Tricky Eden Gardens Pitch Likely To Earn Demerit Points From The ICC

It's become increasingly clear that India's batters of the highest quality of recent times come a cropper against quality tweakers from overseas countries -- especially on designer tracks that show bias of the surface. There have been one too many instances of the top batters failing repeatedly to spin. It happened against New Zealand at Pune and Mumbai last year and the spinners who exposed the vulnerable nature of the India batters were Mitchel Santner and Ajaz Patel, both left-arm spinners. Prior to that, India's batters could not put up a commanding display against Australia's experienced Nathan Lyon and tyro spinners in Tod Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann and England's Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed. Of the above lot, New Zealand's Patel has been the most successful at a single venue -- the Wankhede Stadium where he has taken 25 wickets in two Tests. While India managed to prevail over Australia 2-1 and beat England 4-1, the Rohit Sharma led team lost 0-3 last year. In the current home international season, India scored an easy win against the West Indies, but struggled against the South African off spinner in the first innings of the first Test at the Eden Gardens. Fresh from their victory against Pakistan at Rawalpindi where Harmer and Maharaj took 17 wickets, the off spinner took four in the first innings at the Eden on a spiteful surface. Utter chaos happened on the pitch that is likely to earn the wrath of the ICC. The uneven bounce was dangerous on occasions and not a single batter could play strokes without fear. The Eden pitch also proved that the home team batters were far from equipped to deal with good spinners. (By G Viswanath)

Is T Sathishkumar Emerging As South India’s Verghese Kurien?

T Sathishkumar started as a simple Dhoodwala in Erode. Expanded to procuring 8 lakh litres from 70,000 farmers …a business he could sustain for long, as India had reached top spot as the world’s top milk producer, powered by the White Revolution and Verghese Kurien’s panavision dream for Anand and Amul. Today, Milky Mist Dairy (MMD) procures milk from 20 districts of TN and has every derivative product from milk – paneer, cheese, curd, flavoured yogurt, milk shakes, ghee, butter, payasam and shrikhand. MMD’s mozzarella cheese making plant is the biggest in the country, boasting a robotic line of production and crucial in the supply chain of the fast food industry. MMD’s paneer is a marketer’s dream journey…a few years back, paneer was not so popular in South cuisine. Now Milky Mist has won aggressively challenging Amul, Mother Dairy, Nandini, Gowardhan and some regional brands. Before the advent of Milky Mist, AAVIN TN’s flagship dairy brand had kept much of the market in its grip. The way retailers were coaxed to stock Milky Mist paneer is a case study for business schools. The same business spirit of adventurous strategy is now evident in the introduction of Milky Mist SKYR, a protein-led traditional Icelandic recipe that wants to lead the fitness market with a unique protein product …easy to consume straight out of the cup to those in search of muscle and strength. All these are reflected in its impressive financials. It has grown from Rs 1,015 crore in FY22 to Rs 1,437 crore in FY23 to Rs 2,349 crore in FY25. Now, the company is getting ready for an IPO at an expected valuation of Rs 20,000 crore. (By Padma Ramnath)

Ajay Devgn At A Crossroads: When Choice Outweighs Charisma

Ajay Devgn has long been a study in contrasts: a brooding intensity that anchors thrillers and dramas, and a surprisingly limited palette when it comes to frothier entertainments. As De De Pyaar De 2 hits theatres, it’s worth asking whether the actor’s recent script choices are eroding the cachet that once made him a dependable box-office draw. Devgn’s strengths are clear. He remains one of Hindi cinema’s most effective serious actors, capable of delivering taut, controlled performances in films that require grit rather than glamour. That steady gravitas has earned him big payoffs with the right material. But his flirtation with lighter comedy and flamboyant romcom territory has been uneven. Where he convinces as the silent, suffering hero, he often looks out of sync when a role demands snappy comic timing, dancing dexterity or an easy romantic swagger. Past attempts at broader comedy and mixed-genre projects have underlined this mismatch. Recent outings have done little to reassure audiences. Films such as Son of Sardar 2 and previously, Thank God had failed to fully connect with critics or viewers, De De Pyaar De’s first instalment drew mixed reactions, and a string of smaller turns and guest appearances went largely unnoticed. More recent projects like Auro Me Kaha Dum Tha’, Maidaan and Bholaa were widely seen as disappointments, reinforcing a narrative that not every script suits his strengths. For Devgn, the clear path forward is selective boldness — leaning into taut thrillers, moral dramas and textured character work, while being more discerning about lightweight fare that asks him to play against his core strengths. His next choices will determine whether he reaffirms his standing or drifts into forgettable territory. (By Girish Wankhede)

Finally, Kerala's Seaplane Project To Takeoff

Kerala's seaplane project, first conceived in 2013 and aborted twice following protest from environmentalists and coastal fishermen, is finally set to takeoff. The civil aviation ministry has cleared 48 routes for operations in the state under the government of India's UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) scheme. The project has received seven proposals from private operators. Till date, the State government has approved India One Air, MEHAIR, PHL and SpiceJet to operate, according to Kerala Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas. The development comes about at a time when the authorities have successfully completed the groundwork for the launch of seaplane services from Kochi Airport to Lakshadweep. Spice Shuttle, a subsidiary of Spice Jet plans to operate a 22-seater plane for tourists and as a public transport. A one-way trip is expected to cost Rs 12,000.  The authorities also promise to extend a few tickets at subsidised rates -- Rs 4,000 under the UDAN scheme. Lakshadweep, which is now being heavily promoted by the government of India as a top tourist destination to take on the likes of Maldives, has only one airport, Agatti. A flight from Kochi takes one and half hours to reach Agatti. Today tourists and local inhabitants have to travel to other islands like Kavaratti and Kadmat by boat or helicopter. In the long run, the seaplanes from Kochi will also fly directly to the neighbouring islands. A model similar to the proposed Kochi-Lakshadweep seaplane, manufactured by Canadian company De Havilland, was used to conduct trial flights from Kochi to Mattupetty in 2024. In addition, the routes being explored include Kochi-Wayanad, Kochi-Idukki. Other destinations for expansion to leverage Kerala's abundant natural beauty, include Kovalam, Ashtamudi Lake, Kumarakom, Idukki dam, Malampuzha dam, Banasura Sagar Dam and Bekel.  (By Our National Editor)

Politics or Procedure? Federation’s Block On Bengali Film Sparks Uproar

The Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India has blocked the release of yet another Bengali film, fuelling speculation over whether it is merely a procedural dispute or one tangled with political undercurrents involving cast members Rudranil Ghosh and Sourav Das. The latest film caught in the crossfire is The Academy of Fine Arts directed by SRFTI debutant Jayabrata Das. Despite receiving the go ahead from the Central Board of Film Certification, the November 14 release was halted just 48 hours before opening. The move triggered a flood of social-media outrage, with many alleging arbitrary gatekeeping by the Federation. The guild claims the film breached industry rules due to the involvement of Pramod Films during post-production. That association, it argues, makes the project a commercial production, mandating guild-registered technicians and prior clearances. Federation president Swarup Biswas insists their objections target Pramod Films, not students, and has demanded the removal of the banner’s name from posters, trailers, and the censor certificate. He dismissed allegations of financial demands. Jayabrata, in a lengthy post, stated that the student team had worked independently for five years with scant resources and sought limited help from Pramod Films only when funds were depleted. The Federation has also questioned the film’s Mumbai registration, high-end shooting locations, extensive marketing, and a distribution plan involving INOX, PVR and UFO Cube, which typically costs Rs 18–20 lakh. The presence of actors like Rudranil Ghosh, now with the BJP, and Sourav Das, who appeared in The Bengal Files, has added to speculation on whether political optics are influencing the Federation’s stance. Meetings between the parties remain inconclusive, leaving the fate of the Rs 25-lakh partly crowdfunded film in limbo as calls for its release grow louder online. (By Tanya Bagchi)

Journalist Reunites Kidnapped Toddler With The Family

Presence of mind by a Varanasi journalist resulted in the reunion of a four-year-old girl with her parents. The toddler was kidnapped from Mumbai in May this year. The Mumbai Police had launched two special search efforts called "Operation Shodh" (Operation Trace) to find the missing child. The breakthrough came when a local Hindi-speaking journalist alerted the authorities about a girl, speaking in Marathi, housed at a local children's shelter. The girl and her family, originally from Solapur, were in Mumbai for her father's medical treatment when she went missing on 20 May while playing in a crowded area. Mumbai police teams travelled to Uttar Pradesh time and again during their six-month investigation. The child had been left near Varanasi station by an unidentified suspected kidnapper. Local authorities placed her in the care of an orphanage, where staff members started calling her "Kashi." After receiving the tip, Mumbai police confirmed her identity and later, the parents, too, identified their daughter over a video call before her physical reunion with them, incidentally on Children’s Day. Mumbai’s DCP Zone 1 Dr Pravin Mundhe and Senior Inspector Yogesh Sable led the investigations. The CCTV footage revealed that the kidnapper boarded a train from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus towards Uttar Pradesh. During the November 1 to 15 ‘Operation Shodh’ drive, the police distributed the girl’s photos, stuck posters all over Varanasi and published information in the local newspapers. That was when the breakthrough came. The kidnapper is still at large. (By Dilip Chaware)

Little Giant Bavuma Stands Tall At Eden

Tiny Temba Bavuma played a giant’s hand in keeping South Africa in the hunt at the bowlers’ paradise that Kolkata’s Eden Gardens turned out to be. His seventh half century in his last 11 innings was another valuable contribution to a team that he led to an unlikely victory in the World Test Championship last summer at Lord’s over defending champions Australia. His gritty presence at the crease even brought out a rare curse from the lips of India’s gigantic performer with the ball, Jasprit Bumrah. A taunt over Bavuma’s dwarfish physique was not in order, but it might have escaped attention of the match authorities as it might have been lost in translation. What it signified was what a gutsy performer the pocket-sized batsman is and how he outlasted everyone to make the highest individual scores in very tough batting conditions. The sporting crowd at the Eden Gardens stood up to a man to celebrate Bavuma’s half century. Without the advantage of height or power, the Cape Town born battler has built his game around patience and solid defensive technique and is nearing the 4000-run mark in Tests. The first black African batsman to be picked to play Tests for South Africa has more than justified his place in the rainbow nation’s team. His stature in South African cricket is a tribute to the spirit of man that shone through regardless of race or colour. (By Tamil Raja)