Why Many Young People Are Dying With Massive Heart Attack Or Cardiac Arrest?

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The recent death of 40-year-old actor Sidharth Shukla reportedly from a heart attack and subsequently cardiac arrest has brought home the fact that even the young and seemingly healthy are susceptible to heart related issues.

Nowadays, 1 in 5 heart attack patients are younger than 40 years of age. Here's another troubling fact to highlight the problem: Having a heart attack in your 20s or early 30s is more common. Between the years 2000-2016, the heart attack rate increased by 2% every year in this young age group.

Arvind Rao does not fit the profile of someone who you would imagine having a heart issue. At 33 years of age, he works out every day, and doesn’t smoke and rarely drinks. So when he found he was having what he assumed was gastritis pains, he put it down to all the eating out he had been indulging in over the past couple of days. When the pain didn’t subside, he decided to visit the doctor. A test revealed he was having a mild heart attack. Luckily, the doctors quickly took action and he survived it.

“Being young does not mean one is immune to heart attacks,” says Dr Sandesh Prabhu, Consultant–Cardiology & Electrophysiology, Care Hospitals, Banjara Hills in Hyderabad. “We are seeing more youngsters coming in and presenting with cardiac issues these days-- before sons used to bring in fathers who were having heart attacks, now we see parents bringing their sons in.”

The recent death of 40-year-old actor Sidharth Shukla reportedly from a heart attack has brought home the fact that even the young and seemingly healthy are susceptible to heart-related diseases as well.

A heart attack, known as a myocardial infarction, is when the blood supply in the coronary arteries reduces due to a blockage leading to the muscles dying because of lack of oxygen. “These blocks are caused by plaque rupturing,” says Dr Sakthivel, Consultant - Cardiologist at Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad. When there are fatty cholesterol deposits (plaque) in the arteries and a person is exerting too much, stressed, or has increased sympathetic overactivity (where the nervous system goes into overdrive due to stress and can raise blood pressure and affect the cardiovascular system), the plaque ruptures and leads to clot formation and heart attack. A heart attack that isn’t caught in time can lead to cardiac arrest. 

“A lot of young people in their 20s and 30s are coming to us with myocardial infarction and need bypass surgery and angioplasty,” adds Dr Sakthivel.

But what causes these heart attacks? There are the typical reasons– obesity, hypertension, smoking, doing recreational drugs and a family history of heart disease. But there are also harder to quantify reasons like stress, sedentary lifestyle and eating junk food which is leading to more youngsters presenting with coronary conditions. Most times it is a combination of factors that leads to heart attacks.

Stress, Dr Prabhu says, is something that should not be ignored and is a common risk factor when it comes to heart attacks.
“We see so many youngsters who are in high-pressure jobs and very stressed,” says Dr Prabhu. Moreover, with prolonged work hours, no work/life balance, lack of physical activity and with job security becoming an issue due to the pandemic, stress is at an all-time high for many. 

Family history has a role to play as well. If hypertension, heart diseases or diabetes run in the family, it tends to present earlier in each generation and adds to the risk of having a heart attack. This makes it important for people to get themselves medically screened from a younger age and more frequently, says Dr Sakthivel.

To prevent heart attacks, doctors highlight the importance of doing 30 minutes of activity daily (jogging, walking or any form of cardio), medical screening once every couple of years after the age of 35 (if there is a family history of certain diseases, tests need to be done every year and from an earlier age), no smoking, eating a fiber-rich diet, maintaining a healthy weight and keeping stress under control.

While men more commonly have heart attacks, women aren’t completely immune to them. “The problem is that with young women the diagnosis or presentation is late as they assume it isn’t a heart attack. They only come when symptoms are severe,” says Dr Prabhu.

How does one know they are having a heart attack? “There are varied presentations,” says Dr Prabhu. “While some come in with the classic chest pain. Many present with a typical presentations like gastritis, but when we do an ECG, ECHO we see a heart attack is taking place.”

Moreover, when a young person who is seemingly fit comes in with chest pain or breathlessness, the suspicion of heart attack is less and a lot of times the relevant tests aren’t done by medical professionals. “Please make sure you are evaluated for one if you have symptoms or family history,” cautions Dr Prabhu. “Rather than assuming it is not a heart attack, it is better to prove it isn't one.”

Symptoms to look out for and when to see a doctor:

> Chest pain. Sudden onset and atypical and usually radiating down the left arm. 
> Breathing difficulty
> Sudden onset of fatigue and lethargy
> Sudden onset of exertion intolerance 
> If there are pre-existing conditions like hypertension, diabetes and there is the development of any new symptoms please get it checked. #KhabarLive #hydnews

‍‍'‍Kolam, The Raj Gonds Riddles' Of Andhra Pradesh - A Sheer Reflection On Telangana Languages

“Riddles are probably the oldest extant forms of humour”, says Encyclopaedia Britannica. They are also the vehicles of heritage knowledge for every community. They were in vogue from the earliest literary texts of Vedas.

The following riddle from Rigveda is popularly cited (for ex: by Velaga Venkatappayya in Podupu Kathalu, 2008, p. vii).
Dwaanuparnaa sayujaa rakhaayaa samaanam
Vriksham parisha swajaate yoranyah
Pippalam swaadyatti ankyovashnannabhi baaka reti

Thereafter many Itihasas, Puranas, poetic works, stories, Jain and Buddhist texts and Bible mention the riddles and they are more popular among the rural people. The peoples’ memory is rightly emphasised by Devendra Sathyarthi (in “Indian Children’s Rhymes and Chants”, Modern Review, October – November, 1936, p. 39): “The people were the victims of great catastrophes, but none could kill the children’s indigenous games and home spun songs”.

During the evening times of leisure the village elders, boys and girls gather in the courtyard of a village/street elder and pose riddles to each other to uncover the intended meaning. Not only are they humorous in spelling out rhythmically by expressing the beauty of the language and vocabulary, but also carry the knowledge of their environs indirectly suggesting ‘learn to live’. This way the riddles are not only entertaining but also educative.

One of the most ancient races that have been carrying the heritage of riddles is of Kolams. Renowned anthropologist Professor Haimendorf made the following observations on the Kolams (The Raj Gonds of Andhra Pradesh, pp. 32, 38 & 345-48) — “The population that can best claim the epithet ‘aboriginal’ is the Kolams or Kolavars … several thousand members of the tribe are found scattered over the greater part of the Adilabad district from the uttermost corner of Kinwat to the taluqs of Sirpur and Lakshetipet in the east and south. Most Kolams speak a distinct tribal language, but some groups in the west have exchanged this for Marathi while in the east there are communities of telugised Kolams. In their own language, the Kolams call themselves Kolavar, but in Gondi they are called Pujari, in Telugu Mannevarlu, and in Marathi and in Urdu Kolam. Their tribal language known as Kolami is a Dravidian tongue and belongs, like Gondi, to the intermediate group of Dravidian languages, agreeing in some points with Telugu and in others with Tamil and connected forms of speech. The Kolami spoken in Adilabad is unintelligible to Gonds and judging from my limited word lists it seems, at least in vocabulary, to have closer affinities to Telugu than to Gondi… Those outlying groups who have fallen under the sway of either Marathi or Telugu culture and lost with their language many of their old customs occupy a different position; they are in the process of becoming a Hindu caste, and between them and the Gonds there is no feeling of common tribal tradition”.

His observations made some points clear — one, Kolams are one of the most ancient tribes in South India (across erstwhile Adilabad district in Telangana). This is why the Government of India recognised them as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PvTG). Their population is almost stagnant for the past three decades — 1991 to 2021 — oscillating between 40,000 and 45,000 while the population of all other communities in India are increasing. Two, the Kolams speak a language of their own and it belongs to “intermediate group of Dravidian languages”, like Gondi and Telugu. Linguists starting from Bhadriraju Krishnamurti (Telugu Verbal Bases Comparative and Descriptive Study, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1961, p. 269) recognised Kolami as one among the 11 languages belonging to the Central Dravidian branch of proto Dravidian language. Third, the Kolams living on the borders are losing their language and culture to those of Marathi and Telugu. This is a threat to their ancestral heritage.

Fourth, the Kolam vocabulary is more akin to Telugu than to Gondi. Well-known linguist P. S. Subrahmanyam concludes that the Kolavagotti (language of Kolams as they call it) imbibed many words from Telugu. Therefore it can be presumed that their homeland might be the Telugu land itself (Draavida Bhaashalu, 1977, p. 42 & Kolavagotti, jstor, 1998).

However, other scholars like M. Rama Rao (Temples of Tirumala, Tirupati and Tiruchanur, TTD, 1999, p. 3) trace the roots of Kolams to the down south, i.e. Tirumala Hills called Vengadam in the remote past: “Vengadam was inhabited by an uncivilised tribe of hunters known as the Kalvar. Their chieftain was Pulli, who was a fierce and powerful master. He and his people spoke a language which was different from the language of Tamilaham. The Vengadam hill was known to many poets of the Sangam age as famous for its forests, for its elephants, for its streams and for its drunken bouts”.

It appears to be true, because the word Kalvar is similar to Kolvar; kal meaning offshoot. There are still some villages by name like Kollam Penta and Komman Penta (in Nallamala forests in Nagarkurnool district) that suggest their migration from south to north through the hinterland of Telangana, during the times of far histories.

The word kollam and even kolam also means rangoli. Rangoli is elaborate among the Kolams and festivals can not happen without them. And, kolam was very popular with the people of Indus valley civilizations, some 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. This way the ancestry of the Kolams goes back to proto-historic times and their language stands as a link between the south and north Indian regions.

However, now the two observations of Professor Haimendorf – losing of Kolam language and culture to their associated dominant peoples and its affinity to Telugu – prompt us to study the language of the ancient race of Kolam. As such, five years ago I started encouraging Athram Mothiram to collect folk songs of his own tribe Kolam. Initially he did not find ‘great things’ in the folklore, but as I went on convincing him on the importance of his ‘community memory’ which is entering the endangered zone, he finally utilised an opportunity and recorded the riddles spelt out in leisure time by Kolam students studying classes 3rd to 10th in the Government run residential school in Endha, Utnoor Mandal, Adilabad District, during the closing months of 2019.

Further, few months earlier Athram Mothiram participated in another similar evening session in a Kolam village Choupanguda, Wankidi Mandal in Kumram Bheem Asifabad District with six teenagers and a youngster – Athram Ravi (12), Anasuya (15), Kova Renuka (15), Sidam Kavita (15), Kova Prasad (13), Kova Bheemrao (26) – and recorded the riddles (altogether 112).

The riddles in their language Kolami are labelled sitah and are posed randomly in an enthusiastic flow. Yet, earlier scholars tried to present the riddles in a systematic manner and a scholar on the subject Archer Taylor divided them into five groups – animal related, human related, tree related, things related and non comparable riddles. But a primary study of the riddles of the Kolams leads us to divide them under the following categories:
1. House, food and health related riddles
2. Forest and environment related riddles
3. Agriculture related riddles
4. Culture and education related riddles

Till recent times, the Kolams lived upon food gathering, hunting and a primitive agriculture stage. Therefore, we find more number of their riddles (62) revolving around the things related to the ways of acquiring food in the forested environs (25) and from their primitive cultivation (18). Since they are strong believers in appeasing their deities by playing musical instruments during their fairs and festivals, we come across those things in the riddles (4). Education is a relatively latest addition to the social system and this is also evident in their riddles (3).

The house related riddles are about house plastering, swing, clothesline, door, pot hanging ring, wooden pillar, sweeping, termites, bore pump, lamp, ladder, dog tail, neem fruits, umbrella, andugu tree, oil presser, log and thorns. Food related items include popcorn, spatula, custard apple, tamarind fruit, egg, castor oil, mahua flowers, fire ash, bean support log, stove, cake piece, pan, millstone rawa, bitter gourd, match stick, fire, salt, onion, brinjal, nutmeg and maize. Human related things are shade, spit, nose, cry, leather sandals, old people, kid, comb, navel, eyes, nails, teeth, tattoo and lice. Forest related riddles are about Vemapli tree, Buduma fruits, Morri nuts, Aare leaf, wild bitter gourd and bamboo shoot. Birds like sparrow, gijigaadu and peacock and terrestrial animals like rats, ants, porcupine, boar, scorpion, chameleon, squirrel, fishermen – fish, burrowing quail and partridge appear to be humorous riddles. Environment is reflected through the riddles to unfold the intended meanings of stars, valley, stream, air and moon.

Agricultural equipment is expressed through the riddles on machan, paise, axe, ship, causeway, goad, blacksmith, cart axle. Cattle related riddles include the meanings of cow, cow udder, tail and the crops include millet, sesame, fangs, cotton, groundnuts and maize.

There are riddles that talk about musical instruments like Dol, Kaalikom, Dandaari cap and flag. Book and pen are also dealt in few other riddles. The above words are very close to Telugu vocabulary.
To cite a few riddles: the Kolami riddle “iduput mudipi” can be translated as “idupulo mudi” in Telugu; another Kolami riddle “thutthur thummeng, netthur thothed” can be translated as “thurrmane thummedaku netthuru ledu” in Telugu; the Kolami riddle “sikding ver thod, jinkskung jaaga thod” can be translated as “chikkuduku veru ledu, jinkaku jaaga ledu” in Telugu.

A general observation of the Kolami words let us find them with similar spelling and phonetic sound of the Telugu words. For example: the Kolami word gol is gollu in Telugu; chimni is same in both the languages; neenda in Kolami is needa in Telugu; satri in Kolami is chatri in Telugu; cheeme in Kolami is cheemalu in Telugu; the Kolami word pelaa becomes plural word pelaalu in Telugu. Thus, there are slight differences between the two languages, especially in respect of prepositions and verbs. Most of the Kolami words end with nasal sounds which can not be written so easily.

This appears as one of the reasons for the absence of script for the language.
Several scholars made considerable efforts to understand the language and vocabulary. Emeneau’s classic work (1955) presents a detailed grammar, vocabulary (with cognates for Dravidian words and identification of loans from Indo-Aryan and other sources), a discussion on the relationship of the language with the other ones of the Dravidian family, a chapter on the features of the Adilabad dialect as found in P. Sethumadhava Rao’s work (A Grammar of the Kolami Language, 1950) and a few texts. Other tribal languages Naikdi and even Naiki of Chanda can be considered as dialects of Kolami for all practical purposes, say linguists P. S. Subrahmanyam.

Thus, Kolami is not only related to the Telugu language but also to other tribal languages and carries historical community memory through the folklore like riddles. All the dialects of the language Kolami are on the edge of disappearing now. If their folklore is not studied and recorded, the humankind will lose the much needed diversity. I hope this benign effort will serve the interests of the scholars on the subject to take up further works like this to preserve the endangered community’s heritage memories. #KhabarLive #hydnews 

‍‍‍Feel The Magic Of Urdu Sher And Shayari

Urdu is one of the most attractive languages that built a popularity of its own since Shayaris have taken a pace in the form of beautiful couplets. The ‘couplets’ have become the face of Urdu dialect these days whose words actually come from the hearts of Shayars (or) Shayaranas who knows the pain of a heartbreak.

Shayaris is mostly associated with  heartbreaks or confessing love to your beloved. So, by now you must have understood that Shayaris can indeed be a beautiful way to convey your emotions with utter depth!
You may find many celebrated Shayars across the country and in the city of Hyderabad too, for instance,

Rahat Indori is the biggest face in this arena who is an appreciated Shayar of all times. Who can forget these lines: ‘Itni shiddat se maine tumhe chahne ki koshish ki hai, ke har zarre ne mujhe tumse milane ki saazish ki hai’ (With so much of desire I have always wanted you, and the whole world has now come together to help me be with you), the viral couplet from Shahrukh Khan-starrer that went viral when Om Shanti Om released, such is the influence of it. Shayari is a very rich tradition of poetry and has many different types and forms.

It borrows its style primarily from the Persian language! It’s a Hindi or an Urdu word for a short poem or couplet as mentioned earlier, consisting usually of two to four lines. It has some meter and usually has a profound meaning.

The rhyming poetry as it is called basically comprises a couplet known as Sher. And this is how this form of poetry derives its name Sher O Shayari. Like other languages, the history of Shayari shares its origins and influence with other linguistic traditions within the Urdu-Hindi-Hindustani mix!

Today it forms an important part of Pakistani and North Indian culture.
In the Urdu poetic tradition, most poets use a pen name called the Takhallus. This can be either a part of a poet’s given name or something else adopted as an identity.

So the traditional convention in identifying Urdu poets is to mention the takhallus at the end of the name. In Pakistan, Urdu poetry is written in the standard Nasta’liq calligraphy style of the Perso-Arabic script. However, in India, where Urdu poetry is very popular, the Perso-Arabic is often found translated into the Devanagiri script.

Who would have thought that there will be a day when poetry and Shayari lovers would get to see legends like Javed Akhtar Sahab, Dr. Kumar Vishwas, Kausar Munir, and Zakir Khan share the same stage and narrate Shayari, incidents, and anecdotes from their lives. What felt like a dream was made into a reality that charmed one and all via the ‘India Shayari Project’.

Themed around ‘celebrating poetry, celebrating freedom’, the specials showcased these stellar poets shed light on some very special moments from their lives that gave fans the chance to know them up close and personal.

Having left poetry and Shayari fans with ample food for thought, here’s what the living legend Javed Akhtar had to say about the present and future of Shayari and making it accessible to the youth, “Shayari will continue to exist till the time people can emote and feel.
The real question, however, is how it reaches out and strikes the right chord with the audience.

As far as the path where Shayari is headed, I believe that despite the younger generation not being much into reading, they still consume Shayari through electronic or digital mediums and this special is also a way of making it accessible to youth.” With all the eyes on the master wordsmith, he feels that yes ‘Shayari is getting its due appreciation!’“This is the 5G generation, which is fully absorbed into various musical genres.

Who even remembers Shayars? I want to be a responsible  influencer from the Hyderabadi city and bring back the memorable poetic days of Shayaris adding a social message to it and that is what I am up to. I tend to pick up what is happening in the current scenario, intertwine that into the four most relevant couplets that would want my audience to be lost into it.

Earlier I began with the typical dakhani dialect and now it has a little mix of Telugu also into it so that every native can resonate with it. Having said that, I want my shayaris to be out there in every nook and corner of the city,” shares Mohammed Furkhan Ahmed, who gained popularity with his Shayari version of Jhonny Jhonny in the city along with his band.  

We have always heard about the known men in this profession, what about the women though? Kausar Munir shares why she is yet to be called Shayara and about women in poetry. She is the woman behind the magical lyrics like Love You Zindagi, Maana Ki Hum Yaar Nahin, Falak Tak among others. “I am yet to be called ‘Shayara as it’s a very big word and needs to be earned and I am in the process of doing that. I don’t think poetry has any gender and neither is it true that I, being a woman, will feel more pain and emotions than a male counterpart.

It’s all about the talent and it cannot be further classified into gender,”she added. Let us agree, one must not go blank when someone recalls a woman Shayara. #KhabarLive #hydnews 

‍‍‍'Horsley Hills' Known As 'Travellers Paradise' In Andhra Pradesh

Horsley Hills is home to a 160-year-old eucalyptus tree, reportedly planted by WD Horsley, the erstwhile Collector of Cudappah district, who made the hills his summer retreat in the 19th century.

It was a pleasant drive up the 8-kilometre stretch leading to Horsley Hills in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district. As the car wove through the hairpin bends amid luxuriant vegetation teeming with eucalyptus, teak, sandalwood, mahogany and bamboo, looking out for forest denizens like bears, leopards or even deer. However, if you are travelling in summer, you will be greeted by the exuberant hues of the blooming gulmohars and jacarandas along the winding road.

After settling in my room at the Governor’s Bungalow, #KhabarLive enjoyed the most unusual luxury – a languid pace of life! Despite the verdant foliage around and the temptation to trek, opted not to venture out. As relaxed on the verandah with #KhabarLive travel crew, sipping cups of steaming tea in between nibbles of samosas.

The magical stillness of the evening was broken by the raucous cries of the birds as they returned to their roost. Some common langurs were prancing from one tree to another, indulging in playful pranks.

The overhanging branches are large enough to lull you to sleep. Soon learnt that one of the unique features of this part of the world is that you will find trees of all shapes and sizes, ranging across diverse heights, each of their flowing boughs sheltering hundreds of birds.

The more than 160-year-old eucalyptus tree called Kalyani, reportedly planted by WD Horsley, the erstwhile Collector of the Cuddapah district, is the star attraction of the place. The lush forests around these hills have plentiful activities to keep you engaged. If the outdoors fascinates you, you can indulge in birdwatching, trekking, or camping under a starry sky. If your goal is only relaxation, take a leisurely stroll amidst rich flora and fauna.

The place abounds in legends. According to popular lore, a religious woman called Mallama, lived in solitary isolation on a hill in the Nallamala Range of Andhra Pradesh. She was protected and looked after by an elephant (yenugu in Telugu). Subsequently the place came to be known locally as ‘Yenugu Mallamma Konda’ (Konda meaning hill in Telugu).

WD Horsley, the Collector of Cuddapah District in the late 19th century, heard of the legend and decided to make a trip there to escape the heat, dust, and spicy food of the plains of Andhra Pradesh. During one of his meanderings through the hill ranges of Chittoor district, Horsley chanced upon these pristine tracts. Enthralled by their natural beauty and cool environment, he constructed a cottage and spent his summers here.

In 1870, he constructed two quaint houses and thus laid the foundation of a hill resort, which was duly named after him. Today, the beautiful house in which Horsley once resided still remains.
It was in 1958 that the hilltop villa became the summer residence of the Governor of Andhra Pradesh for many years. Since then, Horsley Hills has taken its place on India’s tourism map.

Unlike other hill stations, Horsley Hills is sans the hustle and bustle of commercial delights. Now it has metamorphosed into a popular trekking escapade and a watering hole for day-trippers.

However, this small hilltop has sights that are quite unique and unexpected – it flaunts a botanical garden with rare plants and a deer rehabilitation centre. The Forest Department has developed parts of the Horsley area into an attractive tourist park called ‘Environment Park’. The children’s park with a mini zoo has rhesus monkeys and crocodiles.

The densely-wooded slopes developed by the department are abound with flocks of exotic birds. The hoopoe is the star attraction among them. The Environment Park is well-maintained; the birds and animals here are well fed and cared for, sheltered as they are in individual cages.

From the ‘Valley View Point’, just behind the Governor’s Bungalow, we had panoramic views of the valleys, a patchwork of paddy fields, and the hamlets in the neighbouring places. The perpendicular drop on one side reminded me of ‘Tipu's Drop’ at Nandi Hills. If you are in an adventurous mood, climb up the rocky escarpments to view spectacular sunsets. The magnificent boulders are an ideal place to practice rappelling and rock climbing. You can laze around or even doze off on the rocky outcrops of these hills.

Another prominent tourist spot is Gali Bandalu (Windy Rock ), a rocky slope that derives its name from the gusty winds that blow nearly all day. Gurram Konda, 40 kilometres from Horsley Hills, is another interesting spot nearby. 

On our return journey from Horsley Hills, we took a detour to Talakona Falls, 57 kilometres away from Tirupati and nine kilometres from Nerabilu. En route we saw a sign board indicating the presence of a 300-year old, 5-km-long killer weed that spread its tentacles for some distance around and had killed all the plants in that radius.

A short trek from here led to a small waterfall surrounded by ruby-coloured quartz rocks. It's an ideal place for rock climbing and rappelling. There was nothing to disturb peace in the serene locale except the gentle trickling of water. Talakona is well-known in these parts for the famous temple of Sri Siddheswara Swamy and the picturesque waterfalls in the midst of thick forested land. About 2 kilometres from the temple is ‘Sirodronam’, a sacred grove.

The Talakona Waterfalls which cascades down from a height of 300 feet is a 4 kilometre trek from the temple. Though the waterfalls are an all-year-round phenomenon, there was hardly any water during the visit. #KhabarLive saw numerous silvery streaks cascading  down the cliff face into the ravines below. Descending the virtually untouched locale, we promised to return when the falls were in full spate. #KhabarLive #hydnews

‍‍The Plight Of Street Hawkers, Foothpath-Sellers And Small Vendors In Hyderabad

The post-pandemic situation is becoming horrible in terms of rehabilitation and steps to make them atma-nirbhar went in vain due to many factors in Hyderabad.  The street vendors  footpath sellers and hawkers are financially suffering and no help provided to them.

For petty traders, who make a living by selling food items, vegetables, fruits, cheap cosmetic products and all and sundry on their push carts, life has turned topsy-turvy following the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.

These traders are yet to come to their normal lives or back to their regular earnings, even after 18 months of malady. Most of these push cart hawkers are settlers from other towns. Many left their families at their hometown and returned to the capital as their earnings dropped drastically.

Each cart which used to do an average business of Rs 2,000 each day before March 2020 is not even in a position to make around Rs 5,00 to Rs 600.

After the ease of the first lockdown, many lost employment and lot of migrants have not returned, as schools, colleges and offices are still operating from homes.

Vijay Pandit, a resident of Jharkhand, who has a fruit-juice push cart, near Music College, Ramkoti, said, “I have been doing business with this ‘bandi’ since 1993. This city has given me so much. Before the lockdown, I used to make around Rs 2,000 each day, now we don’t even make Rs 500. Almost one year we have been without business. I have four daughters and one son. I left them at our home town as it’s hard to take care of their expenses in the city as of now.”

Bhasker Rao, another push cart vendor, says, “We are in a bad situation, the lockdown pushed us into utter poverty. We believe in hard work and don’t expect any aid from anyone. We just hope things will be back to normal and we get back our business.”

Raju Yadhav, a pani puri vendor, says, “The business is very bad, two lockdowns made our business go down. Customers we used to have before the pandemic rarely visit us.”

It has been seven years since the Street Vendors Act (Protection of Livelihood) came into force, but the vendors in the city say that they are still awaiting the complete implementation of the Act.

Speaking to #KhabarLive, K Naipal Reddy, who runs a tiffin cart in LB Nagar said, “There has been no town-vending committee. Even if the officials conduct a meeting, we are only told where we should put the waste. There is no communication amongst the line departments. The police come and harass us. They give no regard to the fact that we have been given an ID card by the GHMC.  The police throw the card away and say that they do not have any knowledge of the town vending committee.”

There has been no end to harassment from various persons for street vendors. They rue that they have only been issued an ID card by the GHMC and not a street-vending certificate.

“Without the certificate, there is no way of establishing ourselves as street vendors. Every fortnight the police come to our cart and harass us. They usually ask things like, who gave you permission to sell here?” said Venkat Mohan, president, Telangana Street Vendors and Hawkers’ Union.

For those at the Secunderabad station road, vendors like James John said there was supposed to be a committee meeting with the GHMC commissioner. “There is no protection of the street-vendors. We have faced heavy loss due to the lockdown. We are still living under the fear of cops who can come and vacate us at a moment’s notice. Even the ID cards given to us are of no use,” he said.

Some even said that there had been instances when people would walk up to them posing as officials of the state government, and ask them for money.  “There have been instances when people would walk up to us, posing as police or any other official and ask us to move our carts,” said Venkat Mohan.

On the other hand, Hyderabad received ‘Creative City of Gastronomy’ award from UNESCO (United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural Organisation), in 2019 failed to stick to the vital parameter of keeping the importance of hawkers and their efforts in strengthening the urban economy.

The civic body, in its report submitted to the UNESCO, stated that apart from making creative food at affordable prices, the hawker community also added employment for two lakh individuals in the unorganised sector. It also said in the employment generation sector, the IT segment contributed four lakh jobs in the city, which is only restricted to one part of the city. However, apathy of policymakers in the GHMC has been depriving hawkers and vendors of availing PM SVANidhi (PM Street Vendor’s Atma Nirbhar Nidhi), a micro credit scheme for street vendors.

Every year, the Centre promotes setting up vending zones in cities and sanctions funds for the same to municipalities. The GHMC is lagging behind in utilising those funds for promoting and improving street vendors’ business.

According to GHMC officials, a total of 34,878 street vendors in the city who were affected by the Covid-19 lockdown last year were given Rs 10,000 immediate relief by the civic body, the highest in the country. However, almost same number was affected during the current year's lockdown and the corporation authorities are yet to upload the data into PM SVANidhi.

This apart, non-regularisation of street vendors has left several thousands of them unable to reclaim their ‘vending zones’ after the footpath encroachment removal drive in 2018. A look at the Mission for the Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) figures brings to light that there are 69,331 street vendors in Telangana of which more than 24,000 street vendors reside in the GHMC limits. These vendors were expected to do their businesses in the 750 free vending zones identified by respective urban local bodies, most of which are located at specific areas, defeating the purpose of wide scale inclusion.

There are only 300 restricted vending zones created while there are over 200 no vending-zones. The GHMC is yet to ascertain the exact number of vending zones, as per MEPMA data. On the contrary, the GHMC data suggests, till date, the municipal corporation has identified over 1.56 lakh street vendors in its limits and issued identity cards to nearly 1.44 lakh of them.

The GHMC may be leading in terms of issuing identity cards to street vendors, but the same spirit is missing when it comes to setting up vending zones for street vendors. However, the GHMC claimed that the demarcation of 138 vending zones were completed out of a total 152 identified, but could not shift the vendors to these zones till date.

According to the GHMC corporators, the corporation's enforcement displaced over 50,000 petty hawkers and vendors since 2018 when the civic body embarked on the footpath encroachment removal drive and by levying hefty fines to them which has been continuing till date. #KhabarLive #hydnews

‍Explore ‍A New Weekend Picnic Spot 'Fox Sagar Lake' In Hyderabad

Explore Fox Sagar near Kompally could be worth a try during weekends. On the left side of the NH-44 after Suchitra Junction in Kompally, this lake is not a new one, but actually dates back to more than a century. A new quick weekend getaway or a picnic spot that is not too far from the city, one without much fuzz or crowd?

Also known as Jeedimetla Cheruvu, the place can be reached via a bumpy road, and the bund too is quite uneven, which means you have to drive along very slowly. Stopping somewhere along the bund and sitting or strolling around, watching the beautiful lake is one option.

The place, apart from the four or five stalls at the beginning of the bund that sell fresh fish caught from the lake, is a must visit for bird lovers and those into bird photography, with several bee-eaters, baya weavers, kingfishers, herons and a host of other bird species chirping and flying around. One can also watch fishermen rowing across the lake on their boats, pulling in the nets and coming back to the shore with quite a rich catch.

Almost in the middle of the bund is a heritage structure that is a pump house, which has inscriptions on the stone saying it was built in 1897 and announcing the name of the lake as Fox Sagar. The typical Nizam-era structure is still intact and is where many pose for pictures after going near it along a squeaky rusting bridge. 

A little ahead from the pump house on the same side of the bund is one tree on the banks of the lake which has a quite large colony of bird nests and is quite a sight to watch.

Make sure you carry your food and drinking water, and bird photographers should remember to carry the best telephoto lens they have. Dhabas along the service road of the NH-44 and the new restaurants and icecream outlets on either side of the highway are where you can find good food, or do some shopping after visiting the lake. #KhabarLive #hydnews

'Banana Flour' Is Becoming A New Spin In Making Idlis, ‍‍Dosas, Cutlets, Gulab Jamuns from Telugu States Farmers

A silent revolution is taking place among the farmers in the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh because of banana flour concept.

Every year, farmers are badly hit by the price drop in bananas. It would go down to Rs 4 or Rs 5 per kilogram for bananas, discouraging farmers from investing in this tropical crop or banana cultivation. This year was no different. Farmers had to use leftover bananas to feed their cattle. 

However, Anandi, the wife of an organic farmer from Telangana, found a solution to put bananas to better and profitable use, thanks to a Facebook post.

In the first week of June this year, Anandi chanced upon a Facebook post shared by a veteran journalist and an agriculture educator. The post detailed the various usage of dried banana powder, including its wide usage as baby food. "Anandi called me and insisted that she wanted to learn how to make banana powder,” The journalist told ##KhabarLive. With the assistance of George, a subject matter specialist, home science, at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Anandi quickly learnt the mechanism to use dry banana and turn it into powder.

That was the beginning! The veteran journalist received many pictures from Anandi after she prepared the flour and started making a variety of delicacies out of it — dosas, chappatis, cutlets, gulab jamun, rotis and more. She made both raw and ripe banana flour. That is when Journalist decided to give it a push among the other farmers through WhatsApp groups.

It is a simple procedure, said the journo. “The banana has to be dried in the sun for three days and then ground in a grinder. In case of large quantity, it can be powdered in a local mill. Many farmers have dryers that are used for various purposes. A dryer makes it easier to dry bananas even during the monsoon," he said.

Journo encouraged Anandi to teach other farmers, too. "Today, more than 100 farmers have started making banana flour and are selling it locally. Some of them even have sold up to 100 kilograms of the flour,” he said, adding that considering its success, they are planning to expand the market.

Like Anandi, farmers who took up the challenge also prepared a lot of dishes using the flour, often using it as a replacement for maida or other all-purpose flour.

The journalist said that the idea has reached more than 300 families and many are waiting for the monsoon to get over. "Even the elderly people have started doing this and are happy that they are producing a nutritional product than wasting it," he added.

Uma, another wife of a farmer in AndhraPradesh, too, made banana flour at home and tried out some new recipes after journo told her about Anandi's innovation. “I made chappatis and pooris with banana flour. I also made cakes, pancakes, idlis, milkshakes and many other dishes,” she said. After the monsoon, Uma plans to produce banana flour on a commercial basis. “I am already getting a lot of enquiries. I actually dry the banana along with its peel as adds more fibre to our diet. For white-coloured flour, I add bananas without the peels," said Uma Reddy.

He popularised the concept in other areas, too. “I got in touch with Central Processing facility at Agricultural University in Hyderabad. “I requested them to process banana flour and distribute it to the residents there. It has now become popular in Hyderabad too," journo said.

He also added that Subbarayudu, Director at the National Research Centre for Banana, sent a congratulatory note to Anandi on her initiative that led to a silent revolution. #KhabarLive #hydnews

‍A New Weekend Fiesta At Koilkonda Fort - A Place For Adventure, Masti And Exploration in Telangana

The historic and most popular Koilkonda Fort is the erstwhile outpost of the Qutab Shahi dynasty situated on a hilltop. To reach the top, one needs to hike across a deep gorge on the west or a series of streams if coming through east before reaching a plight of steps that leads to the fort near Mahabubnagar.

To enter the Koilkonda Fort, seven gates have to be crossed. The first one spots an inscription of Ibrahim Qutab Shah that belongs to 1550 AD. Fourth gate leads to a dilapidated palace. There is also a mosque, an Idgah and a pond here. The Fort also has a ashurkhana dedicated to Bibi Fatima and is revered by both Hindus and Muslims.

Erstwhile Koilkonda Fort provides a unique hiking opportunity. For those who love adventure, thrills and everything in nature, Koilkonda Fort, situated in Mahbubnagar district, will quench your thirst for the adrenaline rush and offer peace at the same time.

At a distance of 1.3 km from Koilkonda Bus Stand, 25 km from Mahabubnagar Bus Station and 128 km from Hyderabad, Koilkonda Fort is situated at Koilkonda in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana. This is one of the best one day trip from Hyderabad.

The place, which is largely deserted and is only dominated by the tweeting of birds, provides a unique hiking opportunity. To reach the top, you need to walk across a deep canyon on the west or a series of streams, if coming through east, before reaching a flight of steps that leads to the fort. It is an erstwhile outpost of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, which is perched on a hilltop.

To enter the fort, you have to cross as many as seven gates. While the first gate spots an inscription of Ibrahim Qutb Shah that dates back to 1550 and a broad chain lying on the ground, the fourth gate leads to a dilapidated palace or a royal residence.

The trail is not fit for a beginner since the path to the top is challenging. You have to pass through thorny bushes, boulders and trails that are slippery and difficult at times. The journey might be quite strenuous and adventurous at the same time. Be prepared for at least an hour’s hike.
There is also a mosque, an Idgah and a pond here. The fort also has an ‘ashurkhana’ dedicated to Bibi Fatima.

Nonetheless, the challenging hike is worth the effort. The view from the top, of the countryside, surrounding greenery, and of Koilsagar Dam will leave you amazed. The weather on the top is pleasant. You will feel like unwinding there until the end of the day and witness the beautiful sunset from the top. But, locals say that it is not safe enough to stay at the place till nightfall since the fort is completely deserted.

Also, it is advisable to go here with a group and in broad daylight and when the weather is cool. Avoid visiting the place when the climate is hot. Start descending before sunset itself. Hydrate yourself throughout the hike. Mobile signals of Airtel and Jio are excellent in this area, even on the top.
Make sure you wear trekking pants or joggers.

Wear trekking shoes since rocks are slippery. Take a basic first-aid kit and carry enough water bottles and snacks with you as there are no food stalls and water sources along the trek.

The Kolisagar Dam is a medium-sized irrigation project that was constructed in the period of the
Nizams during 1945-48. The Koilsagar Dam, which is about 10 km from the Koilkonda, stretches across the Peddavagu River, a minor tributary of the River Krishna. The western stretch of this picturesque reservoir is surrounded by high hills, making it a beautiful spot and is a treat for eyes during sunrise and sunset.

Sri Ramkonda Hill is another prominent Hill with a temple dedicated to Lord Rama, which is 3 km from Koilkonda Fort. There is no motorable road to Sri Ramkonda Hill, one has to trek 3 km from the Fort. This hill is also famous for lot of herbal medicinal plants.

There is an another hill named Verrabhadra Swamy Hill nearby, to reach this hill one has to trek 2 km from Koilkonda Fort.

You can plan camping here or the water bed of the Koilsagar Dam – but only if you are expert trekkers or hikers. The condition of the road is really good and you can enjoy the ride through the countryside.

You can also visit Koilsagar Dam, located 34 km from the fort. It is a medium-sized irrigation project constructed in the period of the Nizams during 1945-48. It stretches across Peddavagu river, a minor tributary of River Krishna. The western stretch of this picturesque reservoir is surrounded by hills, making it a beautiful spot and is a treat for the eyes during sunrise and sunset. In case you love fishing don’t forget to take your fishing rods for some lovely catch. #KhabarLive #hydnews

'The Proteins Butchers Academy' Plans To Build 'Professional Butchers' Training In Hyderabad

The city is home to several meat stores. It is home to 4000 chicken, 2000 mutton, 2000 fish shops and hundreds of street-side sales also happen.

 Necessity is the mother of invention. Thanks to Proteins Hygienic Non-Veg Mart, Hyderabad based bootstrapped phygital (physical stores & e-commerce) startup is soon going to have (probably India’s first city) a Meat Academy that will teach lessons of Butchery Skills. It is probably the first city in India to think in this direction of professionalizing Butcher Craft.   

Proteins Hygienic Non-Veg Mart, the Hyderabad based first modern meat retail chain that is expanding its footprint from current 11 stores to 75 by the end of March 2022 by investing about 22 crores is facing a huge shortage of trained and skilled butchers. To overcome this problem it is coming out with the Academy to train people in butchery skills.  Srinivasa Rao Potini and Vijay Chowdary Tripuraneni, the founder​s​ of the company who are also serial entrepreneurs and invested in My Stores, Lenin House Exclusive Stores; Goa Grills announced in the city in a press conference held recently.  

We are thinking about the Academy because we are seeing a huge potential for the space.  What was 2010 for general retail and e-commerce, these few years will be the same for the meat industry: Manchala Vamshi Rai, alumni of Bits Pilani and Director of Proteins Hygienic Non-Veg Mart. 

It plans to train 500 butchers in the next 8 months. It will be on the job training. 10th class pass or failure will be absorbed for the training. They will be given a stipend of Rs 8000/- pm and upon completing the three-month training they will be absorbed into full-time employment.   

Butchers are meat cutters who prepare the meat for the purpose of sale.   

The training will be a short term course that offers skills and training on how to expertly perform Butchery/Meat Cutting, informed Mr Vijay Chowdary Tripuraneni, founder of Proteins Hygienic Non-Veg Mart and the brain behind this novel academy.  

Many hotel management colleges have this subject as their course curriculum. Butchery craft is also taught as part of the course.  

But, there is no exclusive Butcher Craft Training Institute in Hyderabad. Also, there is no information available on the internet about such an exclusive training institute. That is why it is going to be probably the first city in India to have a Butchery Academy. Though this is not open for people who just want to come and learn and go. It is going to be started with the exclusive purpose of training people for their internal use.  

Many Veterinary Colleges also run Butcher Training classes just as part of their overall curriculum. We at ICAR--National Research Centre on Meat also sometimes run Butchery training classes. But now we are not doing these courses because of the COVID. As far as my knowledge goes there isn't any exclusive Butcher Training Academy said Dr S.B Barbuddhe, Director of ICAR-National Research Centre on Meat at ICAR-NRCM office at Chengicherla, Hyderabad.ICAR--National Research Centre on Meatworks under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Headquartered in Hyderabad, its mission is to develop a modern organized meat sector through meat production, processing and utilization technologies and serve the cause of meat animal producers, processors and consumers. 

Emmanuel, Director of the IIHM—International Institute of Hotel Management, Asia’s largest Hotel Schools Chain says there are Meat Technology and Meat Certification Technology courses  etc and many other.  There are plenty of organizations in abroad.  But, I haven't come across any exclusive Butchers Academy  If anyone is starting an exclusive academy it is really good for everyone, he said.  

The butcher as we all know is a meat cutter. He chops, portions and grinds various kinds of meat. To identify meat cuts, cut meat properly, avoid waste, identify good quality meat, store it properly, waste management etc. His job responsibilities include preparing the meat, packaging and serving the customers.    

Hyderabad is the meat consuming city and top in the country. Meat worth INR 3500 crore is consumed every year in the city. The city boasts of conventional shops. The city, according to Vijay Chowdary Triperaneni, the founder of the chain of one-stop meat shops, is home to 4000 chicken, 2000 mutton, and 2000 fish shops. But most of them are untidy and unhygienic. 95% of the meat industry is unorganised, known for poor infrastructure, unhygienic and have an unfriendly atmosphere, and are unreliable for quality and availability.   

Ever since the pandemic hit, people have become more hygiene conscious. They have been giving a lot of importance to fresh food. Now things are changing slowly and steadily.  

The traditional meat shops are being modernised. According to Mr. Manchala Vamshi Rai, an alumnus of Bits Pilani and Director of Proteins Hygienic Non-Veg Mart, more and more professionals are getting into the industry. More investments are being pumped in to offer a modern experience similar to supermarkets. 

The stores are now made women-friendly. They have a rich ambience. 

Conventionally more men go to shops to fetch meat. Though women go to vegetable shops, we don’t see many women going to meat shops because of un-women-friendly ambience and poor infrastructure. So things are changing and they are changing for good. 

The potential of the meat market in India is 4 lakh crore. There is a huge potential for the growth of modern meat retail chains. Keeping this in mind, the Hyderabad based bootstrapped phygital (physical stores & e-commerce) startup has embarked on this initiative. 

Vision is to provide the best professional shopping experience to meat buyers. We must make available the most hygienic, fresh and quality meat for the common man at affordable prices in the most professional manner possible. By meat, it means fish, prawns, crabs, mutton, chicken and their products says Mr. Vamshi.  

In pandemic times like these eating hygienic meat is as important as wearing a mask and maintaining social distance.  

Professionalizing butcher's work is a good idea. I am sure a lot of takers will be there for the training program.  

It will also create newer employment opportunities, said Divi, Big Boss fame, actress and model. She is a brand ambassador to Proteins. #KhabarLive #hydnews 

Indian Squad's Passion, Patriotism, Hope And Desperation In Tokyo Olympics 2021

This is not a dampener. This is a reality check. While passion, patriotism, hope and desperation jostled for space on the Indian air waves one week into the Tokyo Olympics 2020, the air was also hanging heavy with a rather familiar déjà vu feeling about the whole exercise being largely a case of much ado about nothing yet again.

Late on a humid Friday evening at the Olympics, world champion Sifan Hassan, representing the Netherlands, appeared to be out of contention and altogether disinterested as she started and remained at the back of the field for the first half of the 5000m women’s heat in the track and field events. But a very subtle gear shift almost went unnoticed past the 2500m mark as she slowly made her way up midfield before appearing resigned to settle for seventh place until the penultimate lap.

On the seventh and final lap though, while her Kenyan and Ethiopian counterparts held steady ground at the front, Hassan quietly made her pitch for first and the finish line in such sublime fashion that they could only look on shocked, disgusted and most importantly, exhausted, as she gracefully moved past them and then into a league of her own.

Hassan, it turned out, had quietly executed a very stealthy and rather deceptive plan, building steadily and sure footedly, slowly at first and then with consistency, pushing past when it was time. This was only the first heat as she is expected to take part across three events.

As exhilarating as it was to watch, it was not easy to shake off the lingering feeling that India were continuing to miss a beat.

After all, what happened to the P.T. Usha’s of the country? What has happened to the next great hope? Where is the build up, the foundation, the steadiness, the consistency and the core, and the bench strength? The ceiling barriers are yet to be broken, once and for all and comprehensively at that as far as India at the Olympics are concerned.

This is not a dampener. This is a reality check.

When USA lost one of the world’s greatest gymnasts in Simone Biles at the last minute in the all round team gymnastics event, they found a new champion in Suni Lee who claimed gold in the individual event to add to USA’s prowess as the fifth successive champion to take the gold at the Olympics. Great Britain were rewarded for staying with Tom Daley and his ten year Olympics history of medals finally yielding him a gold in the 10m platform men’s synchronized diving. Michael Phelps’s Olympics record is being challenged as is Mark Spritz’, unbelievably so, by Caeleb Dressler in the swimming events.

One could not help but cut back to the picture earlier in the morning as Hassan silently disappeared into the background as did Dutee from Indian minds.

At the fifth heat of the women’s 100m, a relatively diminutive woman lined up at the very end in lane 9. More exalted champions such as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce took their place in the middle. The commentator on air did not even bother to go to the end of the field to introduce the athletes and Dutee Chand remained largely incognito, finishing a rather lacklustre seventh in an eight women race and much behind her national record time. Finishing 45 out of 54 participants reminded one of the shoddy affair that passed for sports events at many a school.

Still Chand was at the Olympics. Getting here was a Herculean effort and could not draw comparison. But that summed up India’s campaign in a nutshell.

Getting here is everything and then being here is automatically translated to medal hope in the minds of a billion. Never mind the mental challenge of watching athletes around the world show up with a larger support staff and a more rounded practice and facilities behind them. Hurdles are often overlooked in the public eye.

After all, while the likes of Anurag Thakur and Kiran Rijuju can sing laurels of our athletes when they make progress, it could be argued that like India’s lamentably bleak Olympics history, much of India’s untapped sporting talent continues to remain hidden.

It can also explain the almost monotonous voice in which the electronic media were already talking medal even as family members of P.V. Sindhu and Lovlina Borgohain encouraged cautious optimism. “Going for gold” screamed the headlines even though both women were still only into the semi finals in their respective disciplines of boxing and badminton respectively and had to still get past one more opponent to throw the final gauntlet for gold.

Once over the euphoria on a rather quiet, less newsworthy Friday where the farmers protest and the opposition took a backseat, the overwhelming feeling returned once more at the end of another epic day at the Tokyo Olympics that it was better to read the list of who had made the leap ahead rather than read out the long list of Indian athletes who didn’t.

Why are India’s medal hopefuls over hyped before the Olympics and then reduced to less than a handful midway through the two week celebration of sport only for India to be able to count on one hand the number of medals returning home? What is wrong with this picture?

Consider the déjà vu. There lies the answer.

Consider this for comparison.

A billion plus strong nation and 128 athletes represent India. Australia boasts a train of over 450 athletes at the Tokyo Olympics and only has a population that is about 25 million. Yet Australia are sitting pretty at no.6 behind the Russian Olympics Committee with nine gold medals to their name against the leader China who have now leaped over Japan with eighteen gold medals. Australia have 22 medals by the end of a hot and muggy night at the Olympics. India, still just the one.

Missing the top spot in the headlines were the archery duo of Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das who were holding their respective ground in the women’s individual archery event and men’s recursive individual archery, heading into the quarterfinals. While their efforts are commendable, they still represent a tiny fraction of India’s athletes who made it to the Olympics which is a great feat in itself but also, an even more miniscule percentage of the population, which is blasphemous to say the least.

Women’s hockey also provided some hope and as rightly pointed out, a semi final place is a great place to be in a ten year development. The emphasis has to be on development.

On a day when the likes of P.V. Sindhu were being hailed, there was an out-of-touch-with-reality moment when actor R. Madhavan posted this reply to a picture of the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Mirabai Chanu having food on the floor of her humble home back in Manipur:

“Hey this cannot be true. I am at a complete loss of words.”

Why, Madhavan? First of all, it has to be pointed out, there is nothing wrong with having one’s lunch on the floor. To put things in context here though, he should know better the plight of Indian sportspersons given that he has played a coach to one in one of his movies.

It certainly puts playing for honour and pride of the country in perspective. That is a school of thought that has been given much lip service but not much credence in the wake of introduction of a sporting culture such as the Indian Premier League.

But it highlights not just the humble conditions from which these sportspersons come from but also, of the great demands on them, sometimes on their own two legs and on their meagre resources to get as far as they do. Showering laurels when medals are won is easy. In that sense, walking that opening ceremony in Tokyo was already a dream too high but achieved. But what about those who made it on their own merit and great hard work but didn’t get far, like Dutee?

Often this is not a rags-to-riches story for many of these sports persons who achieve elite Olympics medal levels. Promises made to them – not incentives but rewards after they hit the spotlight – are not kept. Homes are denied, jobs going a-begging, their talent, experience and wisdom untapped as the governments fail to use their success as a slipstream to build a steady stream of athletes inspired in the wake of their accomplishments.

Then four years later, it appears the names once again come out of the woodworks, the politicians bring out their patriotic Indian montages and the fans their tricolour and march alongside the sportspersons to unrealistic dreams and expectations.

The dismay is obvious.

The handful of aspiring shooters have had enough turmoil on the results board and back in the dressing room with enough ruffles over rifts between shooters and coaches. Manu Bhaker, who was expected to be the flag bearer in the end leading the medals tally, had a run in with her coach, Jaspal Rana, and thereafter with a rare malfunctioning pistol that hurt her chances in the 10m air pistol qualification event.

As news headlines kept screaming… “so-and-so crashes out,” “so-and-so crashes out”, and “so-and-so crashes out”, once again it highlighted the great disparity of how sports like cricket are given deliberate vantage point and therefore, focus, while it is hard even for seasoned journalists to extrapolate on the goings-on back in Tokyo simply because they have been fed and raised on a consumption of mainly one sport and also, then forced into specialized fields that earn their employers and themselves bread-and-butter. This is simply a fact of life, which some journalists have been candid and also, brave enough to admit openly.

One had to go deeper and read in order to learn why the nineteen year old Bhaker “crashed out” (visuals were not made available at the time). Not mentioned were her still impressive scores while she lost time while her pistol was being repaired as opposed to replaced with a spare because of the time it would take to make adjustments.

While the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) stated that India’s performance at the Tokyo Olympics was “inexplicable” and the sports authority talking about an overhaul, what is not easily forgiven is the repeated manner in which sportspersons find themselves in needless tangles, whether off the field like Mary Kom is in her final Olympics showdown, calling out the IOC over unfair judging, or the “usual suspects” (for want of a better term) of the likes of Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza calling foul of the AITA over selection muddles and confusion.

Where is the next generation? And where is the accountability? Where is the quiet pacing from the back of the field to make track steadily and then to take the finish line?

To think India lacks talent is appalling given that despite this sudden euphoria that comes out of the closets every four years – from the government and sports aficionados alike – India, despite its vast wealth, has very little infrastructure to show why there is no great grassroot level at which India’s budding talent is given ground on which to train.

Budget reels every February rarely do the untapped and underprivileged talent in the country little justice, leaving sports on the backburner. Between politics, nepotism and corruption, even existing infrastructure is elusive to these athletes in their four year long training that demands endurance and commitment of an extraordinary nature. The Olympics highlights this fact amply.

It is not enough that somehow, Dutee Chand is India’s only athlete in the track and field with hope and even she finishes at the end of the tail. While India’s hopes now rest on Sindhu and Lovlina and on the archers to wipe out the dim spotlight over the coming weekend, something is wrong with this picture and has been for a very long time. #KhabarLive

Coronavirus Given Indian ‘Foodies’ Chance To Become Genuine ‘Food Lovers’

By Ahssanuddin Haseeb

The pandemic has bared the vulnerability of our food sources. This is one of our best shots to hit reset on what and how we eat.

Food is our most frequently indulged pleasure. Yet what’s on the plate goes beyond taste and texture. It’s about politics and culture. It’s about supply chains and climate change. It’s about nutrition and health outcomes. It’s about the working conditions and living standards of farmers. Sure, it’s about trendy pop-ups and exciting food trucks. But it’s also about crop-destroying cyclones and locust swarms.

A 'New Working Space' Launched For 'Creative Entrepreneurs' Of Hyderabad

The Chalet Social, a member access co-working space in Hyderabad looks to welcome creative entrepreneurs, with COVID-19 hygiene protocols. In mid-2019, a spacious bungalow in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, welcomed visitors with its multi-pronged approach. Called The Chalet, it positioned itself as a multicultural center with opportunities for co-working space, performing art events, workshops, a cafe, and a sprawling retail area stocking labels that specialized in sustainable goods. 

#KhanaKhazana: 'How Corona Era Snatched My Joy Of Home-Delivered Food?'

By Asma Khatoon

Cooking is an essential life skill, never quite cut through to me before these few months. It was almost as if another life began for me during the Corona lockdown.

The virus came into my life on a March afternoon. Wrapped in an app alert, it reached the gates of my adjacent society. The RWA (Residents Welfare Association) of mine sprung into action. The first casualties of this pandemic were those delivery boys. The gates of my society were locked. We were told only essentials will be delivered. But for a person whose kitchen has never seen more cooking than bread being toasted, what does that word 'essential' even mean? I found out, with a heavy heart, that it did not involve takeaway food.

Takeaway food, that came riding pillion on a bike and was delivered with the occasional smile, had come to be my sustenance in this big city. Zomato, Uber Eats, Swiggy, Foodpanda. The delivery apps were many. They all had one thing in common: the gift of choice. Cuisines, dishes, so much to choose from.

Sponsored Post: India Is Best Poised For A 'Fruit Circular Economy'

It's time for fruit farmers to celebrate! As horticulture production outgrows food grain output in the country for the fifth consecutive year, the growth of India's horticulture is being intertwined with the progress of the food processing industry.

Starting the investment at the farm gate through the processing value chain to the ultimate consumer, and then ploughing it back to the farm gate forms the virtuous fruit circular economy, and this has the potential to improve the lives of India's farmers.

Health Alert: Your Protein Shake Could Be Harming Your Fitness

Fake supplements dominate the market. When my father first started working out and weight training he did so at home. I used to sit on the couch and laugh (not something I'm proud of). He would then challenge me to do an exercise and I would be able to do it quite easily. I would then promptly go back to the couch. Then I went to college in Kochi, and while I was there, he continued to work out and even joined a gym.

How Akhila became Hadiya – and why her case has reached the Supreme Court?

A young woman adopted Islam, defying her Hindu family. The case has roiled Kerala.

It is called Devi Krupa – the blessings of the goddess. But inside the modest single-storeyed house in TV Puram village in Kerala’s Kottayam district, a young woman has been confined against her wishes, on the orders of Kerala High Court. Outside the house, six policemen stand guard round-the-clock.

Telangana has a restaurant for vultures and it might bring the species back from extinction

Indian vultures are dying out because of food scarcity and a drug called diclofenac. In Penchikalpet, a slow increase in numbers feeds hope.

It’s an experiment that’s filling India’s environmentalists with hope. Since 2013, the imposing Pala Rapu cliff in a remote corner of Telangana’s Penchikalpet forest range has become the site of an experiment that has helped restore a local colony of critically endangered long billed vultures. A vital part of the project: a “restaurant” for the birds.

We Need A New ‘Quit India’ Movement For True Independence'

My father went to jail in the 1942 Quit India movement. He was interned for 2.5 years in Delhi and Lucknow jails and was released in 1946.

I often used to ask him whether he and thousands of Indians like him who sacrificed so much for India's independence ever thought that it would become such a chaotic and corrupt country.

Did Modi Mislead Parliament on the Number of Fake Ration Cards that Aadhaar Had Exposed?

There is no official data to back up the prime minister’s claim that the use of “Aadhaar and technology” had led to the discovery of nearly 4 crore bogus ration cards.

Nobody in the Narendra Modi government seems to know where the prime minister got the data on the basis of which he told the Lok Sabha that the use of technology and Aadhaar led to the discovery of 3.95 crore bogus ration cards (from 1:19 onwards in the video below), Right to Information Act activist Anjali Bharadwaj on Tuesday claimed at a press conference organised to “expose the false claims of the government about the benefits of Aadhaar”.