Charts out set of points; includes reduction in entry fees
Reigning National tennis champion Niki Poonacha is trying to get into ITF’s player panel in a bid to to support players. There will be two sets of panels, one each for men and women, with Mark Woodforde and Mary Pierce as the respective chairpersons.
Seven current players will be elected into the two panels, by the players themselves with the ITF directly contacting the players to conduct the voting.
Back home in Anantpur due to the lockdown, Poonacha has charted a set of points to fight for the players’ cause.
The main focus would be to have a draw of 64 for all tournaments, which would help more players compete, and that the final round of qualifying to have best of three sets format.
He is also seeking a better coordinated tournament calendar for easier travel, as there are about 550 tournaments worldwide in a season.
Poonacha also wants a reduction in entry fee to $20 for qualifying events, and no entry fees for the main draw; unlimited water, energy drink and bananas to be supplied free to players by all tournament organisers.
Owing to the current crisis, one of the demands will be for a specific grant from ITF every six months for players ranked from 400 to 1000 in singles and 200 to 800 in doubles.
Results by June
There are 13 nominations for the men. The Asian Oceania region has three nominations in Ti Chen and Jason Taylor, apart from Poonacha.
The ITF will announce the results by the middle of June. “The voting will start today. I have tried to reach out to maximum players,” said Poonacha.
On a personal front, Poonacha said he may need an inter-State pass to travel as he trains at the Rohan Bopanna Academy in Bengaluru but that he was not sure about the 14-day quarantine rule.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Tennis / by Kamesh Srinivasan / Delhi – May 28th, 2020
Bangalore boy and Indipop pioneer Biddu Appaiah, at 75, continues to groove to the beat of his own drum.
Biddu
A guitar as a present on his 13th birthday set the wheels in motion for the youngster to chase his dream of “making it as a musician in the West”.
Now, all of 75, Bangalore boy Biddu Appaiah, one of the pioneers of disco and Indipop, with millions of records sold worldwide, continues to be counted among the top Indian music producers on the international scene. In fact, he was ranked 34 on British magazine NME’s ‘The 50 Greatest Ever Producers list’.
Today, Biddu can afford to take life easy, dividing his time between homes in London, Spain and India, but his journey to the top was no cakewalk. The pop icon formed a band, The Trojans, at 16 and played at the 3 Aces and small private parties in Bangalore. From then on, there was no looking back. After the group split, Biddu trained his sights on London, the home of rock-n-roll, Beatles and The Rolling Stones. His arduous journey in 1967 on a Haj ship to Mecca and then hitchhiking through the Middle East deserts is now legendary. In London, with just his clothes, his trusty guitar and a dream to make good music, the struggle continued, juggling odd jobs to earn his bread and butter until 1974, when his most recognisable production ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ with Carl Douglas, became a chartbuster.
Towards the late 70s, he collaborated with Tina Charles and soul legend Jimmy James, producing hits such as ‘Dance Little Lady’, ‘I Love to Love’, ‘Now is the time’ and others. All this and the Biddu Orchestra that produced instrumental sensations won him awards, including the Ivor Novello award, the British equivalent of the Grammys.
‘Made in India’
Biddu is also credited with writing the music for two notable movies — The Stud and The Bitch. In 1979, Indian actor-director Feroz Khan got Biddu to compose a track for his movie ‘Qurbani’ and ‘Aap Jaisa Koi’ sung by Pakistani teenager Nazia Hassan happened, again a mega hit of the era. Next, Biddu produced a disco album ‘Disco Deewane’ for HMV featuring Nazia with her brother Zoheb that became the largest selling pop album in Asian history, topping the charts in 14 countries.
In 1987, he scored a top hit in Japan for ‘The Look that Kills’ produced for Japanese singer Akina Nakamori. In the 80s, Biddu pioneered a new genre of Hindi music called Indipop, producing ‘Made in India’ with the velvety-voiced singer Alisha Chinai as well as with Shweta Shetty, Shaan, Sagarika and Sonu Nigam.
As the disco boom began fading in the late 80s and 90s, Biddu donned his writer’s hat, churning out three books. The first, ‘Made in India’, his autobiography published in 2010, an eminently readable book with his characteristic humour and honesty, was a bestseller. Next came ‘Curse of the Godman’ and ‘The Abundance of Nothing’, both set in India.
Interestingly, fans can still look forward to more music from the septuagenarian who is currently composing some new songs.
Excerpts from an interview:
You’ve been there done that. Any dreams yet to be fulfilled?
Career-wise, I am happy. I am going through my catalogue of 583 songs and picking half-a-dozen with a view to sending them to new, young singers of today. I am also working on a few new songs. I won’t produce them, but will get someone younger to do so.
Anything special for your 75th? What does this milestone mean to you?
As I said, I am working on a few new compositions. As for the milestone, at 75 years of age, it is more like a millstone!
What’s life for Biddu these days?
Life today is all about breathing, which is one way of staying alive and spending time with the family.
You left India in your early 20s. Why were you so keen to leave India for the West?
I wanted to make it in the West. India in the 60s was a poor country; we were dancing with Russia instead of rocking with the West. I needed to get out of India as my interest was Western pop music; I was never into Bollywood. I left India and walked all the way to Beirut, singing there for six months until I saved enough moolah to get to England. However, I do come to India to see my sister and relatives. I spend a couple of months in Goa in the winter. But, to be brutally honest, I would never come back to live in India. The politics and corruption would kill me, if not the pollution and the chaotic traffic!
How do you see the music scene in India today?
Frankly, I do not know anything about the Indian music scene. I do know that making music in English has a narrow bandwidth (it always had) and from what people tell me regarding Indian film music, melody has given way to beats and rap. There’s not much noise about Indian music in the West. A R Rahman had a moment and Anoushka (Shankar) is fairly well-known, but only among world music aficionados.
Youtube, TikTok, Spotify, basically Internet has changed the game…
This is the way forward. It is the avenue from where young people get their music. We, of the older generation, may not like it or find downloading Apps too complicated, but this is modern life. You can’t stop the waves from hitting the shore.
Your message to young, budding artists who want to pursue a career in music?
Be prepared for a tough slog. The chances of you not making in the music business is considerably more than you making it. There’s so much talent around, but only a few lucky ones make it. It is a tough game.
Your stint as music director for a few Hollywood films was short. Why?
I prefer making records. Firstly, it’s on the go. It doesn’t take a year or years as the case may be. Also, in films, you are being told what to do by the script, the producer/director etc. When you make pop music, you are directed by your own desires; you are the master of your destiny.
Music has been a big part of your life. What has it taught you?
Music has been great for me. I was inspired by the Beatles and Elvis and I had this fire in the belly to make a name for myself in the West. It is this desire that drove me. Doing something you love is irreplaceable. It has shown me how lucky I am to have followed my dream and succeeded in it. Success is not just about talent, but luck and opportunity, although I believe sometimes you make your own luck.
What kind of music do you listen to?
I was never a voracious listener of music. In fact, it is well-known amongst my friends that I don’t have a music collection. I listen to the radio when driving; that keeps me up on the current trends in music. I am a big fan of Ed Sheeran — great voice and great songs.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sunday Herald> Sunday Herald Art & Culture / by Stanley Carvalho / May 31st, 2020
Initially, kids in three categories — Under-12, Under-14 and Under-16 — can apply for the scholarship through the School website.
Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna (Photo | PTI)
New Delhi :
India’s doubles exponent Rohan Bopanna on Tuesday launched an ambitious scholarship project, aimed at providing tennis and academic education simultaneously to 60 kids at an annual cost of Rs 10 lakh each.
The scholarship programme, described as a “game changer in Indian tennis” will be run through a collaboration between Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy (RBTA) and The Sports School, which will be the base of the training centre in Bengaluru.
Initially, kids in three categories — Under-12, Under-14 and Under-16 — can apply for the scholarship through the School website.
They will be assessed after the lockdown and the selected players will then join the residential programme.
“I am looking at giving to kids what I did not have when I was a junior player. It will be a game changer in Indian tennis. Parents are always worried about the education part, so we are proving both,” Bopanna said during the online press conference.
In the first year, only those players who have an AITA ranking, can apply for the scholarship.
“We will take 20 kids in each category. This is giving back to sport. This is probably the biggest scholarship programme in the world. No one gives scholarship with 100 per cent sponsorship to 60 kids at one go. Even in the US college tennis programmes, it’s 70 or 80 per cent sponsorship,” said Bopanna, India’s only fourth player to have won a Grand Slam title.
Balachandran Manikkath, the coach of India’s top singles player Prajnesh Gunneswaran, will be the Head coach at the centre with six other coaches.
“We will keep monitoring the selected kids. There will always be someone who will be knocking on the doors. If someone is not up to the mark, his place can go to someone else,” Balachandran said.
The selected kids will have access to seven flood-lit hard courts apart from services of nutritionist, dietician, physio and a sports psychologist.
Bopanna insisted that he is “not competing with anyone” when asked if he is setting an example on how to do things without the help of the government.
The AITA has been trying to set up a Centre of Excellence at DLTA for some years but the efforts have not fructified for several reasons.
“We only want betterment of Indian tennis. The pure objective is to help the kids. We have a vision in place and we want to give opportunities to the players.”
Dr.Sankar UV, Director of The Sports School, said if someone is not selected but still wants to be in the programme, they can join by paying the fee which is Rs 6.25 lakh for beginners, Rs 8 lakh for the intermediate level and Rs 10 lakh for the advance level.
Sankar said they will follow CBSE syllabus up to 10th standard and the Karnataka State Board syllabus for 11th and 12th standard.
He also informed that the School also runs programme in five more sports including badminton, football and basketball.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport> Tennis / by PTI / May 26th, 2020
Mebiena Michael, the winner of a popular reality television show Pyate Hudgir Halli Life Season 4, passed away on May 26 after she got into a major car accident.
Mebiena Michael, the winner of a popular reality television show Pyate Hudgir Halli Life Season 4, passed away on May 26 after she got into a major car accident. Mebiena was 22 years old. The accident happened in the evening near Devihalli of Nagamangala Tuluk, Karnataka.
Mebiena Michael died in a car accident
As per reports, Mebiena Michael was heading towards her hometown, Madikeri, when the accident took her life. The 22-year-old’s family and friends are quite shocked by the news of her sudden demise and are struggling to cope up with her untimely death. According to reports, the car in which she was travelling rammed into a tractor while the latter was taking a turn.
Right after the accident, the victims were rushed to the Adichuchunagiri Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital, where the doctors declared Mebiena Michael dead. While her friends survived, the actor succumbed to severe injuries. As per reports, a case has been registered in the Belluru police station. On the other hand, Mebiena Michael’s friends are recovering at the hospital.
Mebiena Michael was a Kannada television actor. She rose to fame after being a part of Pyate Hudgir Halli Life Season 4. She also emerged out as the winner of the reality television show
The host of Pyate Hudgir Halli Life Season 4, Akul Balaji expressed his shock over the sudden demise of Mebiena Michael. He took to social media and shared a post on his official Twitter handle. Balaji wrote, “Shock to hear the sudden demise of one of my favourite contestant and winner of phhl 4 ..mebina, soo young and full of life, can’t digest the fact..my prayers for her family to get over the tragedy.”
The 22-year-old Kannada actor started her professional career as a model. Mebiena Michael became popular after emerging as the winner of the television reality show Pyate Hudgir Halli Life Season 4 which was about a bunch of city girls, who attempted to adapt to village life by giving up their lavish lifestyle. The contestants were given several interesting tasks to perform which Mebiena Michael had aced.
source: http://www.republicworld.com / RepublicWorld.com / Home> Entertainment News> Regional Indian Cinema / by Vageesha Taluja / May 27th, 2020
Reeth Abraham is one of India’s most well known athletes participating in the hurdles, long jump and heptathlon events, with a career that began in 1976. She has won various medals at several international competitions including at the Asian level. Her achievement stands out particularly since she won a medal at the Asian level less than a year after she became a mother.
Reeth, at one of her practice sessions at Kanteerava Stadium / Pic: Deepthi M S
Although she retired from competitive athletics in 1992, this 49-year-old has continued training over the years and is now active as a Masters athlete. In 2011, she won 2 medals for India at the World Masters Athletics meet at Sacramento, USA in the triple jump and long jump events. Among various awards and recognitions she has received over the years, she has been a recipient of the Arjuna Award in 1997. She is one of the founding members of Clean Sports India. Reeth lives in Koramangala.
Citizen Matters caught up with her for a brief chat at the Kanteerava Stadium, just after she had finished her day’s training.
Reeth, enough is known about your career as an athlete but only last year, your achievements at the World level as a Masters athlete caught our attention. How does one even qualify?
Clean Sports India is an organisation founded to rid Indian sport of its twin malaises, lack of sports persons in administration and drug usage. Clean Sports India aims to get former sportspersons into managing the various sports bodies in India including the Olympic Sports Federations, Associations and other Clubs in India, as opposed to administrators who have occupied positions of influence in various bodies without the sport itself making much progress. Its other objective is to ensure clean competition by keeping drugs away from both practice and competition.
This was my sixth appearance at the World Masters meet. One has to first qualify at the State Masters meet, for which you can just turn up and then the National meet, which you get to if you are successful at the state meet. If one is good enough and successful at the national meet, you get to represent India at the global level. The Karnataka state meet was held in Mandya recently. The World meet is in Brazil next year. The World Masters meet is held every two years. One needs to be over 35 years to be eligible as a Masters athlete.
How did you manage to train and keep in shape while raising two kids (Reeth is the proud mother of a daughter and a son)? Do you go to a gym regularly? What is your current training schedule like?
(Smiles) I don’t know how I managed. It just happened. I would sometimes leave my kids under the care of someone while I trained. It wasn’t easy but somehow I managed.
I train at the stadium 3 days a week and train in a gym on 3 days a week. I also swim occasionally for relaxation.
In addition to your involvement with the Nike Run Club, do you coach any athletes?
No I don’t have any trainees. There is not much time left on hand between my job and my own training outside my work hours.
You were recruited by a bank years ago. How has the situation changed for athletes on the sponsorship front?
I was amongst the first batch of athletes recruited by Corporation Bank. This was followed by various other banks later, which recruited various sportspersons. Some banks even had cricketers in their ranks. It is still very difficult for most athletes to eke out a living without sponsorship. That is one reason most athletes these days give up after a certain level since they don’t have the patience to put in years of hard work, which may or may not result in success. And even when one is successful, the recognition one gets may not mean much monetarily. Even as a Masters athlete, I have managed to get a sponsor for my travel to the World Masters meet but I am not sure how other athletes manage.
One of the things I have noticed at the Kanteerava stadium is the significant number of talented girls who are training as athletes, which is not quite reflective of the trend of India’s senior athletes. Where do they disappear as they grow older?
Reeth is one of the coaches at the Nike Run Club (NRC), an initiative from Nike to introduce ordinary people into running. Reeth helps the NRC attendees warm up through a routine of various exercises and then go for a run, before cooling down and helps various runners get introduced to the sport and get better at it, every Saturday at the Kanteerava stadium.
The problem is that as these kids grow older they have several options before them which are sometimes more rewarding. And as I said earlier, not all of them are willing to invest the effort and work hard for 10-12 years before tasting success at higher levels of athletics, especially when their hard work elsewhere can lead to success in other areas. And athletics after a certain point is extremely competitive. So I can see the perspective of the kids if they choose to focus elsewhere.
If you could change something in Indian athletics today, what would it be?
Make it enjoyable for young athletes to participate and compete. Once one reaches a certain level of competition, it is very challenging for an athlete to handle the pressure to perform and win medals. In my time, there was no one to help us on such matters.
What are your opinions on sports facilities in Bangalore?
In Bangalore, it is gradually improving. There are more people who are taking sports seriously.
You are a resident of Koramangal, what do you think of the sports facilities there?
Speaking of sports facilities in Koramangala, it is zero. I see no changes at all, the Koramangala indoor stadium for that matter, is used only for exhibition and nothing else.
Any message for aspiring masters athletes?
Unless you have been an active athlete earlier, events with throws (shot put, discus) and jumps (long jump, triple jump) are out, since they require special training and may result in injuries, if one doesn’t train carefully. Perhaps long distance running is an event a beginner can aspire to compete in.
source: http://www.bengaluru.citizenmatters.in / Citizen Matters / Home> Current / by Dharmendra D. / February 28th, 2012
Trishul Chinnappa is reconnecting with his roots and reading books as lockdown affords him the opportunity to spend time at home.
The lockdown blues aren’t a bother to Trishul Chinnappa. The 26-year-old golfer from Coorg is enjoying home comforts after spending most of his time on the road since turning professional in 2015. Summer is blossom time in the coffee estates and Trishul has been using his time on the estate to learn the nuances that make growing the beans such a fine art.
Just two top ten finishes in a career spanning nearly six years is far from justice to the enormous talent of this young man. But then sport is rarely about justice and equality. The break is perhaps a good time for Trishul to reflect and get ready for good bounce when the sport returns to competitive action in the not too distant future.
“I am excited but at the same time, I also know that it is going to take time to return to competition. I also feel lucky that this particular time was important for me as I had hurt my shoulder. So this break has given me time to recover. I am ready and raring to go again,” said Chinnappa in an Instagram session with Shaili Chopra.
Trishul has also been enjoying some hockey and cricket, sports he played growing up, with his family and friends on the estate.
On golf, Trishul acknowledged the role of his team lead by Tarun Sardesai, in keeping him rooted with the sport. “I am very fortunate to have an incredible team. They have made sure I stay in touch, working through zoom calls. We have been working on our basics and sharing experiences. Some of it also is helpful to the juniors at the academy, as they can learn from my mistakes. It also helped to motivate me, as if I was speaking about it to them, I better be working at it too.”
Trishul also considers the lockdown an opportunity to focus on technique. It is a good time to work on the details and be ready for action when it comes around, he said.
But most importantly, Trishul cherishes his tryst with coffee during the downtime. “I have spent the last month learning about coffee. This is the time of the coffee blossom and it is a beautiful time to be here. The bees are here as well, so that is such a treat to watch as well in the evening.”
He has also been filling his mind with Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. It has hit me hard, says a curious Chinnappa. It is this curiosity that should serve him well when he returns to action sooner than later.
source: http://www.golfingindian.com / GolfingIndian.com / Home / by Anand Datla / May 24th, 2020
District In-charge Minister V Somanna chairs a meeting at Zilla Panchayat auditorium in Madikeri on Friday. DH Photo
The houses built for the flood victims in Made and Jamburu are of best quality according to my knowledge, said Kodagu District In-charge Minister V Somanna.
Addressing mediapersons here, on Friday, he said it was not right to make allegations for political reasons. He said that he had checked the quality of the houses.
The minister said that the programme of handing over the houses, scheduled on May 29, had been postponed. The houses will be handed over to the beneficiaries before June 5, he added.
Leaders and elected representatives will be invited to the programme as per the protocol, he said.
Replying to a query, Somanna said, “What is important is that the facility reaches the beneficiaries. It is not important who has implemented the project.”
The minister meanwhile stated that there was a plan to construct 10 lakh houses in urban and rural areas in the next two years.
450 people under quarantine
Later speaking at a meeting, the minister said that 450 people had been quarantined in the district.
“Our district cannot be compared to Bengaluru. People have given their cooperation to the district administration in implementing the lockdown guidelines.”
Somanna further stated that migrant labourers in the district had traveled to Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Jharkhand and other states. Many other labourers have requested the district administration to send them to their native places. But, the respective states are yet to give their permission, he added.
MLA K G Bopaiah said that the vehicles transporting fish and pork into the district should be subjected to thorough checking at the check posts, as there are chances of beef being transported in these vehicles. He requested the people coming from other districts to get themselves voluntarily tested for COVID-19.
MLC Veena Acchaiah said that the rainy season was approaching. But, the driftwood have not been cleared. “If the wood is not cleared, I will hold a dharna in front of the forest department office,” she added.
Mobix organisation Kodagu branch manager handed over 14,000 masks to the minister, for distribution among students taking SSLC examination.
MP Prathap Simha, Kodagu Zilla Panchayat President B A Harish, MLA Appachu Ranjan, MLC Sunil Subramani, Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy, District Superintendent of Police Suman D Pannekar and Zilla Panchayat CEO K Lakshmipriya were present.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / May 22nd, 2020
Kodagu is synonymous with hockey and the annual Kodava Hockey Festival is quite popular and a huge crowd-puller, providing a platform to budding players. In recent years, young sports enthusiasts from the district have also been showing interest in football too. As a result, many clubs have come up and have been organising tournaments to boost their interest in the game.
The INS (Ichettira Naren Subbaiah) Sports Centre at Kushalnagar that has now taken up the ambitious task of training young talents from the district, had recently organised a one-week coaching session with UK’s Arsenal football team coach and former England player Ian Selley.
Over 50 young football players from all over the district including Kushalnagar, Maragod, Suntikoppa, Murnad and Ammathi participated in the training session held at INS Centre at Guddehosur.
Free training
Even as the training session was conducted by Ian Selley, coaching classes too were provided free of cost to all students. INS Trustee Ponnappa said that Ian Selly’s remuneration and other expenses were incurred by the sponsors. The training, which was conducted up to 5 pm for six days, included special skill training and rules of the game.
About Ian Selley
British footballer Ian Selley is an ex-player of Arsenal Football Club and has served as the head coach at the Arsenal Soccer School, Dubai. Ian was the youngest player to make it to the Arsenal senior team that won the FA Cup (Football Association Challenge Cup) and UEFA Cup (Union of European Football Associations Cup). He had just turned 18 years when he made it to the senior team.
This was Ian Selley’s first visit to India. The idea of bringing him here opened up opportunities for European clubs and also has given an indication to the European scouts about the potential available here. His visit also opens up avenues of invitation into prestigious youth football tournaments in Europe and football scholarship programmes for talented kids.
The INS Sports Centre is also working on identifying and grooming those players to be sent to UK. Organisers hope that such coaching programmes open up new avenues for young footballers. The entire camp was sponsored by INS Sports Centre, in association with sponsors.
Youngsters, who attended the training, appreciated the coaching style and discipline of Ian Selley. Ian’s eyes welled up before he left after he witnessed his life-size image on the walls of INS Sports Centre displayed as a thanksgiving gesture. He promised to visit Kodagu again and help train footballers of this province as it holds a special place in his heart.
In memory of their late son
Naren, son of Ichettira Subbaiah, was a good footballer and his parents had many dreams about their son’s future. But their dreams were shattered as Naren was killed in an accident a few years ago.
To keep his memory alive, his parents decided to take up some meaningful project in their hometown and thus INS Sports Centre was born. Subbaiah, along with their other son, Ponnappa started shuttle badminton, cricket and football coaching at the INS Centre.
No difference between players: Ian Selley
Sharing his experience in Kodagu, Ian Selley said that there is no difference between Indian and foreign players. “Except for language barrier as a few students struggled to understand English, the training session was fruitful and all youngsters seemed to have learnt a lot,” he said. For April next year, Ian has invited five talented children to UK to participate in matches along with young European football counterparts.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / October 14th, 2019
Stock up on handlooms, eye make-up, and neck and hand jewellery, as post-pandemic life looks set to see a change in style mantras
Bengaluru :
Fashion in the beginning of 2020 was slowly moving towards a more conscious and sustainable approach, and the pandemic has only helped in further validating this cause. The COVID-19 outbreak will redefine fashion and style trends, say experts, with people moving towards natural, breathable fabrics.
“The economic slowdown has been felt by consumers, designers and as well as artisans,” says fashion curator and brand consultant Sarayu Hegde. With the buzz at this point being local manufacturing, Hegde points out that there is newfound pride in wearing the ‘Made in India’ tag now more than ever before. Weaves like Ikat and Uppada are likely to gain even more popularity. “In the recent past, there has been a shift by designers and brands towards using more indigenous material. Also, a lot of plant-based fabrics like banana, bamboo, jute, aloe vera, flax and hemp are currently being used to make sustainable clothing. I would like to see designers creating garments and products with an Indian soul while keeping in mind a more global sensibility,” she says.
Agrees fashion guru Prasad Bidapa who lives in the hope that the Indian customer will now realise that there is nothing as precious as traditional Indian hand-woven textiles. “In this COVID age, a khadi gamchha used as a breathable face mask is infinitely better than any synthetic mask which recycles stale, poisonous air. We need to support the artisanal textile crafts of India,” he says.
Both Hegde and Prasad resonate one thought: the importance of slow fashion. “Fashion will be back in a celebratory manner. Just like in the 1920s, except we hope that people will choose mindful indulgence as opposed to over-indulgence,” says Hegde. “No more impulse buying, but to upcycle our wardrobes and to retain the best of it, to wear again, should be key. We must be prepared to invest in quality, not quantity,” says Bidapa.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Vidya Iyengar, Express News Service / May 21st, 2020
Robin Uthappa had made quite an entry to international cricket, nearly becoming the first India batsman to hit a century on ODI debut in 2006
Robin Uthappa has said he pursued Test cricket at the wrong age which cost him some of his batting aggression and consequently, became his undoing.
Uthappa had made quite an entry to international cricket, nearly becoming the first India batsman to hit a century on ODI debut in 2006. Known for his aggressive approach, he was part of India squad that went on to win the inaugural ICC World T20 in South Africa.
However, his international career fizzled out as he brought out a change in his technique to realise the dream of playing Test cricket.
“My biggest goal was to play Test cricket for India,” Uthappa said during a Rajasthan Royals podcast session. “Had I pursued that at 20-21, I probably by this time would’ve played Test cricket. I wanted to have no regrets at the end of my career and wanted to be sure that I brought the best out of me.”
To tune himself to the rigours of Test cricket, Uthappa took the help of Pravin Amre and improved his technique to bring in consistency but in the process lost his natural flair.
“Hence at 25, I decided to overhaul my batting technique under Pravin Amre and became a technically better batsman who could be there for long and bat for long hours and be more consistent, which made me let go of some of my batting aggression in the process,” he said.
Uthappa played 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is for India but never played Test cricket and at 34, it seems a distant possibility that he’ll ever make his international comeback.
“I thought to play Test cricket for India, I needed to alter my technique …….In hindsight, I may have pursued the goal at the wrong time at 25 years of age,” he said.
However, during his India career, Uthappa managed to become a world cup winner.
Under MS Dhoni, India beat Pakistan in the final to lift the silverware and Uthappa recounts the days following that historic win.
“After winning the World Cup, I did not sleep for three days straight. It didn’t really hit us initially; we were just ecstatic that we beat Pakistan in the finals,” he said.
“The enormity of it hit us when we landed in India. The reception we received was massive, I mean Bombay doesn’t stop for anyone, that day the entire city came to a standstill and moved only in the direction our bus was moving. Bizarrely we went through all of the Indian weather in that one day.
“What would usually take 45 minutes to an hour on a normal day, took us 5 and a half hours on that particular day. It went from being cold to rainy to humid and then hot. By the time we reached Wankhede, we were famished.
“I remember people throwing water, fruits, and chocolates at us so that we don’t lose energy and keep going. It was fun and all of us really cherished those memories. It was a massive relief to win a World Cup after 1983.
“I don’t think words do justice to the emotion of being a World Cup winner. It surpasses pretty much everything you feel as a cricketer. It’s a bit complex but it’s one of the most amazing feelings you get as an athlete.
“Simply because it makes you feel proud that you made a difference and added value to your team at that point in time to win a world championship. You have played your part and everybody has to play their part to win a World Cup.”
source: http://www.india.com / India.com / Home> Sports / by india.com sports desk / edited by Feroz Khan / May 20th, 2020
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