Chelsea’s winless streak extended to four games in all competitions as the Premier League champions were held to a 0-0 draw against 10-man Leicester City in a controversial tie at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The Blues, seeking to temporarily leapfrog second-placed Manchester United, sent out a full-strength squad against Claude Puel’s men, but were second-best for majority of the tie.

Antonio Conte’s side were clearly feeling the after-effects of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal in mid-week, for Leicester were by far the stronger of the teams in the opening 45 period.

Don’t miss: Liverpool vs Manchester City: 5 players to watch out for

Thibaut Courtois, reportedly on the verge of signing a new long-term contract with the West Londoners, was outstanding with several saves to keep the Foxes as bay as Chelsea struggled to string passes together and were bereft of any intensity whatsoever.

Eden Hazard, another player said to be considering signing a contract extension,  was not at his brilliant best, far from it, as he was guilty of a few wayward passes and the second-half began with Leicester on top as well.

Leicester had a big penalty shout waved away, with in-form winger Riyad Mahrez tumbling under an a challenge from Andreas Christensen and then match referee would swing the tide of the game in Chelsea’s favour with a contentious dismissal of Leicester fullback Ben Chillwell.

The fullback was already on a yellow when he caught Victor Moses on the shin but despite the challenge looking to be an inadvertent one, Mike Jones gave him his marching orders with over 20 minutes left in the tie.

Antonio Conte had already utilised his three substitutions, replacing the injured Gary Cahill with Andreas Christensen after the half-hour mark before sending on Pedro and Willian for the ineffective duo of Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas, so could only exhort his players to find the breakthrough, which was not forthcoming.

Remarably, it was Chelsea’s third consecutive 0-0 draw in all competitions, and the Blues lack of goals has thrown their chances of finishing in the top-four in serious danger for Liverpool could overtake them if they manage to beat Manchester City on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur host Everton in the late game on Saturday and the Lilyhwites could close to within a point of Chelsea if they are to beat the stuttering Toffees at Wembley Stadium.

While Leicester will feel disappointed not to depart the Bridge with three points, considering the sending-off they can consider themselves lucky to have escaped with a draw at the end and the eight-ranked Foxes are still in contention for the European spots this season.

In the other Premier League games on Saturday, West Ham United thrashed Huddersfield 4-1 while Watford held Southampton 2-2, Newcastle drew 1-1 with Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0.

A quaint place with absolute cozy ambiance, Café Studio in Kolkata promises to take you through a gastronomical journey that leaves you wanting for more. With plush interiors and an energetic vibe, this place presents a sumptuous array of global and fusion menu for its patrons. The interior is the seamless combination of chic and jazz coupled with enticing food and shakes for the guests to enjoy every bit of it.

Whether it is the board and clip menu or the use of green and ash in the interiors, innovation has been the core of every initiation that itself can be clearly noticed on every visit to the location. One can enjoy the preparations of cold soups, crunchy salads, refreshing coolers or the “nutty phyllo pouchees” made from own chosen nuts. A straight coffee or a cooler, shake or smoothie, the inventive mixes and the quirky style of glasses will guarantee you the perfect ambience of gastro café culture in Kolkata.

Their global cuisine menu covers a large spread of Mediterranean, Italian, Mexican, Oriental and Spanish. Thai coconut and ginger soup, garden greens and tofu broth, Moroccan chickpea & cous cous salad, tex mex corn and quinoa salad, charred corn, broccoli & ricotta cigars, Balinese satay chicken, chicken ala greque, creamy herb salmon with greens and wild rice are an integral part of the menu.

To sweeten the reason of your visit, their dessert menu contains some of the mind-blowing delicacies of all times like blueberry cheese cake, chocolate and orange indulgence, coffee praline parfait, apple crumble tarts and sinful walnut brownies amongst others.

Address
Café Studio Ground Floor,
IA – 272 Sector III, Salt Lake City, Kolkata: 700097
Timings
11:30 am to 10:30 pm

They say health and taste cannot go hand in hand but is it always the case? Located in the heart of the city, Cafe Pranah has something else to say. They claim to have made it possible that healthy food can be made tasty and it can come at a really reasonable price to the customers.

Designed to attract mainly youth and health enthusiasts, the cafe at Hazra Road, Kolkata, geography falls near a gym so that the gym goers can get a place to relax and enjoy their time without being concerned about consuming unhealthy food.

The cafe also tries to get the attention of book lovers — it is like having a cafe which has an in-house library. It has a collection of unique books which caters to the specific interests of the customers. Dan Brown’s Inferno is one of the many books kept there.

The atmosphere is made more special as a soft and soothing music keeps playing in the background. This helps the customers concentrate better on their books making it a perfect getaway place for them. It is also decorated with beautiful photos clicked by the owner.

Coming to back to food, the lunch that was served included Gandharaj Tulsi tea which was Darjeeling tea served with gandharaj lemon and home grown tulsi leaves. There was also multigrain bhel but it was not an unhealthy one. It had roasted seven grain puffs and flakes tossed with tangy homemade chutney and raw mango, cucumber and tomato. Its lunch menu included minced chicken with hot basil which was served with herb tossed brown rice, a salad called nine topping salad and couscous ensemble.

“There are only two employees working here. I do the grocery shopping and some of the veggies I grow in my own garden. One important reason why I set up the cafe was to cut people off from the hustle and bustle of daily life”, said, Rahul Arora, owner, Cafe Pranah.

(Timings: 11am to 9 pm, Meal for two: 500 + taxes, Address: 71A, Hazra Road, Hazra, Kolkata)

We’re always looking forward to find that latest trend and style to make heads turn at any special occasions. Vrede is a contemporary fashion label conceptualised for the curious and expressive women who are seeking exclusive pieces for their wardrobes.

Synonymous to peace, it is not just a name for the brand but is also the primary element for its philosophy and design aesthetics. This fuses artistic prints and embellishments and high quality fabrics with exquisite craftsmanship and bespoke tailoring, giving shape to the bold and quirky ideas. The inspirations are handpicked from anything which has the ability to trigger an essence of peacefulness into the wearers’ and viewers’ minds.

The collections celebrates the joy of freedom, dreams, oldies, routines and tranquillity, depicted using a wide range of soothing and innovative colour schemes, prints and handmade ornamentations on various exotic fabrics.

Vrede is aimed at women who are fashion forward and are not afraid of experimenting with different cuts, styles, prints and fabrics. It not only caters to young, independent women but also considers older women who cannot buy high street fashion apparels. It refuses to express fashion by age and concentrates on structured and individualistic attires.

Party attires by Vrede are not only trend setters but made with a personal touch, keeping in mind the customers’choices and the comfort factors.

The brand uses fabrics such as neoprene (scuba), banana crepe and snake and rabbit georgette. The party wear collection consists of quirky prints and handwork ornamentation in the jackets, dresses, LBD’s, crop tops, jumpsuits, gowns, skirts, trousers and capes for urban women to try out this party season. This season opt for the following trends:

Metallic: This look is for those who think that embellishments are too flashy. One can choose from an unlimited variety of colours from classic gold or silver, to pinks and blues.

Bodycon dresses: Body hugging and stretchable, these dresses borders around the curves making enhancing the shape of the body.

Trench dresses: One can opt for these dresses as it will set the bar high for them at parties.

One shoulder tops and dresses: Cold shoulders and off-shoulder trend is a passé. Welcome one-shoulder dresses or tops which is super stylish to flaunt this season.

Asymmetrical layering: Gone are those days when body-hugging clothes were a fad. Currently, anti-fits have taken the centre stage in the fashion industry. These are mostly a relaxed form of clothing with different cuts and prints.

Capes: These have become extremely popular western wear trend. Capes are flexible pieces of clothing, easy to carry for every body type. One can go for embellished or printed capes to add that extra glamour to the look.

Mix media (prints with embroidery): Nowadays women are opting for prints with embroideries to create a different look for any occasions.

(The writer is chief executive officer, VREDE)

Santiniketan beckons us, as always, with disarming charm. Though the red soil of the land has long been usurped by the “promoter raj”, Tagore’s abode attracts tourists even today. People, in hordes, throng the place especially during the festivals held there. The Pous Utsav commences on the seventh day of the month of Pous in the Bengali calendar and is held with much fanfare. This had been the occasion for the past students and ashramites of the area for a gala reunion of sorts. But of late, the Pous Utsav and the accompanying Mela or fair has lost their earlier rural flavour. The early morning programme held at Chatim tala, where Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, Rabindranath’s father, attained enlightenment, kicks off the festival.

This year had hardly been an exception to this rule. Songs and hymns rendered the wintry nip in the morning air, much bearable. Choruses, where both male as well as female voices participated, were enjoyable. The final song, Amar Je Shob Ditey Hobe, pulled the curtain over the morning session. The present vice-chancellor of Visva Bharati University had presided over the entire event. In his address, he reiterated that this year’s event had been a prayer, as it were, against the various inhuman acts that the world over was experiencing at the moment.

The fairgrounds witnessed a record footfall this year. Thousands had travelled from distant corners to purchase the local handicrafts on offer, or to taste the various savoury items of food that some stalls were bartering, obviously for a price. There were pithe of every variety, that sugary, syrupy delicacy which every Bengali is fond of during the season. So, what had started as an essentially local fair with the participation of the nearby tribal villagers has now blossomed into a full-fledged avant garde affair. Boutiques from Kolkata vie for securing a stall at the prestigious fair which will celebrate its centenary year a few years from now. Bursting of crackers, which was an essential feature of the Pous Mela celebrations, has been banned from this year.

From this year, the Mela has been constricted to just six days. Starting from the 23 December, it ideally ends on 28 December. But artisans selling their wares, continue to squat on the grounds, long after the fair has been officially declared as closed. It is within the tradition of the Pous Mela that people sit at the stalls put up by local gourmet eateries, and enjoy hearty lunches amid the winter sun. We had a thali at the stall of Banaphool Caterers. That’s all the fun of the fair. An impromptu eating out, savouring the local delicacies, amid cosy and friendly banter is what the Mela stood for. But sadly it has all but lost this endearing charm. Now-a-days, the fair is a posh event where thousands of people gather just to grab a deal to add ethnic wear to their wardrobes.

Because Christmas coincides with the ongoing Pous Usav, people also attend the function which is organised every year at the “Upasana Ghar” or The Glass House. Innumerable numbers of candles adorn the heritage building and the entire area is lit up to celebrate the occasion. Tagore had composed his poem Shishu Tirtha after having been inspired by a play that he had witnessed in distant Germany. In a small village there, the local villagers used to gather in order to prepare for the production to be staged during Christmas all the year round.

Pous Mela 2017 saw a mammoth crowd hovering in and around the Glass House just to listen and be a part of this unique Christmas celebration. There was the chorus of Kon Alotey Praner Prodip and Ek Din Jara Merechilo along with some of the popular Christmas Carols.

The Pous Mela at Santiniketan attracts people who gather there like fireflies to sources of light. Since the place is the nearest getaway from the city proper, a mere three hour drive, it is crowded during all these festivities. Despite warnings from the administration and security personnel, people disregard all statutes to flaunt the latest in their wardrobes and accessories. For all these reasons and more, the Pous Utsav, with the sole exception of the solemnity of the programme held at Chatim Tala, has become a mere occasion for bartering of goods, handmade and eco-friendly.

But winters in Santiniketan are a delight. Flowers are in bloom. So adorning one’s best winter garments, heading for the Pous Mela and Utsav held there seems to be the best option. But since times are changing and Tagore’s abode can hardly be an exception, the Utsav has all but lost its solemnity. What used to be an affair where only the ashramites and local residents had participated has turned into a mass scale amalgamation of people. The fun and joy of travelling to and from the Pous Utsav has sadly been whisked away by the slow-changing wheels of time.

Carpet Stories, a 12 day exhibition in Kolkata will potentially be it’s first-ever show of rare tribal carpets from various weaving regions of the world, narrating mysterious stories expressed through rustic weaves and magical tribal icons.

The places include Persia (Iran), Anatolia (Turkey), the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Dagestan), Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan) and various Kurdish enclaves. This exhibition was organised by The Harrington Street Arts Centre from 28 December to 7 January.

The exhibition comes from the private collection of Danny Mehra, a passionate collector. The collection includes tribal carpets dating from the mid 19th to early 20th century and includes works by many ethnic groups including the Qashqai, Luri, Bakhtiari, Khamseh, Afshar, Shahsavan, Turkic, Baluch, Turkmen, Christians and Kurds.

Every tribal carpet is a visual story, full of icons and expressions like flowers, plants, birds, animals and human figures, mythology and shamanistic symbols.

With the Audi Weekender 2017 season, the weekends couldn’t get any better. Audi brought the exciting line up of Audi R8 V10 Plus, Audi RS 7, Audi RS 6 Avant, Audi S5 and Audi TT in one exhilarating drive in Kolkata. It gave its customer the opportunity to experience the entire Audi range of sophisticated sedans, progressive SUVs and sporty performance cars at one venue.

The event was held in seven cities this year. Instructors were available to train customers on finer aspects of driving. One of the younger female drivers named Mira Erda, has took part over 77 races nationally and internationally.

Rahil Ansari, head, Audi India, said, “Customer delight is important for us and we are confident that the Audi Weekender Reloaded will surely help us in creating further excitement and thrilling moments for customers and Audi loyalists.”

The Audi brand stands for sportiness, progressiveness and sophistication which were reflected perfectly in the event. With a chance to put the pedal to the metal on a track with the exciting line up of Audi’s performance range, challenge the Quattro capabilities of the Audi SUVs on a specially created off-road track and having the luxurious sedans glide on roads, the customers got to witness the brand DNA namely VorsprungdurchTechnik with the four rings in action.

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection from microbes. These are organisms that are too small to be seen without a microscope. Most UTIs are caused by bacteria, but some are caused by fungi and in rare cases, by viruses. UTIs are among the most common infections in humans. If you’re a woman, your chance of getting a urinary tract infection, or UTI, is high as it is one of the most frequent clinical bacterial infections in women, accounting for nearly 25 per cent of all infections. Around 50 per cent to 60 per cent of women will develop UTIs in their lifetime.

Here’s everything you should know about this common infection.

Causes of UTI: Urinary tract infections typically occur when bacteria enters the urinary tract through the urethra and begins to multiply in the bladder. The main causes are sex, constipation, uncontrolled diabetes, dehydration, feminine products and kidney stones.

Signs and symptoms: Painful and frequent urination, foul smelling urine, sense of incomplete bladder emptying, discoloured urine and whole body fatigue are some of the important symptoms of UTI.

Prevention: Drink enough water and urinate frequently. Drink enough water to make sure that the urine in the bladder does not become concentrated. Also, it will not allow the bacteria to multiply and cause infection.

Eat probiotics and change sweaty clothes quickly. Probiotics are good bacteria that keep harmful bacteria that can cause UTIs in check. To stay away from UTI, consume yogurt, buttermilk, kaanji, pickles, and kefir and change workout, sweaty clothes quickly.

Important foods 

It’s important to have a balanced diet to avoid UTI. It should be rich in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and red meat, sweets, and processed food must be avoided. It’s advisable to intake more of vitamin A as it helps in proper functioning of the mucosal immune system.

UTI is also very common in people with chronic constipation. Therefore, a high fiber diet is recommended as it will help relieve constipation. Include fruits (raspberries, apples, pears), grains (barley, bran, oatmeal) and foods rich in water like watermelon, cucumber, tomatoes, strawberries, spinach, etc.

Also, berries are anti-inflammatory and have antibacterial and antifungal properties. One can have it raw or in the form of yummy smoothies.

Important dietary changes

To keep UTI away from your body, the following dietary changes are recommended.

Include vitamin C rich food like tomatoes, berries, kiwi, and oranges.

Consume garlic as it contains compound that kills bacteria.

Avoid spicy and sugary food.

Include probiotics in your meal.

Skip coffee, soda, and alcohol for some time.

Stick to water to avoid irritating the bladder.

If you suspect you have a urinary tract infection, head to the doctor immediately. You’ll be asked to give a urine sample, which will be tested for the presence of UTI-causing bacteria. Also, there’s one important tip/advice I would want to give to every woman. Be very careful using public toilets and keep proper hygiene with the sanitary pads.

(The writer is founder and chief dietician, Nmami Life)

A Chennai-based financial technology start-up, CreditMantri was created by three ex-bankers—Ranjit Punja, R Sudarshan and Gowri Mukherjee with the intent to change the way credit is delivered in our country.

The approach enables lenders and borrowers to better understand each other by leveraging the power of data, resulting in efficient credit decision making.  Punja, CEO and co-founder talks about the various features offered and their upcoming growth strategies. Excerpts from an interview:

Q What are the various features offered by CreditMantri?

This makes credit possible by helping customers take charge of their credit health and help them make better borrowing decisions. We offer a digital platform to be made more efficiently through the innovative use of data and technology.

Our services cater to the entire spectrum of credit seekers that include those who have never borrowed before, those with a sketchy credit history and those who have remained credit healthy. On our platform, customers can create their profile to understand their credit potential, a credit profile which includes your credit score is created using a combination of traditional data such as credit reports, bank statements and government data sources and alternate data such as social media, mobile phone data, etc.

Once this is created, users can discover loans and credit cards best suited to their profile, and these are made available from lenders across the risk continuum. We also help to resolve negative reporting issues on existing loans and assist with reducing current borrowing costs. We provide financial institutions access to better quality consumer risk profiles besides helping these institutions cut down on expensive credit operations and processes.

Simply put, our platform simplifies and redefines the way borrowers and lenders interact during the credit availing process.

Q Would you like to share any example that generated a huge positive impact for your clients?

In the past 30 months, we helped over 3 million Indians make better borrowing decisions by using their credit profile. This has been achieved through innovative use of data and an entirely seamless digital platform which can be accessed from any part of the country. The alternate data that we use to create the credit profile, assumes greater significance especially in India where it is estimated that 300 million have never borrowed before and a significant number on the credit bureau have a damaged credit history.

At present over 60 per cent of our customers provide access to 2,000+ data points to create their credit profile and thus becoming worthy of credit.  Over 45 lenders, including leading public, private, foreign banks and NBFCs use our platform to source consumers, resolve past loans and expand into new customer segments.

Q What are the challenges that the company faces in terms of technological development?

With the big digital push, we are heading towards an increasingly data dependent economy. In such an ecosystem, we are presented with challenges of data privacy and regulation.

Q Who are your strongest competitors?

We compete with different players across the credit and alternate lending space in the country. In that sphere we compete with BankBazaar and PaisaBazaar. In the credit improvement space, we compete with Credit Sudhaar and in the B2B space with Credit Vidya.

Q What would you say is CreditMantri’s primary advantage over competitors?

As an enabler of credit, the services we offer span across three segments of credit seekers — those who are new to credit, those with a sketchy credit history and those who are credit healthy. The breadth of the services that we offer differentiates us from our competitors.

On the B2B side, we are unique in the way we utilise digitally verifiable data points in helping lenders make faster, better informed and more reasonable credit decisions. This approach is particularly useful in a market like India where consumer understanding of credit scores and how it impacts their ability to borrow is very low.

Q What are your upcoming growth strategies?

We aim to be India’s most inclusive credit facilitator and to achieve this vision we are constantly working with various lenders to create tailor made products which would help bring formal credit to a large section of under banked Indians.

We are also committed to building a credit healthy nation by educating customers on the importance of good credit health. Credit Healthy toh Credit Wealthy.

To the town-dweller “darkness” simply means “lights switched off”. But to the real villager, not yet tainted by alien cultures, “darkness” carries a different meaning for he lives one with Mother Nature. All the gods he worships are omnipotent to him and the festivals he celebrates to appease them have a deeper significance. One such festival is Pongal, celebrated for four continuous days.

Bhog Pongal, the first of the four day celebrations, pulls out people from their homes even before the crowing rooster could wake up the sleeping Sun. They come out with their old torn mats and sacks, worn out brooms and other such things which are piled in a heap and a bonfire is made of them. January being  somewhat chilly, the villagers sit on their haunches around the fire.

It is commonly believed that when the unwanted things are burnt, the home would have space enough to accommodate things new. In symbolic language, it means the evil desires in human beings too get burnt and thereby cleanse the body and soul.

But Hindu mythology has something more to say about this. What a year to the mortals on Planet Earth is just a day to the immortals in their heavenly abode. Hence out of the 12 months of the Tamil calendar six (Aadi, Aavani, Puratasi, Aippasi, Karthikai and Margazhi) pass for night and the rest (Thai, Masi, Panguni, Chitrai, Vaikasi and Aani) for day. While the former period is known as Datchinayanam, the latter is known by the name Uttarayanam.

As night is usually associated with evil, Datchinayanam is considered an inauspicious period. The last of the months that fall under this period is Margazhi, the most abominable month. No wonder people call it ‘peedaimasam’ or ‘soonyamasam’, meaning month of distress, in which Evil influences its power.

It is on the last day of Margazhi that Bhogi Pongal is celebrated. The burning of rubbish is symbolic of getting rid of the undesired Datchinayanam. This is the reason why the first day of the Pongal festival is also known by the name ‘pokki’, meaning departure or dispel.

But the word Bhogi also calls for an explanation. Among the many names, Bhogi is one by which Lord Indra is known. God of the firmament, He commands thunder and lightning, and also the refreshing showers that fall to render the earth fruitful. The crops as we know very much rely on the showers from the firmament, the thankful villagers filled with gratitude praise Bhogi for His help.

The houses put on a new look. The floors are washed clean with cow dung diluted water. Kolams are drawn with powdered rice. This month makes people in villages very happy for it is time to reap what they have sown. Their barns are full and money flows into their coffers. The word ‘pongal’ literally means ‘brim over’ or ‘overflow’.

The second day of the festival, Perum Pongal pays tribute to the Sun without whose grace the crops could not have come up. And so the villagers find delight in offering  the first yield to the Sun god. Milk is poured into a new mud pot kept on a new mud oven. When the milk brims over, the people shout in glee, “Pongalo Pongal… Pal Pongal!”  A good quantity of rice from the first harvest is pushed into the boiling milk and stirred till the rice is overcooked.  This tasty food, also called pongal, is taken to a specific spot in the courtyard or backyard of the house to be directly exposed to the Sun. The chosen spot already readied with lovely decoration of kolam on red earth, adorned with flowers and rice. The pot with pongal is kept at the centre of the spot while accessories of worship like sugarcane, turmeric plants, coconut and banana find their predominant place around the pot.

The head of the family performs the pooja. His family members and guests worship the Sun, the all-powerful force. A feast with vadai and payasam completes the pooja.Next, a bunch of neem leaves and peelam twigs with flowers are pinned to the threshold of the house.

This act is known as Kaappukattu, meaning protection from evil. On this day the Sun enters the tenth sign of the zodiac “Makaram” (Capricorn). This movement of the Sun is known as Makara Sankranti. Sankranti is an evil goddess. It is believed that she will never dare to enter the houses whose thresholds exhibit neem leaves and peelam flowers, the real devil repellents.

With new clothes on, the people greet each other “Pal pongidutha?” meaning ‘Did milk brim over in your house?’ an auspicious sign indeed.

The third day is Maattu Pongal and this is in honour of the cattle, for it is the cattle that have toiled with men to raise the crops in the fields. Pious Tamils believe that cows and bullocks have godly qualities in them and so worship the cattle. On this day their horns are painted and bells are tied to their necks.

Their foreheads are daubed with kumkum, turmeric and sandal paste, they are garlanded before they enjoy a pooja and fed with pongal. Immediately after this, pairs of bullocks are yoked together to well-decorated carts. Children get onboard along with the drivers shout  “Pongalo…Pongal…Maattupongal!”

What really takes the cake on this day is a blood-curdling sport called ‘jallikattu  or  manjuvirattu’(bull fight) staged before an enthusiastic crowd. Jallikattu commences usually in the afternoon with a call of the trumpet. The waiting bull-tamers get ready for the occasion in an inverted L-shaped area.

The temple-bull, the supposed mount of Lord Shiva, enters the arena with all honours. Custom demands that this bull goes untouched as its entry marks the start of the game. The real game begins with the entry of a charging bull garlanded with currency notes.

Wild catcalls and whistles rend the air as the bull tamers manage to jump onto the bull’s back all the time holding its hump with one hand and its oil smeared horns with the other. The one who succeeds removing the garland of currency, garlands himself.

Sometimes jewellery too adorn the neck of the bull to be taken by the conquering heroes for ‘jallikattu’ simply means ‘tie the coin’. When the first bull tamer displays his prize with pride, the next bull rushes in. In their attempt to tame the bull and win the prize money, many get injured and the unlucky few are gored to death for the ferocious bull can easily lift a man with its horns and toss him up in the air. By sundown the game comes to a close. The enthralled public carry the heroes on their shoulders and the zeroes to the grave.

Karinaal, also known as Kaanum Pongal marks the fourth and final day of the festival. Led by the head of the family, all the members visit the fields to feel proud of their produce. ‘Kaanum’ means ‘to see’ and feast their eyes on the greenery. The elders find delight in giving money to the young ones. The poor visit the moneyed ones and everybody is happy to see others and exchange greetings.

This day is also known as Anni Pongal. Charmingly dressedfor the occasion, young girls, women and children shuffle their way to the banks of the river holding varieties of food on platters. Pongal is rolled into small balls and placed on turmeric leaves. Such balls are partly left for the crows and partly thrown into the river and they shout “Kakkaipidi…kannipidi” meaning ‘a handful to the crows… handful to the river’. Crow is the mount of Lord Saturn. And the river valley civilisation brought up Tamils consider the river as affectionate mother.

Can there be life without ‘mother’?

At 10.00 am on 25 September 2017, Aparna Kumar reached the summit of Mt Manaslu, the 8th highest peak in the world and unfurled the tricolour to become the first Indian woman to scale this inhospitable mountain in Nepal.

In 2016, she became the first woman IPS officer to scale the highest peak of the world — Mt Everest. She is the first IPS/All India Service Officer to climb Stok Kangri (20,182 ft) in Ladakh. She is the first All India Service Officer (male or female) to scale the highest peaks of six continents out of the seven summits. Likewise, she has many more firsts in her kitty.

At the dizzying height of 8,163 metres (26,758 ft), Manaslu is the 8th highest peak in the world and one of the 14 peaks in the world that rise above 8,000 metres in altitude. It is part of the Himalayan range which is home to 10 of the 14 highest peaks of the world called “eight-thousanders” because they rise above 8,000 metres (26,247 ft) in height.

In addition to these, there are over 50 Himalayan peaks that reach an elevation of over 7,000 metres (23,000 ft) making Himalayan range the highest mountain chain of the world.

Located some 65 kms to the east of Annapurna, Manaslu towers over the Gurkha Massif in Nepal. Manaslu gets its name from the Sanskrit root Manasa which means “Mountain of the Spirit”. It is known to the locals by its Tibetan name “Kutang”. The long ridges and glacial valleys surrounding Mt Manaslu offer approaches from all directions.

But, the summit calls for a very steep climb in the final leg. Kumar is a 2002 batch IPS officer posted as DIG with Uttar Pradesh Police with additional charge of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) in Lucknow at the time of scaling Mt Manaslu. She has since taken over as DIG Indo-Tibetan Border Police at New Delhi.

A native of Bengaluru, she is in her late thirties and a mother of two— daughter (Spandana) and son (Neelkantha). Her husband, Sanjay Kumar, was the District Magistrate & Collector of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh till recently. He has since moved to Lucknow as Special Secretary, Revenue Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh.

For someone who started the basic mountaineering course in 2013 and underwent the advanced mountaineering course in 2014 rather late in her life, Kumar has made long strides in rapid succession. After trekking and climbing in Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh, she set her eyes on the Seven Summits. These represent the highest peaks in the seven continents of the world. Out of the Seven Summits, Aparna has scaled six in a record time of 21 months.

Soon after completing her advanced mountaineering course, she reached the summit of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (5,895 metres/19,340 ft) on 30 August, 2014. This was followed by summit of Carstensz Pyramind, Indonesia (4,884 metres/16,024 ft) on 7 November, 2014; Aconcagua, Argentina (6,962 metres/22,840 ft) on 14 January, 2015; Elbrus, Russia (5,642 metres/18,510 ft) on 4 August, 2015; Vinson Massif, Antarctica (4,892 metres/16,050 ft) on 17 January, 2016; and, Mount Everest via North Face, China-Tibet (8,848 metres/ 29,029) 21 May, 2016 in rapid succession.

The conquest of Mt Everest took three attempts as her first attempt was called off due to avalanches in 2014 and the second attempt in 2015 had to be aborted because of a massive earthquake which wreaked havoc in Nepal.

With a beaming smile on her face and a great sense of achievement, Kumar, declared that “conquest of Mt Manaslu was one of the greatest uplifting experiences of her life”, as she landed at the New Delhi Airport after conquering the eighth highest peak in the world.

“It was a tough climb…   what with the inclement weather and minor accidents…but, in the end, everything went off well and we summited on 25 September, 2017. I think it is a proud moment for India; for Indian women and women all over the world; for IPS cadres as well as Uttar Pradesh Police; and, Uttar Pradesh as a state.

“I am glad that I managed to scale this hostile peak in my very first attempt and unfurl the Indian tricolour on the top of Mt Manaslu.

“I am indebted to my family, friends and numerous well-wishers for their good wishes and prayers that have helped me to survive and succeed in my endless passion for mountaineering.” said Kumar.

Believe it or not, she has scaled six of the seven summits, which represent the highest peaks in the seven continents of the world, in a record time of 21 months. She had to abandon the Denali expedition earlier this year due to hostile weather conditions. If she had climbed Mt Denali, she would have completed the seven summits in June 2017.

As she waited for a suitable window for her next attempt to conquer Denali, she got this sudden impulse to climb Mt Manaslu. After two reconnaissance missions by H W Tilman in 1950 through the northeast face and a Japanese team in 1952 through the eastern face; and, failed attempts by two Japanese teams in 1953 and 1954; Mt Manaslu was finally conquered by Toshio Imanishi, Gyalzen Norbu Sherpa, Kiichiro Kato and Minoru Higeta of a 12-member Japanese team in May 1956 via the north face.

After a long lull of 15 years, another Japanese team could summit in May 1971 through the northwestern spur. Since then expeditions of Koreans, Austrians, Spaniards and people from other parts of the world have tried their luck in scaling this peak.

For the Manaslu expedition, Aparna landed at Samagaon (3,380 metres) in Nepal by helicopter on 9 September, 2017. Then came an acclimatisation hike from Samagaon to the Base Camp (4,910 metres) which served as a self-imposed endurance test for her. The Base Camp attracts heavy snowfall due to cloud condensation.

After a night’s rest, she hiked from the Base Camp to the Cramping Point (5,200 metres) and returned after she hit bad weather.  The trek from the Base Camp to Camp 1 passes through Manaslu Glacier which is heavily crevassed. Unlike “crevices”, which refers to small cracks or chinks in rocks, crevasses are deep fissures in glaciers which are crossed over by tying together ladders and placing them horizontally from one end of the crevasse to the other.

The climb from Camp 1 to Camp 2 is a very steep one involving vertical climbs prone to active icefall. Camp 2 forms the technical section of the climb located at the top of the Serac section on a flat area. At 6,400 metres, it is sheltered by a series of ice cliffs. After that Aparna descended to the Base Camp and waited anxiously for a suitable window to reach the summit.

On 24 September, the team launched itself for the final summit. Climbing from Camp 1 to Camp 2; and, from Camp 2 to Camp 3; the team reached Camp 4 on 24 September 2017.

The trek from Camp 3 to Camp 4 was the longest and the most challenging one with steep climbs and blue ice. Kumar was delighted to learn that the summit was on. She launched herself for the climb to the summit with her Sherpa Ang at 4.00 am and reached the summit at 10.00 am on 25 September 2017.

She unfurled the Indian flag and the flags of Uttar Pradesh Police and Provincial Armed Constabulary at the summit and became the first Indian woman to scale Mt Manaslu.

In Nepal, mountains are revered as deities and, in deference to local sentiments, the climbers stop short of a few feet of the actual summit. For her it was quite an adventure and a thrilling experience which brought infinite satisfaction and happiness.

The Supreme Court Bar Association on Saturday expressed “grave concern” over the sharp division among the top Supreme Court judges and urged for a Full Court hearing on the crisis while demanding that all PILs, including the one on the mysterious death of judge BH Loya, be referred to either the CJI or the judges in the collegium.

The SCBA executive committee held an emergent meeting and unanimously adopted two resolutions on the crisis facing the top judiciary.

In the first resolution, the SCBA said the differences that have been reported in the press conference by four senior judges of the Supreme Court and the other differences which are reflected in newspapers are of “grave concern and should be immediately considered by the Full Court of the Supreme Court”.

The other resolution urged that all PILs, including the pending ones, should be either taken up by the Chief Justice of India or be assigned by him to the judges in the collegium.

“Even the matters listed on Monday, January 15, 2018 should also be transferred as per our request,” the resolution said without referring to any particular case.

On Friday the Supreme Court posted the PIL seeking a probe into the death of special CBI judge Loya who was hearing the case relating to the alleged fake shootour of Sohrabuddin for Monday.

Addressing a press conference, SCBA President Vikas Singh said a Full Court reference is a private hearing and an in-house procedure to thrash out issues. “It will be a very good step to restore the credibility of this institution,” he said.

Asked to comment on the judge Loya case, a reference to which was made by the judges in the press conference, Singh said they would not comment on any specific cases. However, he added it was not as if nothing was wrong. There must have been something obviously the judges felt, he said.

Singh said the SCBA would seek an appointment with the CJI and later with other judges in an attempt to resolve the issues.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of Myanmar, on Saturday said that admission by the country’s Army that it has participated in crimes against the Rohingyas is a positive step.

Suu Kyi’s statement comes after the country’s Army, for the first time on Wednesday, admitted that it carried out extrajudicial killings of a group of Rohingyas, whose bodies had been discovered in a mass grave in the Rakhine State in western Myanmar.

The acknowledgment is an indication that the country is ready to own responsibility for any breaches in rule of law, said Suu Kyi, after meeting Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kano, Efe news reported quoting the state media.

Soldiers and local residents from the majority Buddhist community had killed 10 members of the Rohingyas, a Muslim minority community, believing them to be members of the rebel Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, according to a statement released by the commission charged with investigating the crime.

The commission said the soldiers and civilians implicated have confessed and will be put on trial.

The killings took place on September 2, 2017 in the village of Inn Din, situated to the north of Sittwe, the capital of the state.

On August 25, the Myanmar Army had launched a military offensive after Rohingya rebels had mounted a series of attacks on multiple government posts.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid bin Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein had decribed the offensive — that led to the exodus of around 650,000 Rohingyas to neighboring Bangladesh — as ethnic cleansing.

Myanmar does not consider the Rohingyas to be citizens, treating them mostly as Bangladeshi immigrants and imposing many restrictions on them, including on their freedom of movement within the country.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi will launch the first leg of his three-day election campaign in Karnataka from February 10, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday claiming that there was no anti-incumbency feeling against his government and the Congress will win a comfortable majority in the assembly polls due in a few months.

“He (Gandhi) will be addressing meetings and interacting with various groups of intellectuals, farmers, women and students during his visit to Karnataka,” state Congress chief G. Parameshwara said.

Gandhi decided on the campaign after meeting with party leaders from his state, including Siddaramaiah, state party unit president G. Parameshwara, working president Dinesh Gundu Rao, Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leaders Veerappa Moily, K.H. Muniappa, Oscar Fernandes and party in charge of Karnataka K.C. Venugopal.

“We, senior leaders including the KPCC President and General Secretary in charge and secretaries, are confident that the Congress party will come back to power on its own with a comfortable majority,” Siddaramaiah told reporters after the meeting here.

“Rahul Gandhi is very happy with the functioning of the government. He is very happy that our our government has no anti-incumbency. He is very happy to know that all promises made to the people in the (last election) manifesto have been fulfilled,” Siddaramaiah told reporters here.

The Chief Minister refused to apologize for his alleged attack on the BJP calling them terrorists. He also trashed the BJP campaign and its President Amit Shah’s description of his government as anti-Hindu, saying they had nothing to talk about “and are raising irrelevant issues”.

Asked about the BJP’s attack on him on Hindutva issues, Siddaramaiah said: “The BJP has no issues. They are raising irrelevant issues. (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) Yogi Adityanath is also raising the same issue. Amit Shah is also raising the same issue. (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi may also raise the same issue because they have no issues there.”

To a question about his alleged attack on the BJP and its leaders as terrorists, he said: “I did not say terrorists. I have only said they spread hatred in the name of Hindutva. I said I am also a Hindu but a humane Hindu. Hindu dharma means humane Hindu and not hatred. That is Hindutva.”

Asked if he would apologise for his remarks as demanded by the BJP, he asked “why”.

Venugopal said the leaders gave an assurance that they would all work united for the success of the party in the Assembly elections.

The meeting came in the wake of a verbal duel between Siddaramaiah and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah. Karnataka is likely to witness election in April-May.

Siddaramaiah had called the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) “Hindutva extremists”, while Shah had termed his government in Karnataka “anti-Hindu”.

Gandhi had earlier warned his party leaders from making remarks which are unwarranted and personal.

As the crisis triggered by the revolt of four Supreme Court judges lingered, Chief Justice Dipak Misra and the rebel judges may meet on Sunday to resolve the problems raked up by them as two of the dissenting judges on Saturday sought to play down the issue.

Three of the four judges, who had attacked the Chief Justice at a press conference here on Friday, were away from the capital and are expected to return on Sunday afternoon. There was no official confirmation about reports that Justice Misra will be meeting with the rebel judges.

But indications were available that a resolution could be worked out from the remarks made by Justices Kurian Joseph and Ranjan Gogoi and Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, the government’s highest law officer.

Justice Joseph said in Kochi that there was no constitutional crisis in the apex court and the issues they had raised appeared to have been sorted out.

“We did this for a cause and I think (the) issues appear to have been sorted out. This was not against anyone nor are we having anything personal. It was meant to see that more transparency is there,” said Justice Joseph.

He, however, did not elaborate.

Justice Joseph said the issues they had raised in an unprecedented press conference on Friday triggered no constitutional crisis.

“There will be no constitutional crisis and there are only problems in procedures and that will be corrected.”

He said the judges had “written everything in the letter” they released on Friday and which they had sent to Justice Misra a couple of months ago.

Asked whether he felt that the judges should not have come out in the open with their grievances against the Chief Justice, he said: “Any problem, everyone can see two sides. Whatever we have to say we have written in the letter.”

In reply to a question on why they failed to brief the President of the issues, he said the President is only the appointing authority.

Ranjan Gogoi, who was in Kolkata for a meeting of legal services authorities, also ruled out any crisis hitting the top court. “There is no crisis,” he said, but refused to make any further comments.

The Attorney General, meanwhile, expressed the hope that the problems in the top judiciary would be “settled” by Monday.

“Unity among Supreme Court judges will return by Monday. We hope the entire issue will be settled in the larger interest of the institution. Judges are persons of wisdom and statesmanship and experience. We hope they won’t allow the issue to escalate,” Venugopal said here.

Venugopal on Friday had said the judges could have avoided going public with their complaints against Justice Misra.

The Bar Council of India (BCI) met here on Saturday and unanimously decided that a seven-member delegation of the bar would try to meet majority of Supreme Court judges on Sunday in an attempt to persuade them to resolve the issue at the earliest.

“We are ready to offer our mediation,” Manan Misra, BCI President, told the media after the meeting. He said the matter should not be politicised.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Principal Secretary Nripendra Misra was on Saturday morning seen driving to the residence of the Chief Justice. He was seen sitting inside his official car which returned from the gate of the Chief Justice’s residence without entering the premises.

The Congress asked Modi to explain why he sent his aide to Justice Misra’s residence.

“As PM’s Principal Secretary, Nripendra Misra visits CJI’s residence at 5, Krishna Menon Marg. (The) PM must answer the reason for sending this special messenger to (the) Chief Justice of India,” tweeted Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

The revolt by Justices J. Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Kurian Joseph and Madan B. Lokur surfaced in a press conference in which they accused the Chief Justice of not strictly adhering to the rules in assigning cases to appropriate benches, which they said could create “doubts” about the integrity of the top court.

Senior BJP leader and former minister Yashwant Sinha said on Saturday said it was “our bounden duty to take note of what the judges have said and raise our voice for corrective action”.

Sinha, who finds himself at variance with his party’s stand and policies, said fear stopped people from speaking out.

“If four senior judges have gone public then how is it a Supreme Court matter? It is a serious matter. If they say anything to the people of the country, it is our bounded duty to take note of that.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday waived off arrears for use of borewells in Dwarka and Palam, after visiting the west Delhi areas with AAP MLAs.

It was decided that residents who seal their borewells will not be charged and water meters will be installed for those who wish to continue using borewells in these areas.

“Outstanding penalties on non-installation of rainwater harvesting systems to be waived off, but all residential societies will have to install these systems within six months (till June 30). After this date, annual certification will be done by DJB officials,” an official statement said.

After listening to grievances of the residents, Kejriwal also announced that individual complaints like inflated bills will be addressed within a week and a cash counter will be set up at Dwarka Sector 5.

The South Indian actor and producer Vishal Krishna who played as the lead in many hit southern cinema films such as Sandakozhi, Thimiru, Thaamirabharani and Malaikotta has been active on his account on the occasion of Pongal. The action hero who was stated by film journalists as the fastest rising action hero wished the public on the occasion of Pongal through his official Facebook account. His post on the occasion directly reflected what he felt about the day.

Roughly translated, he has wished all that our farming be resurrected, our homes are filled with essential commodities and that our hearts be filled with happiness on the auspicious occasion of Pongal.

He also expressed his happiness on the occasion and told his fans to enjoy the festival together with him. “Agriculture is our livelihood and he and all wanted to reassure the livelihood of farming and raise the living standards for farmers and agricultural labourers,” he wrote.