Rutuja smashes Jr Sania’s record

The young Puneite betters Sania Mirza’s record to become the second youngest girl to win a national tournament after Prerana Mythri Appineni

    Pune’s tennis sensation Rutuja Bhosale served notice by beating veteran Rushmi Chakravarthi in the semifinals of the National Tennis Championships. But what caught everybody’s attention was her title triumph on Saturday where she overtook Sania Mirza’s record and received the winners trophy from her as well.
    This feat helped Rutuja become the second youngest player to claim the nationals after Prerana Mythri Appineni from Hyderabad, who won it when she was 14-year-old. 

    The 15-year-old Rutuja is now also the second youngest Indian to make it into the WTA rankings at that age. “Sania shook hands with me and congratulated me before awarding the trophy. We didn’t speak beyond that but nevertheless it was a great feeling to overtake a popular tennis star like her,” Rutuja said. Sania held the record for the second youngest player to triumph at the nationals earlier.
    Rutuja, who is coached by former Davis Cupper and Arjuna awardee Sandip Kirtane at the Deccan Gymkhana, said she worked on her game after losing to Prerna in the quarterfinals of the ITF women’s tournament in June. “While playing in the women’s category, I was a little low on confidence as this was my first tournament. I never expected to win the title. It was after defeating top-seed Prerna Bhambri that I decided to go all-out. My cousin had accompanied me to Delhi and motivated me in every match,” she added.
    Interestingly, Rutuja will be participating in all junior Grand Slams and will also be awarded a wild-card entry into the $25,000 and $10,000 ITF tournaments lined-up in Pune in the next two months.
    “My aim would be to improve my ranking in the international as well as Indian circuit and get an entry into the main draw,” said Rutuja, who won the Asian Closed Junior Championship in Chennai earlier this year.
    Known for her fluent groundstrokes and solid first serve, Rutuja said no Indian tennis player has inspired her game. “I have always idolised Venus Williams and Roger Federer. Though their games have no similarity, I like Venus for her aggressive style and at the same time like Federer’s cool and calm attitude on and off court,” she pointed out.
    She owes the win to her parents, her father especially who got her into tennis as he wanted her to play an individual sport. Rutuja who wants to continue playing in the junior as well women’s circuit, will head to South Korea next week to play in the Grade-II ITF circuit.

AGAINST THE TIDE (India vs England 1st ODI)

Starting today, Dhoni & Co will look to overcome their nightmarish experience in England

    An idol of Lord Ganesha welcomes you at the main entrance of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in the outskirts of Hyderabad. The officials at the Hyderabad Cricket Association have turned to seeking divine intervention to bring about a change in luck for India at this venue. India are yet to win a game here; they have lost two ODIs and drawn a solitary Test. The idol was installed a day after Dussehra festival and a special pooja was done on Wednesday to invoke divine blessings.
    Like the HCA, MS Dhoni too is in an uncomfortable position. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if he too turns to almighty for help. The man with the Midas touch, the one who could do no wrong, suddenly finds himself under intense scrutiny after the nightmare that his squad endured in England for 66 days.
    The Indians, without many of their star players, who are missing the series owing to injuries, underwent a rigorous nets session under the watchful eyes of coach Duncan Fletcher, with Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwari and the skipper himself batting for prolonged periods. Gautam Gambhir, who was part of the India Red squad in the Challengers Trophy too enjoyed a outing in the middle.
    The fresh-looking bowling attack was not far behind as the likes of Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, S Aravind, Praveen Kumar and R Ashwin ran in with a lot of enthusiasm. Some might say they have little to offer apart from enthusiasm. Such is the big question mark that hangs over this inexperienced attack.
OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUTH There is no doubt that India’s bowling lacks the fire-power that’s essential to face up to an opposition which enters the series extremely high on confidence. Nevertheless Dhoni chose to look at the brighter side of things, saying, the forthcoming matches provided an ideal opportunity for the youngsters who fancy a regular place in the squad. “For the young bowlers, this series is an opportunity to figure out what international cricket is all about,” he said. It’s an eminently sensible approach to take for there isn’t much wisdom in panicking or feeling negative about the weak attack.
    The series, though, offers the greatest chance to one individual in particular. The cricketing fraternity will eagerly follow the progress of R Ashwin, in the absence of Harbhajan Singh. Dhoni too felt the five matches provide an opportunity for Ashwin to stand up and be counted, now that the selectors have chosen to look beyond Harbhajan. 

    Dhoni was confident that Ashwin is a type of character who will not put himself under pressure. “I have known Ashwin for more than four years now, as he’s also my colleague in the Chennai Super Kings. He’s an exciting character and knowing him, I don’t think he will be under any sort of pressure even though there will be a lot of expectations from him.”
    An interesting point to note here is that India have not lost a series to England at home since 1984 when Sunil Gavaskar and David Gower were the captains of their respective sides. And Dhoni was keen to keep the record intact. “It’s difficult to predict the outcome of the series, but it’s good to be back at home. It’s important that we start positively,” he said.
    England on the other hand have been in terrific form throughout the summer, and are faced with a problem that every captain and coach craves for. All their players have managed to deliver consistently in the recent past and skipper Alastair Cook conceded that they would find it difficult to choose the playing XI from the 15-member-squad. How Dhoni would wish to find himself in a similar predicament!

Jagjit Singh lives on in his rare LPs

Ramesh Dev, a 65-year-old Jagjit Singh fan, has two rare LPs with ghazals by the artiste and his wife that he recently got autographed. He reminisces about his brush with the star

    Amusic lover in Pune has a rare remembrance of ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh — two rare Long Plays (LP) from the seventies that feature duets by Singh and his wife Chitra. Ramesh Dev, a 65-yearold, who owns a workshop, even managed to flummox Jagjit Singh when he asked him to sign them at a concert organised on September 5 this year.
    The two LPs are titled ‘The Latest’ and ‘The Unforgettable’ and he doesn’t even know how the two came into his possession. Recounting his encounter with the artiste, Dev said, “On the night of September 5, Jagjit Singh performed at the Pune Festival. I was in the first row. I took the opportunity to meet Jagjit Singh and asked him to autograph the two LPs. Jagjit Singh was surprised to see these LPs, he signed them and asked me, ‘Itna purana record aapko kahanse mila’”. To this the fan replied that he did not know where he got it from.
    Dev then informed the ghazal singer that the Pune Municipal Corporation’s Pt Bhimsen Joshi Art Gallery in Sahakar Nagar had a rare collection of records which Singh said that he had to visit. “However that will never happen now,” Dev rues. 

    Telling Mirror about the records, Dev said, “The records are about 24 minutes each. ‘The Latest’ has 8 songs out of which 3 are duets. ‘The Unforgettable’ has 10 songs that include 2 duets. While ‘The Unforgettable’ had a price tag of Rs 42.64, the records were dated back to the 70’s as companies that made classical music LPs shut shop between 1978 and 1980.
    The LPs feature songs such as Baat niklegi to fir dur talak jayegi (Najm), Ek na ek shama andhere me jalaye rakhiye, Bahut pehlese un kadmoki aahat jaan lete hai, Teri aankhome humne kya dekha and Us modse shuru kare.
    Dev started to collect records in 1956 and he now has a collection of 9,500 records some of which rare gems such as a speech of Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi, poems by Rabindranth Tagore’s and speeches by Theodore Roosevelt and Robert F Kennedy.
    Dev also has a German music player that was manufactured by Grundig in 1952. He bought the player in 1980 at a cost of Rs 20,000. He has 7 rare music players including a radiogram.

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Pune air among worst in world

WHO report says city’s air pollution has hit 5 times the permissible limit

    The pathetic condition of the Pune’s ambient air has come into focus yet again, this time through a report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on September 26. The report details that Pune has surpassed the permissible pollution limit by a whopping five times, which now puts it in the league of the most-polluted countries around the world.
    WHO’s report titled ‘Tackling Air Pollution’ says that an unprecedented compilation of air quality data indicates that people’s lives are now threatened by air pollution all over the world. The study includes data from nearly 1,100 cities across 91 countries, including capitals and cities with more than 1,00,000 residents. It comes on the background of over 2 million deaths globally from indoor and outdoor air pollution.
    Dr Shashikant Gaikwad, head of the chest department in Sassoon Hospital, commented, “In a minute, we breathe 14-15 times and thousands of litres of air are circulated in the body. Exposure to polluted air leads to chronic bronchitis first and can eventually turn into a cardiac problem.” 

    Dr Gaikwad said he has seen the number of asthma patients rise due to exposure to pollutants, especially children. “Children can be seen panting even after a short run — they inhale polluted air since birth! In Pune, it is like a gas chamber — a slowly developing Bhopal tragedy,” he said.
    According to WHO, Pune has an annual mean PM10 of 99 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3). PM10 is particulate matter of 10 micrometers or less, which can penetrate the lungs and may enter the bloodstream. These can cause heart disease, lung cancer, asthma, and acute lower respiratory infections. WHO guidelines say annual mean PM10 should be 20 µg/m3. This makes Pune’s pollution five times more than the accepted norm.
    Among other cities in India that have been listed by WHO, only Nagpur has less pollutants than Pune, with PM10 at 98 µg/m3. Mumbai, Jaipur, Delhi and Kolkata have surpassed Pune. The national annual mean PM10 is pegged at 109 µg/m3.
    Dr Sandeep Salvi, who has carried out research on the effects of pollution on policemen, said, “A recent survey shows that lungs of Indians are the worst functioning in the whole world. This only corroborates the fact that lungs of healthy people here are 30 per cent less strong as compared to the lungs of healthy people in other countries.” His research, carried out two years ago, showed that traffic policemen have lungs as bad as those belonging to cops sitting in chowkis who smoke regularly.
    Dr Salvi said if WHO has shown the annual mean average at 99 µg/m3, we must be inhaling even more polluted air than that. “These readings are taken through a machine put on a building. But people like you and me who walk on road are exposed to air that has a PM10 of 200-250 µg/m3,” he said.
    The largest contributors to urban outdoor air pollution include motor transport, small-scale manufacturers and other industries, burning of biomass and coal for cooking and heating, as well as coal-fired power plants. Residential wood and coal burning for space heating is an important contributor to air pollution as well, especially in rural areas during colder months.
SAYS WHO ‘IDEAL’ PM10: 20 µG/M3 PUNE’S PM10: 99 µG/M3 (PM10: Particulate matter of 10
micrometers or less, which can
cause heart disease, lung cancer,
asthma, and respiratory infections)

Mumbai Indians outlast T&T in heart-stopper

Having started their campaign with victory in a game they had no business winning, Mumbai Indians nearly accomplished the exact opposite before pipping a blundering Trindad & Tobago off the last ball. In a game where neither team managed to reach 100, T&T made too many errors to back up their spirit. The mistake that sealed it came after Mumbai Indians' top-scorer Ambati Rayudu was run out off the penultimate ball of the match, leaving last man Yuzvendra Chahal needing two off the final delivery. In a move that flew in the face of logic, T&T chose to give the single and play for the tie, unmindful of the fact that they would have had to face Lasith Malinga if the Super Over eventuated.

Daren Ganga pushed the field back, Sherwin Ganga sent down a low full toss on Chahal's pads, and the batsman was inventive enough to nudge softly towards deep midwicket. Chahal charged back for the second, the throw from the deep wasn't accurate, but Denesh Ramdin had enough time to break the stumps after collecting it. Ramdin, however, chose to under-arm from a couple of yards away and missed to the glee of the predominantly Mumbai Indians-biased crowd.

When Mumbai Indians came out needing a paltry 99 for victory, talk was that they would go for a big win and boost their net run-rate. Ravi Rampaul and T&T's army of unconventional spinners had completely different ideas, though. Samuel Badree had Aiden Blizzard top-edging a slider, before Rampaul dismantled the top order with clever lengths delivered at lively pace. T Suman got a leading edge, James Franklin got an outside edge, and Andrew Symonds inner-edged a yorker onto his stumps - the last two off successive balls to leave the chase in disarray.

Kieron Pollard survived the hat-trick ball, but T&T kept attacking their once team-mate. Sunil Narine got the prize wicket with a flat offbreak that Pollard bottom-edged onto his pads en route to his stumps to make it 33 for 5. R Sathish and Rayudu concentrated on survival until Rayudu found release with two boundaries off Kevon Cooper. Sathish looked completely out of place, though, and whipped straight to midwicket to leave his side 65 for 6. Harbhajan Singh put the pressure right back with a lashed six, before he was run out in the 18th over while looking to keep Rayudu on strike. T&T's fielding began to lose its edge, with a number of school-boy errors in the end overs, including Jason Mohammad's mis-field at long-off that gave Malinga four. Rampaul, however, evened the game once again with a superb 19th over that left Mumbai Indians needing 11 off Sherwin Ganga's last. 

Rayudu got a single off the first ball, before Sherwin sent down a friendly full toss off the second. Malinga clattered it straight down the ground, past a leaping effort from Mohammad, for a pressure-releasing six. A single was followed by Malinga's run-out, backing up too far when Rayudu smashed a full ball straight to the bowler. That made it 3 required off 2, before Rayudu fell attempting an impossible second. And then Daren Ganga blinked, Ramdin missed, and Mumbai were home.

T&T's misery ended with a run-out that was fumbled, but it began earlier in the evening with one that should never have been. They were coasting at 41 for 1 in the fifth over, when Lendl Simmons, returning for a straightforward second, chugged into his crease without grounding his bat. His entire body was over the line, but the front foot was in the air and the back foot on the crease, with no portion of it inside, when the stumps were broken.

Until that moment of laziness, T&T's innings featured all that was good about Caribbean batting. There were flamboyant shots from Adrian Barath in the opening over, audacious pick-up strokes from Simmons, whose approach was unchanged after Barath's exit, and a couple of emphatic blows from Darren Bravo. But once Simmons handed Mumbai Indians an opening, Harbhajan barged through with attacking bowling and perceptive field placements - he operated with slip and silly point at one point.

The middle order did not have the technique to counterattack. Harbhajan enticed Denesh Ramdin into miscuing a sweep right back at him, before nailing Bravo with a yorker. He wound up his spell with Sherwin Ganga's wicket - a patent slider that pinned him on the back foot. Malinga did his business at the other end, and T&T lost wickets too quickly to last their full quota. They were bowled out with as many as 22 balls left to go in the innings, and in the end that cost them the game.

Can T&T stop Mumbai Indians?

Having pulled off an amazing victory against defending champions Chennai Super Kings in their first match of the ongoing Champions League T20, Mumbai Indians will look to enhance their position in group ‘A’ when they take on qualifiers Trinidad & Tobago on Monday.
    That three wicket win, with a ball to spare, on Saturday, left Chennai stunned and should have given the Mumbai Indians a tremendous morale boost.
    A match that was lost was turned on its head and won with ease. It should have its advantages and Mumbai Indians will no doubt look to cash in on that. It would be prudent to expect the MI batting line up to fail a second time in succession. As also for Harbhajan Singh and Lasitha Malinga to get together and pull off another bunny from the hat, the way they did against CKS.
    A lot will depend on openers Aiden Blizzard and Davy Jacobs apart from regulars, Ambati Rayudu, R Sathish, T Suman, Kieron Pollard and Andrew Symonds. 

    T & T, having gone through the qualifiers know that Mumbai Indians will be more than a handful. Despite the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai still have batsmen who can win them the match.
    Malinga, Polard and Harbhajan form a formidable bowling combination in a side which does not have a single player from Mumbai in the line up. T & T squeezed through to the main draw with some tough games and skipper Darren Ganga will be hoping his team stands up to the test on Monday.
    Players who have donned the Caribbean colours will be expected to chip in with their experience. The likes of Ganga, Samuel Badree, Adrian Barath, Darren Bravo, Sherwin Ganga, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul and Lendl Simmons are capable of lifting the team.
    The side will miss the services of the hard-hitting Pollard, who opted to play for the MI and it will be interesting to see whether the team from the Caribbean or the player with MI will get the better of the other.

Sachin Fears to facing me: Shoaib Akhtar

Sachin vs Shoaib Akhtar


Hurling thunderbolts, some would say, is a typically Shoaib Akhtar thing to do. On the day of the launch of his autobiography, aptly titled ‘Controversially Yours’, some of India’s leading cricketers discovered that retirement hadn’t mellowed the former Pakistan fast bowler’s feisty and confrontational ways.
    On Friday, Akhtar again found himself — like so many times in his career — in the midst of a raging row. He was left arguing that snide remarks in his book on the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid had been misconstrued. The book attempts to temper Akhtar’s image as the impudent, hot-headed spoilt brat of Pakistan cricket by portraying his humourous, honest-togoodness sensitive side. Some brash comments about Tendulkar and others, though, have been deliberately left open to interpretation. 

    At one point in the book, Akhtar writes, “When we got back on the field, I bowled a particularly fast ball which he (Sachin), to my amazement, didn’t even touch. He walked away! That was the first time I saw him walk away from me – that, too, on the slow track at Faisalabad. It got my hunting instincts up.”
    Is Shoaib insinuating that Tendulkar was scared of him? Sachin, on his part, refused to offer any shot to this bouncer, saying simply that it was beneath his dignity to respond to such remarks.At another point, Akhtar suggests that Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid lack match-winning capabilities because they are not adept in the art of finishing off a game.
    Even as these excerpts from the book went viral on the internet and dominated news channels, a beaming Akhtar was at his affable best at the launch, peppering his side-splitting anecdotes of early strife and dressing room shenanigans with typically earthy Punjabi humour. He was also at pains to insist he had the utmost respect for Tendulkar.
    “Tendulkar is the greatest, the greatest to play the game, who am I compared to him? Please read the book before jumping to conclusions. I am talking about a particular match, a particular instance when Tendulkar was suffering from tennis elbow and couldn’t hook or pull. This happens, on certain days they target you, at other times you target them. He had a scare that day. You have to analyse the body language. On certain days you are not comfortable with the ball. That doesn’t mean you are acoward or scared.”
    On Tendulkar and Dravid’s lack of match-winning capabilities, Akhtar said, “Dravid was an absolute nightmare in Tests because you couldn’t get him out. But he transformed his game in the ODIs and became a match-winner. Tendulkar too in the past six years has been amazing.”
    While cleverly sidestepping these controversies, Akhtar, tongue firmly in cheek, offered some other extremely interesting insights: Match-fixing is rampant (“it happens in every part of the world”), ball-tampering should be legalized, and lack of player unity is the single biggest cause of Pakistan cricket’s downfall. There were times when the patriot burst through too. Asked about the many controversies in the Pakistan dressing room, Akhtar shot back, “At least we confined it to the dressing room. Your Harbhajan slaps on the field!”
    Clearly, the inimitable Shoaib is in no mood to go gently.

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GENTLE MEN’S CLUB

These men from various walks of life have one thing in common — all were accused of domestic violence and were subsequently acquitted. Now, they’ve formed a group that advises other men how to fight the charge

    They are doctors, lawyers, IT professionals. They are demanding a ministry for men’s welfare on the lines of those for women & child development and environment and forests. They are men with standing in society who have lost in love and landed in court after being accused of domestic violence under IPC section 498, pertaining to domestic violence. Now acquitted of the domestic violence charge, 25 of them have come together to form the city’s first Men’s Rights Association, thanks to the initiative taken by software engineer Atit Rajpara. The Association now advises other men fighting domestic violence charges with tips and tricks to come through unscathed.
    The 32-year-old says he has just been to hell and back, thanks to his wife. Speaking to Mirror, he said, “We had opted for a test tube baby, but my wife filed a case of domestic violence against me, demanding custody of the yet-unborn child. I was arrested and humiliated by the Gujarat police and then by Pune police because of this false complaint. She then demanded maintenance of Rs 50 lakh claiming that I hold property worth Rs 1.5 crore. I stay in a rented house.”
    Rajpara, a Magarpatta City resident, added: “However, she could not prove any of the allegations in court. I was acquitted, but it took seven years. I lost my mental balance, almost lost my job. Now, afraid of getting trapped in her own cases, she is withdrawing them one by one.”
    He also demands to know if it is equality of gender when a mere complaint by a money-minded spouse lands an entire family in jail for several days, and that too without any evidence. “It was just a simple complaint, but such a spouse can ruin one’s life, he said.
    Yerwada resident Kailas Khairnar, employed with Tata Communications, has a similar story to tell. The 42-yearold said his wife of 13 years, a techie with a reputed company, was earning four times his salary.
    “In August 2009, I caught my wife while she was busy chatting with her ex-boyfriend on her laptop. She admitted she had been having an affair since her college days. I was somehow trying to cope with the shock. But my wife, fearing exposure, filed a complaint under Section 498(A) of the Domestic Violence Act along with sections pertaining to harassment and torture. She also claimed my flat showing she has no income. I was arrested along with my mother. My sister was also arrested with her husband. I lost my job. I was forced to leave Pune and had to shift to Mumbai,” Khairnar said.
    He added: “However, in court, my wife could not prove her lack of source of income. I proved in court that she had had an affair before marriage. Fearing trouble, she withdrew her case. She stopped attending hearings of other criminal cases filed by her against me. The court ruled in my favour. I joined this group to share my experience with others. I lost important years of my career and the happiness of family life. I do not want that any other should suffer like this.”
    Another victim from Pune, working with MSEDCL, said, “Despite knowing the fact that she could not conceive, my in-laws forced me to stay with her. I have been living in a veritable hell since 12 years and struggling to escape. She changed her medical reports to prove me wrong before the court. The court also rapped me for harassing my wife. But a second medical opinion proved that I was right. The court acquitted me but she is still filing cases in three different courts with the same complaint. I have been thinking of committing suicide and am hoping for guidance from this association.”
MRA OBJECTIVES » To break the myth of the male-dominated society » Learn tactics and tricks to fight social mindset that assumes men to be born criminals » Legal guidance for men to fight matrimonial disputes and false accusations » Lowering suicide rate among men » Forming a Men’s Welfare ministry as men contribute 82 per cent of taxes » Fight for fathers’ rights like winning child custody and living life with dignity
SUICIDE STATS MRA claims that men are more victimised than women when it comes to domestic violence. As per the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) 2009 report, every year, 58,000 married men in India are committing suicide. It means every nine minutes, a man commits suicide. In comparison, some 28,000 married women commit suicide every year, or a woman every 19 minutes

THE VIKRAM A SARABHAI COMMUNITY SCIENCE CENTRE, AHMEDABAD WINS THE TOI SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD FOR ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD OF EDUCATION (NGO CATEGORY)

Where they teach you to have fun with science and numbers

Ahmedabad: On a Friday afternoon Kush Saluja, a Class VII student, carefully dissects a bright pink flower so that he can study pollen under a microscope. He is part of a group of children which spends evenings at Ahmedabad’s Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC) to explore the magic of science beyond textbooks.
    Community science centres across the country have their roots in this small 1966-born institution which has an annual budget of a tad less than Rs 4 crore. In an era when there was no television– leave alone Discovery Channel – VASCSC launched its mission to
inspire children to learn mathematics and science using innovative methods. Science educators here began using working models to give children an opportunity to conduct their own experiments. Learning science became fun. 

    “At school, a teacher shows us how a microscope works,” Kush says. “Here, I work the microscope myself.” The centre has over the years, transformed generations of Ahmedabad children. In 1974, Arvind Patel failed miserably in his Class VIII science exam. That summer, he spent evenings at the centre. Today, he runs a company in Ahmedabad. It develops lasers for cutting diamonds and metal and holds at least 20 patents. “The centre turned my life around,” he gushes.
    VASCSC was the brainchild of Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai, the father of India’s space programme. On the one hand, he envisioned sending satellites into space, on the other he worked to build a scientific temperament among schoolchildren. His wish: To see a new generation of thinking individuals with a scientific bent of mind. This gave birth to VASCSC 45 years back, the first of its kind in the country. Since then, thousands of bright minds have passed through its doors and lost their fear of numbers and testtubes filled with volatile chemicals. It is science, hands on.
    The VASCSC board of governors has some impressive names, including Sam Pitroda as chairman, director of the Institute of Plasma Research P K Kaw, director of Isro’s Space Application Centre R R Navalgund and senior officials of the state and central governments. Sarabhai’s illustrious children – Kartikeya and Mallika – are also on the board.
    “Earlier, it would take a week to fill up seats in the summer programme for schoolchildren. Now they are all taken up in a few hours. We have had to increase our seats in many programmes because of the rush,” Kartikeya Sarabhai, the sibling more inclined towards science, says.
    In recent times, the institution’s biggest achievements have been the Science Express train and the pioneering maths lab concept. Today, it is mandatory for every CBSE and ICSE school to have such laboratories. Since 2007, the Science Express, with interactive laboratories on board, has covered 221 towns and cities, drawing 63.5 lakh visitors – mostly students in areas where schools don’t have well-equipped labs.
    But VASCSC director Dilip Surkar insists numbers don’t show impact. The idea is to inspire. “The Science Express was initially an Indo-German project. Within a year of its launch, the number of Indian students enrolling for a PhD in science in German universities went up from 15 to 65,” he says. The Science Express was developed by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) and the Max Planck Society, Germany. It has around 300 large-format visual images, 150 video clips and multimedia exhibits. It showcases India’s achievements in science and technology. The best part of the train, the ‘Joy of Science Hands-on Lab’, has been developed by VASCSC. This is a state-of-the-art classroom on wheels where students get to do things themselves.
    Chander Mohan, director DST, says: “Despite its small budget, VASCSC stood by me when I wanted to start the unique train. Other organizations with much bigger budgets were not ready to take responsibility of running the train. I salute VASCSC.”
    Back at the maths lab, a group of Class VI students is learning about integers, natural numbers and the number line. Number-crunching has not made them sullen. Instead, they cheer their ‘science educator’ as he explains how minus one and one are equidistant from zero. “I get great tips that help me remember things I would otherwise forget,” Purvansh Shah says. “This has helped me stay ahead of the rest of the kids.”
    “What is this,” asks a teacher, picking up a piece of wood. “Cuboid,” the excited children shout. “No,” says the teacher. “This is a square prism. Cuboid is its pet name,” and the kids have a good laugh.
    The maths lab was developed by professor A R Rao, a leading mathematician of his time, who completed 100 years on September 23, 2008 and passed away recently. He designed a set of mathematical models, puzzles and games that made learning numbers fun. Today, VASCSC helps set up such labs across the country.
Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre | Born 1966 Founder | Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai, father of India’s space programme
Pioneering concepts | Concept of the Maths Lab and Science Express Budget | Around 4 cr THE SCIENCE EXPRESS Launched in 2007 Indo-German venture Train has 16 coaches with interactive labs and classrooms Has covered 221 towns & cities Has drawn 63.5 lakh visitors

Anna threatens indefinite fast near Pune over Lokayukta Bill

Crusader Demands Stronger Bill In Winter Session Of Legislature

Pune: Social crusader Anna Hazare on Thursday threatened to go on an indefinite hunger strike at the temple town of Alandi, about 20 km from Pune, if the state government does not pass a bill providing for a strong Lokayukta on the lines of the Lokpal, by the end of the winter session of the state legislature.
    Hazare sent a letter to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Thursday saying that a statewide jail bharo agitation would be launched on the seventh day of his planned indefinite fast at Alandi. Copies of the letter have been sent to all ministers and the state chief secretary.
    When contacted, a top bureaucrat from the CM’s office told TOI, “Chavan has seen reports in the electronic media but has not seen the letter. His office too has not received any communication from Hazare. Under such circumstances, it will not be appropriate for Chavan to comment on an unseen and unread letter.”
In his letter, Hazare stated, “I had sent you a letter on July 18 demanding a strong Lokayukta on the lines of the Lokpal but received no explanation. When I started an indefinite hunger strike at Ramlila grounds in Delhi from August 16 to press for a strong Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayukta in the states, people from across the country joined the agitation. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave me a written assurance that the bill will be introduced in the coming session of the Parliament, so I stayed my hunger strike.” 

    Hazare further said that the Union government sent letters to all state governments seeking their views about passing the Lokayukta bill. “You conveyed to the Union government that the decision of the party high command would be acceptable to you in this regard. Now, the Union government is saying that the decision about passing the Lokayukta bill has to be taken by the respective state governments. Through this letter, I request you to pass the Lokayukta bill to curb corruption in the state,” the letter reads.
    The crusader said he expected the bill to be passed in the winter session of the legislature. “If the bill is not passed by the last day of the winter session, I will have no option but to start an agitation. My hunger strike will start at Alandi and our workers will start an agitation in their respective districts. After seven days, there will be a state-wide jail bharo agitation,” he said.
    Hazare has attached a copy of his July 18 letter and draft of the Lokayukta bill to his letter.
    In his July 18 letter, Hazare had said that money meant for developmental projects and the people did not reach them because of corruption. A strong, independent and powerful Lokayukta on lines of the Lokpal is needed to curb corruption, the letter had stated. HAZARE KHWAISHEIN
IN MUMBAI Govt to consult Hazare on toll policy revision While The DF Is Treading With Caution, Shiv Sena’s Equation With The Activist Remains Uneasy Sandeep Ashar TNN
Mumbai: After the Congress-led central government caught flak in the showdown against anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare, the Democratic Front (DF) government in the state is keen to avoid any conflict with him.
    It has decided to consult Hazare before finalizing changes in the
norms for collection of toll tax on state roads. According to information, the state public works department (PWD) has written to the activist seeking time for a presentation on findings of study groups appointed to evaluate measures for an overhaul of toll collection system.
    Toll is collected on entry points of roads that have been improved under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. Revenue thus collected is used to pay the developer for the road work. In December 2010, the PWD appointed three study groups for recommending measures to improve transparency and efficiency in toll collection. The committees, each of which was headed by a chief engineer level officer, were appointed following a protest by Hazare. Alleging corruption in toll contracts, Hazare had threatened to sit on an indefinite strike, which was called off after the government announced the formation of the study groups. The government had even asked the committees to take inputs from independent experts named by Hazare.
    Chaggan Bhujbal, minister, PWD, has now directed the department to seek Hazare’s views on the findings. The activist is yet to revert to the request.
    The finding will be placed before chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and the Cabinet, after consulting Hazare, sources said. Many in the government, however, believe that such an exercise would set a wrong precedent. Bhujbal saw nothing wrong in the exercise.
    While one committee was asked to recommend measures to improve infrastructure at toll nakas and suggest changes on the minimum distance between collection points, another examined the feasibility of setting up digital screens at the nakas to display toll collection details. The third committee, meanwhile, was set up to evaluate the possibility of using smart cards at toll nakas.

KAPOOR ON KAPOOR (Not a Mausam Movie Review)

When nervous, Sonam Kapoor talks non-stop whereas her co-star Shahid Kapoor is focussed and quiet. The chalk-and-cheese pair will be seen together on screen for the first time in debutant director Pankaj Kapur’s Mausam. Here, Shahid and Sonam talk about their friendship, chemistry and bonding. Read on...

SONAM ON SHAHID: Somebody once asked me what was the one thing I didn’t know about Shahid. I said, ‘I know everything!’ Opposites generally create intense chemistry. There are more chances of fireworks when different people are together than similar personalities. I like the fact that Shahid is hardworking, he is a gentleman and treats me well. What I don’t like about him is that he is too much of a perfectionist. 

    Usually you have to warm up to your co-star while doing scenes, but with Shahid it happened right from day one. We are still in touch and we know most stuff about each other. We haven’t spoken about our friendship and it was presumed that we aren’t friends. It is a quiet kind of friendship. We both understand what is happening in our lives. We know what films we are doing next, where we are going to be in the next two to three years.
    I rarely make friends in the film industry and Shahid is one of them. He likes talkative girls. We discuss our personal lives but it is better if we keep it to ourselves.
SHAHID ON SONAM She has a very vulnerable and innocent quality about her, that is essential for a love story like Mausam. She has an Indian face and I find girls with Indian faces very attractive. We spent about two years together during the making of the film, and have become good friends now. In fact, she is my 3 am friend. We went through a lot of ups and downs during the shoot. Since dad was directing, there were many days when I would get stressed out but Sonam was always there to comfort me. When we were shooting the climax, which had lots of emotional and dramatic sequences, she would be talking nonstop before every shot. I don’t talk that much! She does that when she is nervous. It is fun to be with someone who is different, otherwise it gets boring. Family is her priority and I admire that quality in her. She loves gossiping and is always interested in knowing who I am dating, but I don’t tell her anything because I know she will blurt it out. I don’t trust her on that front! She keeps asking me about my personal life and I lie to her! 

Note that crashed PC

Pranab admits Chidu sent note to PMO 43 days before A Raja signed first Spectrum licence agreement

NEW DELHI/NEW YORK In a new twist to the 2G spectrum case, a note to the PMO from the finance ministry said the airwaves could have been auctioned in 2008 if P Chidambaram, the then finance minister, had “stuck to his stand”.
    In the CBI’s progress report to the Supreme Court, the finance ministry says Chidambaram could have prevented spectrum from being given away at throwaway prices by insisting on its auction —alluding that presumptive losses worth thousands of crores could have thus been avoided.
    The note, which was apparently shown to Mukherjee and accessed by way by an application under the Right to Information Act, was prepared by a deputy secretary in the finance ministry and sent to the Prime Minister’s Office March 25.
    This letter came exactly five days after then Communications Minister Andimuthu Raja, now in jail, had showered 122 letters of intent (LoIs) on telecom hopefuls, many of them undeserving. Some 43 days later, on 27 February 2008, Raja signed his first licence agreement.

    This shows how Chidambaram and Manmohan Singh chose to keep quiet through the process for reasons best known to them. The CBI is applying this note to target Dayanidhi Maran, but hasn’t used it to investigate Chidambaram.
PRANAB ACKNOWLEDGES 2G NOTE Pranab Mukherjee avoided direct comment on a note from his ministry to the PMO saying airwaves for telecom could have been auctioned in 2008 if P Chidambaram had wanted.
    Speaking at an event organised by the Asia Society on Wednesday evening, Mukherjee acknowledged such a note had been written by his office but declined further comment on the matter, saying it was sub judice.
    “Today a sensational news item has come and it is through the exercise of the right to information. A note was sent by the ministry of finance to the prime minister. Somebody demanded through the use of right to information to have a copy of that note,” he said.
    “And that is being used — whether legally it can be used or not is a different story — but the fact is, somebody has produced that as a piece of evidence in a particular case,” he added.
    His comments were in response to a query by former US ambassador to India Frank Wisner on what India was doing to address corruption. AGENCIES WHAT P CHIDAMBARAM’S NOTE SAID
The note that lies at the heart of the 2G Spectrum scam and the controversy surrounding P Chidambaram was sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 15, 2008 — exactly five days after Andimuthu Raja made his controversial award of 122 new telecom licences. » The note says “The present entry fee is based on the highest bid received in 2001 or 2002, namely, Rs 1,651 crore, if operating over the entire country. DoT (Department of Telecommunication) has taken the stand (that) the entry fee is not in the nature of spectrum charges or licence fee”
This seems to suggest that the two did not interfere and thereby accepted without question A Raja’s decision to keep the entry fee charges at the same level as 2001.
» It also says that “In such cases, the past may be treated as a closed chapter and the payments made in the past as for additional spectrum (over and above the start up spectrum) may be treated as the charges for spectrum for that period... and recommends allocation of additional spectrum through auction in future, as this “method of auction will face the least legal challenge.”
This gives the idea that both the PM and Chidambaram knew of Raja’s method of giving licences and decided to do nothing, choosing to close the chapter on it. POLITICOSSAY

» JAYALALITHA “It is quite clear that Mr Chidambaram is deeply involved in the 2G spectrum scam, which according to the CAG's report has caused a loss of over Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the Indian exchequer. The CBI should proceed against Chidambaram, as they did against A Raja”

» MURLI MANOHAR JOSHI “The Finance Ministry officials were telling the then FM P Chidambaram to go for auctions. Why was it not done? There are clear contradictions here. I demand that either Chidambaram should resign or he should be dismissed forthwith”

» SALMAN KHURSHID “I have now seen the paper and I want to make it clear that as far as we are concerned in the govt, there is no question whatsoever...nothing of questionable nature on the conduct ofP Chidambaram ...I can say this with full authority”

» KHUSHBOO, DMK “Raja has not been denying or lying when he says senior officers and senior ministers were aware of the decision on spectrum. So, that comes as a big relief for us. For us, as the DMK, it definitely helps”

Petrol hike is treat for red fleet

Rising fuel cost forces more commuters to opt for PMPML service. Since Sep 15, transport body’s daily revenue crosses 1 cr mark for a week. But sustaining this momentum seems difficult due to lack of manpower, buses

While the common man is facing many hardships owing to the recent petrol price hike, the one firm that’s laughing its way to the bank is the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML). Ever since the petrol prices went through the roof on September 15, people are being forced to choose this mode of transport, resulting in PMPML’s earnings crossing Rs-one-crore mark daily. But given its shortage of manpower and ailing buses, it might be difficult for the firm to capitalise on these windfall gains.
GOOD COLLECTION

Before the petrol prices shot up, PMPML’s daily revenue would cross the Rs one crore mark only on certain days. Since September 15, the week has been good for the transport body.
A PMPML official told Mirror, “Earlier, our daily revenue collection would be in the range of Rs 75 lakh to Rs 90 lakh. The collection used to cross Rs one crore only on Mondays and Thursdays as there is a rush of passengers on these days. The petrol price hike took place on September 15 and from that day till now, the lowest collection for us was on September 18. And that was Rs 1,01,51,981.”
TEMPORARY PHASE
Though the PMPML is enjoying higher revenue, it might be just be a temporary phase for the transport body as it is not prepared to handle a high passenger flow. Currently, PMPML has a fleet of 1,623 buses, of which 1,296 are owned by PMPML and 327 are hired from private operators. Out of the total fleet, nearly 350 to 400 buses remain off road.
Another PMPML official said, “These buses are off road either because they are broken down or the PMPML does not have drivers to run them. If all these buses come on the road, there will be a sharp increase in the revenue and it will be beneficial for Puneites too.”
MANPOWER NEEDED
The PMPML has around 2,800 drivers to drive 1,296 buses owned by them. The buses provided by private operators have drivers hired by the operators themselves. The PMPML is planning to add 350 new buses to its existing fleet. But the problem of getting drivers still looms large. Sunil Gawali, traffic manager, PMPML, said, “We are looking to recruit 350 more drivers, but as the code of conduct is in place, their recruitment is on hold. Once the new buses under JNNURM will be added to the existing fleet, we will have to recruit more drivers.”

FISH OUT OF WATER

14 years ago, the Deccan Mahseer, a fish indigenous to Pune’s waters, disappeared from our streams and rivers. Now, it is on the international list of endangered species with only a private effort on to save it, but pollution of its natural habitat by real estate development and tourism may leave the Mahseer a...

    The boom in the city’s construction industry, especially in areas near our rivers and streams, is building a recipe for disaster for the Deccan Mahseer — a fish endemic to our waters — which just made it to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) list of endangered species on Thursday, over 14 years after it vanished from the state.
    The IUCN’s latest report also states that freshwater species in the Western Ghats are being “sacrificed as collateral damage” in the race for rapid economic development, including the Deccan Mahseer. Dr Neelesh Dahanukar of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), who was part of the IUCN’s study told Pune Mirror, “Of all the fish, molluscs and plants studied in the Western Ghats area, fish are the most threatened group. There are 290 species of fish found in the Western Ghats, out of which 190 are indigenous. We have found that nearly 60 per cent of these endemic species are in the threatened group, which includes Mahseer as well.” 

    The IUCN report has categorised these endangered species into extinct, critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable and near-threatened species. The Mahseer is categorised under the endangered species list.
    The Mahseer is significant for Pune as it was first found here, way back in 1840. Dahanukar said, “The existence of the Mahseer was first recorded in 1840 in the Mula-Mutha rivers. It shows that the river water here was conducive for the fish. At present, the fish has vanished from these rivers as the water is badly polluted and this fish cannot live in such water. The last time we found the Mahseer was in 2000.”
    The only conservation effort is the personal endeavour of Talegaon-based businessman Mahesh Mahajan, who heads the Friends of Nature Association (FONA) and is currently breeding the Mahseer artificially in the Indrayani. Dahanukar added that during their study, the team could find the Mahseer only where the FONA project is underway, as well as in some parts near Satara.
    “Due to the real estate business, the ecology of the Western Ghats has been disturbed. More and more construction is taking place in the Ghats area. It has affected the river water in Pune whereas in Satara district, in-creasing windmill projects have disturbed the natural habitat of endemic species, which are now vanishing rapidly.”
    With urbanisation spreading in an everwidening circle, experts feel the Central government should come forward to protect these species. “You will get these species only in Ghats area and if they vanish from here, they will not be seen anywhere else in the world. The government should take some efforts to preserve these species, like declaring some areas as protected areas where no construction should take place. Species like Deccan Mahseer should also be declared as protected species so that they can be saved.”
    Mahesh Mahajan, founder of FONA said, “We have nearly 2,500 Mahseer. The roes, each weighing around 2.2 grams, are being bred in river water in cages. Apart from them, there are 12,000 Mahseer but at present they are very small.” 

Education sharpeners.in the house!

Trio of women in city starts online ‘tuition’ portal, to provide free and streamlined syllabus-based content to schoolchildren

    Tired of churning out thousands of rupees on tuitions for your child every year? Three enterprising Pune women have come up with a cost-effective solution. Concerned about deteriorating school education standards, the trio came together to start a web portal for school students, where high quality syllabus-based educational content will be available — at absolutely no price.
    Swapna Gupte, an ex-IT professional, Ragini Tandon, a commerce post-graduate and Sunila Bhonde, an entrepreneur, are all family friends from Bibvewadi. Their web portal, sharpeners.in, was started after they realised a shared concern about the state of educational affairs and felt they could each contribute something from their background to some sort of solution. 
  Swapna said, “We all feel our education system does not currently encompass analytical and reasoning skills. So, we decided to make a portal that will support students and can be an effective replacement for tuitions. Parents can teach through this portal and municipal schools can also find solutions from this initiative.”
    Ragini added, “In the first phase, the website has content for the students of Classes 6, 7, 8 and 9. It will be available in English, semi-English as well as Marathi, for almost all subjects. Students who follow the State Board (SSC) pattern will be aided by this.”
    Bhonde explained, “Any teacher or expert can contribute here. We have tried to keep the site interesting and entertaining, yet in a simple and easy-to-understand format, all for free.”
    Swapna added that the site is currently on a beta version but at least 10,000 students can log in, only by creating an account with a username and password. According to her, the site has certain features that will facilitate self-evaluation through a simple quiz at the end of each topic. It has a special module for parents to help them track their kid’s progress while using the site. They also have a section dedicated to nonacademic content, to help sharpen general knowledge.
    Alka Sathe, Dipti Deshpande, Madhuri Kolhatkar, Pratibha Bhat, Amruta Dhavlikar, Pooja Jadhav, Jaishree Hande and Leena Ranade are other contributors who have added content to sharpeners.in. 

Fuel from bacteria and salt water?

A bucket of water and a handful of bacteria could be all that is needed to produce an inexhaustible supply of pure hydrogen to power the green engines of tomorrow

    Agrain of salt or two may be all that microbial electrolysis cells need to produce hydrogen from wastewater or organic byproducts, without adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere or using grid electricity, according to Penn State engineers.
    “This system could produce hydrogen anyplace that there is wastewater near sea water,” said Bruce Logan, professor of Environmental Engineering. “It uses no grid electricity and is completely carbon neutral. It is an inexhaustible source of energy.”
    Microbial electrolysis cells that produce hydrogen are the basis of this recent work, but previously, to produce hydrogen, the fuel cells required some electrical input. Now, Logan, working with Younggy Kim is using the difference between river water and seawater to add the extra energy needed to produce hydrogen.
    Their results, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, “show that pure hydrogen gas can efficiently be produced from virtually limitless supplies of seawater and river water and biodegradable organic matter.” 

    Logan’s cells were between 58 and 64 per cent efficient and produced between 0.8 to 1.6 cubic metres of hydrogen for every cubic meter of liquid through the cell each day. The researchers estimated that only about 1 per cent of the energy produced in the cell was needed to pump water through the system.
    The key to these microbial electrolysis cells is reverse-electrodialysis or RED that extracts energy from the ionic differences between salt water and fresh water.
    For RED technology to hydrolyse water – split it into hydrogen and oxygen – requires 1.8 volts, which would in practice require about 25 pairs of membrane sand increase pumping resistance.
    “Biodegradable liquids and cellulose waste are abundant and with no energy in and hydrogen out we can get rid of wastewater and by-products. This could be an inexhaustible source of energy.”
    Logan and Kim’s research used platinum as a catalyst on the cathode, but subsequent experimentation showed that a non-precious metal catalyst, molybdenum sulfide, had 51 per cent energy efficiency.

SPLITIT PLEASE

Tendulkar writes to Lorgat suggesting four innings of 25 overs each in one-dayers

    The ODIs are perceived to be on the decline and it’s none other than Sachin Tendulkar who has now come out publicly in support of revamping the current 50-over format having written a letter to ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat.
    Tendulkar, the world’s highest rungetter in both Tests and ODIs and someone who is on the threshold of his 100th international century, wants ICC to make “a radical switch” from 50-50 to four 25-over innings.
    Apart from reducing the number of overs per innings, Tendulkar has also proposed several more changes for the ODIs.
    The Indian batting icon had spoken about this new concept in television interviews in the past but had never written a letter to ICC in this regard. “I have been capturing my thoughts on what I think would be the way forward to ensure that all three formats in the game co-exist and ensure value creation,” he wrote in the letter seen by The Times.
    He argued that four alternate innings of 25 overs for each side in an international would be the fairest way of balancing the advantages gained by the team that won the toss when pitch and weather conditions mean that a match can virtually be decided by the spin of a coin. 

    Tendulkar’s letter also proposed changes in voluntary Powerplays.
    In each 25-over block, Tendulkar wants only two Powerplays at the behest of the batting side but suggested that up to four bowlers should be allowed up to 12 overs each, rather than the present limit of 10.
    One of the prominent matches featuring India seemed to have been lost after spin of coin was 1996 Wills World Cup semi-final when Lankans batted first on a square turner.
    The match was awarded to Sri Lanka by the referee after a crowd riot which stopped proceedings after India lost eight wickets.
    Again, Sri Lanka were unlucky when they were forced to chase a large Australia total in fading light towards the end of the 2007 World Cup final in Barbados.
    Tendulkar also cited two games in the most recent World Cup when evening dew helped England to achieve a tie in their classic qualifying game against India in Bangalore but then counted in favour of Ireland during their famous run chase against England at the same venue.
    A split into two equal innings a side was often proposed for the final of the domestic county competition in the UK—originally the Gillette Cup—in the days when it was invariably an advantage to field first, the report said.
    The hover cover, instant outfield drainage and sophisticated drying equipment have ensured that matches at Lord’s almost always start on a dry pitch these days, but that is not the case everywhere.
    In Australia last winter, the interstate one-day tournament, the Ryobi Cup, was played over 45-overs-a-side, split into two alternate innings of 20 overs followed by two of 25.
    The format was generally rated a success by Cricket Australia (CA). There were more close finishes, more runs, more wickets and larger TV audiences.
    Significantly, the new regulations appeared to overcome the relatively dull and predictable middle-over phases of 50-over games. PTI I COULD HAVE DONE BETTER IN ENGLAND: RAHANE
Despite receiving praise from experts for his impressive debut during India's just-concluded disastrous tour of England, opener Ajinkya Rahane feels he could have done better and says he would now set his eyes on converting his starts into big scores. "Its a good start. Everyone wants to play for the country. I felt good that my dream came true. It was a good experience. But at the same time I could have done better. I'm not satisfied with my performance," he said. "I am never satisfied with my performance. I have always believed that I could have done better. It was a good experience and exposure. I learnt a lot from everyone but I could have done better. Following this tour, what I would want to learn is to play long innings," he added. 

Baichung makes it home

Soccer star Bhutia reaches family after 8-hr journey on foot and by bus; rescue teams struggle to get to victims in remote areas of Sikkim as armymen blast way through

GANGTOK Footballer Baichung Bhutia had to undergo a desperate eight-hour journey on foot and by bus to reach his pregnant wife after the earthquake in his home state of Sikkim.
    Bhutia, 34, said he was in the sleepy village of Tinkitam in southern Sikkim when the powerful quake struck on Sunday, rocking large parts of India, Tibet and Nepal. “I was really worried because my pregnant wife and 17-month-old twins were in Gangtok, which was badly affected,” Bhutia told AFP. The soccer star, who retired from the international scene last month, walked for two hours from his village before he managed to catch a bus to Gangtok, about 60 kms from the quake’s epicentre. 

 
    “It took me eight hours to reach my family, they are all fine. Fortunately everyone in my village is safe and there is no major damage there but I worry for my people in north Sikkim,” he said. At least 83 have died in the 6.9-magnitude quake, 50 in Sikkim, with the toll likely to rise as rescuers reach remote communities cut off since the disaster. Bhutia said he hoped to organise a series of matches to raise funds for rebuilding.
RESCUERS NOT HAVING A BLAST Rescue teams blasted their way through rockfalls as they closed in on the remote epicentre. More than 5,000 troops, including army engineers using explosives, cleared a route to the main impact zone. “The road to Mangan is open,” Indian Home Secretary RK Singh told reporters. But officials in the region said it could still take another two days to access isolated villages further north which aerial photos suggested had been badly damaged.
    Convoys carrying rescue workers, medical teams and emergency supplies left Gangtok at daybreak on Tuesday. But progress was tortuously slow over the narrow, badly damaged roads more often frequented by groups of adventurous tourists heading for Himalayan trekking trails. Army engineers drilled holes for explosives to blow apart boulders while rescuers waited with distraught locals trying to get to relatives — unsure whether they were alive or dead. Those who attempted to walk around the rockfall were stopped by soldiers. “I know many shortcuts to reach Mangan but the army says it’s not safe,” said P Sherpa, 62, whose son is a student at a private school in Mangan. 

    Eventually the way was cleared, and the convoys moved slowly on despite the threat of fresh landslides.
    Small medical teams with doctors and paramedics were also air-lifted into Mangan, and food packages were dropped on some outlying villages.
    AFP
SIKKIM QUAKE UNUSUAL, SAY GEOLOGISTS The earthquake that rocked Sikkim on Sunday is unusual in terms of its magnitude and nature of origin, say leading geologists. Vineet Gahaulat at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) said, “This quake makes it clearer as this is possibly the largest magnitude earthquake of this type in the Himalayas.” Gahaulat is also surprised at the fewer number of aftershocks — “we need to be careful,” he said.

Navale skips town

Police traced STES founder-president M N Navale to Santa Cruz via his mobile phone on Monday night before he went off their radar

    Education baron and founderpresident of Sinhagad Technical Education Society (STES) M N Navale is on the run from police after the Bombay High Court (HC) on Monday rejected his anticipatory bail plea in the ongoing land-grabbing case. The Deccan Gymkhana police who are investigating the case, think Navale must have been planning to approach the Supreme Court (SC) to avoid arrest and interrogation.
    Thought Navale’s whereabouts remain a mystery, the police have found clues through mobile tracing technology. Navale was traced first at his residence in Vadgaon Budruk, then at Khalapur on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway, then at Chandiwali near Mumbai where his institutes are and finally in Santa Cruz. After that, his mobile was switched off. Assuming he may have taken a flight out, police have already alerted airport administrative staff throughout the state to co-operate with them in tracing Navale.
    The HC had also rejected Navle’s request to continue his interim protection which would have enabled him to approach the SC. Though his arrest seems certain with regard to this case, he could have approached the SC to get relief from an earlier case in which he requested the HC to quash the FIR filed by Gandhi and consider it a civil matter. This request was put before the HC on August 6 and was rejected. 

    Meanwhile, Chainsukh Gandhi (73), who filed the case is complaining that he has been facing constant threats from the accused. Gandhi had filed the case against Navalae for alleged cheating and grabbing of 11.5-acres of land in Sutarwadi-Ambadvet village in Mulshi taluka.
    Gandhi said, “Men in SUVs have been visiting my house on Senapati Bapat Road, threatening me and telling me to withdraw the case.”
    Speaking to Pune Mirror, Senior Inspector Manohar Joshi of Deccan Gymkhana police station said, “We searched Navale’s residence and his offices on Karve Road and in Lonavala. We have asked our sources to contact us if they get information and we are tracing the phones of his associates.”
    When asked about the threats to Gandhi family, Joshi said, “We have assured the family that we will give them protection should they ask specifically.” But as their residence is under the jurisdiction of the Chatuhshrungi police station, the family should approach them.”
THE CHARGES THE TRUSTEES of the city-based Pavan Gandhi Charity Trust had alleged that Navale and his associates had grabbed 11.5 acres of their land by forging documents. The trust had bought the land in Sutarwadi, Paud, to build a school for rural children. In 2008, Navale contacted the trust and offered to run the school through his institute in Sinhagad. Gandhi and fellow trustee Ravindra Barhate alleged that the school was not functioning according to the Memorandum of Understanding and that Navale had grabbed the land
WHO IS NAVALE KNOWN AS an education baron, Navale runs huge educational campuses at Vadgaon Budruk on Sinhagad Road, Narhe Ambegaon, Lonavala, Kondhwa and Chandivali near Mumbai. In Pune, he has founded over 70 colleges under the Sinhgad Technical Education Society. The institutes have courses in Engineering, Management, Pharmacy, Architecture and Computer Applications. Over 10,000 students study here. Navale’s education empire is estimated to be worth over Rs 650 cror.