Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly on Thursday backed current incumbent Virat Kohli after the humiliating 333-run loss against Australia in the first cricket Test match at Pune.

Ganguly complimented Kohli, who scored 0 and 13 on the difficult Pune track, by comparing him with Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.

Kohli has been extremely successful against Australia in their own backyard and Ganguly opined that even Tendulkar would have found it difficult to match the current Indian skipper's record against perhaps the most difficult team in the world.

"Kohli is human and he had to fail one day. He failed in both innings in Pune. I think he played a little bit of a loose shot in the first innings outside the off stump but the Australians bowled him there," Ganguly was quoted as saying by a media organisation.

"To watch those four back-to-back Test match hundreds against Australia in Australia was surreal. I have not seen even Sachin Tendulkar do that," he added.

The first Test match of the four-match series finished inside three days with Australia claiming a 333-run victory as left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe took six wickets in each innings.

The visitors have now taken a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series.

DRDO's weapon-locating radar Swati was formally handed over to the Indian Army on Thursday, with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar saying its deployment will reduce artillery fire from across the border.

Sources said four radars deployed along the Line of Control (LoC) for trial have already proved their efficacy since artillery fire from Pakistan's side had reduced after their deployment.

The Indian Army has at present ordered 30 such radars.

"The radars have been on the LoC for two months now for trials. Artillery fire has gone down," a defence source said.

The weapon-locating radar developed by the DRDO's Electronic and Radar Development Establishment provides fast and accurate location of enemy artillery including shells, mortars and rockets. 

The radar is also capable of guiding fire from an artillery gun attached to it, meaning thereby that the radar can not only locate artillery guns on the enemy side but also ensure their destruction.

Speaking at the event organised to hand over the radar and other equipment to the Army by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Parrikar lauded the scientists.

"Swati could be a great equipment to ensure adversaries do not use artillery fire. If the LoC is devoid of any artillery fire in the near future, you can be sure Swati radar has gone there," the minister said.

He said the radar, however, used a "passive array", and suggested the DRDO develop a radar using "active array" in a couple of years.

"The passive array radar can then be exported, after the Army gets enough numbers," the minister said.

Parrikar also congratulated the DRDO for successful trial of exo-atmospheric Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) interceptor missile and endo-atmospheric Advanced Air Defence missile, both part of a two-tier anti-ballistic missile system.

"Last year has been very fruitful for the DRDO. There were around 25 missile tests… usually they get criticism," Parrikar said.

The Madras High Court on Thursday allowed Coca Cola and Pepsi to draw water from a river in Tamil Nadu for their bottling plants but the lifting of the ban triggered protests by locals who stood knee-deep in the river.

In a relief for the Cola majors, the Madurai bench of the court gave them permission to draw water from the Thamirabarani river for their bottling plants in Tirunelveli district for manufacturing soft drinks besides packaged drinking water.

Dismissing a PIL filed by DA Prabakar, a consumer activist, and one Appavo, a Division Bench of Justice A Selvam and Justice P Kalaiarasan lifted the ban earlier imposed by the court on the firms for drawing water from the river.

The court had given the interim injunction in November last year.

The soft drinks companies sought a direction on lifting the ban on the ground that they were using only the surplus water.

The PIL litigants submitted that the river flowing through Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts supported drinking water projects and irrigation in the two districts.

It was contended that drawing of water for the bottling plants of these companies deprived farmers of their livelihood, who were unable to take up farming activities.

The companies paid only 37.50 paise per 1,000 litres of water extracted and sold their beverages at a much higher cost, Prabakar, Secretary of Tirunelveli Consumer Protection Association, had submitted.

The PWD had earlier submitted that there was sufficient water in the river and only surplus water was given to the companies.

Upset over the order, a large number of persons stood in knee-deep water in Thamirabharani river to vent their ire.

They also protested against the "laxity" on the part of the authorities in handling the case.

The protesters shouted slogans against the state government for not taking necessary steps to prevent the Cola majors from drawing water from Thamirabharani, when the farmers in the state were facing acute water shortage for their farming activities.

The order came amid a call by the Traders Federation in Tamil Nadu to ban sales of Coca Cola and Pepsi that came into effect yesterday with its President A M Vikrama Raja declaring the aerated drinks as 'toxic' for consumption.

Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal opposed the call, saying it would lead to blackmarketing.

Badal rued that "politics" was being played on the issue, and said such a ban was against the democratic values of the country.

"I am not in favour of banning things because this gives rise to blackmarketing," she told PTI when asked about the ban call and its impact on FDI inflows.

The minister, who is currently on a visit to Japan leading a delegation of industry body CII to woo investments in Indian food processing sector, said: "As a democratic country we have the right to eat what we want to eat."

She further said: "Someone who wants to drink Cola will find Cola despite all odds. This (the ban) will increase black marketing and corruption." 

Film: Patriots Day 

Director: Peter Berg

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon and John Goodman

Films about real life incidents either come across as a watered down version of reality. Or otherwise, they take the opposite route. Patriots Day goes the whole hog. It is a big blown-up version of the incidents that shook Boston On April 15, 2015 when the city was rocked by multiple explosions.

Director Peter Berg designs the film as a high-adrenaline thriller. This is not such a bad thing when we consider that the message of love conquering terrorism could easily be trapped in tripe. Berg pulls the inherent melodrama out of its self-imposed cloistered world of schmaltz and drama and creates a watchable if not entirely riveting, blow-by-blow account of the hours after the explosion at the Boston marathon race when the city went on high alert and fought off panic with exemplary bravery and restraint.

The narrative follows the thriller 'disaster' blueprint. In the preamble, we are introduced to various characters, all happy, peaceful and in love with life. We know what they don't know. We know what is coming. The life-changing impact of the explosions is never played down in the storytelling.

Berg allows us to feel the full force of the brutality and moral arrogance that underline all terror attacks. While the quotient of predictability in the presentation never plays down the impact of the tragedy, some of the situations and characters are way too sanitized and saddled with an artificial nobility to be anything more than prototypes of crisis and its management.

Also problematic is Mark Wahlberg as the Boston policeman who battled the crisis in the most heroic way, lending the city of Boston his valiant pride that emblazoned the entire township stymied by terror. Wahlberg is at best, an adequate hero of the crisis. He could've been a lot more. He chooses to be just functional in the ambience of exacerbated anguish. It's like holding back tears at a mass funeral.

The outstanding Kevin Bacon is even more turgid in the FBI agent's role. The rest of the cast make do.

The backroom bickering among the authorities is designed with all the elegance of canines barking over their territorial domination. There is an unevenness in the quality of humanism that the narrative tries to scatter across the crisis. While some episodes, like the one with the Chinese student's car-jacking works with gripping efficacy, other post-explosion sequences exploring the politics and the backroom bickering over the politics of terrorism, seem manufactured.

What keeps the heart ticking in this true life representation of a terror attack is the sincerity of purpose, punctuated by the finale when we see all the true life heroes of Boston, some of them with limbs lost but infinite wisdom gained, telling us that in the final reckoning, it is love that conquers hatred.

This may be hard to believe, given the present-day reality. But it's an ideal we don't mind encountering in our movies. Patriots Day does not fill our hearts with a surge of exhilaration. But it does tug at our heartstrings now and then and never allows our attention to stray too far away from the crisis at hand.

Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar says he wants every Indian to make any one sport a part of their fitness regime.

He feels people should not take up a sport only at a competitive level, but for some fun and to burn some calories too. 

"Sports for all is my vision, my dream. India has been ranked as the diabetes capital of the world and that doesn't say much about our health. We need to pay more attention to our health, get fitter, get healthier," Tendulkar said in an interview to LinkedIn. 

He added: "I urge every Indian to make any one sport a part of their fitness regime. You need not play the sport at a competitive level, but for fun and (to) burn some calories."

The batting maestro, who has joined professional networking website LinkedIn as a LinkedIn Influencer, also feels it is important to be fearless while realising one's dreams. 

He said: "Don't worry about failures. Sometimes failures stop you from attempting something new and you never know till the time you make an attempt. So go out and chase your dreams, because dreams do come true."

Looking back at his journey, Tendulkar said: "With me, my preparation started with packing my bag. I would start my preparation with ironing my clothes. I would iron them myself because it got me in the right zone. My subconscious mind switched on from there."

There were some roadblocks as well. 

Tendulkar said: "I still remember when I had my tennis elbow surgery. After three and a half months, I went out to practice, and I was told it would take four and a half months or so for recovery, don't rush.

"But, sportsmen are known to be impatient… I thought my career was over. Those are the moments when you need a solid team around you, doctors, physios, masseurs, trainers, your family members, close friends."

After retiring from cricket, Tendulkar says he keeps himself busy as he is involved in technology, health and wellness as well as lifestyle and clothing. 

"I have my own brand, sports goods manufacturing company… I started designing sporting equipment; started sharing my ideas with the equipment manufacturers and they would share their ideas too. We are learning from each other and as long as we continue to do that, we continue to get better in life. That's what I want to do," he said. 

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday made it clear that he was not bothered by a RSS leader's offer of Rs. 1 crore to have him killed.

"The RSS in the past has taken the heads of others but I have to move around and I will," said Vijayan in his characteristic style.

But CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence after Madhya Pradesh RSS leader Kundan Chandrawat declared a bounty of Rs. 1 crore for beheading Vijayan. 

Holding Vijayan responsible for the killing of 300 RSS activists in Kerala, Chandrawat said on Wednesday he will give away his entire property worth over Rs 1 crore to whoever kills the Marxist veteran.

The statement was made at Ujjain in the presence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Chintaman Malviya, BJP MLA Mohan Yadav and other RSS leaders.

The video of the RSS leader making the remarks at Ujjain have gone viral.

On Thursday, Chandrawat said he did not regret his remarks even as the Kerala unit of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh claimed Chandrawat did not speak for the RSS.

Kerala RSS unit leader J. Nandakumar said: "The RSS never speaks in such a manner and we strongly condemn it. 

"We have always followed the policy of engaging in democratic forms of protests. We will continue to do that against the attacks that the CPI-M in Kerala has launched on us."

Yechury said: "RSS reveals its true colours as a terrorist outfit. Will the PM and his government stop remaining silent?"

The CPI-M said in a separate statement: "The frustration of RSS is coming out in the open. CPI-M condemns it and demands quick action. 

"Will the BJP-led government in (Madhya Pradesh) and at the Centre take any action against them? Will they come out and condemn it? 

"If no, then it is clear which ideology they are propagating and whose government it is," it said. 

Air India's performance has improved with competition posed by private players, Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian said on Thursday, but wondered whether the state-owned airline should "exist at all".

The national carrier, staying afloat on a Rs.30,000-crore bailout package from the central government, is working on ways to improve its financial position. In the last fiscal ended March 2016, the airline had posted an operational profit of Rs 105 crore.

"Air India with IndiGo and Jet Airways is very different from Air India without… Whether Air India should exist at all even with Jet Airways and IndiGo is another question which we don't want to go into now," Subramanian said.

The point is competition has actually improved Air India's performance, he added.

Subramanian was delivering the keynote address at the national conference on economics of competition law here.

Despite a debt of Rs.46,570 crore, including Rs.15,900 crore on account of aircraft acquisition, Air India managed to report an operating profit in 2015-16.

In the Union Budget 2017-18, the airline has been allocated Rs.1,800 crore as part of the Rs.30,231 crore financial bailout package.

Last month, the government informed Parliament that Air India is expected to post an improved operating profit margin this year even as liquidity constraints continue to impact the carrier's smooth performance.

While there have been clamours to privatise the airline, the government has so far desisted from taking a view on this.

The Economic Survey 2016-17, which was prepared by a team led by Subramanian, had also made an indirect reference to Air India.

Th ambivalence towards the private sector is manifest in multiple ways and the most well-known example is the difficulty of privatising public enterprises even for firms where economists have made strong arguments that they belong to the private sector, the Survey had said.

"Consider the civil aviation sector. Defying history, there is still the commitment to make the perennially unprofitable public sector airline 'world class'," it had said.

There were 30,719 unemployed engineering graduates in Kerala as on October 30, 2016 — up from 23,984 in 2015, the latest Economic Review for the state shows.

The Economic Review for 2016 was tabled in the assembly on Thursday by state Finance Minister Thomas Issac, who will present the state budget for 2017-18 on Friday.

Other work seekers include 3,369 medical graduates, 48,180 engineering diploma holders, 86,191 ITI certificate holders, 1,182 agricultural graduates and 609 veterinarians.

Overall, the total number of professional job seekers has gone up from 1.63 lakh in 2015 to 1.70 lakh as on October 30, 2016.

Likewise. the number of general work seekers stood at 32.67 lakh, of which 20.19 lakh have passed Class 10, 6.87 lakh have studied up to Class 12, 2.01 lakh are graduates and 13,000 are post-graduates.

Chairman of the outlawed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) Champion R Sangma, who was released on bail, has been sent back to judicial custody, an official said on Thursday.

"Sangma is back in judicial custody in connection with the kidnapping of a businessman in 2011 in South Garo Hills district," a police official said.

Police have chargesheeted Sangma in the case.

The Court of District and Sessions Judge, Shillong, had on February 21 granted bail to Sangma against two surety bonds of Rs 1 lakh each and he was instructed not to leave the jurisdiction of the court until further notice.

Emerging out of the court, the former rebel leader said he would first focus on availing medical treatment before taking a decision on whether to plunge into electoral politics or facilitate peace talks for his outfit.

Sangma, one of the most-wanted Garo rebel leaders, was arrested from Umkrem Pyrwdiwah axis on the edge of the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district on July 30, 2012.

Prior to his arrest by Meghalaya Police, the GNLA Chairman was captured by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) commandos on November 23, 2011 from his hideout at Haluaghat in Bangladesh's Mymensingh district.

Sangma, a former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), deserted Meghalaya Police and floated the outlawed GNLA in November 2009 for a separate Garoland to be carved out of Meghalaya.

The Centre has declared the GNLA as a "terrorist organisation" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Chairman of the outlawed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) Champion R Sangma, who was released on bail, has been sent back to judicial custody, an official said on Thursday.

"Sangma is back in judicial custody in connection with the kidnapping of a businessman in 2011 in South Garo Hills district," a police official said.

Police have chargesheeted Sangma in the case.

The Court of District and Sessions Judge, Shillong, had on February 21 granted bail to Sangma against two surety bonds of Rs 1 lakh each and he was instructed not to leave the jurisdiction of the court until further notice.

Emerging out of the court, the former rebel leader said he would first focus on availing medical treatment before taking a decision on whether to plunge into electoral politics or facilitate peace talks for his outfit.

Sangma, one of the most-wanted Garo rebel leaders, was arrested from Umkrem Pyrwdiwah axis on the edge of the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district on July 30, 2012.

Prior to his arrest by Meghalaya Police, the GNLA Chairman was captured by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) commandos on November 23, 2011 from his hideout at Haluaghat in Bangladesh's Mymensingh district.

Sangma, a former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), deserted Meghalaya Police and floated the outlawed GNLA in November 2009 for a separate Garoland to be carved out of Meghalaya.

The Centre has declared the GNLA as a "terrorist organisation" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

As the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election 2017 enters the last phase, a new book- In Search of Ram Rajya: A Journey Through UP Politics by journalist Manjula Lal explores the political culture of the most populous state in the country.

UP's electorate is often portrayed by the media as caste-ridden and communal. However, the book counters this negative image, saying that this is a crude caricaturisation, and the same set of factors can be found in other states.

In a controversial chapter, the author tries to establish that it could not have been Babur who ordered the building of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, which was demolished by a Hindu mob on 6 December 2016.

Coming 25 years after that traumatic event, the book points out that the main litigant in the Ram Janmabhoomi/Babri Masjid case Hashim Ansari has died. So has Ashok Singhal, leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

According to the author, the time has come to reject leaders who use elections as a stepping stone to greater power and glory in the 'Delhi Durbar'. Its politicians must be committed to UP, as the youth has great aspirations and the state is poised to break out of the shackles of underdevelopment.

The book devotes a chapter each to the BJP, the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress, chronicling the rise and fall of these parties since independence. It also devotes a chapter to gender issues, which are still being brushed under the carpet by all parties.

As the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election 2017 enters the last phase, a new book- In Search of Ram Rajya: A Journey Through UP Politics by journalist Manjula Lal explores the political culture of the most populous state in the country.

UP's electorate is often portrayed by the media as caste-ridden and communal. However, the book counters this negative image, saying that this is a crude caricaturisation, and the same set of factors can be found in other states.

In a controversial chapter, the author tries to establish that it could not have been Babur who ordered the building of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, which was demolished by a Hindu mob on 6 December 2016.

Coming 25 years after that traumatic event, the book points out that the main litigant in the Ram Janmabhoomi/Babri Masjid case Hashim Ansari has died. So has Ashok Singhal, leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

According to the author, the time has come to reject leaders who use elections as a stepping stone to greater power and glory in the 'Delhi Durbar'. Its politicians must be committed to UP, as the youth has great aspirations and the state is poised to break out of the shackles of underdevelopment.

The book devotes a chapter each to the BJP, the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress, chronicling the rise and fall of these parties since independence. It also devotes a chapter to gender issues, which are still being brushed under the carpet by all parties.

Famed Indian-origin South African cartoonist Nanda Soobben has been asked by the country's Education Department to shut his design school, a media report said.

Soobben's works are included in the country's former President Nelson Mandela's private collection and held by South Africa's Smithsonian Institute.

Soobben‚ founder of the Centre for Fine Art‚ Animation and Design‚ was instructed to halt lessons after the department informed him that his accreditation to operate as a private higher education institution had been suspended for the second time within weeks, news website TimesLive reported.

Soobben has appealed against the decision and refused to stop tutoring his 20 students. An online petition was launched to save the school, according to the report.

The cartoonist said the first time his accreditation was suspended was because he could not provide the department with his student database.

"I was robbed four times and forced to move premises," he told TimesLive.

"The department suspended our accreditation because we didn't have our students' database‚ which had been stolen in the robberies‚ with all our computers. We then set up a new database‚ appealed and were reinstated," he said.

In the latest development, the school's accreditation was suspended again when they failed to provide the department with a health and safety report.

"We moved in a hurry because of the crime situation. But we got the report done and sent it within the specified time. They say the appeal is pending but we are still suspended.

"I put my own career on the block to run this school. I am just so tired and disappointed," he said.

Soobben said he was prepared to fight the matter in court.

"I opened the school because it's about our students… they are the most important element here."
 

Famed Indian-origin South African cartoonist Nanda Soobben has been asked by the country's Education Department to shut his design school, a media report said.

Soobben's works are included in the country's former President Nelson Mandela's private collection and held by South Africa's Smithsonian Institute.

Soobben‚ founder of the Centre for Fine Art‚ Animation and Design‚ was instructed to halt lessons after the department informed him that his accreditation to operate as a private higher education institution had been suspended for the second time within weeks, news website TimesLive reported.

Soobben has appealed against the decision and refused to stop tutoring his 20 students. An online petition was launched to save the school, according to the report.

The cartoonist said the first time his accreditation was suspended was because he could not provide the department with his student database.

"I was robbed four times and forced to move premises," he told TimesLive.

"The department suspended our accreditation because we didn't have our students' database‚ which had been stolen in the robberies‚ with all our computers. We then set up a new database‚ appealed and were reinstated," he said.

In the latest development, the school's accreditation was suspended again when they failed to provide the department with a health and safety report.

"We moved in a hurry because of the crime situation. But we got the report done and sent it within the specified time. They say the appeal is pending but we are still suspended.

"I put my own career on the block to run this school. I am just so tired and disappointed," he said.

Soobben said he was prepared to fight the matter in court.

"I opened the school because it's about our students… they are the most important element here."
 

A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader from Madhya Pradesh has announced a reward of Rs1 crore for the head of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, alleging the latter of "killing" party members.

Chandrawat, the RSS leader in Ujjain, said he was even willing to sell his property to give the bounty on Vijayan’s head.

The comments were made during an event in Ujjain in the presence of MP Chintamanu Malviya and MLA Mohan Yadav.

Violent clashes between the RSS-BJP and the CPM have witnessed many political murders in Kerala where both the parties have lost its several members.

The death of BJP leader Santhosh was the eighth case of murder to have taken place since the Vijayan government took over in May 2016.

Vijayan, in an event last week, blamed the RSS for trying to divide the country in the past years.

"The RSS has adopted the organisational structure of Mussolini and the ideology of Hitler. The two dictators had terrorised the world," Vijayan added.

A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader from Madhya Pradesh has announced a reward of Rs1 crore for the head of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, alleging the latter of "killing" party members.

Chandrawat, the RSS leader in Ujjain, said he was even willing to sell his property to give the bounty on Vijayan’s head.

The comments were made during an event in Ujjain in the presence of MP Chintamanu Malviya and MLA Mohan Yadav.

Violent clashes between the RSS-BJP and the CPM have witnessed many political murders in Kerala where both the parties have lost its several members.

The death of BJP leader Santhosh was the eighth case of murder to have taken place since the Vijayan government took over in May 2016.

Vijayan, in an event last week, blamed the RSS for trying to divide the country in the past years.

"The RSS has adopted the organisational structure of Mussolini and the ideology of Hitler. The two dictators had terrorised the world," Vijayan added.

Following in the footsteps of the women's Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia, India will very soon have its first ever league for the eves — Women's Cricket League (WCL) — to be launched on March 8, coinciding with International Women's Day.

The WCL is viewed as an earnest endeavour to provide women cricketers in India equal opportunities and acknowledgement at par with their male counterparts.

Commenting on the upcoming league, WCL founder Parul Jain said: "It's important that young girls coming through can see cricket as a viable option to play at the highest level. The WCL #T20 League is expected to be of the same repute as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and women Big Bash League of Australia in support of women."

"This will lead to greater interest in women's cricket in India, which has generally been given much less importance than the men's sport."

"With many sports getting their own professional leagues and ever-growing popularity in the country, it is time that the women cricket league is formed. It is no surprise that the fierce team of eves does not get as much attention and opportunities neither from the sports bodies or the sponsors in India as the men's team," he added.

India's first woman cricket coach and Dronacharya awardee Sunita Sharma, who is closely associated with the project, said: "It's been more than three decades since the Indian women cricket team has been formed and has won various matches globally, still there is hardly any acknowledgement to women as per men cricketers in India."

"While men's cricket underwent huge changes in the 80s and 90s, we were just languishing. However, I am enamoured that a start has been made and we hope to gain a lot from it. Lot of talent will now come to the forefront. We would like to see WCL getting as much attention in future," she added.