Pana Devi Godara, a 93-year-old athlete from Bikaner, has defied age and proven that determination knows no boundaries. Recently, at the 45th National Masters Athletics Championship in Bengaluru, Pana Devi won gold medals in multiple events, including Shot Put, 100-meter sprint, and Discus Throw, making the entire nation proud.

Pana Devi’s significant achievements have brought her into the spotlight. The achievements that she made showcased her unwavering spirit and dedication to athletics, irrespective of her advanced age. Now, Pana Devi’s next goal is to bring home a medal from the World Championship in Sweden this August.

Moreover, Pana Devi has been selected also to represent India at the Asian Master Athletics Championship to be held in Indonesia in September. Talking to IANS, nonagenarian Pana Devi has expressed joy over her upcoming participating in athletics competition in Sweden and Indonesia.

She said that she is quite excited to take part in the games there. She also shared her memories about winning medals in the Bengaluru event. Pana Devi, a resident of the Chaudhary Colony in Bikaner, combines her passion for athletics with daily responsibilities at home. She takes care of her cows and buffaloes every day working hard in this regard. She also maintains a strict fitness regimen that has contributed to her extraordinary success.

Pana Devi’s disciplined lifestyle and relentless hard work have played a crucial role in her achievements. Winning a medal at this age may be a great success for Pana Devi, but it is also an inspiration to all, especially women. The message is that women and men should focus on fitness and make positive changes in their lives.

At 93, Pani Devi stands as a beacon of strength and determination, proving that age is no barrier when it comes to pursuing one’s dreams. This achievement is a matter of pride not only for Bikaner but for the entire country, and Pana Devi’s story continues to inspire many.

–IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a world-class stadium in his parliamentary constituency of Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi on October 20.

Named after the second Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the Dr. Sampurnanand Sports Stadium is located in Sigra, Varanasi.

Varanasi District Magistrate said that the stadium is completely ready for the sportsmen and spans approximately 15 acres.

“This will be the city’s largest stadium. It is equipped with all facilities and was built at a cost of around ₹200 crore,” said Varanasi District Magistrate.

He added that this biggest stadium has been prepared in three phases. “The first phase has a multi-purpose hall and an Olympic size swimming pool while the second phase has a cricket ground, a national centre of excellence as well as hostels for players and coaches,” said Varanasi District Magistrate.

He said that the third phase has a synthetic track for athletics.

“Any players can come here for practice. The stadium has not been restricted for the players of Varanasi,” he said.

Satyam Singh, a shooter, said that the most notable thing is that the players did not have any infrastructure like this before.

“The children didn’t even know what shooting is or how it works. With the new stadium, they will be able to come here and practice at the facility,” Singh said.

Pankaj Srivastava, Executive Member of the District Rifle Club said that the stadium is the best sports centre in the area.

“This facility should have been built 15 years ago. We are far behind other regions because we do not have international-level sports facilities. We lack an international shooting range in the state,” said Srivastava.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reviewed the progress of the stadium on June 18.

“Reviewed the progress at the Dr. Sampurnanand Sports Stadium in Kashi. This stadium and sports complex will greatly help the youth of Kashi,” PM Modi wrote on X.

Apart from a 150-room hostel for players equipped with modern facilities, Dr. Sampurnanand Sports Stadium can also host 50 games including Judo, Karate, Table Tennis, Shooting, Lawn Tennis, Cricket and Hockey as per international standards.

-IANS

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Nagalakshmi, the proud mother of R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali, shared her joy as her children helped India secure double gold at the 45th Chess Olympiad. While Indians celebrated their victory, the mother chose a simple temple visit to mark the success over a grand celebration, making a humble religious statement amidst the backdrop of rising derision of Hindu practices by Dravidianists in Tamil Nadu.

Praggnanandhaa & Vaishali Made Chess History

India made chess history on Sunday (22 September 2024) when both its men’s and women’s teams secured their first-ever gold medals at the 45th Chess Olympiad. The men’s team triumphed over Slovenia, with D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and R Praggnanandhaa winning their matches in the decisive 11th round. The women’s team clinched the title by defeating Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5.

This achievement brought double celebration for the family of R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali, as both siblings were part of the gold-winning teams in this prestigious biennial chess competition. While Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa played a crucial role in the men’s victory, his sister Vaishali contributed significantly to the women’s success.

A Humble Mother – Nagalakshmi

But it’s not just Praggnanandhaa and his sister who have won hearts with their victory. Their proud mother Nagalakshmi, who is often admired for her simplicity and quiet strength, is an epitome of humility. Her calm and composed presence at chess tournaments, where she is frequently spotted accompanying her children, speaks volumes about her dedication to their success.

Speaking about her children’s victory she said that she was feeling very happy and was at a loss of words.

Nagalakshmi’s simplicity is not just in her appearance but also in her approach to life. Despite the international fame her children have gained, she remains grounded. When asked how she would celebrate she said “No celebration but going to temple.”

Nagalakshmi, the mother of @rpraggnachess and @chessvaishali speaks after Team India won two Gold medals in the Chess Olympiad! pic.twitter.com/J8EZSIWghL

— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) September 25, 2024

Her statement holds even more sweet significance given how Dravidiainsts in Tamil Nadu often derogate Hindu faith and deride going to temples.

How will you celebrate?
Pragg and Vaishali’s mother – no celebration, but going to temple.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, this is the land which some people will have you believe is anti-Hindu. https://t.co/blEfPgqvDL

— Sai (@Saiarav) September 25, 2024

The mom of Champs goes to a temple to offer thanks for Chess Olympiad gold medals. Dravidiya media will look the other way. https://t.co/1ZXl2D3VO7

— Prem Kumar (@prempsydoc) September 25, 2024

“No celebration, but going to temple” is basically every Tamil mom ever https://t.co/yFKfRGRiFb

— Munk (@_Drunkenmunk) September 25, 2024

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In a historic triumph, India’s men’s and women’s teams clinched gold medals for the first time in the 45th Chess Olympiad on Sunday. Led by the stellar performances of D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi, the Indian men’s team secured the gold medal after a thrilling final-round victory over Slovenia in Budapest.

The decisive match against Slovenia saw Arjun Erigaisi emerging victorious over Jan Subelj, while Gukesh defeated Vladimir Fedoseev. India needed just one more point to clinch the title, which Gukesh delivered. This victory capped off an impressive tournament for the Indian team, which had previously won bronze medals in the 2014 and 2022 editions. “It was crazy. He surprised me in the opening with his move order, and we reached an initially equal position. His problems started from Ne7. “Arjun was completely winning, so I thought even a draw would be fine, but I kept finding all the good moves. I am glad, but the main thing was to perform as a team!,” said Gukesh D on the FIDE broadcast.

The Indian squad showcased exceptional form throughout the competition, winning eight consecutive matches before being held to a draw by the defending champions, Uzbekistan. However, they bounced back strongly, defeating the top-seeded USA in the penultimate round. They defeated Slovenia in their final encounter and Second-placed China dropped points on two boards against the USA.

India’s success in the men’s event was complemented by a similar achievement from the women’s team. The Indian women’s team, comprising Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, Tania Sachdev, and Abhijit Kunte, also secured the gold medal in their respective open section competition. They beat Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 to clinch the title.

–IANS

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President MK Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is also the Minister of Sports and Youth Development in his father’s cabinet has come out in support of Pakistani cricketer Muhammad Rizwan who had performed namaz in the middle of the stadium during the game, following which the crowd chanted Jai Sri Ram after India’s victory.

On Saturday (15 October 2023), during the India-Pakistan World Cup match at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, spectators enthusiastically cheered “Jai Shri Ram” as Pakistan’s wicket-keeper-batsman, Muhammad Rizwan, made his way back to the pavilion after getting out at 49 runs.

In light of this, DMK Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin came in support of the Pakistani cricketer saying that the treatment meted out to Pakistan players at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad was unacceptable.

“Sports should be a unifying force between countries, fostering true brotherhood. Using it as a tool to spread hatred is condemnable. #IndiaVsPakistan“, he said. 

India is renowned for its sportsmanship and hospitality. However, the treatment meted out to Pakistan players at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is unacceptable and a new low. Sports should be a unifying force between countries, fostering true brotherhood. Using it as a tool… pic.twitter.com/MJnPJsERyK

— Udhay (@Udhaystalin) October 14, 2023

On the 10th of October, Pakistan secured a victory against Sri Lanka in the ongoing 2023 World Cup. Following his remarkable century in that match, Muhammad Rizwan dedicated the win to the people of Gaza, expressing his gratitude towards the Indian spectators and the hospitality and support he received in Hyderabad. However, his involvement of political matters in the context of the game drew significant criticism, as it appeared to breach the ICC’s code of conduct, which strictly prohibits cricketers from making political and religious statements.

https://twitter.com/iMRizwanPak/status/1711992170394300793

Muhammad Rizwan, much like several of his fellow countrymen, has a reputation for intertwining politics, religion, and sports. He gained attention when he openly offered Namaz on the cricket field during the break in the match against the Netherlands, with his teammates waiting for drinks. This action was met with disapproval, particularly given the context of it happening in front of Indian spectators.

#WATCH : Mohammad Rizwan intentionally does this when there are Indians watching him. During T20 World Cup 2021, India vs Pakistan match he has offers ‘Namaz’ in ground during drink break. #MohammadRizwan #Pakistan #PAKvNED #namaz #INDVSPAK #icccricketworldcup2023 #ICCWorldCup pic.twitter.com/a0NAz4JvkZ

— Ravi Pandey (@ravipandey2643) October 6, 2023

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Gary Lineker, football fans might recognise, is one of the most popular and respected sports broadcasters in the UK. He has been presenting the BBC’s Match of the Day, a football highlights show, since 1999. However, he recently announced that he would “step back” from the role until an agreement is reached on his social media use.

The reason for this decision was an impartiality row that erupted over his tweets criticising the UK government’s new asylum policy.

Good heavens, this is beyond awful. https://t.co/f0fTgWXBwp

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) March 7, 2023

The policy, which was unveiled in March 2023 by Suella Braverman, aims to deter illegal crossings and make it harder for people to claim asylum in the UK.

There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) March 7, 2023

Lineker, who has been vocal about his support for refugees and migrants, tweeted that “There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?”

The BBC, which claims to have strict guidelines on impartiality and social media use for its staff and contributors, said that it considered Lineker’s tweets to be a breach of its rules. It said that it had discussions with Lineker and his team in recent days, and decided that he would step back from presenting Match of the Day until a clear position on his social media use was agreed upon.

The decision sparked a backlash from football fans and celebrities who expressed their support for Lineker and his views. Some fans threatened to boycott the show, while others praised Lineker for speaking his mind.

The controversy also had an impact on the BBC’s weekend football coverage, as some pundits and commentators pulled out of their roles in protest. Jason Mohammad and Alex Scott, who were supposed to host Final Score and Football Focus respectively, refused to appear on air. The BBC said that it respected their decision.

The BBC also released a statement saying that it valued Lineker’s contribution to its football coverage and hoped to resolve the issue soon. It said that it recognised that social media was an important platform for its presenters and contributors to engage with audiences, but that it also expected them to uphold its editorial standards.

The case of Gary Lineker raises questions about how much freedom of expression/freedom of speech one is allowed to exercise. A few months back when BBC tried to release a biased documentary on Modi and the Godhra riots and it met with opposition, it gave long sermons on media freedom and the like, but like a true soldier of the British government, it did not stop and apply those principles of media freedom to its own staff.

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16-yr-old Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa won against the world Chess champion Magnus Carlsen, as he stunned him in the 8th round of the Airthings Masters – an online rapid chess competition.

Praggnanandhaa won with black pieces in just 39 moves in a Tarrasch variation game on Monday, halting Magnus’ chance to bag a hattrick win. The Indian Grandmaster is currently in the 12th spot, after winning 8 points in 8 rounds. His extraordinary win over Carlsen comes after having moderate wins in the previous rounds. He had a solitary victory over Lev Aronian after 2 draws and 4 defeats.

He drew against Anish Giri and Quang Liem Le and lost to Eric Hansen, Ding Liren, Jan-Kryzstof Duda and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. It was Praggnanandhaa’s first win in any form of chess against the Norwegian Carlsen and came after losing three games in a row.

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Spot-fixing in cricket has again reared its ugly head when former Zimbabwe captain, Brendan Taylor admitted he was conned and bribed by an Indian businessman for spot-fixing matches during a visit to India in 2019.

Zimbabwe cricket in 2019, was through a financial crisis and the Zimbabwe Cricket Board (ZNC) was not in the position to pay the salary of its national players.

To further compound the problem, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had suspended Zimbabwe after the ZCB was not able to keep out the government’s interference with the board’s administration.

Amid such a crisis, Taylor came to India, hoping to get some sponsorships and the potential launch of a T20 competition in the African nation and it was then he was offered drugs and blackmailed for spot-fixing international matches.

The 35-year-old former Zimbabwe captain through his Twitter handle released a statement in which the caption reads, “To my family, friends and supporters. Here is my full statement. Thank you!”.

https://twitter.com/BrendanTaylor86/status/1485522867768991745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1485522867768991745%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wionews.com%2Fsports%2Fbrendan-taylor-makes-heads-turn-accepts-being-conned-and-blackmailed-for-spot-fixing-set-to-face-iccs-ban-447107

Taylor now faces a multi-year ban by the ICC and the cricketer has already said that he would accept ICC’s decision after failing to report the serious matter on time.

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World number and nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic visa has been canceled by the Australian government because the defending champion is still not vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said Thursday (January 6), “The advice that I have literally just received before joining you is that the visa for Novak Djokovic has been canceled,” he said at a news conference.

It’s a matter for him whether he wishes to appeal that, but if a visa is canceled, somebody will have to leave the country.”

Earlier, Djokovic was allowed to participate in the tournament and was given a deferment for not being vaccinated. However, this caused a huge controversy when 17-year-old Indian tennis player Aman Dahiya was denied entry to the Junior Australian Open because he was not vaccinated.

In the case of Dahiya the decision not to get vaccinated was not a choice but he was underage. The Indian government as of January 3. 2022, started vaccinating children aged between 17 and 18. 

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It is not about the initial performance or the position you are in, it is more about the momentum you can gain in discrete phases.

We usually suffer initial setbacks every once a while, and can collapse after brilliant starts. That is way too common in life, and cricket. You must understand that life works in unspecified phases where you must focus on the right momentum.

Cricket is not just a sport in the sub-continent, it is an emotion. The fans in this part of the world are quite emotional about the sport. When players have a good day and the side wins, fans always make sure to transpire their love to the players.

It was February 2003 and I was a kid having my annual exams in school. Also the era was ‘Lalu Raj’ which had an inimical relationship with electricity. We weren’t that privileged to have 7-8 hours of electricity daily, hence at times TV was out-of-bounds for us and Akashvani served us well.

Sourav Ganguly was leading a young Indian side in the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa and the team’s performance was very much commensurate with our electric supply. In their first match against Holland (later came to be known as The Netherlands) the team somehow escaped with a win. India got a reality check in the next match against defending champions Australia bowled them out for 125 runs and India lost the match very poorly. This didn’t go well with the Indian fans as they started protesting and stones were thrown at the houses of India team members back home by several enthusiastic supporters.

Dad was quick to remember the 1996 World Cup semi-final, when fans at Eden Gardens had started rioting as India slipped from 96 for 1 to 120 for 8. However, he missed reminding me of the golden words which were reiterated by several liberal minds a few months back – “What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow “.

Again, it was 23rd January, 2007, team India’s coach Greg Chappell (who also happened to be a guest and his co-religionists are accorded minority status in India) was attacked by an activist of the Orissa-based political outfit Kalinga Sena for something he had nothing to do with – the non-inclusion of Oriya players in the Indian cricket team.

Once again, in the 2007 cricket World Cup, Rahul Dravid‘s team was the No.4 in the rankings and the team fell flat in the league stage itself after India slipped to a loss in their first match against Bangladesh and in the last league game, they lost to Sri Lanka and were knocked out of the tournament. Once again, fans didn’t take it lightly. Stones were thrown at the houses of players and their dummies were burnt on the road. The outrage was quite disheartening to watch for the players.

What MSD, Yuvraj and Kohli endured

Unlike the previous incidents, this time the entire team wasn’t targeted. In line is the infamous incident with Yuvraj Singh after the 2014 World T20 Final. India had gone into the final as the only unbeaten side. India batted first but managed to score a below-par total of 130.  However, Yuvraj Singh’s knock was heavily criticised as he had come in the middle at a crucial time. As Kohli was building the innings at one end, Yuvraj took too much time. He played 21 balls and scored just 11 runs. His innings was touted as the reason why India didn’t find any momentum in the middle and death overs. Stones were thrown at his residence and a lot of people called out for his retirement.

Again in 2013, Australia was playing a seven-match ODI series against India. India had lost the first and the third ODI. However, they had won the second match in Jaipur and kept the series alive. Going into the fourth game of the series, there was a lot of anticipation as Dhoni was playing at home ground. India won the toss and put Australia to bat first. The visitors posted a competitive 295 runs on the board. However, four overs into the Indian run chase, the rain came down and the match had to be called off. After the match, stones were thrown at Dhoni’s residence in Ranchi. Later, it was revealed that the fans weren’t happy with Dhoni’s decision of opting to bowl first. Others were offended that the match didn’t get a result yet their money was not returned.

Similarly, when CSK was performing poorly in IPL 2020, the some idiots were booked of hate speech for issuing rape threats to MS Dhoni’s daughter.

Then there are certain people who trolled Virat and his then girlfriend, who also happens to be a female actor, for being present in the stadium when India lost the match.

The Classic Case of Ajit Agarkar

When you are integrally involved in bitter team defeats, there is a whole negative vibe built against you, the individual player.

Let us take the case of Ajit Agarkar. Starting his career with the promise of an all rounder, and possessing brilliant outswing abilities, he just couldn’t make himself a permanent player. Because when India have their bitter heartbreaking defeats, this fellow stands out in his poor performance. Such things tend to leave permanent scars, and as such this bloke unfortunately collected a lot of negative points. This is why his stats look so good and yet his erratic nature of bowling and him performing poorly in critical phases led to him being ousted from the Indian team.

Same in the 2007 World Cup defeat, he scored one of his standard ducks after Yuvraj, Dhoni, and Harbhajan fell, around Ganguly, who was desperately trying to hang on while struggling immensely. He can bat (and hence should have done ample justice to that), but when he gets those ducks, dear me, they are ugly!

Point being, when you, sometimes, are on the verge of being the fall guy, take immediate, rapid action!

The Fuss Over Shami

In a country of 130 Crore individuals, it’s not elusive that there are 130 cricket fixated people who put one game over another. This isn’t first whenever Indian fans have responded dumb to a cricket match result. At the point when India took off from the 2007 CWC, a lot of nitwits annihilated the divider wall close by MS Dhoni’s home, and similar pack of boneheads came and remade the divider when similar MS Dhoni won the 2007 T20 World Cup a couple of weeks after the incident. 

It would be a bigoted mindset if someone sees Shami being trolled for his poor performance through a distinct set of lens which fits to their political and venomous agenda. Irfan Pathan, who was part of 2007 squad too was booed for poor performance of the team, but since the government at helm was “overtly secular” they didn’t to make it an attack on minorities. Hence, even physical attacks were part of a secular helluva which fostered brotherhood and communal harmony.

This sort of disconnected false manufactured idealism is so passe to construe a bunch of Don Quixote’s fighting windmills. At any rate, kudos! Upon the dark doctrine of the chauvinist, the light of reason and mutual respect is destined to prevail, if only belatedly. You regard thy honour not in backstabs, but head-on confrontation.But the dark doctrine of the pretend liberal is more difficult to overcome, for he leaves a positive mark on impressionable minds, and, devoid of such notions as honour, is prepared to backstab. Reams and reams of paper, thousands of bytes and lakhs of social media messages must have been exchanged in less than 24 hours on how to divert the issue of bursting of crackers in certain pockets of the country celebrating the win of Pakistan and some verified Twitter handles equating the Indian team’s loss to that of Narendra Modi.

For them, the tall talk of a “New India” has degenerated into a sleight of hand because of euphemism for a bunch of highly individualistic, self-destructively competitive, and thoroughly uninspiring leaders. The aphorism seems tailor-made and the people’s eulogies were only about dabbling with the subjects and penning reflections. Their theories have been so exhaustive that sometimes the reader misses the wood for the trees.

Conceding my absence of intellect, I must nonetheless venture to say, that it seems quite elemental to me, that if for long the state as an institution either lies about history or prepares a selective version of history on an industrial scale, some people by sheer merit would eventually discover the truth or the hidden aspects as the case may be, and be curious and audacious enough to pose, “Why?” In that event, does the inclusion of hitherto ignored events constitute a ‘foolish act’? My greenhorn self says ‘no!’ Perhaps the elevated ones know better. In that event, the word ‘rewriting’ is incorrect. It is rather an addition which renders it the clearer, just as connecting pieces of a puzzle gives us a clearer perspective.

In conclusion, one must remember that it is possible to deplore attacks on cricketers, verbal or otherwise, unequivocally, without allowing political considerations to take priority. For such a position would be driven by consistent principles and is therefore of sounder footing. So soon as selective criticism is seen, one must be wary of politics at hand.

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