation descendant.Creating a framework of connections between thenotes, exploring all three octaves in turn was methodical as always, but clearly, on this occasion, he wasmoved by the ambiance, which was of course transmitted to the audience. “Asar” is a nebulous word; itcan only be experienced and felt. In the jhala, he added some lovely “gamaks”, the coordination betweenhis left and right hand was pleasing.
Testing himselfStressing the “baaj” of the veena more prominent
ly than he usually does, Bahauddin explored the ragabeautifully. There was never an attempt to impress,his playing was devotional, meditative and inspired.After that magnifi��cent Puriya Kalyan, Bahauddinbravely explored raga Malgunji, which, he said, wasnot part of his gharana’s repertoire and was playing itfor the fi��rst time. In the past too, he played raga Purvifor the fi��rst time at the same spot, clearly he looks forblessings from the musician Saint.
As usual, Bahauddin did not play with “mizrabs”,using only his nails to pluck the wires. The tonal quality thus achieved has no metallic twang of wire hittingwire. As he said, as per their tradition, “naakh mukhveena baaje” (the veena is played with the nails). However, the double stroke (Da Ga), particular to theveena, and one of its basic playing techniques cannotreally be played properly without mizrabs on bothfi��ngers, though, amazingly, he managed a few times,using only his nails.
Continued on page 8
Nebulous experience
Shailaja Khanna CCCCCCCCC
Ustad Bahauddin Dagar treatedaudience to a meditative recitalat the tomb of Sufi HazratInayat Khan in Delhi
For a total alien to southIndia and its danceforms, it is not easy to
assimilate, excel and propelthe art into the global galaxy.Well, for Arunima Kumar, itwas a passion, a challengethat culminated into a success story. On the eve of herInternational KuchipudiDance Festival in London,the Sangeet Natak Akademi’sBismillah Khan Yuva Puruskar awardee talks about herjourney into the world ofperforming arts and Kuchipudi dance form inparticular.
What made you take upKuchipudi dance form?
Dance or rather rhythmwas inborn or so my grandparents would always saythough at that age I had noclue. My mother, an artistherself , was keen that Ishould learn dance. Being anorth Indian and Delhibased one at that, it was natural that I went to learn Kathak. But then, my mothershifted me to Guru SwapnaSundari who taught Kuchipudi those days. Why mymother chose Kuchipudi andnot Bharatanatyam which isa more popular south Indiandance form, I didn’t quiteknow then. But whatever shechose, the vibrancy of thedance appealed to my youngmind. At the age of seven,thanks to my guru, I was onstage with a small role in herballet “Amrapali”. The adulation, the audience, the lights– everything fascinated me. Itrained with Swapna Sundarifor a small time only. Later,gurus Jayarama Rao and Vanashree trained me into afullfl��edged artiste.
How was your performance as a pupil?
It wasn’t easy but both myparents being artoriented, Iwas able to love what I waslearning. And that’s half thejob done. The rest was to tryand understand the contentof what was being taught. Being fi��ercely independent bynature, I would at times notfollow the group in emulating a particular emotion andwould do it my way. Initially,my guru used to be upset over it; but again he let me dowhat I felt like. That, in a
way, set my mind thinking.Abhinaya (expressive dance)itself is lost in the text unlessit is explored. Now as ateacher I realise this muchmore. If you don’t get the pupils to learn the context thatsay, Satyabhama (the protagonist) in “Bhama Kalapam”,is lost in the song.
When did you realisedance was your calling?
Actually, I graduated inEconomics from St. Stephen’s College. And I didwork for a pretty long time inthe corporate sector. But mydance never took a backseat.When I got a seat in LondonSchool of Economics, mymother was rather distraught that I will give up ondance. But by then my passion for dance was strong . Iknew I can never give it uptotally. I moved to London adecade ago and worked inthe marketing sector. I wastrying to balance a home, mydance and my career. Somewhere down the line, Ihad this uneasiness that Iwould never be able to givemy full to dance if I continuein this manner.
As a trial run, I took a sabbatical for a year . My bosswas aghast. To him, dancewas like going to a gym andthat could be done evenwhile working full time. Butwhen he saw me dance inBuckingham Palace, he wasconvinced of my passion.One can balance a professionand passion for a long time,provided the former is not astaxing . At one point, I toldmyself, ‘it’s time to leave.’
Dance is a sadhana, it needs100 per cent of you.
Kuchipudi dwells on exaggerated abhinaya andaharya. Did you refi��ne it tosuit the foreign audience??
I’m very dedicated to theformatted, formal Kuchipuditraditional repertoire. My gurus handed over a refi��nedform to me. So the grotesquenever really occurred in mydance life for me to judge.But now at this stage of maturity as an artiste, I shouldsay, I have played a lot withthe repertoire, that is, atplaces of performance likethe Royal CommonwealthSociety, Trafalgar Square, Ihave to use the form judiciously . I worked on contemporary themes like in mywork on prison, “Bandini’. Itried to bring this (translatedversion) to Chennai danceseason but met with disapproval from the organisers.But I had to really stoop toconquer and I walked awaywith laurels. Certainly, it depends on audience to whomyou are performing, however, in the same breath I cansay if you are bold enough tocreate something valuableand artistically worthy, it willbe approved and appreciated. We are fed on this ‘pure’and ‘impure’ labels of classical dance and are scared tothink out of the box.
Tell us about your upcoming internationaldance festival. Does foreign platform restrictyour Kuchipudirepertoire?
My dance company is associated with Bhavan’s andInfosys, the latter being fi��nancially supportive. TheArts Council of England givesus a grant. I’m organisingthis international fest in a bigway– a threehour programme. My team and mewould be doing the Dasavataram with Latin dancers inwheelchairs. Nothing canrestrict my complex andstrong Kuchipudi repertoire.My innovations are withinmy framework. My innovative approach for instance inthe Dasavataram is that atthe tenth avatar can be anybody from a physicallychallenged to normal and I leaveit at that. This is what I meantabout my own individualcreativity. Similarly, my“Stree” spoke of Rati, Sitaand Sati – three aspects ofwoman where I wrapped upwith the Simhanandini –which I term as footpainting. Mine is a simple versionwhere I drew the fi��gure of awoman with my feet on acardboard box. Some of mynewer works are on sonnetsof Shakespeare with Carnaticvocal.
My ‘Stree Vesham’ video isabout the original Kuchipudirepertoire where males impersonated as females anddanced. It was an enrichingexperience teaching to aman as I had earlier learntfrom a man! I have refi��nedmy ahaarya (costume) to suitmy content. But for these minor changes, I’m a traditionalist who worships my Kuchipudi.
ScalingtheSKIES
Ahead of theInternationalKuchipudi DanceFestival, ArunimaKumar talks abouttaking thetraditional art formto the world
Ranee Kumar CCCCCCCCC
In the right context Arunima Kumar * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
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DELHI FRIDAYREVIEW
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SPOTLIGHT
Hidden meanings
Ustad Bahauddin
Dagar in
performance
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TRIBUTE
The news came like a boltfrom the blue! It was impossible to believe that
a young, apparently fi��ghtingfi��t and dynamic person likePandit Ramakant Gundecha,the younger of the worldrenowned dhrupad maestrosGundecha Brothers, wouldclose the fl��ow of melody soabruptly while at the peak ofcreativity. “Unfortunately,this is true. I have just returned from Bhopal after attending the last rites,” saidPandit Uday Bhawalkar overthe phone.
Once again, it is provedthat life is stranger than fi��ction – so is death. Rabindranath Tagore, under the pseudonym ‘Bhanu SinghaThakur’ wrote in Maithili,‘Maran re! tuhun mamaShyam samaan’ (O Death! Youare like my Shyam); nobodyknows when His hypnoticfl��ute would lure one out ofthis mortal life and lead to theeternal one!
The lure this once causedmassive cardiac arrest for a56yearold Ramakant, who,with his comusician brotherswere waiting for a Punebound train at Habibganj Station on Friday, the 8th November to be able to participate in a prestigious dhrupadconcert on coming Sundaybefore heading for severalother events – so meticulouslyplanned by him for a hecticwinter season.
The entire music fraternityknows that out of all the fi��ve
Gundecha siblings, he wasthe most friendly, outgoing,articulate and meticulousplanner – who zestfully handled all the correspondencesand dialogues with organisations, listeners, members ofthe music fraternity and evensocial media. Umakant, theelder of this famous duo,openly and blindly relied onhis younger brother’s managerial acumen. The trust paidits dividends and they rose tobe the leading propagators ofdhrupad.
But it took a lot of struggling years to carve out aniche in the world of musicwhere dhrupad was alreadyon the decline; moreover, because they hailed from the family of a lawyer based inUjjain.
As a student of commercein Madhav College, Ramakant, like his elder brotherUmakant, was drawn towardsmusic. Their father noticedthe latent talent of his boysand encouraged them to pursue their passion and complete the degree course fromthe Madhav Sangeet Mahavidyalaya as well. Quite plausibly, this had initiated them tokhayal.
“In those days, we werestationed in Ujjain,” reminisced Bhawalkar, “my eldersister, who inspired and initiated me to music, was theclassmate of Umakantbhai.
When the Dhrupad Kendra inBhopal was about to start, wechanced upon the advertisement. All three of us appliedfor the scholarship, sailedthrough the tests and joinedthe Kendra together in November 1981. Ours was thefi��rst batch of students. Noneof us hailed from any gharanedar musicians’ family. Under the strict mentorship ofour Chhote Ustad, FariduddinDagar, we were trying ourbest to undo what we hadlearnt so far and also enthusiastically learnt the new lessons to imbibe the nuances ofDagar Gharana.”
Bhawalkar shared a veryfond memory. “In 1982, during our holidays we were backhome in Ujjain. One morningRamakantbhai came to ourhouse brimming with a brightidea. He said, ‘As you know,our city has temples dedicated to each of the navagrahas –related to Som, Mangal, etc.Why don’t we go in the temple of Budh on Wednesdays,Guru on Thursdays and off��erour music in each one of thetemples every morning!’ Weall jumped at the idea. Eachday, around four in the morning, the three of us wouldmount a moped along withour tanpura, go to a templeand sing till the daybreak,”Bhawalkar took a deepbreath. “That gratifying feeling has stayed with me, al
ways,” he added softly.Pandit Ritwik Sanyal, a
much senior gurubhai ofGundechas and Bhawalkar,saw them grow since their entry in Dhrupad Kendra. According to him, all the threeyoungsters were very sincerely dedicated to this demanding genre. “It was Ustadjiwho suggested jugalbandi forthe Gundechas because theyhad a very strong familialbond. Umakant always reliedheavily on Ramakant whowas sharper and more confi��dent. Their youngest brotherAkhilesh came down to Benares to learn Pakhawaj fromPandit Shrikant Mishra. Thisfurther strengthened theirteam. Later Sangeeta, one oftheir two sisters, also pitchedin handling the organisationalworks,” added Sanyal.
However, nothing comesfrom nothing. The ladder ofworldwide success took itsown price. After the fi��veyearlong intense training at theKendra, the brothers fi��rst gotnoticed at the UttaradhikarDance and Music Festival,Bhopal. They won the National Fellowship for the period of198789. The Madhya PradeshGovernment also extendedtheir helping hands by absorbing them at the archivalcentre of the prestigious Bharat Bhavan.
Ramakant, who loved to interact with artists of all disciplines, actually paved the wayfor broadening the horizon ofdhrupad by bringing in richliterary oeuvres of Hindi,penned by modern poets.
As a singing duo and also asGurus, they tried out newervistas and succeeded in evolving a typical Gundecha stylewith a diff��erent perceptionand colour – widely acceptedby listeners. In 2004, they established their own DhrupadGurukul in the outskirts ofBhopal. Among their disciples, many are rearing tocome up now – including a Pakistani exponent and Ramakant’s only son Anand Gundecha.
With the fl��ow of felicitations and awards from diff��erent parts of India, they alsoreceived the Padmashri in2012 and a heavy load of responsibilities as busy performers, gurus and institutionheads. Frankly, the latter wasRamakant’s forte. Albeit cooland capable of handling thetensions involved, he fell preyto the silent killer thatsnatched him away – untimely, ruthlessly.
Pandit Ramakant Gundecha paved the way for broadening the horizon of dhrupadby bringing in rich literary oeuvres of Hindi
Meena BanerjeeCCCCCCCCC
Meticulous approach Pandit Ramakant Gundecha (1962-2019)
Dhrupad loses its star
Honour for the dance guruInternationally renowned classical dance
exponent Dr. Sonal Mansingh will be honoured with the Sumitra Charat Ram Awardfor Lifetime Achievement (2019) by Kathakmaestro Pandit Birju Maharaj at Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, this Sunday.
To make the event memorable, the awardceremony will be followed by dance presentation by Dr. Sonal Mansingh, who is a masterperformer, teacher, choreographer and scholar.
Blessed with deep knowledge of culturalheritage and trained in Bharatanatyam, Odissi and Chhau, she can articulate her thoughtson the Indian culture and also create severalnew choreographic works. She has spreadawareness about social issues through her solo dance theatre ‘NaatyaKatha’.
The Kendra Management initiated thisaward in the name of Sumitra Charat Ram,founder of Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra.
Dr Sonal Mansingh
IN BRIEF
Submergence & EmergenceLinearity appears as a myth, when one stu
dies, the origin of life, the cosmos and the labyrinthine maze through which nature unfolds and regenerates. It is a complex and amaginfi��cent narrative, which continues in cycles, a motion 'unorientables'. In dialoguewith such nonlinearity of organic expansion,numerous vantage points that construct human reality because of cultural orientationsand social alignments, merge, overlap andoccasionally blur out in the paintings of DrSuryasnata Mohanty.
The exhibition is on till November 15, 10a.m. to 5 p.m., Convention Centre Foyer, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
Musical theatre Ramayana is the story of the Prince of
Ayodhya, an incarnation of Maha Vishnu. Hislife is seen as a spiritual message for all ofmankind. Ramayana is equally popular for itsfl��air of depicting various incidents and characters elaborately. Each of these charactersportray one of the nine emotions – "navarasas", distinctly.
To revisit this favourite mythological storyof all, Bhavanis Prasannalaya is holding “Navarasa Ramayana”, a musical theatre. on November 16, 6.20 p.m., Karthiyayini Auditorium, Mayur Vihar, Phase I, New Delhi. It iscurated by noted performer, choreographerand teacher Bhavani Anantharaman.
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According to Pt. Ritwik
Sanyal, it was Ustadji
who suggested
jugalbandi for the
Gundechas because
they had a very strong
familial bond.
“Umakant always
relied heavily on
Ramakant who was
sharper and more
confi��dent.”
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Jayanthi Kumaresh startedlearning the art of playingSaraswati veena at a tender
age of three. Her musical journey spans over threeandhalfdecades. She is not only an artiste of repute but also a collaborator, composer, researcher,creator, pioneer, and educator.Jayanthi is a recipient of manyawards including the “Sangeetha Choodamani”, “Kalaimamani”, “Vishwa Kala Ratna”, “Veena Naada Mani”,“Kala Ratna”, “Sathyashree”,and “Gaana Varidhi”. The recent Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’sprestigious “Sangeet ShikarSamman” is yet another feather in her cap. “I only felt that Iwas receiving this award on behalf of the Saraswati veena andfelt privileged to be the personreceiving it on her behalf,” saysan elated Jayanthi. Jayanthiwho has dedicated her life tothe art form was in the Capitallast week.
Jayanthi comes from the illustrious “Lalgudi” family witha rich lineage of music spanning six generations. Her earlymusic education was underher mother Lalgudi R. Rajalakshmi and then she continued her training under Padmavathy Ananthagopalan inthe Gurukula system for 22years.
Besides, she got the opportunity to be guided by the veena maestro Dr. S. Balachander.Jayanthi owes her success inthe fi��eld to her parents, gurusPadmavathy Ananthagopalanand Dr. S. Balachander, hermentor the legendary violinmaestro Lalgudi G. Jayaraman,family members, and theaudience.
Was it not diffi��cult for her to
amalgamate the violin infl��uence of her mentor and guru’s veena styles? Jayanthi clarifi��es that style is only a mode ofexpression and that she focusses entirely on what to express,the contents, rather than howto express them. A gratefulJayanthi adds that she got aninvaluable treasure from hergurus and mentor and that shehas used the ecosystem inwhich she grew up to expressthem in her own style.
Mother’s decisionOne is always curious to knowwhy Jayanthi chose the instrument of veena and not violin?Jayanthi explains that it wasthe choice of her mother whohad initiated her into veenawhen she was three years oldand she does not think that shewould have had the capacity tomake a choice at that age. “Wecannot choose music; musichas to choose us. I feel I havebeen destined to spread themessage of music through theSaraswati veena to the world,”avers Jayanthi.
Academically inclined,Jayanthi has a doctorate degree. She has researched ondiff��erent banis and playingtechniques of Saraswati Veena.Coming from a family of re
nowned musicians, was there aconstant pressure on Jayanthito perform well and if so, howdid she manage the pressure?Jayanthi admits that there is acertain amount of expectationwhen someone comes from arenowned family of musicians.She further adds that she neverfelt the pressure but feltblessed to be born in such amusicallyoriented family.
Recollecting her experiences of performing under the aegis of various organisations atdiff��erent venues in the Capital,Jayanthi says that the cosmopolitan audience there areopen to the music from thesouth, receptive and appreciative.
Her advice to young students of music is that theyshould not be in a hurry to present; rather they should taketheir time to learn, enjoy learning, assimilate, allow it to soakin and mature before they startpresenting. If they are in a hurry to present, they will soonrun out of stock.
“Becoming a musician is along journey. Enjoy the journey. The destination is beautiful, but the journey is evenmore beautiful,” signs off��Jayanthi.
The chosen one Veena exponent Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh on receiving theBharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s “Sangeet Shikhar Samman”
Venkatesan SrikanthCCCCCCCCC
Another feather in the cap Jayanthi Kumaresh * V.V. KRISHNAN
COVER STORY
Surviving a childhoodmarred with rejection, itwas a deep dive into
dance that restored a senseof faith and direction for Bharatanatyam artiste, NarthakiNataraj. As the fi��rst transgender Indian classical dancer tobe awarded the Padma Shriearlier this year, she believesin boldly questioning sociocultural stereotypes and exploring multiple identitiesthrough dance.
“It is important to acceptour similarities and diff��erences – man, woman orthird gender, we are allsearching for a glimpse of divinity in everyday life,” refl��ects Nataraj. Performing atKamani auditorium in Delhion the fi��rst day of the 11thSangeet Samaroh of the Delhichapter of Bharatiya VidyaBhavan, she delved deeperinto this metaphysical longing for the divine, throughthe Surdas Bhajan, “Re mannKrishna naam”. Playfully interpreting the compositionas a conversation betweentwo friends, she brisklychanged roles to inquirewhether one needs to haveeyes to actually ‘see’ the supreme being.
The highlight of the evening was the varnam, “Thiruve! Thirumagale! Thaaye”in Ragamalika set to Aadi taalam. Composed by the dancer herself, the varnam was arare one that poked conventional gender equations byfocusing on the female, rather than the male deity.
Balanced with a fl��ourish offootwork, the eight forms ofMahalakshmi were depictedwith ease, thematically exploring absolute devotion orbhakti and the emotional
state of the devotee.
The fi��rst stepNataraj’s early foray intodance, began with anotheremotional search – the pursuit of happiness. “My onlyhappy memories of childhood are of dancing secretlyto songs from cinema,” recounts Nataraj. “Me and myfriend, Sakthi (Bhaskar),have been together since wewere fi��ve years old. She wasmy only trusted confi��danteand our companionship hasbeen the support system for
us throughout our lives.” The two friends would
sneak out to watch cinema inthe village, gleaming with adulation for silver screendancing stars like Padminiand Vyjayanthimala. Refl��ecting on the simmering passion for dance that underscored her life even as achild, she says, “I am notsure whether I dreamt ofdancing like the heroines,but I do remember that onlywhen I danced did I feel free,beyond any limitations, andaccepted myself as who I
am.”Without any support from
the family, and constantlyheckled by the village community, the two friends setout to fi��nd a dance guru asteenagers. “I was rejected bymy family and through myteenage days I struggled tomake a living to survive andcomplete my schooling. I feltthat no one wanted to listento us, support us, or understand our struggles.” Punctuating each poignant sentence with a breezy chuckle,Nataraj chooses to forgive
the days of insult and isolation with graceful ease now.
Dance was a safe haven forthe duo, though they had notreceived any formal trainingtill then. “I didn’t know thegrammar of Bharatanatyam,or the aesthetics of the classical framework. Yet, whiledancing I could feel my at-
man talking to me, I could express my feelings, my experiences, my identity.”
Amid social ridicule andidentity crisis, at the age of15, Nataraj and Bhaskar approached K P Kittappa Pillai –
the doyen of the ThanjavurBani, requesting him to teachthem. At the outset, he refused. “We were so used torejection by then that wetook it in our stride. I had ahuge inferiority complex andI assumed that we were againbeing rejected because of notfi��tting into the ‘normal’ gender identities. I realisedmuch later that this was notthe case, his reasons werediff��erent. He was testingwhether we had any real passion for dance or it was afl��eeting whim.”
For the entire year, theduo followed him around,going for all his performances. “Finally, he started noticing our dedication. When hewould ask why we were atthe concert, we wouldhumbly touch his feet andsay we came for his blessings.”
After a year, the guru accepted Nataraj and Bhaskaras disciples. For more than 14years the duo trained withtheir guru, “We just concentrated on learning, withoutany thoughts of fame orname. A very rigorous teacher, my guru was like ‘Siddhapurusha’ in my eyes. He wasrelentless during practiceand later taught us the rarerepertoire of Thanjavurquartet compositions.”
Fielding a volley of insultsin social life, Nataraj maintained a stoical approach,fi��nding solace in dance.“Looking back today, I alsofi��nd our determination fordance hard to understand.For most transgender people, their entire lives,thoughts and emotions revolve around this identityand the struggles it brings.We had those struggles too,but somehow our focus ondance never faltered.”
A path of one’s ownNataraj’s interest in Tamil
literature blossomed duringthe years of her dance training. This curiosity wasfanned by questions aboutself and society that shefound herself grappling with,in everyday life. “I rememberthat I used to think of myselfas an animal, not a humanbeing. Even though I belonged to a welltodo family,they never accepted me. Infact, in the 1980s and 90s, itwas a taboo to even discuss
this with anyone. Everythingoperated on the ‘what willpeople say’ principle. Myown relatives and community avoided talking to us in public, they would pretend notto know us, and we wouldfeel absolutely alone andisolated.”
Turning to ancient Tamilliterature to resolve the perplexing existential dilemma,Nataraj came across texts like“Silappathikaram” that shefound extremely fascinating.“My basic question was, whoam I? The ancient texts speculate on several approachesto this question. In literature,and in dance, this is an openquestion unlike fi��xed genderstereotypes that form our social norms.”
Deeper philosophical inquiries led her to exploreand expand on the conceptof ‘Nayaki Bhava’. Mergingspiritual pursuits with artistic expression, Nataraj refl��ects, “The Nayaki Bhava is adivine transgender state. Thesoul is neither male nor female, and travels through infi��nity. While watching medance, the audience mistakes me to be a beautifulwoman. While I may be playing a nayika or heroine, I amnot only that. Being the thirdgender is also a spiritualidentity. The concept of the
supreme power can be explored by shedding our social selves.”
Entering the world ofdance as a performing artisthad its own set of challenges.“In my initial days in thedance world I got rejectionand insults from the community. I realised the onlyway to overcome that isthrough stage success and Iwas determined to prove mymerit as a dancer.” Many decades and accolades later,Nataraj smiles at the harshmemories that fuelled herrise to fame.
An empowering future“The younger generation
are much more acceptingand empathetic towards thethird gender,” says Nataraj.“While we were shunnedand rejected by our community, today, we have attempted to create our owncommunity around theworld to support people whoare going through this struggle.”
Nataraj and Bhaskar established the VelliyambalamSchool of Dance, Chennai,with this objective in mind.“After my very long journey,my conclusion is that thethird gender has been created specially for society andhumanity. We don’t have anybond in this world since wecannot have progeny. In away we are ‘swayambho’ selfgenerated. And we constantly need to keep selfgenerating and selfsustaining ourlife, our self, our identity. Myonly appeal to the world is,we lost our childhood to painand rejection, we have builtour lives from scratch andheld our victories, now wetrust the world to keep ussafe, and give us love andsupport.”
‘The soul isneither malenor female’
Bharatanatyam exponentNarthaki Nataraj believes inboldly questioning socio-culturalstereotypes and exploringmultiple identities through dance
Shrinkhla Sahai CCCCCCCCC
Beyond brackets Narthaki Natraj in performance at the BVB festival in New Delhi * V.V. KRISHNAN
The threeday festival showcasedtwo star performers each evening from the fi��eld of classical vo
cal, instrumental, and dance. The twomajor peaks to the overall festival perhaps were the Carnatic and Hindustani vocal concerts by Vidushi ArunaSairam and Pt. Rajan and Pt. SajanMishra making personal statements ofimmeasurable value, styles, voices,and techniques on the opening andthe concluding evenings respectively.
The festival opened with an appealing performance by the Padma Shriawardee, ‘Sangeeta Kalanidhi’, ArunaSairam. Initiated into classical musicat a tender age by her mother Rajlakshmi Sethuraman and further
groomed under the legendary T. Brinda, Aruna has absorbed the fi��nernuances of Western, Hindustani andeven fi��lm music to beautify her performances but ultimately it is her ownaesthetic sense that makes all thediff��erence.
Opening with the alltime favouriteThyagaraja composition ‘Samaja varagamana…’ in Hindolam which is anequally popular Hindustani raga Malkauns, she took the Hindustani musiclisteners along from the very beginning.
The ‘Ardhanareeswaram…’ composed in Sanskrit by MuthuswamiDikshitara in raga Kumudakriya wasaptly prefaced with the Ardhanareeswara sloka of Adi Shankaracharya. Purandara Dasa Kriti ‘Venkataramanane
Baro…’ in raga Saveri brought her tothe central piece, a detailed RagamTanam Pallavi in Kharaharapriya,again equivalent to Hindustani Kafi��,where each of her mesmerising statements during the Ragam sequence enthralled the discerning Hindustanimusic lovers too.
The hidden rhythms of tanamreached the pallavi in Thyagaraja Kriti‘Chakkani Raja…’, followed by theelaborate sargams and enthusiasticthani avartanam by the two percussionists J. Vaidyanathan on mridangam and Shri Ramani on ghatam,whose earthen instrument echoedthe twinkling taar shadja with precisepurity.
Reminiscing about her childhoodchanting of the Lalitha Sahasranama,
Aruna transported the listeners to adivine, spiritual realm where thewoes of the day could be forgottenand the elevating joy of the blissfulmusic experienced by both connoisseurs and lay listeners alike.
The Sanskrit shlokas from LalithaSahasranama and the Mahishasurmardini Stotra, with the beauty of itsmetrical elegance and the power andresonance of its literary eloquence;brought out the throbbing interiors ofthe vocalist’s inner world of devotionand bhakti.
Celebrating the Prakash Parv of Guru Nanak, Aruna concluded her mesmerising recital with the Nanak Shabad, “Thakur tum Sharnayi aya…” inraga Brindavani Sarang as indicated inGurbani. The melodious violin of Vit
thal Ramamurthy followed her like ashadow.
Deft conceptionPt. Rajan Mishra and Pt. Sajan Mis
hra, accompanied on tabla by RamKumar Mishra and harmonium by Zakir Dhaulpuri, opened with the uncommon and sombre evening ragaPurvi, belonging to the Purvi Thaathaving the Rishabh and Dhaivat Komal with both the madhyams and delineated it with deft conception andbrilliant execution. This was followedby a couple of compositions in thecontrasting raga Jog, before they concluded with a bhajan. Their superbrendition of carefully balanced phrases in the jugalbandi format refl��ectedeach other as though in mirrors.
Earlier the fi��ercely gifted sitar, Purbayan Chatterjee played a superbShankara with AlapJodJhala and acomposition based on a traditionalbandish set to Rupak tala followed byCharukeshi. His dramatic demeanourof leaving the ‘Sam’ after reaching it
with electrifying taans, lost its senseof wonder due to the predictable repetitions. The concluding Kajri wasmelodious but for the unnecessarysinging. Admirable tabla accompaniment by young Zoheb Ahmed got himintermittent applause.
Delineating hidden rhythms and uncommon ragas Vidushi Aruna Sairam and Pts. Rajan and Sajan Mishra made personal statements of immeasurable value at the BharatiyaVidya Bhavan’s Sangeet Samaroh in New Delhi Manjari Sinha CCCCCCCCC
Complete devotion Vidushi Aruna Sairam in performance * V.V. KRISHNAN
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Intelligently-structured concert On the second day of the BVB festival, seasoned violinist A. Kanyakumari enthralled the music lovers with her music prowess.The time at the disposal of Kanyakumari was short (around an hourandhalf). Nevertheless, the artiste who has decades of experiencein this art form, intelligently structured her concert in such a waythat one did get a fullfl��edged concert experience even in her shortrecital. Kanyakumari took up two compositions of Tyagaraja for detailedpresentations, namely “Bagayenayya” in Chandrajyoti and “Kaligiyunte” in Keeravani. While Chandrajyoti is a vivadi raga, Kiravani is amelakarta raga (21st in the 72 melakarta raga system of Carnaticmusic). The manner in which she delineated these ragas and brought out the nuances of these ragas were atreat to the music lovers. And so was the manner in which she played these compositions and theswaraprastharas for the later composition. Veteran mridangam artist K.V. Prasad who too has decades of experience in the fi��eld, along with AnirudhAthreya on the Kanjira, provided solid percussion support to Kanyakumari. Kanyakumari is also a renowned Guru and many of her disciples are already very popular artists. She makes it apoint to have a disciple on the stage to provide violin support during her recital. This time, it was young andtalented Sayee Rakshith, who provided excellent support during the entire recital. Kanyakumari’s concludingsession too was enthralling in which she played a scintillating Thiruppugazh of Arunagirinadar. On the whole, anenjoyable evening of Carnatic music.
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<>I am not sure whetherI dreamt of dancinglike the heroines, but Ido remember thatonly when I danceddid I feel free, beyondany limitations, andaccepted myself aswho I am
A Kanyakumari * SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
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HERITAGE
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The clayey soil givesway under your feetdragging you deeperas you try harder to
stand fi��rm. “Come for Pushkar? Be careful when you enter the water,” the words ofthe friendly cab driver onway from the airport ring inthe ears. Taking a dip in theBrahmaputra is a diff��erentball game, surely. Slippery asan oiled ceramic fl��oor underneath, the river on its surfacelooks deceptively calm. Itsshore is the venue for theBrahmaputra Pushkaram, afestival now in progress tomark the transit of the planetJupiter. The Assam Government has made extensive arrangements for the pilgrimsvisiting Guwahati and has alot to off��er for the tourist.
Apart from its spiritual signifi��cance, the Pushkaramstands out for national unityand integration — an aspectthe Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and others
stressed during the inauguration of the 12day festival.“The Brahamaputra hasbeen the life line of this region for centuries but todaywe thank the river for turning the nation’s attention towards the NorthEast,” saidMr. Sonowal. “This eventshould go to Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and so on. Itwill open a window to thispart of the country, whichhas remained isolated for
long,” he said, a loud applause from the audience expressing solidarity. It was indeed a unique congregationas people from diff��erentStates had gathered on theriver front to bathe and perform rituals. Some of the pilgrims were staying for a fewdays to watch the programmes and pujas.
Brass urns
The Pushkaram has givenan opportunity for many totravel NorthEast for the fi��rsttime. Two groups — Mahalakshmi Charitable Trust ofChennai and Purva TirupathiSri Balaji Seva Samithi, Guwahati — have organised theaff��air with the cooperation ofthe Assam Government. OnNovember 5, water from 121rivers, collected in smallbrass urns, were carried tothe river and amidst thechanting of Veda mantraspoured into the Brahmaputra at the appointed hour of5.17 a.m. Hundreds steppedinto the water, picking theirway carefully on the wetbamboo poles and sand bagslaid on the walkway to thebarricaded river front.
The annual Pushkaramhas been gaining ground,thanks to the eff��orts of the70th pontiff�� of the Kanchi Kamakoti Pitam Sri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswati. The idea
is to revive in people reverence for Nature and environment, especially waterbodies. With the various Adheenams dotting Tamil Naduparticipating wholeheartedly, the Cauvery and the Tamiraparani festivals happenedwith great fanfare in 2017and 2018 respectively. Sind isthe designated river for thisyear’s transition of Jupiter.But because of the diffi��cultterrain, Brahmaputra, alsoconnected to Dhanur Rasi(Sagittarius), was chosen.
“My initial reaction wasdisbelief,” says MahalakshmiSubramaniam of the Trust,who spearheaded the earliertwo festivals. “Assam was unknown to me and the language was an issue. But theAcharya encouraged me to
proceed. With his blessings,we are conducting the festival and it has given me greatfulfi��lment,” she adds. Shehad to organise the travel ofover 100 people. Along witha team of priests, vaidikasand cooks, she landed in Guwahati on November 4 tocoordinate the arrangements.
On the home front, PurvaTirupathi Sri Balaji Seva Samithi and the Kanchi Mathtook charge of the event. K.Muthuswamy of the Math’sGuwahati unit and workingpresident of the WorkingCommittee, acted as the vitallink by coordinating with theGovernment machinery.“We, in Assam, have rediscovered the Brahmaputra,” hesays. According to him, thepeople have not seen anything like this. In a land notmuch used to idol worship,educating the local population on the Pushkaram concept was the primary task.The State Government waspositive in its approach, withthe Chief Minister evincingkeen interest. Creating abathing ghat was a challenge,the water playing catchmeifyoucan. “One day it retreated and the next wasback to the brim. The day before the inauguration it retreated at least 30 feet. Asmany as 10,000 sand bagswere placed for pilgrims tomake it safely to the water.
The Government departments aligned themselveswith us. A bridge is going tobe built right where the ghatis situated. Machinery hadarrived and work was aboutto start. Hearing of the Pushkaram, the contractor said,‘We’ll start work after the festival. Let this be a puja to theriver.’ But for the blessings ofthe Kanchi Acharyas thiswould be impossible,” hesays.
With the help of donors,the organising committeehas arranged food daily for4,000 people, ISKCON’sAkshayapatra pitching in. Every evening, river Aaratitakes place, a song composed for the occasion sunga la the Ganga Aarati. Pilgrims are treated to culturalprogrammes. The morningsessions devoted to homamsand other pujas conductedby a group of pandits, including Tyagappa Dikshitar andSivarama Diskhitar of theChidambaram Sabanayakartemple. The Tourism department’s hoponhopoff�� battery bus services take peopleto places of interest. Alsostalls have been put up toshowcase Assam’s enchanting craft and textiles. To sumup, Guwahati, which is playing host in style, is witnessing a historic confl��uence inthe Brahmaputra Pushkaramfestival, which ends on November 16.
Festival on the
promenade Guwahati is thedestination as theBrahmaputraPushkarambeckons thetourist and thedevout alike
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The Assam State
Government is positive
in its approach, with
the Chief Minister
evincing keen interest
Highlights (clockwise from above) An image of Brahma; aarti in progress, the urns in which
water was carried; the Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on the inaugural day; the river
front * PHOTOS: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
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Can one string together the exceptions, guiltridden
confessions, moments ofintrospection, derivationsand caveats to produce apoignant tale of an exasperated but uncomplaining wife and a repentanthusband to dent the accepted narrative? Thispertinent question cropsup in one’s mind whenone goes through the latest novel of veteran Hindinovelist Giriraj Kishorethat goes around the married life of Gandhiji andKasturba Gandhi.
The peppy text, drawing heavily from the autobiography and letters ofGandhi to focus on theblissful married life describes this period as themost unregenerate part ofthe Father of the Nationone could ever imagine.
The novel, "Baa", published by the RajkamalPrakashan, brings out theundetected but multilayered life story of Kasturba Gandhi. Kasturbalives on the margins, andthe author takes pains tosupplement what hasbeen missing.
Focus on behaviour
Giriraj Kishore, whowon the Sahitya Akademiaward on his brilliantlyconceived and wellcrafted novel "Pehla Girmitiya"on Gandhiji's struggle inSouth Africa, delves intolittle known, complexand inconsiderate behaviour of Gandhi that led towedded estrangement.Many instances related toearly marital life and couple's stay in Bombay andSouth Africa are lumpedtogether to demonstratethat Kasturba was a dedicated but not a submissive wife.
Her beclouded butequally, radiant personality buttressed the life ofone who in Orwellianphrase "enriched theworld simply by beingalive."
Kasturba's centrality toGandhiji's life and her independent character issensitively discussed intwo highly readablebooks. The fi��fth grandsonof Gandhiji, Arun and hiswife, Sunanda wrote a
nuanced biography "TheForgotten woman: TheUntold Story of Kasturwife of Gandhi” and recently celebrated authorNeelima Dalima Adharbrought forth an absorbing fi��ctional account "TheForgotten Tale of Kasturba: The Secret Diaries ofKasturba”.
Employing multiple focalisations through personal and private life, thesetexts provide an insightfulunderstanding of Kasturba without running downGandhi as a votary of patriarchy and selfrighteousness. At the outset,the novelist claim that it isan authentic fi��ctional presentation of Kasturba thatcarries the fruits of extensive research and the assertion does have a point.Kishore mentions severalGujarati, English and Hindi books and of course,the writings of Gandhijiand the anecdotal piecesof evidence which hegathered from Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Porbandar in his novel, spreading over 275 pages. Hetries to scrutinise the roleof Bapu as a husband anda father with a sense ofderision. Almost everyevent included in the novel manifests strong sympathy with Baa and theauthor makes a sincere effort to fi��gure out her lifepunctuated with manyquestions that no illiteratewomen could stomach in
an era when ignoranceand lack of educationwere considered bliss forwomen.
The novel elegantly begins with a scene whereBaa and Gandhiji wereimprisoned in Aga KhanPalace and it was theplace where Baa and Mahadev Bhai breathed last.The fi��rst chapter evocatively acquaints the reader with the tantalising details of how Gandhi andKasturba grew up. Heretoo, Gandhi’s arroganceand rigidity look forbidding.
Ceremonial
correctness
Verbal altercations between Gandhi and Kasturba, mostly in a lightervein, foreshadow that theceremonial correctness ofMohan Das would onlygrow in the coming years.The author has given agraphic account of themarriage and the birth ofthe fi��rst child. Kasturbadid not hesitate for a moment when she realisedher jewellery needed topay for the travel and other expenses of Mohan Daswho was headed for England to obtain a law degree.
Giriraj Kishore doesnarrate the return ofGandhi and her brief stayat Porbandar and Bombay vividly, but again instances of the close affi��nity between husband and
wife escaped the attention of the author, Theauthoritarian, overbearing and capricious husband surfaces time andagain and the retelling ofan event that happened inSouth Africa, when Gandhiji asked Kasturba toleave the house at night asshe refused to clean theurine pot of a visitor,evokes a strong sense ofaversion towards Gandhiji.
It is not that the authordoes not narrate the cathartic moments, as he impeccably describes howGandhiji without the ladydoctor or midwife singlehandedly helped Katurbain child delivery.
However, the woes ofKasturba seem to be disproportionate to her triumphal moments.Throughout the novel,Kasturba looked a personality fi��lled with a raggingdiscontent, but the lastpage introduces us to acontrite Gandhi in whoselap she breathed her last,and Kishore reproducesthe monologue of Gandhi. “This is the fi��nal parting, the end of 62 years ofshared life. Let me herestay till the cremation isover!" and in the eveningprayer Bapu remarked, "Icannot imagine life without Baa". Gandhiji wenton to say, “She helped meto keep wide awake andtrue to my vows, shestood by me in all my political fi��ghts. She neverhesitated to take theplunge, In the currentsense of the world, shewas uneducated, but tomy mind, she was a model of true education. Shehad obliterated all feelings of caste from hermind."
Contrarily, the noveltells a diff��erent story andmanifests Gandhi's ambivalent and inconsiderate attitude to her wifeand family. The authormistakenly takes the artistic license to use the confessions of the Gandhiji asthe charge sheet to provethat Gandhiji was affl��ictedwith maniacal righteousness, rigidity and the feeling of inferiority. In a nutshell, it is a narrative thatfulfi��lls the cultural andhistorical aspiration ofthe power thatbe.
Gandhi, the husband In “Baa”, novelist Giriraj Kishore describes the most unregenerate part of the life of the Father of the Nation
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Going Native
In the wake of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary celebrations, we have been able to watch several productions on Gandhiand his times. Recently, we have seen one more play titled “Kas
turba” that was presented by Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation,Hyderabad, at India Habitat Centre. It explores in depth the interaction between Kasturba, Gandhi, Mahadev Desai and Doctor SushilaNayar, while in captivity in Aga Khan Palace, Pune. Remarkable forits realism and seamless fl��ow of dramatic action, the fi��nely tunedproduction is a signifi��cant contribution to Hindi plays on Gandhi.
Written by R. K Paliwal, the play is directed by multifaceted artistMohammad Ali Baig whose productions have been critically acclaimed in India as well as abroad. The play under review with its focused narrative becomes an intimate study of Kasturba and her relationship with Gandhi. The dramatic action centred on one space –the interior part of Aga Khan Palace against the backdrop of Quit India Movement of 1942. As the title suggests, the action moves aroundKasturba. Through the interactions with other dramatist personae,Kasturba emerges as the woman of great substance, compassion, inner strength, not afraid to speak her mind.
Baig’s artistic ingenuity lies in his realistic style of presentation,precision in design and exquisitely expressive off�� stage music whichenables his performers to internalise the confl��ict of their characters.In “Kasturba”, in the down stage a bed is placed. The properties aresparse and elegantly placed. There is nothing superfl��uous.
The play opens with Gandhi dictating a letter to his secretary Mahadev Desai. To their surprise, they see Kasturba Gandhi accompanied by Dr Sushila Nayar and Manu Ben who reveal that they are prisoners. The jail offi��cial assures the new prisoners, Kasturba and thetwo young ladies of making necessary arrangements for their stay.
Severe blow
Undeterred, Gandhi continues to do his routine work like morning walk. One day while talking to Kasturba, Mahadev Desai fallsdown on the fl��oor and he is declared dead. It’s a severe blow to Kasturba who has had great aff��ection for him. Confi��ned to the palace asa prisoner, Kasturba’s health continues to deteriorate. While in critical state, she expresses her wish that her last rites be performednear the samadhi of Mahadev Desai whom she treated as her ownson. In one of the sequence, Dr Sushila Nayar recommends that Kasturba should be given penicillin injection.
In professor Sharma’s production of “Pehla Satyagrahi”, produced by the repertory of National School of Drama, Gandhi vehemently objects to the injection of penicillin. In the production underreview, Gandhi initially objects to Susheela’s course of treatmentwith penicillin but leaves it to the wishes of Kasturba. When asked,Kasturba refuses to be injected.
As the inmates of prison, Kasturba and Gandhi occasionally engaged in polemics; Gandhi tends to be persuasive. The dialogues between Dr Sushila and Kasturba are marked by laconic wit which enlivens the gloomy atmosphere of the prison. As a mother, Kasturba isdeeply disturbed and worried about her son Harilal who has indulged in open defi��ance of his father and started to lead a lifestylewhich is anathema to Gandhi’s moral universe. The members of thecast follow the restraint style of acting, imparting a touch of sobrietyto their portrayals. Rashmi Seth as Kasturba paints a subtle portraitthat leaves a deep emotional impact . Vijay Prasad’s Gandhi appearsto be mellow and mostly in refl��ective mood. He remains throughoutnear the site of cremation where Kasturba’s mortal remains arecreated near the samadhi of Mahadev Desai.
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Realistic portrayal
Rashmi Seth as the
protagonist
Mohammad Ali Baig’s “Kasturba” bringsalive the strong character andindependent mindset of the woman whokept pace with her illustrious husband
Woman of
substance
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DELHI FRIDAYREVIEW
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ENTERTAINMENT
Noted singersongwriterLucky Ali is back from hiatus with a collaborative al
bum titled ‘Lemalla’ with JewishIsraeli rock musician Eliezer Botzer. The fi��rst song of the EliAliProject titled ‘On My Way’ was released earlier this week in Delhi.The unique collaboration between the two singers happenedby chance when they found eachother in 2017. “Our collaborationwas more like a discovery. Theycame with their musicians andthen our musicians were thereand so there was a new discoveryin that. The challenge was to incorporate that into a small structure. We had the idea about thesongs but the rest was all aboutimprovisation. For example,Eliezer would sing a part in Hebrew and he would leave my expression to me. Then I would singwhat I felt when I was hearing thatpiece of music. Often I would get afeeling as if I was moving somewhere. And then I would question who I am in this journey. Theanswer is that I am basically astranger who is travelling thoughthis whole thing that’s called theworld,” reveals Ali.
For Botzer, the collaborationwith Ali is all about exploration.“The strongest connect betweenthe two of us is our deep love forIndia. Our collaboration is a resultof three years of musical journeythat we have had together. Duringthis time we had numerous jamming sessions, both here in Indiaas well as in Tel Aviv. I considermyself really fortunate to have developed a strong bond of friendship with Lucky through our collaborative work. The fact that wesang and wrote together allowedus to glide through the diff��erentrooms of life together. We got toexplore diff��erent subjects duringour collaboration. As humans, itdoesn’t matter what culture orland that we come from as there isso much that needs to be discovered together,” opines Botzer
who likes to describe himself as “atroubadour who lives what hewrites and writes what he lives”.
Ali’s songs are often aboutbeautiful journeys. But for Ali, thejourneys are not physical in nature. “Everybody asks me whatmy journey is. I feel all my songsare about journeys. And thosejourneys are how I feel from within. My journey could be anything.It doesn’t necessarily have to beon the road or going to a place. Itcould just be two people talkingand that’s a journey in itself. Sayyou are coming from far awaywith so much history and then Iam also telling you so many thingsabout this world. So you go onthose journeys and that becomesa song as music and words beginto take shape,” explains Ali whosedebut album ‘Sunoh’ was released back in 1996. The albumwent on to win him many acco
lades and established Ali as one ofthe popular names on the Indianpop scene.
“India is blessed with so manypresents such as its rich musicaltradition. Even though I havebeen coming to India for the last15 years, my collaboration withLucky has opened a whole newwindow for me to look at thisbeautiful country. It has becomemy second home now. In fact, thesong ‘On My Way’ is dedicated tothe idea of home. It’s fi��rst of theeight songs from the album. Thehome is the place of the heart andany place we could connect withour heart, it gives us the feeling ofhome. Also, the name ‘Lemalla’ inHebrew means the higherthought that comes from inside.It’s not higher compared to someone else. It’s basically about goingdeeper within oneself and risinghigher from inside,” explains
Botzer. The crosscultural collabora
tion between Ali and Botzer transcends the boundaries of language through the power ofmusic. “India is everywhere. People from other parts of the worldhave been coming here for thousands of years. Even we have beentravelling. But when the musiccomes that’s what you are interested in. What you are saying something musically, it should makesense to you. You see when itcomes to music it’s not the language, it’s the sound, the vibrations, and the energy that allowus to communicate with each other. If the communication is fair tomy heart, I would reciprocate inthe same way. Same way, if I communicate something and it tugs atyour heart then you will communicate it back to me,” sums up Ali.
Back on the road After a break, Lucky Ali starts his musical journey with Israeli rock musician Eliezer Botzer
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Talking melodies Lucky Ali and Eliezer Botzer * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
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Continued from page 2Structurally, Bahauddin’s rudra
veena is like the veena of an earliertime, with its 24 frets and four mainwires, but pursits frown on his holdwhich is as per the tradition adoptedin South India, around 250 years ago,on the Saraswati veena.
The veena is an unwieldy heavy instrument; it is played mainly on thefourth wire. So, plucking a meend ismuch more diffi��cult as is moving upand down its stem. Yet, truly, it is themother of all instruments andanyone who once masters it, doesnot want to go back to playing an easier instrument, (Bahauddin himselftrained initially on the sitar beforegraduating to the rudra veena) norcan an avid listener enjoy any otherinstrument as much. This recitalproved it.
...Nebulousexperience
The 4th edition of NavrasaDuende World Movie Festivalto celebrate 100 years of World
Cinema (19202019) begins this weekend at the Siri Fort Auditorium.
The inaugural screening will takeplace on November 16 and 17. Screenings will be held every quarter, covering six fi��lms in a span of two days.The lineup for the fi��rst leg includesclassics such as “Apocalypse Now”,“Tokyo Story”, “The Marriage of Maria Braun”, “Charulata”, “The Passion of Joan of Arc”, and “Pulp Fiction”.
Dinesh B Singh, Festival Directorand Founder, Navrasa Duende says,"The primary idea behind this year’sselection is to provide the Indian audience with a glimpse into the globalcinematic journey of the last 100years of world cinema. As such, wehandpicked works by the greats ofthe World Cinema across generationsand movements. Some of the stalwarts whose works will be featuredat the 4th World Movie Festival include Ashgar Farahadi, Bertolucci,Coppola, Carl Theodor Ingmar Bergman, Eisenstein, Fassbinder, GeanLucGodard, Satyajit Ray, Michael Haneke, Wong Kar Wai, , Stanley Kubrick, YasujuroOzu, DarrenAronofsky, Jean Luc Godard, PedroAlmodovar, Wonkarwai, Tarantinoand Krzysztof, among others.”
Celebratingclassics
SaMaPa music festival SaMaPa (Sopori Academy of
Music And Performing Arts), thewell known music academy andmusic organisation by PanditBhajan Sopori and Abhay RustumSopori, is organising the 15th annual SaMaPa Sangeet Sammelanon 19th and 20th November at India Habitat Centre and 22nd, 23rdand 24th November at KamaniAuditorium in New Delhi.
The fi��veday festival will feature some of the eminent musicians of Indian classical music.
In the awards, this year, ‘SaMaPa Vitasta Samman’is being con
ferred upon the veteran vocalistPandit Ajay Pohankar (Mumbai)for his lifetime contribution toHindustani Classical music, ‘SaMaPa Kala Vardhan Samman’ isbeing conferred upon ShriramBharatiya Kala Kendra (Delhi) andpresented to Shobha DeepakSingh, for contribution to Indianmusic.
‘SaMaPa Nund Rishi Samman’is being conferred upon the renowned vocalist Malini Awasthi(Uttar Pradesh) for her remarkable contribution to Indian lightclassical and folk music.
Talking about the festival, Pt.
Bhajan Sopori said, “SaMaPa believes in bring something new forDelhi music connoisseurs. Thereare many such fi��rst times arethere. Pt. Vishwambhar Nath Mishra (pakhawaj), who is also the‘Mahant’ of Sankat Mochan Mandir Varanasi, shall be presentinghis fi��rst concert in Delhi. WaseemAhmad Bhat, a young upcomingsinger from Sopore, Kashmir isbeing introduced as an upcomingvocalist of the country. I will bepresenting some rarely heard ragas this year and will highlightsome of new additions and innovations on santoor.”
Rich repertoire Pandit Bhajan Sopori
In Brief