Mumbai Weekly by Mumbai Weekly

Mumbai Weekly

VOL 5. ISSUE 1 | MONDAY 01 AUGUST 2016

RUN BY THE PHOTOJOURNALISM STUDENTS OF UDAAN SCHOOL OF PHOTOGRAPHY

People

Feature

Page 2

Entertainment

Page 5

Sports

Page 7

Page 8

Eight Die in a Building Collapse in Bhiwandi A major tragedy unfolded at Bhiwandi in Thane (located 20 km to the north-east of Mumbai) on the 31st of July, where a three storey building in Gaibi Nagar area collapsed between 8:30-9:00 am due to heavy rains. Most members of the families who were re-

Khurshid Alam Ansari gets emotional at the loss of his family members at Bhiwandi in Thane on 31 July 2016. Suraj

Gauda / Mumbai Weekly

siding in the building were trapped under the debris, while the rescue team managed to pull out 22 people.

locality and diversion of traffice due to water logging. Rescue workers toiled till late in the evening in search of any victims from the nine families that lived in the building. According to media reports, the horrifing incident was brought to light that the building was declared hazardous to live in about three years ago by the municipal body. In spite of multiple warnings and notices issued by the authorities, some of the residents continued to live in the building. However, the residents who remained there stated reasons of disputes with their owners.

Totally eight residents lost their lives to the mishap and the victims were identified as Shahajahan Khurshid Aalam Ansari aged 42, Aayesha Mobin Ansari aged 38, Muddashir Khurshid Aalam Ansari aged 20, Saif Khurshid Aalam Ansari aged 17, Khalid Khurshid Aalam Ansari aged 15, Shakib Khurshid Aalam Ansari aged 11, Suphiya Shahnavaz Shah aged 19 and Yehem Ejaz Shah aged 10. 22 people were injured and were rushed to Indira Gandhi Hospital. The media also reported that the building The National Disas- was constructed about ter Response Force 30 years ago by Kabir (NDRF) and the fire Shaikh. The ground engine’s arrival was de- floor housed a loom faclayed due to extreme- tory which was shut afly narrow lanes in the ter a part of the wall col-

Rescue workers clear debris at the building collapse site at Bhiwandi in Thane on 31 July 2016. Suraj Gauda /

Mumbai Weekly

lapsed a few years ago. rescue workers saved a under the debris. The scratch. The happi- the resucers pulled There was a shimmer seven month old baby baby survived the or- ness however did not out the dead body of of happiness when the which was trapped deal without a single last too long when the child’s mother.

Rain Brings Down Tree at Khau Gali

Kabali Joins the 200 Crore Club

Fans celebrate the release of Rajinikanth starer Kabali outside Arora theatre at Matunga in Mumbai on 22 July 2016. Pavish Eswaran /

Mumbai Weekly

Workers chop down the fallen tree at Khau Gali road in Mumbai on 30 July 2016. Imrose Ahmed / Mumbai

Weekly

A huge tree fell on the footpath right outside the Bell Haven government quarters at Marine lines on July 30th around 10 in the morning. The tree crashed on a security cabin of the Pratishtha Bhavan, a building that contains central government offices.

The watchman Jaffir Khan aged 45 who reported to duty at 8am and was in the security cabin injured his back and stomach in the incident and was rushed to the GT Hospital in fort. The tree also damaged a juice centre as branches of the tree fell on the roof

of the shop, a car was also damaged in the incident however there was no one else injured.

able to remove the tree from the spot till 6pm. The reason for the trees falling is suspected to be due to the concretizing Tree cutting and trim- the roots of trees as not ming contractors with enough attention is paid private cranes were to roots of trees while called when the city civ- concretizing the roads. ic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corpora- According to media retion (BMC) was not ports around 25 com-

plaints of trees crashing were registered with the disaster management cell of the civic body in 24 hours, which is from 8am on 29th of July to 8am on the 30th. Out of the 25 complaints registered, 13 complaints were made in the western suburban areas of the city.

Superstar Rajinikanth’s latest release Kabali has ended its first week on a high. It has earned INR 262 crore (40 million USD approximately) worldwide. Now fans will wait to see if it can beat Baahubali’s records. The film’s success has not been restricted to southern India, but it has also enjoyed a good run in the other parts of the country as well. According to the box office reports, the Hindi version of the film has earned INR 28 crore (4 million USD approximately) in Northern India in it’s

first week of release. The fan frenzy it has caused is yet again unprecedented. Fans were euphoric with joy, bathing Rajini’s posters with milk, attending 4 A.M. shows. They burst firecrackers, distributed sweets with joy outside cinemas. The local Rajinikanth fan club at Matunga organized special prayers for the success of the movie. There has also been incidents of fans coming to the theatres the night before to catch the dawn shows. Bike processions were organized on the day of the release to gather

people’s attention. Arora theatre in at Matunga seemed like an extension of Tamil Nadu in Mumbai with the atmosphere the fans created around. There craze of the movie drove a few fans to fashion their hairstyle with the name of the movie shaved on their head. Some fans have been reported to give free auto rides to those who want to watch Kabali in Chennai. Scenes were no different in U.S.A. and Japan, where Rajini has a huge fanbase. Keeping up with the Kabali fever, Rajini jokes are back on social media too.

2 PEOPLE

MONDAY, 01 AUGUST 2016

Aspiring Models Walk the Ramp for Lakme Fashion Week Audition

Models wait for their auditions for the fashion week at St. Regis hotel in Mumbai on 30 June 2016. including Anita Dongre, Fashion Designer and Founder of House of Anita Dongre; Evelyn Sharma, Bollywood actress and philanthropist; Malini Agarwal, famous celebrity blogger; Anu Ahuja and Lubna Adams, celebrated fashion choreographers; Purnima Lamba, Head of Innovation, Lakmé and Jaspreet Chandok, Vice President and Head-Fashion, IMG Reliance.

Models share a light moment during the audition for the lakme fashion week at St. Regis hotel in Mumbai on 30 June 2016. Lakme Fashion Week It is jointly organized ditions are India’s most part in this year’s edi- dia. They opened doors (LFW) is a fashion by Lakme, the num- popular event which tion are Manish Mal- to aspiring models at event that takes place ber one cosmetics and gives a platform to as- hotra, Rohit Bal, Anita the auditions held in twice a year in Mum- beauty services brand piring models to walk Dongre, Monish Jais- the month of June at bai. Its Summer Resort in India and IMG Re- the ramp for top design- ing and Rahul Mishra. Anais, The St. Regis in is generally schedule liance Pvt. Ltd., leader ers from all over the Mumbai. The jury panel to be in the month of in sports, fashion and world who showcase The Lakme Fashion comprised of an eclectic February while the entertainment market- their collection. Some Week is a platform to mix of fashion experts Winter Festive show ing and management. of the Indian design- promote the Fashion and stalwarts of the Intakes place in August. The event’s Model Au- ers who will be taking Design Council of In- dian fashion industry,

TOP: A model walks the ramp at the auditions for the fashion week at St. Regis in Mumbai on 30 June 2016. Out

of around a 100 participants only 5 of them got selected for the fashion week in August. RIGHT: A model adjusts her hair during the auditions for the fashion week at St. Regis in Mumbai on 30 June 2016

The fashion week was inaugurated in 1999 and internationally acclaimed stars such as Niomi Campbell, Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor and Malaika Arora Khan have walked the ramp. Careers of famous designers such as Sabyasachi Mukherjee were launched during the Lakme Fashion Week. The ‘Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2016’ is to take place

in the month of August from 24th - 28th this event is not just a launch pad for aspiring models but also has celebrities walking the ramp as a showstoppers for Famous Designers at the end of each show instantly making it a crowd pleaser as well. Mumbai Weekly’s photographer Pavish Eswaran captured all the glitz and glamour at the auditions.

3 METRO

MONDAY, 01 AUGUST 2016

Kanniyah Kumar Joins Protest Against Ambedkar Bhavan Demolition A huge rally to protest the demolition of Ambedkar Bhavan with more than 20,000 protestors as reported by Indian media, was witnessed outside Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) on Tuesday afternoon

which jammed the area for a couple of hours. The Rally was organized by Prakash Ambedkar and Anandraj Ambedkar, grandson of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar and leader of Bhartiya Republican Party (BRP) Bharipa

Kanhaiya Kumar (right) looks up during the protest rally in Mumbai on 19 July 2016.

Janak Rathod / Mumbai Weekly

Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) and Republican Sena party. Rajya Sabha member and general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Sitaram Yechury, Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam and the president of Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi Kanhaiya Kumar took part in the protest rally. Thousands of Dalits of neighbouring districts of Mumbai also participated in the protest amidst the rain demanding to rebuild the historical Ambedkar Bhavan in Dadar (East) which was demolished People react during a protest against the Ambedkar Bhavan demolition in Mumbai on 19 July 2016. Janak Rathod / by the city civic body. Mumbai Weekly

Report: Powai Lake Highly Contaminated

An sculptor works on a statue in Mumbai on 15 July 2016. Pavish

A man fishes at Powai Lake in Mumbai on 30 July 2016. Swapnil Bhatkal / Mumbai Weekly According to a quality test conducted by a Mumbai based NGO, Plants and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) the water in Powai Lake is dangerous for people and animals. The NGO found high content of bacteria and other pathogenic organisms in the lake. This is caused due to flow of untreated domestic

sewage flow into the lake. The NGO, collected water samples from the lake. They submitted the sample to Maharashtra State Public Health Service, District Public Health Laborotary, Navi Mumbai for a bacteriological analysis. The laboratory found coliform bacteria level water in the water well above permissi-

ble limits. The report highlighted the fact that the incredibly high coliform count creates a major threat to the flora and fauna of the lake and also the health of dairy animals around the lake. As per the guidelines set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), levels of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

above six milligrams per litre (mg/L) cannot sustain fish species. BOD is the amount of oxygen dissolved in water bodies needed for the sustenance of aerobic biological organisms. However, a study by conservation group Naushad Ali Sarovar Samvadrhini (NASS) found BOD levels between 27 and 34 mg/L

City Gears Up For Ganesh Chaturthi

Eswaran / Mumbai Weekly at five locations in the lake which is close to five times more than the acceptable limits. Scientists believe that the lake is more polluted during summers as the low water level and increased sewage increases BOD. With an evident increase in rains in the city only time can tell the extent the rains help the condition.

Ganesh Chaturthi is the Hindu festival celebrated in honour of the elephant headed god, Ganesha. Celebrations traditionally lasts for a period of ten to eleven days. The festival is celebrated by families at home, by people at their work place and in public. The celebrations involves idols of Ganesha being placed

at temporary shrines and at residence for worship. At the end of the festival the idols are immersed in a body of water. In preparation for the festival, artisans create clay models of Ganesha for sale the preparation begins three - four months prior and the idols range in various sizes. Mainly the idols are made in

pen located in Pune and transported throughout Maharashtra, which are painted beautifully by local artisans. The idols are also decorated with stones and crystals to make them more attractive, creative and innovative idols are also made every year. An atmosphere of competition is seen among artists making the idols.

Train Mishap Kills One Again Mumbaikars Enjoy High Tides

People carry the body of the deceased at Parel railway station in Mumbai on 09 July 2016.

Shashi Shekhar Kashyap / Mumbai Weekly In a freak accident, a man fell unconscious on the railway tracks and was run over by a local train at Parel station in Mumbai on Saturday 09th July. The victim was rumored to have been suffering

from epilepsy but the officials have still not confirmed as to how the man fell on the tracks. The number of railway accidents has seen a steep increase in the past decade with close to 50,000 lives

lost from 2002 to 2015 as per the information revealed by the Railway authorities under the RTI query. Among them,28,267 people in the central line and 22,236 people were injured in the western

line. As per the reports, 31,515 deaths occurred while crossing railway lines and fall from trains while crossing railway lines. Lack of footover bridges and narrow platforms pose a huge threat to commuters.

Girls react to a high tide in Mumbai on 06 July 2016. Vijay Bihani / Mumbai Weekly Monsoon generally arrives in Mumbai on the first week of June and the coastal city experiences a good amount of rain every year. Leaving aside the problems

such as water-logging, traffic jams and collapsing trees, people welcome the onset of the new season like any other festival and flock to Marine Drive every

year during high tides and other places being Bandra Bandstand and Worli Seaface. People standing and facingtowards an approaching high tide is a com-

mon sight in Mumbai. The fun doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come without the element of risk though, as enthusiasts pose for selfies and pictures standing at the tiwp of seafronts.

4 EDITORIAL MONDAY, 01 AUGUST 2016

OPINION : Changing Technology

Monish Shanmugam

mart phones, one of the major inventions of the 21st century has not only changed communication modes but has changed the lives of people. Technology has taken a great leap in the current century and the advancement is like never before. But is this for the greater good? Or are we all a part of one big plan? Mobile phones are one of the greatest inventions ever and no other technology has changed human lives like them. From a time of waiting to get home or to a telephone booth to make a call to making a call from wherever we are, mobile phones have taken communication to a whole new level. The first smart phone easily gave us the newest tool to a whole new world. In 1999, a Japanese firm named NTT DoCoMo released the first smart phone to achieve mass adoption within a

country. Smart phones became widespread in the 21st century and most of those produced from 2012 onwards have high-speed mobile broadband 4G LTE, motion sensors, proximity sensorsw. During the early years, smart phones were still rare outside Japan until the release of Danger Hip-top in 2002, which saw moderate success in the US as the T-mobile Sidekick. Carrying this forward Microsoft and Blackberry jumped into the market and witnessed a tremendous success, attracting a wide range of customers. Apple and Samsung currently lead the smart phone market along with a lot of other companies looking that give out a new phone with a new feature every day. Apple phones started becoming a craze all around the world and every time they released a phone people queued up in front of Boys play Pokemon Go in Mumbai on 17 July 2016. Janak Rathod / Mumbai Weekly the stores waiting for days to own an apple a brilliant advancement ing phones and not just elders and youngsters with important and device for themselves. in terms of technolo- using but addicted to alike seem to make it necessar features like gy. But is this technol- it. They in their young a convenient excuse bill payments, travel Of course with the ogy put to good use? age are expected to be to not interact with the bookings, hotel resergrowth in the producgo out and play or in- environment around vations, fitness tracktion of these phones Anybody who was volve themselves in and being immersed ers, etc., that are very came in a lot of job op- born before the 2000s physical activities but in their own world. helpful to everyone and portunities all around will have a completely smartphones have put has also made life easthe world as these com- different idea of child- them in a virtual pris- They also pick up un- ier in many ways. By panies expanded to all hood compared to the on that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allow wanted and violent mat- making life easy, these continents. Thanks to ones born after 2000. them to go out and enters as they are exposed smart phones have also them, now we can talk Growing up, the only joy themselves. With to internet not on their made people lazy. With face to face with any- phone that comes to my the advent of newer computers at home but more and more applione in any part of the mind is the land line. technology being intro- the smart phones with cations being created world just by swiping Today it is disappoint- duced into the world of them, although these for every petty thing, the phone. This is again ing to see children us- gaming in smartphones smart phones come people have literal-

ly stopped using their energy on any kind of mental and physical activities. There ought to be a fine line where this has to be stopped as this is not just a problem for the future generations but it is a huge problem for the current one as well. Any technological development is interlinked to the co-existence of every being. It is hence the responsibility of ev-

ery human to use and develop technology in the best possible way withough abusing it. Moreover, it is necessary for us to decide whether we are ensalving technology or we ourselves are being slaves to it. The above views are personal views expressed by the author of this article.

POINT OF VIEW: Sports For Everyone

Pavish Eswaran

n my way back from an assignment in Bandra on the 8th of July, I saw children enjoy their time playing cricket at an open field near the Bandra railway station. Whenever I saw children playing on the streets, I thought they resort to playing on the street since they did not have anywhere else to play. But, for the first time when I saw the children in a different light, I wondered how these children will show their talents to the nation, if they are one of the best in sports? How will they know that not only studies, but sports can also be one of the biggest ways to survive?

It seems as though children who have grown up with all the resources are equipped to make a better life, but the children who lack these privileges cannot showcase their talent because of money and lack of education which would be an enormous loss for the nation. There is still a lot of untapped potential hidden among children growing up on the streets day to day who do not see a future in sports due to lack of knowledge and guidance. In fact, some of the greatest champions in sports history are from underprivileged family, LeBron James who is now known as King James an NBA player, is a testament to such a success story. In light of such stories being a possibility, one can take it for granted that with the right guidance the fate of the children on the streets can be changed for the good and with the interference of the government this possibility could be a reality. Having been in Mum-

bai for the past six months pursing a course in photojournalism, I get to travel every day when I go for shoots, I have learnt a lot from this city and I still continue to learn. I believe that it is time we stop looking at this city as a place with a huge financial divide, as a place where the rich and the poor live but ask ourselves if each class gets a fair chance to get an equal opportunity making them feel like a citizen of this city. My initiative of writing this article is an attempt to show the lack of a standard in sports in our country because of not being able to recognize the talent of the children in many places and when recognized not providing the right resources to develop. The Indian government needs to make free sports clubs for the children who are not in the position to afford anything and more than that we public must support people who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know about sports, since we as the

Children play cricket in between abandoned railway tracks at Bandra in Mumbai on 08 July 2016. Pavish Eswaran /

Mumbai Weekly

public are the most powerful and together we can bring about a huge change in making our country powerful in terms of sports at the international level. Let us raise sports to a

pedestal equal to education and make sure everyone is given an opportunity. Sports is always mentioned as extracurricular in schools and educational institutes but let us

try to make an exception for those who show the interest towards sports, let us make it their primary education. I do believe that a lot of talents in sports would be revealed, if

all the schools take sports as seriously as it takes education. India needs a revolution in sports and I hope we will make our country, a developed country in sports by taking an

important step towards the development of talents from the streets. The above views are personal views expressed by the author of this article.

5 FEATURE

MONDAY, 01 AUGUST 2016

A Day In The Life Of Yasmin Yasmin Mahmood Hasan is twenty two years old and lives with her five children at a shanty at Deonar which is located right next to Mumbai’s biggest dumping ground. After her husband’s

death, who had come to Mumbai for work, Yasmin with her five children had to leave for Mumbai to join her Husband. Little had she known that this incident would completely change her life.

Yasmin was pregnent with her fifth kid when her husband passed away, the people around her started doubting her and spreading rumours about her being involved with other men, her relatives and family

also didn’t support her and would often try to take her kids away from her as they thought that she wouldn’t be able to take good care of them. This incident changed Yasmin’s life and she decided to continue

to live in Mumbai and support her kids without any interference. Yasmin often returns from work to see her children salvaging their belongings from the rubble of their demolished house. Shan-

ties in her locality are often demolished by the civic body. Her eldest daughter Farheen who is eight years old goes to a government school at Govandi and Khusbhoo her second daughter of seven years

is going to start school soon. Yasmins’s other children Naaz six years old, Jainab two years old and the youngest son Umar one year old spend their day at home playing and taking care of each other while

Yasmin is at work. Farheen tries to teach her siblings once she returns from school. Yasmin wants her children to lead an independent life and have respectable and secure position in the society in future.

Yasmin starts her day early; she stands in a queue to fill buckets of water for her house, washes all the clothes and then leaves for work. After coming from work, Yasmin takes care of her children, gives them a bath, cleans her house and then cooks food for her children.

Though, there are times when they have to survive without any food, she says that she has trained her kids in such a way that even if they are hungry or in pain; it never shows on their face. Yasmin spends most of her day with her children; she believes that they are her only purpose of life. This is her space, where she finds peace and happiness.

Yasmin has dedicated her entire life to her chidren, she loves them the most and truly believes that they are the only reason for her to live her life. Her only dream is to make her kids study and make sure that they lead a good life as she went through the brutality of poverty throughout her life and has thus decided to give everything she has in herself to the future of her children.

Yasmin works as a domestic help close to her home, where she earns Rs.1200 a month through which she pays her dues and supports her children. Yasmin tries her best to provide for her children and looks for any extra work she may get her hands to but being uneducated she does not find a well paid job leaving her with a limited window of opportunity. Living in a dangerous neighbourhood does not help her cause, as she constantly needs to keep a look out for her children’s safety. Her perimeter for looking out for work hence further reduces to her neighbourhood and any money she earns is not enough her for to sustain the needs of the children for a month and hence poses further difficulties when it comes to things such as medical situations and education apart from food. She also dreams of building a house for her family with basic necessities. Umar is Yasmin’s youngest child and the only son. Yasmin’s husband passed away while she was pregnant with Umar. Yasmin Yasmin is one of the many such stories in Deonar who are still struggling truly believes that Allah took her husband away and in return Umar was born. She believes that Umar would support her and take for a meal a day and roof above their heads. - Photographs and text by Siddhant Chawla. care of her once he grows up. She loves him and says Umar is the only reason that she why didn’t break after her husbands death.

6 ECONOMY

MONDAY, 01 AUGUST 2016

Report: India is The Fastest Growing Air Travel Market

A flight prepares to take off in Mumbai on 07 July 2016. Nithin Francis / Mumbai Weekly In a recent report by the international air transport association (IATA), India has been considered as the fastest growing domestic air travel market. The growth was driven by low fares and average

domestic fares which were 15-20 per cent lower in 2015 on a yearon-year basis. However, India is five times smaller than China and nine times smaller than the United States in terms of Market size.

Domestic airlines in the country flew 81 million passengers in 2015, registering a 20 per cent growth from 2014 according to the data in media reports received from the Directorate General of Civial Avi-

ation(DGCA). According to DGCA data, domestic airlines flew 39.6 million passengers between January-May this year, registering a year-on-year growth of 22.87 per cent. Aviation consultancy Centre

Sensex Gains 184 Points, Nifty Ends at a 15 Month High

A man walks past the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai on 30 July 2016. Himmat Singh /

Mumbai Weekly

The Bombay Stock Exchange gained over 184 points to 28,208.62 a new one year high while the Nifty50 index ended at fresh 15-month

high of 8,666.30. Shares of Multi Commodities Exchange of India (MCX) rose 0.84 per cent to Rs. 1,068.30 (16.02 USD approx.)

after the government raised the foreign investment limit in stock exchanges to 15 per cent. Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG)

shares were the prominent gainer in the market with the FMCG sub-index of National Stock Exchange rising 1.77 per cent.

Airtel signs Rs.3,500 crore deal with Aircel

India’s Telecom Ministry has cleared the INR 3,500 crore (525 million USD) 4G spectrum trading deal between Bharti Airtel and Aircel has been cleared by the Telecom Ministry. However, officials from Bharti Airtel declined from commenting on the clearance. Airtel has signed an agreement with Aircel to acquire rights to use 4G spectrum of Aircel in eight telecom circles for INR 3,500 crore. Chennai along with the whole state of Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Assam, the North-East, Andhra Praesh and Odisha fall under the circle. According to media reports, was asked

People walk in front of a closed shutter in Mumbai on 29 June 2016. Suraj Gauda / Mumbai Weekly to surrender 1.2 Mhz cle, no player can hold like the Open network spectrum in Odisha cir- more than 25 per cent initiative under projcle for approval after it of the total spectrum ect leap which shows breached the spectrum allocated in that partic- a streetwise view of cap limit. Airtel surren- ular service area. Airtel their network strengths dered the required spec- had recently launched enabling customers to trum before the deal a wide variety of ser- make an educated dewas cleared. In a cir- vices across the country cision in opting airtel.

for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) estimates domestic traffic in India to cross 100 mn in FY17. The country has 10 airline services that provide scheduled and regional services, such as IndiGo, Jet Airways

(India) Ltd, Air India Ltd, GoAir (Go Airlines (India) Ltd), SpiceJet Ltd, Air Costa Aviation Pvt. Ltd, AirAsia (India) Pvt. Ltd, Vistara (TATA SIA Airlines Ltd), Air Pegasus (Decor Aviation Pvt.

Ltd) and TrueJet (Turbo Megha Airways Pvt. Ltd). With IndiGo being the largest airlines in India in terms of passenger carrier. The price of benchmark Brent crude oil fell to 35% in 2015, while in 2014, it

dropped 48.3%. In India, fuel costs account for about 45-55% of the revenue of domestic airlines, and a 4% reduction in fuel cost adds around 2 percentage points to the operating margin of airlines.

5 Lakh Tonnes of Maize to be Imported : Ministry In order to check the price rise and prevent hoarding, the Indian government has decided to import 5 lakh tonnes of maize. The decision was made in the wake of a sharp fall in the domestic production of the crop. As per the tweet by the Commerce and industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, she has approved importing 5,00,000 tonnes of maize under Tariff Rate Quota by a state trading enterprise. Media reports have confirmed that, presently 50 per cent import duty is attracted by importing maize, however, under the tariff quota scheme, the import duty is zero. In June, state-owned

A man removes corn seeds at a market in Mumbai on 11 July 2016.

Janak Rathod / Mumbai Weekly trading firm PEC had invited bids for import of 50,000 tonnes of maize (non-genetically modified) to boost do-

mestic supplies in view of fall in production. According to the third advance estimate by the Agriculture Min-

istry, there has been a decline in the production of maize from 23.67 last year to 21.02 million in 2015-16.

HCC Sees Raise in Net Profit

A metro enters a station in Mumbai on 30 July 2016. Swapnil Bhatkal / Mumbai Weekly Net profit of HCC Ltd., USD approx.) to INR Mumbai Metro project ter of FY17 or the first the infrastructure com- 9750.7 million (146m is expected to take 6 to quarter of FY18 and pany which holds the approx.) in a year. In 9 months to get fully that the company needs tender of Mumbai Met- an interview Praveen activated and will start to remain patiently to ro project rose to INR Sood, Group CFO of producing turnover see growth, accord9824.5 million (147m HCC company said the only by the fourth quar- ing to media reports.

7 CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

MONDAY, 01 AUGUST 2016

Salman Khan Launches Sania Mirza’s Autobiography in Mumbai

Anil Kapoor Travels The Mumbai Locals to Promote ‘24’

Bollywood Superstar Salman Khan and Tennis star Sania Mirza pose during the book launch in Mumbai on 17 July. Pavish Eswaran

/ Mumbai Weekly

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan launched India’s ace tennis player Sania Mirza’s autobiography titled “Ace Against Odds” in Mumbai on Sunday, July 17. At the event, Khan praised the tennis star for writing her

autobiography at a relatively young age. Salman Khan appreciated her telling the media that Sania MIrza has achieved things which people probably couldn’t achieve even if they spend three lifetimes. The book is

penned by her father, Imran Mirza who is a builder by profession. The book deals with her journey towards being the World No. 1 in women’s doubles rankings, along with some lesser known incidents of her personal life.

Bollywood star Anil Kapoor waves at the crowd during a promotion event for his show ‘24’ in Mumbai on 14 July 2016 . Suraj Gauda / Mumbai Weekly Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor took the local train from Churchgate to Mumbai central on 14th July 2016 to promote his forthcoming TV series “24: Season

2”. The Indian adaptation of the popular American TV show “24”, Anil Kapoor later tweeted, “24 India: Season 2″ in Churchgate local! I think I

Sanjay Dutt Celebrates Birthday as A Free Man

made a lot of people late for work today!” The promotion sparked controversy as images and videos of Anil Kapoor hanging out of the trains were released.

SAHAS Foundation has filed a complaint against the actor for travelling on the footboard and leaning out. President of SAHAS foundation said that the

actions of a senior actor with such a fan following would encourage fans to copy his actions. The Western Railway has issued a notice to the production house.

Love Is In The Air

Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone kisses actor Ranveer Singh after the movie premiere of Madari in Mumbai on 21 July 2016.

Shashi Shekhar Kashyap / Mumbai Weekly

Being ‘Unindian’

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt takes a selfie with fans on his birthday at his residence in Mumbai on 29 July 2016. Suraj Gauda / Mumbai Weekly Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt celebrated his 57th birthday on the 29th of July. This was his first birthday after

his release from jail. The birthday party was midst close friends and family. He cut the cake at midnight. Sanjay

Dutt stepped out of his house to meet and greet his fans and media personal and expressed is happiness in celebrat-

ing his birthday with his children and as a free man after having to spend three previous birthdays in Jail. He also

Bond Girl In The City

told the media that he misses his parents and that nothing is bigger than parents and hoped they were proud of him.

Former bond girl Caterina Murino (right) who started opposite Daniel Craig in the movie ‘Casino Royal’ promoted her first bollywood appearance in the movie ‘Fever’ set to release on the 5th of August. She joined her co-stars Rajeev Khandelwal (middle) and Gauhar Khan (left) during the promotion of the film at a jewelery launch event in Mumbai on 28 July 2016. Former Austrailian cricketer Brett Lee greets the audience during the Poonam Bathija / promortion of his movie ‘Unindian’ at ‘Comedy Nights with Kapil’ in Mumbai Weekly Mumbai on 27 July 2016. Poonam Bathija / Mumbai Weekly

8 SPORTS MONDAY, 01 AUGUST 2016

Team TVS Racing from Bangalore won the 27th edition of the Gulf scooter rally with its Rider Syed Asif Ali clinching the first price, and Shamim Khan from Nasik who rode a Mahindra Gusto stood second. Syed Asif Ali crashed Shammim dreams of a record breaking fifth time winner. The launch of the event was held on the 9th July and the rally took place on the next day the 10th of July in Navi Mumbai. The event saw 54 ambitious riders determined to win the rally, the awards and all the glory that comes with it. This year saw a stiff competition as reputed riders like Madhu S and Syed Asif Ali, Team Ceat with 12 riders, and other seasoned riders like Rustom Patel, Avtar Singh, Manjeet Singh Bassan, Kunal

Rallying in the Dirt

Rao (all from Mumbai) PinkeshThakkur from Pune, Madhu S from Bangalore and Syed Asif Ali and Muzaffar Ali from Bhopal took part in the event. The Gulf Monsoon Rally also saw 17 new riders, including a woman rider, Nidhi Shukla. The rally was open to all types of Indian-made scooters and was run along the backwoods of Navi Mumbai with gravel-laden and dirt tracts of about 35 kms. The weather was merciful on during the days of the rally and clear skies went in the rider’s favour. However, the rains prior to the rally made the tracks extremely slushy and difficult for the riders to stay on their scooters with many of the riders having to pull out of the race as their scooters broke down due to the harsh conditions. A rider enters a slushy part of the Gulf scooter rally racing track 09 July 2016. Swapnil Bhatkal / Mumbai Weekly

Chess Competition Sees Young Wiz Kids The Indian Chess School organized a chess championship on the 23 July at the Don Bosco High School in the Mumbai suburbs.

The championship took place with 470 participants enrolling for the scholastic chess out of which only 340 were allowed to take part due to registrations exceeding limit. The accepted participants included around 100 FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) rated players.

A participant reacts during a game at a chess competition in Mumbai on 24 July 2016. Vaibhav Bhosale / Mumbai Weekly

The scholastic event in which the winner of the tournament was decided by cummulative scoring in 8 rouinds with each round victory given one point and a draw given half a point. The format was organized in four categories for both boys

and girls under 8, 10, 12 and 15. The victors in the four categories for boys under 8, 10, 12 and 15 open were Kush Bhagat, Aarav Lakhani, Jeet Shah, Shiv Shome respectively and the girl’s category saw Aditi Kayal, Kriti Patel, Kiyarra Khaturia, Yuti Patel win their respective Under 8, 10 12 and 15 open events. A fast blitz chess competition was also organized for senior players in which Vikramaditya Kulkarni winning 12 consecutive victories and claiming the the first place and INR 10,000 (150 USD approximately) out of a pool prize money of INR 52, 000 (780 USD approximately.) Krishnater Kushager won the runners up while Ketan Boricah was the second runners up.

Participants make their moves during the chess championship in Mumbai on 23 July 2016. Nithin Francis / Mumbai Weekly

Patna Pirates Wins Fourth Season of Pro Kabbadi

Jaipur Pink Panthers beat Patna Pirates 29 to 22 in the 46th match of the fourth season of the Pro Kabbadi league. Ajay Kumar of the Jaipur Pink Panthers scored the most number of points among the two teams with seven touch points. Jaipur Pink Panthers is currently on the third spot in the standings with 47 points and Patna Pirates are the table toppers with 52 points. The owner of the Jaipur pink panthers, bollywood star Abhishek Bhachan was there to support his team during the match. At an intense moment during the match the actor was seen walking in to the dugout to get a closer look at the action.

The Jaipur Pink Panthers beat the Telugu Titans in the second semi finals to reach the finals where they faced the Patna Pirates who defeated the Puneri Paltans a Pune based team in the first semi final.

Patna Pirates won the Pro Kabaddi League title for the second consecutive time this year breaking the winning streak Jaipur Pink Panthers had against them in the tournament with a comfortable eight points lead (37 - 29). The finals was held on 31st July at the Gachibowli indoor stadium in Hyderabad. In the third place play off Puneri Paltans beat Telugu Titans 35 to 40.

Surjeet Singh of the Patna Pirates falls during a raid against their kabadi match with the Jaipur Pink Panthers in Mumbai on 22 July 2016.

Pavish Eswaran / Mumbai Weekly