FIFA president Gianni Infantino is suspected of having intervened with Switzerland's attorney general to try to get an investigation dropped, a Swiss newspaper alleged on Monday. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) launched an investigation in 2016, shortly after Infantino was elected president of world football's governing body, about his awarding of a TV rights contract to an offshore company in his previous role as UEFA's legal affairs director.

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According to the Tribune de Geneve newspaper, Infantino was worried about this investigation and wrote to his childhood friend, Rinaldo Arnold, who had become a senior prosecutor in Switzerland's Haut-Valais region where they grew up. "I will try to explain to the OAG that it is in my interests that everything should be cleared up as soon as possible, that it be clearly stated that I have nothing to do with this matter," he wrote in an email cited by the newspaper. Arnold, who had helped to set up a first meeting between Infantino and Attorney General Michael Lauber, replied: "What is important is the meeting in two weeks' time. If you like, I can come with you again."

The meeting took place on April 22, 2016, the newspaper said, adding that what happened during it remains a mystery, and the OAG "refuses to speak about it". The OAG declined to comment when contacted by AFP. FIFA said later on Monday "the email referred to in the article was obviously obtained by hacking, which is an illegal and criminal act."

'No reason to lie'

"Not only Mr Infantino had no reason to lie in that email, the email never said Mr Infantino wanted to 'clear his name'," FIFA added. The Zurich-based federation has always indicated that the meetings between Infantino and the OAG were intended to show that FIFA was ready to engage with the Swiss justice system.

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Argentine football legend Diego Maradona has asked the "Hand of God" to deliver the world from COVID-19 pandemic and allow normal life to resume. The World Cup winner referred to his hand-assisted goal in the 1986 World Cup after Argentine football chiefs voted to end the current season as well as suspend relegation, saving Diego-managed bottom club Gimnasia from the drop.

"Today this happened to us and many people say it is a new Hand of God," said Diego, alluding to his infamous goal against England. "But today I'm asking for that hand to end this pandemic so people can go back to living their lives, healthy and happy." Then-Argentine captain Diego responded to the controversy over his goal at the World Cup in Mexico by saying "it was the Hand of God!"

Argentina went on to beat England 2-1 in the quarter-final. On being thrown a lifeline by the suspension of the season, he told Argentine daily Clarin: "It's not the ending we had wanted, we were convinced we could save ourselves on the pitch."

Argentina has been in lockdown since March 20 against the Coronavirus, which by early Wednesday had infected 4,114 people with 207 deaths.

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The virtual war between WAGs Rebekah Vardy, 38, and Coleen Rooney, 34, is far from over. It is learnt that Rebekah, wife of Leicester City footballer Jamie Vardy, wants a public apology from Coleen, the wife of former England captain Wayne Rooney, for accusing her in October of leaking fake stories to the press via social media.

While both ladies are currently locked in a legal battle, it is learnt that they will have an arbitration meeting on Zoom this week in a bid to avoid a costly court case, reported British tabloid, The Sun.

"Becky [Rebekah] is adamant she's done nothing wrong and has told her team she wants a public apology," an insider told the newspaper. "She was hurt that Coleen went straight on social media to lay the blame at her door, rather than speaking to her privately. She has maintained her innocence throughout and doesn't want this to be brushed under the carpet without Coleen publicly apologising," added the source.

The two used to be good friends before Coleen claimed in October that Rebekah's Instagram account had been leaking false stories to the press. Subsequently, Rebekah endured a lot of abuse on social media.

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The franchise of STAR WARS has always enjoyed a massive cult like following worldwide. STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999), followed by STAR WARS: ATTACK OF THE CLONES (2002), STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH (2005), STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE (1977), STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980), STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983), STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015) and STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (2017), with every new film, the expectation from the franchise has increased. The ninth and supposedly the last chapter has arrived and it brings a lot of nostalgia. STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER is destined to have mixed reactions considering the flick is the conclusion to the story that began in the year 1977.  While the franchise enjoys a huge following, we analyze whether this conclusion to the 42-year saga is the most satisfying on or a controversial one. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1054446 size-full" title="Movie Review: Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker (English)" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Star-Wars-The-Rise-of-Skywalker-Review-12.jpg" alt="Movie Review: Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker (English)" width="750" height="450" /> STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER begins with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who is now the Supreme Leader of the First Order is in search of the ancient threat called Sith Lord Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). On the other side, Resistance leader Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega), Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and their droid friends C3-P0 (Anthony Daniels), and BB-8 are on a quest which quickly turns into a stunning action showdown between the heroes and the villains while they jump from one planet to another with light speed skipping technique. Meanwhile, Jedi Rey (Daisy Ridley) is still in dilemma about her story, her parentage as she has a dark vision which showcases her mysterious connection to Kylo Ren. The two Jedi continue to connect with each other in different ways as they Resistance prepare to fight the Emperor Palpatine. Following the orders of Princess Leia (Carrier Fisher) and lessons of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the space heroes begin their final journey to win the biggest battle. STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER upped their game as the film boasts of mind-blowing and truly astounding cinematography that leaves the audience wanting for more. The visual effects are seamless which create magic on screen. From the beginning itself, the story leaves you hooked as the galactic world of STAR WARS begins with action packed scenes. The battles, the duals, the light speed jumps, everything seems seamless. Though the story is bit slow in some parts with lesser words and more emotions, it picks up in the second half with some interesting and crazy cameos. The stakes are high in this film and major focus is on Rey and Kylo Ren. However, though JJ Abrams does a marvelous job in directing this last film in the franchise, STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER does not come across as something to write home about. In fact, for the most part the film looks like a series of montages that have been developed to fill certain check boxes that appeal to the audience and fan base strung together. Though the chemistry between Kylo Ren and Rey is worth watching, the predictability of the film’s story is a massive dampener. More often than not, the viewer is able to foretell the coming sequences, and if discerning will also more or less be able to gauge what the climax of the film will be. Despite this, STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER does have its high points, but sadly they are few and far between. For a quintessential Star Wars fan who has followed the series, this film would be more of a walk down memory lane. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1054447 size-full" title="Movie Review: Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker (English)" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Star-Wars-The-Rise-of-Skywalker-Review-2.jpg" alt="Movie Review: Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker (English)" width="750" height="450" /> Coming to the performances, every actor shines bright in the film but it is hands down Daisy Ridley’s show. This time around, she has matured while portraying Rey. Two instances stand out and both scenes are shared with Adam Driver. Adam Driver Kylo Ren gets his due in this film with powerful performance as Kylo Ren as he gets the audience emotionally involved in his storyline. Rey and Kylo Ren’s scenes are some of the most engaging scenes in the film with some complex lightsaber battles involved. Late Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) returns as the makers use the limited footage that was left of her as they pay tribute to the original girl of Star Wars. Her scenes are sensitively projected. Oscar Isaac as Resistance leader Poe Dameron along with John Boyega’s Finn along and BB-8, C-3PO and Chewbecca bring banter, humor and emotions to their scenes. Oscar and John’s bromance has hits hilarious moments as they continue to be the heroes who wear their hearts of their sleeves. Dominic Monaghan, new member of Resistance, hardly has any time to establish his character. Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine is astounding. Meanwhile, Kelly Marie Tran's character Rose Tico hardly gets any screen time besides a few moments during the final battle. We get introduced to Keri Russell as Zorri Bliss who is decent in her scenes. The certain cameos are nostalgia – filled which makes this end of the sage a memorable one. JJ Abrams direction is crisp and tight as he delivers some of the biggest questions that were left answered during STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015) and STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (2017). JJ Abrams captures the essence of this galactic world as he brings out the best in every character especially Ren and Rey. John Williams background score is incredible. The story by JJ Abramas, Chris Terio, Colin Tervorrow, Derek Connolly is moving. JJ Abrams and Chris Terrior is impressive. On the whole, STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER may not be for everyone but it gives a bittersweet yet endearing ending to saga which is a tribute to the legacy. The die-hard fans might enjoy some of the stunning intergalactic moments.

Coronavirus or Covid-19 is showing no signs of receding. On the contrary, the number of cases is increasing by the day and the situation is rather depressing, as almost every region of the world and country is infected.

Sadly, there is no antidote or a vaccine conclusively developed to fight this deadly pathogen yet. And according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Coronavirus will be with us for a long time. Most cases are still in the early phase of the epidemic and some countries which were affected early in the pandemic, are now seeing a resurgence in the number of cases, said the WHO Chief.

COVID-19 is truly playing havoc and may be followed with a financial crisis owing to the lockdowns imposed to contain the spread. The risk of global recession undeniably looms large. "This crisis is like no other", as what the International Monetary Fund's (IMF), Chief Economist, Ms Gita Gopinath wrote in the foreword to the World Economic Outlook, April 2020.

Graph 1: The virus has spread even to Indian equities

The graph above depicts the S&P BSE Sensex falling off the cliff and investors' wealth being eroded. Since the all-time high of the S&P BSE Sensex (42,273.87 points made on January 20, 2020), we have fallen more than -25% and overall sentiments seem downbeat and volatility has heightened.

On a year-to-date basis, Indian equity is down nearly -23.2% (as of April 27, 2020), while gold -- with uncertainty looming around the world -- has exhibited its sheen and demonstrated its trait of safe haven and an effective portfolio diversifier, clocking nearly +5.0% absolute return as of April 27, 2020.

Graph 2: YTD Performance of key asset classes

The graph above validates the importance of tactical asset allocation. The key lesson here is: all asset classes will not necessarily move in the same direction (up or down) always - over the long-term; some may even move in the opposite direction as what we have seen in the recent past (in the case of equities and gold).

As we (the world) continue to fighting COVID-19 and the aftereffects of it are conceivable, a further correction cannot be ruled out and the bottom is unknown. COVID-19 is likely to impact corporate earnings amidst a time when India is already facing slowdown blues. As people are quarantined, demand would remain muted and inflation risk will begin to surface, particularly in food prices.

So, although the current levels offer a decent value-buying opportunity, skewing your portfolio completely to equity as an asset class could endanger wealth creation. In such times you, as an investor, need to follow tactical asset allocation while you aim to generate wealth.

Tactical Asset Allocation with Quantum Multi Asset Fund of Funds

To invest sensibly in the current times, you need a Multi-Asset Fund that invests in mainly three asset classes: equity, debt and gold; and is truly balanced.

Among the plethora of Multi-Asset Funds, the Quantum Multi Asset Fund of Funds (QMAFOF) incepted on July 11, 2012, is truly balanced and holds well-diversified portfolio (across the three key asset classes: equity, debt and gold) at all the times -- unlikely many of its peers who swayed by the excess exuberance in equities, lost sense, and eroded investors wealth.

Table 1: Asset Allocation of Quantum Multi Asset Fund of Funds

The Scheme predominantly invests in the units of Equity, Debt / Money Markets and Gold schemes of Quantum Mutual Fund. Currently, the following schemes are used to gain exposure to a particular asset class:

For equity - Quantum Long Term Equity Value Fund, Quantum Nifty ETF

For debt & money market instruments - Quantum Liquid Fund, Quantum Dynamic Bond Fund

For Gold - Quantum Gold Fund (ETF)

The Units of any other Equity and Debt / Money Markets scheme launched by Quantum Mutual Fund from time to time would be eligible to be part of the above asset allocation components.

Although QMAFOF aims to invest predominantly only in the schemes launched by Quantum Mutual Fund, QMAFOF may seek to invest in the units of similar schemes of other mutual fund houses in case of any investment and regulatory constraints that arise that prevent the Scheme from increasing investments in the schemes of Quantum Mutual Fund.

The investment objective of Quantum Multi Asset Fund of Funds is, "to generate modest capital appreciation while trying to reduce risk (by diversifying risks across asset classes) from a combined portfolio of equity, debt/money markets and gold schemes of Quantum Mutual Fund"

QMAFOF benchmarks it against the Crisil Composite Bond Fund Index (40%) + S&P BSE Sensex Total Return Index (40%) + Domestic price of Gold (20%).

Being a fund of fund, this benchmark is most suitable to compare QMAFOF's performance. The unique combination clubs together the relatively risky assets with other stable asset classes in the portfolio.

Backed by an astute investment strategy, taking the relative valuations between asset classes into consideration such as Price-to-Earnings relative to historical averages; the relationship between earning yield to bond yield relative to historical averages; and macroeconomic factors prevailing globally and within India, the two fund managers of QMAFOF, namely Mr Chirag Mehta (MMS - Finance, M.Com, and CAIA with over 13 years' experience in research and investments) and Mr Nilesh Shetty (B.Com, MMS -Finance, and CFA with collectively 16 years in equity markets), have generated respectable returns for investors.

Table 2: Report card of QMAFOF versus some of its peers

Even as the equity market is panting for breath attributable to COVID-19 and volatility has intensified, QMAFOF due to its sensible asset allocation to equity, debt and gold through its underlying portfolio, has fared relatively better than some of the peers.

ICICI Prudential Multi-Asset Fund, Axis Triple Advantage Fund, HDFC Multi-Asset Fund, and UTI Multi-Asset Fund, on the other hand, have all eroded investors wealth posting double-digit negative returns (see Table 2) in this downturn. Some of these schemes have fared well during upswings by keeping to the allocation to equities high, but on the downside, they have not managed the risk very sensibly. Investors, as a result, have experienced a roller-coaster ride in the journey of wealth creation.

A multi-asset fund, ideally, is expected to be truly balanced and sensibly allocate its assets whereby the downside risk of one asset class is compensated by the positive returns of the other asset classes.

Here are five good reasons to invest in Quantum Multi Asset Fund of Funds

1. You gain from a diversified portfolio across asset class which, in turn, reduces risk and optimizes returns.
2. You do not have to worry about portfolio rebalancing; the fund manager will astutely do it for you at regular intervals in the endeavour to achieve the set-out investment objective of the fund.
3. Portfolio tracking will be easy for you instead of tracking 10 different schemes
4. You will benefit from the lowest expense ratio in the category
5. And above all, Quantum Mutual Fund's strong research capabilities across various asset markets - equity, debt and gold, -- with robust investment processes & systems followed at the fund house.

Suitability of Quantum Multi Asset Fund of Funds

QMAFOF is a perfect fund for investors looking to tactically diversify the portfolio with a single fund across equity, debt and gold, plus leave the aspect of rebalancing to the discretion and expertise of the fund manager.

Furthermore, the fund is appropriate for investors seeking long term capital appreciation, who have a moderately high-risk appetite, and an investment time horizon of 3 to 5 years.

It is the best time to invest in the Quantum Multi Asset Fund of Funds. Valuation-wise, Indian equities look attractive and there appears to be a decent margin of safety (with a high return potential if the equity markets ascend).

Similarly, given the uncertainty surrounding the world, gold is expected to display its lustre. The economic uncertainty surrounded by the COVID-19, GDP growth rates being revised downwards, easy monetary policy action and stance followed by central bank across the world, geopolitical tensions, trade tension, and increased stock market volatility are likely to keep spotlights on gold.

Likewise, with credit risk getting amplified, it makes sense to have exposure to a pure Liquid Fund (that does not take exposure to Commercial Papers issued by private entities). Now that policy rates are already lowered by RBI to address growth concerns, it does not make much sense to take exposure to the longer end of the yield curve; it could prove less rewarding and risky (may encounter high volatility) in the foreseeable future. Deploying your hard-earned money is short-end of the maturity curve, would be far better.

By investing in Quantum Multi Asset Fund of Funds, you will be able to balance the risk better with a sensible investment strategy in place.

Just as an excess drug dosage cannot treat COVID-19, your investment portfolio, too, needs just a fair amount of diversification to clock optimal risk-adjusted returns in the journey of wealth creation.

Go ahead and consider investing in Quantum Multi Asset Fund of Funds.

Happy Investing!

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Author: Rounaq Neroy

This article first appeared on PersonalFN here.

PersonalFN is a Mumbai based personal finance firm offering Financial Planning and Mutual Fund Research services.

Disclaimer:
The views mentioned above are of the author only. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. The author and Equitymaster do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any responsibility for the same. The views constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader. Please read the detailed Terms of Use of the web site.

Last week the mutual fund industry was jolted by the news of Franklin Templeton MF winding down six of its debt schemes. The fund houses cited high redemption pressure and lack of liquidity due to COVID-19 as the reason behind the move.

There has been a rush of redemption in the debt market due to high volatility and uncertainty caused by the outbreak of pandemic. The stress is more evident in high-risk category of securities where liquidity has dried up. Notably, the schemes that were wound up belonged to the high credit risk category.

The recent FTMF fiasco led RBI to take note of the situation and step up to build confidence in the capital market.

On April 27, 2020, RBI announced the opening of a special liquidity facility (SLF-MF) worth Rs 50,000 crore to ease liquidity pressure on mutual funds.

Under SLF-MF, RBI will conduct repo operation of 90 days tenor at the fixed repo rate. Banks can avail funds under this facility between April 27, 2020 and May 11, 2020 or up to utilization of the allocated amount, whichever is earlier. RBI will review the timeline and amount, depending upon market conditions.

Banks have to utilise the funds availed under this exclusively for meeting the liquidity requirements of MFs by:

• Extending loans, and
• Undertaking outright purchase of and/or repos against the collateral of investment grade corporate bonds, commercial papers (CPs), debentures and certificates of Deposit (CDs) held by MFs.

The liquidity support under this would be eligible to be classified as held to maturity (HTM) even if it goes beyond the 25% limit of total investment in the HTM portfolio.

Will banks come to the aid?

For banks, availing funds at a lower rate (repo rate) and using it to purchase investment grade, which generally carry higher interest, and holding them till maturity seems like a good opportunity, but they may not be as enthusiastic to come to the aid of MFs.

You may recall that few days ago, RBI came out with a similar liquidity window worth Rs 50,000 for NBFCs. Of these, 50% of funds had to be dedicated towards investment in investment grade bonds, commercial paper, and non-convertible debentures small and mid-sized NBFCs and MFIs.

NBFCs who have been dealing with liquidity crunch for quite some time now is one of the worst affected sectors with rising risk of bad loans amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

As a result, the first tranche of the operation worth Rs 25,000 crore conducted few days ago received bids for just Rs 12,850 crore.

Similarly, the stress in debt mutual fund segment is not new - some categories of debt funds have been facing redemption pressure ever since the IL&FS debacle came to light. Banks may be reluctant to lend to mutual funds with higher exposure to lower quality papers, which have been lacking in liquidity.

If banks do lend to MFs it may be limited to those with good quality papers. This will not serve the intended purpose of the facility.

Many mutual funds investing in credit-risk grade securities may have offloaded good quality papers to meet the high redemption and may be now left with only lower quality papers. Risk aversion in banks has magnified due to rising fear of bad loan pile up. Hence, banks may not be keen to accept lower quality papers as collateral.

Besides, some mutual funds may already have high borrowing rate availed to fund redemptions and further borrowing may not be a viable option for them.

Thus, if redemption pressure continues, liquidity strain will continue in schemes carrying higher exposure to lower rated securities. Hence, RBI may have to come out with alternative steps to deal with issue that would infuse liquidity directly to mutual funds rather than relying on banks.

Word of caution for investors in debt funds

RBI and AMFI have assured investors that stress in capital market is confined to the high-risk debt MF segment at this stage; the larger industry remains liquid.

In the current market volatile and uncertain environment, it would be advisable to stay away from credit risk schemes. However, do not resort to panic selling. Doing that will have an exponentially negative effect on funds, primarily those having exposure to moderate and low rated assets.

Redemption pressure may force the fund managers to sell good quality papers in the portfolio in the secondary market and pile up exposure to low rated assets because it will be difficult to liquidate at fair value.

Keep in mind that debt funds are not risk-free. Investment in debt funds carry various risks relating to liquidity, credit quality, and interest rate. Therefore, before investing in debt funds understand the various risks involved and invest in schemes where the portfolio risk aligns with your own risk appetite and financial objective.

Moreover, choose a fund house that follows prudent investment process and stringent risk-management systems.

In these uncertain times, it would be wise to stick with liquid funds and overnight funds for the debt part of your portfolio as they are highly liquid and carry lower risk.

Our friends at Quantum Mutual Fund have highlighted the secret behind their debt management strategy, which has helped them provide safety and liquidity to investors when it comes to investing in quantum funds. Don't Worry, Quantum Liquid Fund always aims for Safety and Liquidity.

PS: If you wish to select worthy mutual fund schemes, I recommend you to subscribe to PersonalFN's unbiased premium research service, FundSelect.

Additionally, as a bonus, you get access to PersonalFN's popular debt mutual fund service, DebtSelect.

If you are serious about investing in a rewarding mutual fund scheme, Subscribe now!

Author: Divya Grover

This article first appeared on PersonalFN here.

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PersonalFN is a Mumbai based personal finance firm offering Financial Planning and Mutual Fund Research services.

Disclaimer:
The views mentioned above are of the author only. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. The author and Equitymaster do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any responsibility for the same. The views constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader. Please read the detailed Terms of Use of the web site.

The Indian equity markets are on a rollercoaster with the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. It's been a nerve-racking experience for investors and wealth has been eroded.

As we continue to battle COVID-19 with lockdown 3.0, on a year-to-date basis the S&P BSE Sensex is down -23.9% as of May 5, 2020, (see Table 1 below).

Table 1: Wealth erosion across market cap segments

Balanced Hybrid Funds that are supposed to be balanced and protect downside risk have gone on to erode investors' wealth by seldom maintaining a 'fair balance' and displaying unreasonable love and exuberance for equities plus for taxation reason -- to be treated as an equity-oriented fund. (see Table 2 below).

Similarly, many multi-asset funds that hold the mandate to invest with allocation across three asset classes i.e. equity, debt and gold with minimum 10% in each have posted negative returns (see Table 2 below).

Table 2: Report card of Balanced Hybrid Funds and Multi-Asset Funds

ICICI Prudential Multi-Asset Fund, HDFC Multi-Asset Fund, and UTI Multi-Asset Fund, in particular, have not lived up to the expectation and the trust evinced by investors (going by their AUM size). Not just are their recent returns amidst the outbreak of COVID-19 crisis unappealing, but even the 3-year and 5-year compounded annulaised return is nothing to vie for. This is because they haven't been able to sensibly allocate to the three key asset classes: equity, debt and gold, and play the investment strategy astutely.

On the other hand, the Quantum Multi-Asset Fund of Funds (QMAFOF) has depicted true balance backed by its sensible investment strategy arrested the downside risk and relatively fared better vis-a-vis its peers over 3-year and 5-year time periods.

The Quantum Multi-Asset under normal circumstances by maintaining 25%-65% exposure to units of equity schemes (vide Quantum Long Term Equity Value Fund, Quantum Nifty ETF); 25%-65% exposure to units of debt and money market instruments (vide Quantum Liquid Fund, Quantum Dynamic Bond Fund); 10%-20% in units of gold schemes (vide Quantum Gold ETF); and up to 5% in money market instruments, Short-term Corporate Debt securities, Tri-Party Repo, Repo/ Reverse Repo in Government securities and Treasury Bills has been able to generate modest, yet appealing returns than the rest, and mitigated the risk by diversifying across asset classes: equity, debt and gold.

Historically it is proved that all classes never move in the same direction -- up or down -- at the same time. There could be times when certain asset classes perform better than the other and/or show an inverse relation to another (see Table 3).

Table 3: Here's how various asset classes fared per calendar year

If your multi-asset fund strategically allocates between equity, debt, and gold sensing the pulse of each asset class, maintains balance, and takes calculated risk sensible wealth creation is possible.

In the on-going COVID-19 crisis, equities will remain volatile, but given the sharp correction, there are and will be, enough long-term value-buying opportunities with a decent margin of safety.

Gold in such uncertain times would continue to gain all the attention. Easy monetary policy action and accommodative stance to address growth concerns, a record-high debt-to-GDP ratio, trade war tensions, geopolitical tensions, the potential risk to the inflation trajectory mainly due to food prices, increased stock market volatility, and the U.S. Presidential election in November 2020 are some of the factors expected to work in favour of gold. The precious yellow metal will demonstrate its trait of being a portfolio diversifier, a hedge (when other asset classes fail to post alluring returns), and command a store of value.

And speaking of debt & money market instruments, with exposure to highly rated papers and predominantly government securities, will act as a stabilizer.

A unique aspect of QMAFOF is that it has always taken relative valuations between asset classes into consideration, such as:

• Price-to-Earnings relative to historical averages;
• The relationship between earning yield to bond yield relative to historical averages; and
• Macroeconomic factors prevailing globally and within India

It is this wide-ranging and sensible approach that has helped QMAFOF to protect against the downside risk and reward its investors better than many of its peers. The fund managers, Mr Chirag Mehta (MMS - Finance, M.Com, and CAIA with over 13 years' experience in research and investments) and Mr Nilesh Shetty (B.Com, MMS -Finance, and CFA with collectively 16 years in equity markets), have strategically moved in and out of the aforesaid asset classes wisely recognising their upswings and downswings.

[Read: Why Tactically Invest Across Asset Classes amidst COVID-19 with Quantum Multi-Asset Fund Of Funds]

The choice is completely yours: to stay invested in a 'Balanced Hybrid Fund'/ Multi-Asset Fund that does not show true balance and keep harming your health and wealth; or make a sensible move and switch over to Quantum Multi Asset Fund of Funds that is truly balanced and has sensibly generated wealth for investors without the shrieking experience of a rollercoaster.

Wish to invest in Quantum Multi Asset Fund of Funds? Click here.

Happy Investing!

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Author: Rounaq Neroy

This article first appeared on PersonalFN here.

PersonalFN is a Mumbai based personal finance firm offering Financial Planning and Mutual Fund Research services.

Disclaimer:
The views mentioned above are of the author only. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. The author and Equitymaster do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any responsibility for the same. The views constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader. Please read the detailed Terms of Use of the web site.

Rafael Nadal said on Sunday that he was "very pessimistic" over a full resumption of the professional tennis circuit which has been halted by the coronavirus pandemic. "From my point of view, I'm very pessimistic that the circuit can resume a normal activity," said the world number two in a virtual chat origanized by the Spanish Federation of Tennis (RFET) involving the team that won last year's Davis Cup.

"In tennis, you need to travel every week, stay in hotels, go to different countries," Nadal said. "Even if it we play without an audience, to organise any event you need a lot of people involved, which cannot be ignored. At an international level I see a serious problem." Nadal said he hoped that restrictions can be relaxed gradually, but added that he was aware that the global health situation is serious. "We have had a very tough month and a half, with many irreparable losses as well as others that are less important that will still bring great suffering to society, I hope only for a few months, at the economic level," he said.

"Many people are going to lose their jobs." "These are sad moments when you see so many people dying," he said. Nadal had already told Spanish radio that he thought it would be "difficult" to stage one of the majors "in the short or medium term." Nadal has been working with his friend Pau Gasol, the Spanish basketball player, to raise funds in the fight the coronavirus. Along with other leading tennis players such as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Nadal is one of the promoters of a plan to create a fund to help low-ranked players who are suffering financially.

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Ukrainian tennis champion Elina Svitolina is keen to try new things during this Coronavirus-caused lockdown and hosting a TV show is on top of her list, according to tennisworldusa.org.

"I recently tried a completely new sphere. I have very long prepared for interviews and understand that it is not an easy job, especially for those people who are not in this area. I really liked it. Maybe in the future I want to do some TV show. It is interesting to me, and I think that now there is time to try something new," said the World No. 5 tennis ace.

Elina, 25, who is currently in lockdown with her Frennis tennis star boyfriend, Gael Monfils, 33, is also completingher online education. "I had to work hard to pull up on my French. I already know some of it, as I had learnt it before but now I'm doing an intensive mode. I am left with two tests: training on nutrition and I also want to take a course in psychology or fitness. This is what I want to do," added the 2018 WTA Finals champion.

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The three-day annual "Winter Fest 2017" took off here with fanfare on Friday with the city coming alive with colourful cultural and folk performances as well as traditional sports activities for visitors and tourists. The quintessential hospitality and warmth of the local people -- that Rajasthan has been known for -- further added to the cheerful disposition of the festival, being organised by the Rajasthan Tourism Department.

Representational Pic

On Friday morning, a grand procession with various cultural and folk performances, including Ghoomar, Gair, Kacchi Ghodi and Kalbelia, to the Nakki Lake marked the start of the festival.

Events like a football match, Tug of War and Musical Chairs between the locals and tourists were held in the afternoon. The evening had a scheduled performance of the best of European bands.

On Saturday, Day 2, a Boat Race will be organised on Nakki Lake. The other programmes, such as a Kite Show, Rangoli Competition, Matka Race, Dog Show, Turban Tying Competition and Best of Rajasthani Dress Competition, are scheduled to take place in the afternoon.

In the evening, there will be a live performance of the Army Band, followed by a stunning display of the Best of Rajasthan group performances.

On the third day, December 31, a marathon race has been planned from Polo Ground to Nakki Lake. There will also be a Horse Show and Kabaddi Match in the afternoon and in the evening, there will be a Rock band performance by the "All Events Mumbai", before a display of fireworks.

On all three days, as part of the festival, there will processions of various cultural and folk performances from Toll Naka to Nakki Lake.

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"Game of Thrones" may return in 2019 but the winter is already here for the fans of the HBO epic fantasy drama who can now have a freezing experience in a new hotel that has opened in Finland, inspired by the show. The Leland Hotel SnowVillage transformed its annual ice hotel into a "Game of Thrones"-themed frozen resort in collaboration with HBO Nordic, according to Conde Nast Traveler.

The resort is complete with corridors and guest rooms lorded over by enormous hand-sculpted homages to the iconic White Walkers of mega-hit series. The hotel took barely one month to build with professional ice sculptors from Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Latvia working on it. The GOT admirers also have an option of sleeping under the stare of a White Walker or under the direwolf sigil, which belongs to House Stark.

The temperature inside the hotel hovers around 23 degrees Fahrenheit, which warrants full winter wear, but in comparison to outdoor temperature, around 10 degrees, it is pleasantly warm. A night stay at the digs cost around USD 200 and one can additionally pay 18 dollars to get a day pass for exploring the SnowVillage.

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Kerala is aiming to re-brand itself as a 'Land of Adventure' to increase tourist arrivals--both foreign and domestic in the next five years. The state was targetting the increase of foreign and domestic tourist arrivals by 100 per cent and 50 per cent respectively in the next five years, a tourism department press release said.

Kerala showcased its unexplored destinations and adventure tourism hot spots at the silver jubilee edition of SATTE-South Asia's leading travel and tourism exhibition at New Delhi today. On the rebranding of Kerala,Tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran said that over the years, the industry had changed rapidly with vistors preferring to go beyond the historic temples, monuments and modern sights.

Tourists prefer to explore hills, waterfalls and forests by indulging in adventorous activities, he said, adding that hencefourth the state aims to be re-branded as the 'land of adventure' to woo the younger generation by offering activity and water based tourism. Tourism Director P Balakiran said that the interest of travellers was increasingly gravitating towards adventure tourism offerings, including expanded world view, nature and discovery and fun and thrills. The activity related tourism would help the state achieve the target of domestic and international tourist arrivals, he said. The rivers, high altitude mountains, dense forests and vast stretches of sea offers an array of adventure packed destinations, he added.

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Scores of Indian and overseas tour operators, alongwith world travellers, will converge in New Delhi later this month to participate in an event showcasing boutique hotels, lodges, hideaways, camps and retreats in India, Nepal and Bhutan.

Brainchild of RARE India, the event, titled Très RARE, will host speakers on hospitality and related topics on the concept of experiential travel in the sub-continent.

With participation of more than 60 independent boutique hotels from India and its Himalayan neighbours Nepal and Bhutan, the event is expected to offer the first glimpse of game-changing hotel concepts, their new initiatives, and showcase a unique selection of never-treaded-before destinations.

'The demand for boutique hotels is reflective of the realigned desires of a global traveller, who is weary of the standard-fare hotels that though comfortable are unimaginatively identical around various destinations. These boutique hotels inspired us at RARE to break away from the traditional and create an intimate showcase that focuses on the niche rather than the mass and mainstream,' said Sowmya R Vijaymohan, the brain behind RARE India and Très RARE.

Select 100 Indian Destination Management Companies and 50 Foreign Operators from UK, US, France, Germany and Italy will focus on intensive one-on-one engagement,
knowledge building and innovations.

Shoba Mohan, the co-founder of RARE India and the event, said, "Boutique and experiential hotels are now a mainstay in the Indian travel industry, and there was a tangible requirement for a platform that is dedicated and designed to showcase their uniqueness." The event will be held on March 30 and 31 at the Roseate Resort.

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 Mahindra Electric on Tuesday announced its partnership with self-drive rental platform Zoomcar, as part of which the electric vehicles (EV) maker will offer 100 of its e20 plus EVs on the latter's platform in the capital.

The electric mobility arm of automobile major Mahindra & Mahindra said the agreement is aimed at promoting shared and cleaner mobility.

"Mahindra's commitment towards electric mobility continues. Our aim is to make EVs more mass adaptable in India in public transport, shared mobility and personal vehicles," Mahindra Electric Chief Executive Mahesh Babu told reporters here.

The EVs under the deal are financed as part of an agreement between Zoomcar and Mahindra Finance.

Apart the e2o plus, Mahindra also makes the e-Verito and e-Supro model EVs.

Zoomcar operates in 30 cities across India, allowing users to rent cars by the hour, day, week or month.

At the event to announce the tie-up, Niti Aayog Chief Exexcutive Amitabh Kant said a massive revolution is required to usher in shared, connected and zero waste mobility, while tackling Delhi's air pollution is not possible without private sector collaboration.

"In Niti Aayog, we have provided charging stations as the need for the government is to ensure that there are vast number of charging stations all over and we are, in fact, moving towards having all electric vehicles," he said.

While launching the National E-Mobility Programme here last month, Power Minister R.K. Singh said the government will soon unveil a policy on EVs.

According to officials, the policy will provide that charging EVs would be a service and not sale of electricity -- which requires a licence.

The policy on electric vehicle charging stations on points along identified corridors, draft of which has been finalised by the Central Electricity Authority, would provide that the price of power for charging electric vehicles be capped at the average cost of supply in the state, excluding discom transmission and distribution losses, plus 15 per cent, officials said.

This would help the tariff for charging at an economical level of below Rs 6 per unit, they added.

The governments's National Electric Mobility Mission Plan launched in 2013 aims at gradually ensuring a vehicle population of about 6-7 million electric and hybrid vehicles in India by 2020.

The vision enunciated two years ago is for India to have 100 per cent EVs by 2030.

An article he had read a little over two years ago changed Rohit Ingle's life forever. It espoused the cause of veganism so persuasively that Ingle says he was convinced overnight to give up eating meat. "I can't remember where I read the article," he confesses. "But it had a very simple line - if you are an animal lover, you can't eat them. If you love someone, how can you be the cause of their misery?" he adds.

Rohit Ingle while flagging off his journey from Ahimsa Fest this week. Pics/Sneha Kharabe

That message is what he now hopes to spread across the country, riding a cycle. Ingle embarked on his epic journey - and it can only be described as that - from Bandra on Thursday, a week ahead of World Vegan Day on November 1. The plan is to cover 19,000 km over one year, stopping not just at different state capitals, but especially in the hinterland. "Hardly anyone in India knows about veganism," he says, adding, "I'll pitch my tent at places like highway dhabas. There, I can interact with the customers and tell them more about what I am doing, hopefully inspiring some of them [to take up veganism] in the process."

Does he feel any apprehension? "Yes, I am nervous, I won't lie about that. But I am motivated by my cause. There are also people who will be there to welcome me at Ahmedabad and Surat initially, and that will hopefully give me further encouragement. So, as the journey goes by, I am sure this feeling will go away."

But, Ingle adds, he's not quite sure about how he will sustain himself financially to get through an entire year. "I have raised `60,000 [of his `3.5-lakh target] through crowdfunding. I have also received money from The Pollination Project, an organisation based in the US that has sponsored me for $1,000. So, I have around `1.3 lakh and can easily start my journey for at least three to four months."

After that, he hopes to keep going till November 2018, inspiring as many people as possible along the way. "See, the message is very simple - if you want to eat meat or wear animal products, an animal that doesn't want to die is definitely going to be killed. So, you have to keep that in mind."

Ahead of her first trip to India, biker Leslie Porterfield, the world's fastest woman on two wheels, relives her record, worst crash and the growing number of Indian women on the riding circuit

At 16, Texas-based Leslie Porterfield bought a Yamaha Virago 1000, her first motorcycle, as an inexpensive mode of transport. It arrived in a box, and most people told her she wouldn't be able to get it running. However, she bought a manual, sought the advice of local mechanics, and put it together.

Leslie Porterfield

In fact, Porterfield loved riding it so much that just a year later, she went on to buy a sports bike (Honda CBR600). This was in the early '90s. "That's when my interest in racing began," recalls the 41-year-old mother of twins. She holds the Guinness World Record for being the fastest woman in the world on a motorcycle, which she set in 2008 with a speed of 232.522mph at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA.

On November 24 and 25, Porterfield will be in Goa for the fifth edition of India Bike Week, a fest that will witness a gathering of over 20,000 bikers to celebrate all things riding. Here, she will host a motorcycle stand and present awards for various achievements. Excerpts from an email interview:

Tell us about your most interesting motorcycle journeys.
Motorcycles gave me a sense of freedom and connection with nature while riding. One of my favourite trips was to the Baja 1000 (off-road race in Mexico's Baja California Peninsula) in 2005. I was on a dirt bike for the first time, and realised how difficult the race is. I went through 20 miles of deep sand whoops and fell 20 times. I have never been so sore. Another one is from the time I was 17, when I rode for 1,500 miles from Dallas to Los Angeles. On my way back, I was tired. I was riding at about 120mph. Unfortunately, I passed a police car and didn't see it. They set up a roadblock on the highway. When I stopped, I realised there were four police cars behind me. They were mad after chasing me for so long. I was lucky; the officer let me go without a citation. This prompted me to hit the racetrack.

What challenges have you faced in your racing career?
During my first year [2007] in Land Speed Racing [at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah], the salt was in poor condition - wet, sludgy and hard to get traction. My bike got into a speed wobble at over 200mph. I tried to save it, but ended up coming off the bike at over 100mph. It was the worst wreck I've been in. I was unconscious, with seven broken ribs and a punctured lung. Fortunately, I recovered and made a point of testing different set-ups for the bike. I didn't push myself to make runs when conditions were bad. Racing comes with risks, which I try to minimise.

How did you crack the world record in Utah in 2008?
I had to make an effort to not think about what could go wrong, and put the accident out of my mind. I focused solely on what I needed to do to achieve my record. To set a land speed record, you have to make two runs — one in each direction - holding your top speed for a mile. My bike's engine was hot and as I entered the measured mile at full throttle, it started to sound rough. By the end, I had set the record but blown my engine, and there was oil everywhere!

What's your take on Indian motorcycle culture?
It's fascinating. The selection of motorcycles is vast, and I love that more women in India are riding motorcycles now. When I started in the '90s, men dominated the speed and racing scene; it was difficult for women to break into it.

Is Mumbai part of your itinerary?
I hope to see it during my visit. It is such a diverse city with much history. I've wanted to visit India for some time. I can't wait to experience its architecture, art, culture and beauty. I love Indian food, but have tried it only in America.

What kind of bikes do you ride now?
I have a Honda CBR1000, and several classic bikes from the '60s. I enjoy restoring old bikes. They aren't very fast, but they are a lot of fun.

Tips
>> Invest in proper motorcycle gear.
>> Never quit learning. Take up rider courses. Even if you have no desire to race, a day on the track with guidance will make you a better and safer rider.

Nick Seluk, the American artist behind the popular The Awkward Yeti comics, on his ingenious organ characters and more

What made you pick a blue yeti as the central character?
I imagine the blue yeti [Lars] as a misfit among the attractive, extroverted white yetis. He looks, acts and thinks differently than the average yeti, and for that reason, feels disconnected. To me, it was a funny way of exaggerating my own awkwardness and introversion.

Nick Seluk

What is the key to creating intelligent comics for kids?
The key is that I don't make them for kids. I make them for adults, but I simplify the information to the extent that people of all ages can enjoy them.

Why did you decide to study psychology?
I have been very introspective, and psychology was an interesting way to learn about myself and others, like how we differ and relate. Much of what I learned reinforced what I already knew through observation, and gave me the confidence to use those concepts (albeit abstractly) later on in comics.

Pic courtesy/theawkwardyeti.com

If turned into a film, who do you think should voice Lars?
There are so many great options. I imagine a sort of deep, awkward voice for Lars, perhaps a John C Reilly or Brian Posehn.

What's your favourite organ character?
I love Heart because it represents my desire to be myself, be weird and try new things (not always successfully). My favourite character to write for is Tongue, because the character takes impulse to a new level.

A new organ character that you would want to introduce?
Most organs have made an appearance at some point, but the one I still want to make into a character is the mesentery, because it's sort of a bizarre grotesque shape that would be fun. I don't know if it would make regular appearances, but I hope it will show up some day.

Do you run your comics by your family for critique?
I used to do that a lot, but now I usually post the comic on Twitter first. It's my smallest social media audience, so I kind of use it to test it out. If it does well enough, I share it with my larger audiences on Instagram and Facebook.

Which artists inspire you?
I grew up reading and gaining great inspiration from Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, and The Simpsons. In the past few years, I have found a lot of inspiration from artists whom I meet while travelling.

Are you familiar with the works of Indian artists?
I am not, but I'm excited to be at Mumbai Comic Con because what better way could there be to start learning about them?

On: November 11 and 12 (11 am to 8 pm), Seluk's special session on 12, 4.30 pm
At: Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon East
Log on to : comicconmumbai.com
Entry: Rs 499 (day pass)

On the stage at the majestic Royal Opera House, artistes take their seat in a semicircle for what is an unusual gathering. At the centre is British radio and television presenter Nikki Bedi, who, along with familiarising her guests with the flow of the show is also breaking the ice between participants. They are here to record The Arts Hour, a BBC radio production that goes on a tour once a month to capture the best in arts across the world. The Mumbai edition airs today.

Actor Bhumi Pednekar (with Nikki Bedi to her right) calls out the boors behind Padmavati protests. Pics/Pic/Bipin Kokate

In the city on the evening of November 22, the researchers have picked six artistes who they feel best represent the dynamic cultural scene of the city. Flanking Bedi are film critic and director of the Mumbai Film Festival Anupama Chopra, and actor Bhumi Pednekar. Seated next to them are stand-up comedian, screenwriter and novelist Anuvab Pal, and Shamir Reuben, head of content and social media at the spoken word collective, Kommune. On either side of the stage, fine-tuning their arrangements are the popular Hindi rock ensemble Anand Bhaskar Collective and pop duo from Kolkata — with a big fan following in Mumbai — Parekh & Singh in signature fruity suits. "The show is a way of seeing a people and their culture, and understanding their politics and issues through the prism of art. Stand-up comedy and spoken word are burgeoning fields in Mumbai. There is also a sea change in the kind of subjects that Indian cinema is choosing. Issues like sanitation, erectile dysfunction and fat shaming are not just making it to film, they are also managing to attract audiences into theatres," says Bedi about why it was a good time to come to Mumbai.

Nischay Parekh readies to perform the band's hit song

For this edition's research, Bedi, who was born a Moolgaokar and has roots in Mumbai, played the fact checker for producer Nicki Paxman along with providing other insider inputs. A regular feature of the show, The Culture Cab, involves the presenter hailing a cab with an artiste who then takes her around the city to explore it like a local. Though her Mumbai guide was Pal, with whom she explored the splash of global colours at the ongoing Sassoon Docks art project and the murals of Bandra, Bedi shared her favourite part of the city with him, too — Walkeshwar's Banganga.

Throughout the recording that lasted two and a half hours, the team's homework kept the conversation alive and relevant. Bedi, a natural at hosting, puts her guests at ease. It comes across in Pednekar's candour, who minces no words when asked about the ongoing controversy around Padmavati. "You know, these are people who don't give a s**t about history," she says, a word Paxman gets politely replaced at the end of the show with the milder "damn". Bedi then moves on to ask Pal and Reuben if comedy and spoken word have become popular for similar reasons and how social media has played a part. With artistes as guests, each segment packs in a performance. While Pal's jibes about SoBo residents have the audience in splits, Reuben's poetry moves many to tears. Vocalist Nischay Parekh of Parekh & Singh shares the inspiration behind their music video with a million hits, I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll, before performing it, and Anand Bhaskar shares why all his compositions are in Hindi before segueing the show to its end with a rendition of Fanaa.

An audience member comments about the need to see more everyday people in films

Rahul Baswani, who came to know of the show through Pal's tweet, is happy to have made it in the audience. "I listen to a lot of podcasts. So, the most fascinating bit for me was towards the end when they did the retakes," he says. In the green room, mutual understanding and fandom fill the air. "At the end of the day, we are all artistes, and we could feel the synergy and a shared language throughout," says Parekh, who has just promised Pal that he'll be there for his Kolkata gig the next day, even as Pal admits that the music duo is everything he would have wanted to be as a 27-year-old.

The sound engineers at work

Chopra, on the other hand, is happy that the show recognises the power of Indian cinema and how it is evolving. "Outside India, there is a fixed notion of what Bollywood is. But there is a different language [spoken] now, which most people don't know of. I am hoping that the show will communicate that." For Reuben, it has been a platform for artistic exchange. "The beauty of tonight was people might have come to watch comedy and they learnt a bit about spoken word. Or that they wanted to hear a poem and they left with music," he says. "For the BBC to say that there is something stirring in Mumbai is a statement."

It's painfully humiliating for a 12-year-old to stand before his class during an extempore speech and fumble over words. The derision that one might invite can cripple an adolescent's confidence. But, it can also teach the child to face his demons, participate again in the same competition the next year, and then go on to win the district finals for three straight years representing his institution, which, in Siddhant Sharma's case, was a boarding school in Kurseong.

Siddhant Sharma

Ten years after that incident, Sharma has emerged as this season's winner of The Stage, a reality show that promotes western musical talent in India. This, though, was his second shot at the title, after he was unable to get past the auditions last year. Failure, in other words, seems to have been the singer's constant companion, only for him to climb every mountain that crops up in his path. "I am actually a man made of failure, so it doesn't scare me," he tells us over the phone, having just landed in Mumbai from Kolkata. He adds, "Even in life, a lot of things that I have expected haven't happened. Not all of us grow up in the greatest of situations, but the worst thing a rocker can do is give up. [Rock music] is about fighting failures. So, if I can do it in life, music and competitions are nothing for me to handle."

Those are strong words for a 22-year-old to utter. But Sharma comes across as someone who has truly internalised the rock 'n' roll philosophy of facing adversity with a show-me-what-you've-got swagger. He gives us an example of what that means when he says, "I have a friend who would party all the time and only listen to electronic music. She would never attend live concerts. After a bad phase, she started listening to Pink Floyd, and now she is more of a rocker [in persona] than I am, with all her locks chopped off. I mean, there was a guy who cheated on her, and she's like, 'You think I am going to cry? No. I don't give a f*ck about you or your existence.' That's rock."

One of the biggest adversities that Sharma himself faced was when his parents separated over a decade ago, a fact he had revealed in one of the later episodes of the competition. Talking about that difficult phase, he says, "I'm not a guy who speaks a lot and I anyway didn't want to trouble my mother with all of that. So, I ended up keeping things inside me, which wasn't a good thing since I developed serious anger issues. But art has always helped me. I was a painter and then I got into music, and that just let me be who I am."

Who he is now, having won the show, involves signing a contract with MTV and being flown around the country for concerts. The limelight is well and truly on him and yet, he keeps emphasising how failure is the clay that moulds a person's character. "Do you consider the people who have not got the trophy to be losers?" he asks us, before answering, "No, they are not. You never know, tomorrow they might be working in much bigger places and doing way better stuff than I am. The thing is, you have to be satisfied with doing what you're doing and yet keep trying to be better than who you are. That's really all."

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Ginni Mahi must have been in Std VIII or IX when she first became aware of the divisive nature of the caste system. A girl in her class had asked her which caste she belonged to and Mahi did not know what to say. The Mahis constitute nearly 40 per cent of the scheduled caste population of Jalandhar, her hometown. The 19-year-old grew up on stories about Dr BR Ambedkar, the founder of the Indian Constitution and the teachings of Guru Ravidas, who led the Bhakti movement in Punjab in the 15th century. Theirs is, as her father Rakesh Chandra Mahi calls it, an "Ambedkarite family". It's no surprise, therefore, that both Ambedkar and Guru Ravidas have become a mainstay in Mahi's songs, which, over the past year has catapulted her into a bestselling Punjabi rapper, even earning her the tag of a "Punjabi Dalit rapper".

Ginni Mahi

The tag, however, doesn't agree with Mahi. Even though in her videos the singer wears a definite rapper swag, be it in a leather jacket or a patiala suit, she says her genre cannot be called that. "It is definitely a fusion between Western beats and Punjabi style, but I am not sure if you can call it rap," says the singer who performed in Mumbai for the first time yesterday at a congregation of women speakers. Mahi, who did her first live show when she was 12, knew from a very early age that she wanted to do "something to fight inequality in society". "Since I could sing, I had all these dreams, of doing live and reality shows. I was very little but I was already shooting for the stars," she smiles. While she has brought in a unique style to talk of the life and times of Dr Ambedkar, she was sure that it would work, even though no one had tried it before. "We have a team of lyricists who work hard to figure what should go, and more importantly, what should be dropped from a song. Addressing sensitive subjects like inequality and untouchability is always tricky territory. There has been an overwhelming amount of support, and some negative feedback too. But if there is no criticism, there can be no improvement," says the singer who performed in Mumbai for the first time yesterday at 'We The Women', a congregation of women speakers.

Ginni with her father Rakesh Chandra Mahi

Even though this is her first visit to Mumbai, Mahi could barely make time to look around. "My second year finals are on, I have an exam on Monday," says the singer who is pursuing graduation in music, from HMV College in Jalandhar. "Studies are my priority, I want to do my masters, and then my dream is to do my PhD in music. A doctor heals people with his knowledge in medicine. I want to know music so well, that one day I am able to heal people with music," she says. In terms of her singing career, Bollywood, of course is the dream. "I want to be a playback singer here, much like my idols Lata Mangeshkar, Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan."

A still from her hit song, Fan Baba Sahib Di

While Mahi's music wants to break the shackles of inequality, that she herself has earned the tag of a Dalit rapper is an irony she just might have to live with. "My message is humanity, to erase caste politics. No one, especially artists, should be bound by class or caste. Such a tag, even though it has earned me fame, beats the purpose. But then, that is how the world works, in labels. We have entwined ourselves in all kinds of borders that separate us from each other."

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Studies in Form-Akbar Bhavan-20 from a series of cyanotype prints by artist Seher Shah and photographer Randhir Singh

A Summit can be anything you want it to mean, and we re-define it every time. Just when you think you have figured it out, we alter our course. You might think you know what the 2020 Dhaka Art Summit might look like, but we hope to add further surprise," says Diana Campbell Betancourt. At the age of 33, Betancourt is the third time artistic director of one of Asia's most important art events, the Dhaka Art Summit, set to open on February 2. Betancourt, who used to be based out of Mumbai, has been at the fore of bringing contemporary voices in art from Asia to the biennial event, which is now in its fourth edition. Joined by guest curators, Betancourt has brought over 300 artists across 10 curated exhibitions. We ask her what's different this time. Edited excerpts from the interview:

Bangladesh as centre
2017 was an important year as it marked 70 years of independence for both India and Pakistan. In 1947, however, what is now Bangladesh was still effectively a colony of Pakistan. Usually viewed as the poorer younger brother of these two countries, we saw the need to put Bangladesh back at the centre of its cartography. We want to shift the narrative away from India-Pakistan. We are looking at the trade and cultural connections that Bangladesh had with the Middle East and Southeast Asia, rather than only looking at South Asia. There are fewer Indian artists this time around, and we have more artists from Thailand and Myanmar and Singapore as we've shifted our focus further east. The Summit is not a nationalist exercise, so we are able to address the slippages across borders. We are also exhibiting one of Mrinalini Mukherjee's hemp sculptures in Bangladesh for the first time, through the support of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and the Mrinalini Mukherjee Foundation, which draws connections to Bangladesh via the jute and textile trades which interlink its history with the rest of the world.

Diana Campbell Betancourt. Pic/Noor Photoface

Making more room
This time we have extended the Summit from four days to nine. There was a lot of local demand the last time. We saw 1,38,000 visitors in 2016. This year, we have split the weekends for different kinds of crowds.

Special focus on Sri Lanka
We believe that just as Bangladesh is left out of global dialogue, Sri Lanka is even more excluded. The show, titled One Hundred Thousand Small Tales, is curated by Sharmini Pereira, and has 40 artists right from the 1940s to the present.

Headed in the right direction
The Solo Projects section, which used to invite commissions from leading artists in the region, is replaced by Bearing Points. I felt that the Solo Projects didn't intellectually tie together everything we do in the Summit. The exhibition is curated by me, and the title refers to a compass, to a map that helps you orient yourself to lesser explored transcultural histories of the region.

Going back to school
The Summit has always been known for its workshops. This edition will have a free art school, with sessions conducted by artists such as Rashid Rana and Dayanita Singh, among others. It will be right at the middle of the summit, emphasising that culture is a key part to keeping people secular.

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The cast rehearsing at The Cuckoo Club

If you ask anyone, which part of the wedding they enjoy the most, chances are that the 'sangeet' would be a popular choice. Especially, in a city like Delhi that is known for their great Indian weddings. Prerna Chawla and Shikha Talsania's upcoming play Dekh Behen takes on this larger-than-life grandeur of a wedding that is taking place at a plush Chhattarpur farmhouse.

What makes this Akvarious production extra special is that this play has been put together by an all-girl team. Talsania says, "Dekh Behen is a kitschy, light-hearted story of five bridesmaids catching up hours before they are to put up a rehearsed item number at the Sangeet ceremony, in a big fat Delhi wedding. It's a bittersweet comedy about daughters, girlfriends, mothers, sisters, wives, and getting through one bloody 'shaadi ka function'." Playing the lead character, the bride's brattish sister, is YouTube superstar Mithila Palkar who used to be an active member of Thespo. While she always wanted to act on stage, she found her space backstage doing play readings. Speaking about her role Palkar says, "Riya belongs to a rich Punjabi family from Delhi. She's intelligent but inevitably a brat. But, she is also trying to figure out life as it happens to her and is battling a perpetual conflict of principles and emotions, like most of us, in our early 20s, do. So, 'rich brat' aside, I can relate to Riya."

The play has been written by Dilshad Edibam Khurana and Tahira Nath Krishnan. Khurana says, "Dekh Behen is a fun story that also touches upon a lot of issues that are common among friends or siblings. Through the course of the story, these issues get discussed and ironed out. But at the end of the play, you will go will go back home with a smile on your face." One can easily relate to the title and the poster of the play, thanks to the popular 'dekh behen' memes. So, is that the connect, we ask Talsania. She says, "The title came up during a coffee break conversation, while we were doing another play. Come and watch the play, you'll see why it's an apt title."

When: February, 1-4, 8 PM
Where: The Cuckoo Club, 5AA Pali Hill, Bandra West
Entry: Rs 400
Call: 9619962969

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If you have played your favourite Kishore Kumar song or a Beatles classic umpteen times but do not know why you forget to press the stop button for some particular numbers, new research offers some clues. Listeners often engage and develop a "deep connection" with some of their favourite songs, said the study published in the journal Psychology of Music.

The study involved more than 200 participants who completed an online questionnaire about their experience listening to their favourite song, including how it made them feel and the frequency with which they played the song. The participants reported listening to their favourite song hundreds of times.

The mean among the sample was more than 300 times and this number was even larger for listeners who had a deep connection to the song -- something that was particularly likely if they had mixed emotions, such as "bittersweet," while listening. Certain features of the song were particularly important reasons why respondents listened many times, said Jason Corey, Associate Professor of Music at the University of Michigan in the US and a co-author of the study.

The most important features were the song's "melody," "beat/rhythm" and "lyrics", the study found. For songs that made listeners happy, beat/rhythm was especially important for relistening. Finally, the more times people listened to their favourite song, the more the listeners could hear it internally, the researchers said.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Except for the change in headline, the story has been provided "AS-IS," "AS AVAILABLE, without any verification or editing from our side. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

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Amitabh Bachchan campaigns for the 1984 elections in Allahabad

Fans across the world celebrated acting legend Amitabh Bachchan's 75th birthday last October. And if you wish to extend the festivities, visit Frames 75, an exhibition of rare photographs and framed memorabilia that celebrate Bachchan's oeuvre.

The exhibition has been curated by film historian and archivist SMM Ausaja and photo journalist Pradeep Chandra. "There were no big commemorative events for his 75th birthday. But we realised that his 75th year is not yet over, so we should celebrate it with a visual journey in his platinum year," says Ausaja.

A photo by Pradeep Chandra of the legend at RK Studios

The duo worked over three months to curate the list of exhibits and even commissioned artwork for the exhibition. "We wanted something rare that's not on the Internet. You will see a photo from his first photo session, a pamphlet from his Allahabad election campaign, and artist Sonu Gupta's recreation of a painting by MF Husain that depicts the three phases of Bachchan's life," Ausaja says.

An original poster of Yaarana

"I did a similar show on his 61st birthday. So, for this exhibition we wanted to do something different. You will see some never-seen-before images by me, including a photo of Bachchan and Rajiv Gandhi at Indira Gandhi's funeral; a frame of him sitting with Bal Thackeray's shadow in the background; a photo with his daughter, with Dilip Kumar, and one with Rajkumar and Sanjay Dutt in the same frame," adds Chandra.

SMM Ausaja and Pradeep Chandra at Bachchan's residence

Also on display will be original posters, vinyl covers and fake notes used for shoots, many of which have Bachchan's image on them. "We wanted a wide variety of media to break monotony and sustain interest across all frames," Ausaja signs off.

FROM: May 11 to 25, 10 am to 6 pm
AT: Whistling Woods, Goregaon East.
CALL: 30916070

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Mangoes can be used for skin and hair in several ways as they are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, all of which are good for the skin. Here are some amazing skin and hair benefits of mangoes.

Helps get a glowing skin: Mangoes are loaded with beta-carotene and Vitamin A. For a glowing skin, smear mango pulp on your face and leave it on for 30 minutes. Beta-carotene and Vitamin A present in mango help to revive the dull skin and turn your skin into a radiant one.

Helps fight acne: The beta-carotene in mango helps fight acne. The best time to apply mango pulp is at night. Apply a handful of mango pulp at night and keep it for an hour. Wash your face before going off to sleep. Alternately, boil a raw mango until the water is reduced to half. Use this water as facial astringent for drying up acne naturally. Use the mango astringent regularly on your face to get rid of acne, pimples and scars.

Helps get a fair skin: Beta-carotene in mangoes has a strong anti aging effect. In addition, Vitamin C in mangoes helps rest down collagen. Mangoes are a great way to reduce dark spots, freckles, acne scars and pigmentation. Apply mango pulp during summer to get a clear and fair skin that is free of blemishes, wrinkles, scars and acne.

Acts as a great exfoliating agent: Mango pulp when applied on skin along with glycerine or honey, helps to exfoliate dead skin cells. This, in turn, results in a smooth and glowing skin. Mix one spoon of mango pulp with one spoon of raw milk and two spoons of honey. Rub the paste on your face gently to remove blackheads and whiteheads. You can use mango scrub for removing dead skin cells and bring back the natural glow.

Acts as a natural peel off mask: We are aware of chemical peel off masks available in the market and their benefits on skin. Raw mango pulp is high in AHA (alpha hydroxyl acid) and Vitamin C, both of which are excellent peeling agents. Vitamin A does wonders to your skin and its deficiency can cause dullness, result in open pores as well as lead to eruptions on the arms, elbows and knees.

It is beneficial for hair: The seed of mango (soft part after breaking the outer hard seed) when kept in oil (any) for few days, and then applied, helps you to get rid of grey hair and prevents hair loss. When the same is mixed with fenugreek and yogurt, it serves as an excellent home remedy for dandruff.

Helps to form happy hormone: Mangoes contain a lot of tryptophan, which helps in the formation of the ‘happiness-hormone’ serotonin. A rise in happy hormone automatically cheers you up and brings back the natural glow on your face. Mango is thus called a happy fruit.
With inputs from Dr Apratim Goel, of Cutis Skincare Studio

Also Read: Mumbai Food: 8 Delicious Mango Dishes You Must Try During Summer

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A bottle gourd or dudhi as we call it is one of the healthiest vegetables. When it is fresh, the fruit has a light green smooth skin and white flesh. Doodhi is about 92 percent of water and minerals which keeps your body hydrated. The bottle gourd or doodhi has a long list of health benefits. Dr. Manoj Kutteri, Wellness Director at Atmantan Wellness Director lists some of them

• Cooked bottle gourd aids for better digestion. It is cooling, calming, diuretic and anti-bilious (reduces bile and stops indigestion). The B vitamins assist in increasing the body’s metabolic rate to better digest fats, proteins, sugar and carbohydrate.
• Like cranberries, bottle gourd supports the kidneys and the urinary system of our body by reducing burning sensation from high acidic urination. It also reduces the chances of urinary infection because it is alkalizing and has a diuretic effect. Consume if you have high creatine and uric acid.
• A nutritious vegetable for the female reproductive system.
• It is extremely popular for weight loss especially the bottle gourd juice.
• Bottle gourd is extremely popular for reducing high blood pressure and bad cholesterol in some people.
• Bottle gourd is known to combat excessive thirst in diabetic patients.
• The fiber and the minerals in the bottle gourd support healthy digestion and combats constipation, colic pain and ulcer.
• Helps to prevent premature greying and improve hair growth.
• The Vitamin C and Zinc in lauki prevent pre mature aging and wrinkles as well.
• Bottle gourd is recommended for reducing liver inflammation.
• Lauki juice taken with ginger or black pepper can help with respiratory health.
• Bottle gourd is over 90% water therefore it is easy to digest
• The vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre in lauki keep the body well-nourished and curb unnecessary appetite, especially if you drink its juice in the morning on an empty stomach.
• It also contains sodium, potassium, essential minerals and trace elements, which regulate blood pressure and prevent the risk of heart ailments.
• High in sodium and potassium, bottle gourd is also an excellent vegetable for people with hypertension.
• Mixing the juice with sesame oil provides an effective medicine for insomnia. Massage the scalp with this preparation every night.

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Gestational diabetes -- high blood sugar condition during pregnancy -- may cause early-stage kidney damage that can later lead to chronic kidney diseases among women, reported a study.

The study showed that women with gestational diabetes were more likely to have a high glomerular filtration rate (GFR) -- an estimate of how much blood per minute passes through the glomeruli, the tiny filters within kidneys that extract waste from the blood.

Women with gestational diabetes had more than triple the risk of an elevated GFR, which may precede the early kidney damage that accompanies pre-diabetes -- a condition with higher blood sugar levels but not high enough to be classified as diabetes.

"Our findings suggest that women who have had gestational diabetes may benefit from periodic checkups to detect early-stage kidney damage and receive subsequent treatment," said Cuilin Zhang from National Institutes of Health's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in Maryland, US.

The study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, included data from 601 Danish women having gestational diabetes and 613 non-diabetic women.

The results showed that women who had gestational diabetes and later developed diabetes were approximately nine times more likely to have an elevated GFR later in life, compared to women who did not have gestational diabetes.

They were also likely to have an elevated urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR), which is an indicator of kidney disease.

The study could not prove that gestational diabetes causes kidney damage, and the authors noted that more research is needed to confirm their findings.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

After killing off apps used by a minority of its userbase including the "Twitter for Mac", the micro-blogging site is shutting down its TV apps on Roku, Android TV and Xbox from May 24.

"On Thursday, May 24, Twitter for Roku, Twitter for Android TV and Twitter for Xbox will no longer be available. To get the full Twitter experience, visit https://twitter.com on your device or desktop," the microblogging website tweeted.

This is due to the dismal feedback that users gave because these Twitter apps did not allow them to tweet from their account or fully interact with the Twittersphere in general, The Verge reported.

A report in Tech Crunch, however, said that Twitter has made the decision to kill off these apps as the micro-blogging platform works towards GDPR compliance.

"In addition, neither Xbox or Roku support a standard regularly supported video player, which made them more difficult to maintain. That also came into play with this decision," the report said.

As compared to other TV apps like Netflix, Twitter lacked on the "exclusive video content" front as well.

Twitter for tvOS (Apple TV) and Twitter for Amazon Fire TV will continue to be available.

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While Google Duplex, which lets AI mimic a human voice to make appointments and book tables through phone calls, has mesmerised people with its capabilities and attracted flak on ethical grounds at the same time, Microsoft has showcased a similar technology it has been testing in China.

At an AI event in London on Tuesday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed that the company's Xiaoice social chatbot has 500 million "friends" and more than 16 channels for Chinese users to interact with it through WeChat and other popular messaging services.

"Microsoft has turned Xiaoice, which is Chinese for 'little Bing', into a friendly bot that has convinced some of its users that the bot is a friend or a human being. Xiaoice has her own TV show, it writes poetry and it does many interesting things," The Verge quoted Nadella as saying.

Xiaoice interacts in text conversations but now the company has started allowing the chat bot to call people on their phones.

The bot does not work exactly like Google Duplex, which uses the Assistant to make calls on a user's behalf but it holds a phone conversation with the user.

"One of the things we started doing earlier this year is having full duplex conversations. So now Xiaoice can be conversing with you in WeChat and stop and call you. Then you can just talk to it using voice," Nadella was quoted as saying.

Humans will be humans and the latest victim of humankind was Microsoft.

Two years ago, Microsoft launched an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered bot on Twitter, named Tay, for a playful chat with people, only to silence it within 24 hours as users started sharing racist and offensive comments with the bot.

Launched as an experiment in "conversational understanding" and to engage people through "casual and playful conversation", Tay was soon bombarded with racial comments and the innocent bot repeated those comments back with her commentary to users.

Some of the tweets had Tay referring to Hitler, denying the Holocaust, and supporting Donald Trump's immigration plans, among others.

Later, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that the company is taking Tay off Twitter as people were posting abusive comments to her.

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Bariatric surgery, a weight loss operation, is associated with a 61 percent decrease in the risk of developing malignant skin cancer, according to a study.

Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer, most closely associated with excessive sun exposure. Obesity is an established risk factor for cancer and some studies indicate that intentional weight loss sometimes reduces the risk.

However, evidence for a link between obesity, weight loss and malignant melanoma is limited.

The new findings showed that bariatric surgery led to a 42 percent reduced risk of skin cancer in general compared to controls given usual obesity care.

The study "supports the idea that obesity is a melanoma risk factor and indicates that weight loss in individuals with obesity can reduce the risk of bariatric surgery that has increased steadily in many countries over several decades", said lead author Magdalena Taube from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

The results were presented at the 2018 European Congress on Obesity in Vienna, Austria.

The protective effect of bariatric surgery on skin cancer was observed in a group of 2,007 obese participants who were then followed for a median of 18 years.

These were compared with a control group consisting of 2,040 individuals who matched with the participants who underwent surgery on sex, age, anthropometric measurements, cardiovascular risk factors, psychosocial variables and personality traits.

To analyse malignant melanoma incidence, statistical tests were used to compare time to first melanoma cancer diagnosis between the surgery and control groups.

In additional analyses, risk ratios between the surgery and control groups were compared.

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Ameya Davda and Devak Davda at the Sewri facility. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

If there is one problem that most of us perennially face in our daily lives, it is the lack of storage space. But, one man's problem could well be another man's opportunity. Entrepreneurs Ameya Davda and Devak Davda's startup, Space Valet, is a case in point. Their recently launched service aims to be a one-stop storage solution that offers private, lockable and secure self-storage units of various sizes to stash your belongings.

Home away from home
"Think of it as the sophisticated spare closet or stock room you've always longed for in Mumbai," says Davda who along with his cousin Devak came up with this idea when they returned to India after completing their studies abroad. "I was in California and Devak in London, and while we were there, we learnt how popular cell storage is among people. It's a 60-year- old concept and almost a 40-billion dollar industry," he adds. On returning to Mumbai, Davda teamed up with his cousin to launch the startup which they felt would be a good fit in an overcrowded city. They then conducted a survey to find out if people would avail of a service like this. "People are always on the lookout for additional storage space, more so in Mumbai," he says. The top reasons for self-storage rental, he observed, was the lack of storage space at home, temporary storage while moving, and storing things people don't want or need. The most popular things being stored are wedding outfits and furniture.

A walk-in closet

How it works
The process is simple. You either call up the facility or browse the website and find a suitable storage plan. You then order as many boxes as you need, and then pack and label your belongings. "You don't need to move a finger. Our tie up with Movers and Packers ensures a pick-up facility. When you want your stuff back, go online and click on the tab to recall the boxes," he explains. The plan starts from R299 a month and goes up to R11,000. Storage options range from boxes to a large store room. The key to the storage lies with the customer only. Cleanliness and security are common concerns among customers, according to the results of their survey. The facility, therefore, has a designated person to solely look after the cleanliness of the storage space. There's also a 24x7 security and surveillance to keep the goods safe. "We maintain the right kind of environment so that your possessions don't deteriorate over time," he says. Now, the big challenge for the duo is to popularise the concept. "We want to educate people that this is a viable solution to your space crunch."

Where: www.spacevalet.in
Price: Rs 299 onward
Call: 9930832832

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Pic Courtesy/Saffron and Pearls, Harpercollins India

As a 20-year-old, when Sarina Kamini first learnt that her Australian mother was suffering from Parkinson's, a part of her own Indianness, which her mother had so devotedly brought to the kitchen table at their home in Torquay, died. In a new book, titled Spirits in a Spice Jar (Westland Books, Amazon), Kamini says, it's possibly then that she had "stopped eating Indian food". It's ironic that while she attributes her Indian heritage to her father — he was Kashmiri — it was through her mum that she learnt the traditional family recipes, who in turn learnt how to cook Indian food from her mother-in-law, fondly known as ammi. Cooking these recipes would eventually be a way to heal, helping her make sense of the resentment she felt towards her mother's condition.

If Spirits in a Spice Jar traces the arc of a woman, coming to terms with the illness, another book, Saffron and Pearls: A Memoir of Family, Friendship and Heirloom (HarperCollins India) by Delhi-based Doreen Hassan, recounts how the author, who belonged to a Goan Catholic family, warmed up to her Hyderabadi husband's family and his rich food legacy. Last year, US-based Pakistani writer Bisma Tirmizi revisited her favourite dishes from the subcontinent through a journey of self-discovery of a young, obese girl, in the novel, Feast: With A Taste of Amir Khusro (Rupa Publications).

Doreen Hassan. Pic Courtesy/Saffron and Pearls, Harpercollins India

More writers are now exploring narratives around food, while showing how recipes too, are important to great storytelling. "I set out to tell the story of me, because I was so confused about who I was. I quickly realised that I couldn't understand mum unless I understood her connection to India. From my point of view, the connection was a mix of the material and the mystic [she loves the fashion as much as she appreciates the stories of faith], and food within our family is a real representation of that. Food ties my family to Hinduism through offerings and stories. So I had to write about Kashmiri food. Spices, for me, became the axis point where I could draw all of these thoughts together," says Australia-based Kamini.

Doreen says she started writing the book, with the intention of sharing heirloom recipes she had inherited after marrying her husband, Peter Toghrille Hassan, who is honorary Counsel General for the Russian Federation in Hyderabad. But, as she started work on the book, she "thought it might be interesting for people to know where the recipes came from". "That's how it turned into a memoir along the way," she says. Doreen believes that Hassan family's history is deeply influenced by food, and hence, it was crucial to the memoir too. "When people marry into a family, they often bring their own food traditions with them. It's fascinating to understand it," she says.

Sarina Kamini. Pic Courtesy/Kristy Jane Hoghton

In the book, she writes about the time she struggled with learning to cook, after she and her husband moved to Delhi from Hyderabad, with their two children. She, eventually went back to Hyderabad, and "met Peter's aunt, Zehra Alambardar, whom we called Phuppu Jani, and said, 'Please teach me how to make a few dishes.' She told me that she cooked by andaaz, or instinct. 'Beta, you have to watch and learn. I will make the dishes in front of you, and you write them down.'" That was how Hassan was indoctrinated into cooking.

She remembers the time when her husband invited the famous Pakistani singer Mehdi Hasan, to their home for dinner. "He was to sing at our home, and there would be 100 guests in attendance. I decided to make a Salim bakra, which is an entire goat, stuffed with eggs," she writes. Kamini says her fondest food memory is associated with paneer. "I'd always make sure I was close by when mum or dad began chopping the fresh paneer into pieces; I became adept at stealing bites," she says. Adding, "When I began cooking it for my own two boys, I, too, would have to shoo them away from the chopping block as they made attempts to sneak away with it. This kind of emotional continuity around food is what cements recipes into our hearts."

The Salim Bakra stuffed with chicken and eggs, and served with rice, which Doreen prepared for ghazal singer Mehdi Hasan

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Detroit: Become Human is driven by a melodramatic story set in the US city of Detroit in 2038. The story is told through exploring the day-to-day lives of three androids Kara, Markus and Conrad. How the story unfolds and where it progresses to is all determined by the choices you make while playing these characters. Actions performed affect the people around you and, in turn, affect your interaction with them. There are no wrong or right choices in the game. No matter what you choose, there are people who are going to get disappointed in you.

The story is divided into tiny slices where you play one of the three characters. At the end of the slice you get a story-tree where you can see where the choices you made changes the story and multiple branches where the story could have ended up. The good news is you can replay the game and explore all the different choices. The characters are all-player by actual actors and, needless to say, this game looks amazing, its as close to a real human as a game can probably be right now. The facial movements in the game are well constructed. The world too is carefully crafted with elements of the past integrated with something modern.

It's the way things are now modern integrated with older structures. The three characters you play are also very distinctive and come from different strata of society, giving you a peek of how life might be in the future. Kara for example is an android owned by a violent unemployed man who is bitter about the way his life has turned out, while Markus starts out with a well caring owner that treats him as an equal and Conner is an employee of Cyberlife, the company that makes and sells the Androids and is investigating why the androids are turning into deviants.

The plot is the oldest in the book, which is sad. But the way it plays out and the options you have to make along the way make it more than intriguing. Your choices at times will hurt your soul and that is the object of the game, to make you connect and feel for the choices you make and its consequences. Even the menu narrator doesn't spare you from the emotional drama.

When you start the game, you are greeted by a Cyberlife android that is constantly on screen talking to you. It will make you fill a survey and will slowly and steadily make you feel for it. As mentioned, the core of the game is the story, but there are a few puzzles, some timed single button combat situations also thrown in. But most of the time, especially at the start, you are doing menial tasks: press this to open the door, twist this to wash the dishes and more boring instructions. Even though it was slow and boring, it gave us a window in the life of a robot slave. We wish, however, along with the upgrade in the emotional status they were allowed to do more than just walking to places and activating things.

If we really had to complain about anything, it would probably be the dialogue. It's not bad by any standard, but if it was better, this game could have been something else. Most of the dialogue and reactions are what you would expect someone who just got in to script writing to write. The lines are not crisp and fail to provide a punch, you couldn't or rather wouldn't want to quote any of the characters in the game. If you are looking for a movie experience like no other, Detroit Become Human is perfect for you. It is jam packed with twists turns and is an emotional roller-coaster. Much like a binge worthy series you will want to play this in one go and then repeat till you have explored all options and it doesn't hurt that it looks so good.

Detroit: Become Human
Rating: 4.5/5
Developer: Quantic Dream
Publisher: Sony
Platform: PlayStation 4
Price: Rs 3,999

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China has made a number of announcements on anti-dumping duty orders, including to launch an investigation into US, Korean, and Taiwanese exports of styrene, which is used to manufacture plastics and resins.

Russia's Energy Ministry has announced that changes to the tax treatment of the oil industry will take place, but potentially not until 2019.

Can any subscriber old let me know how Profit Velocity & Peak Profit Alert is performing? Which one is better? I am planning to subscribe for one...

I request you to kindly give me your advise on GST which is going to be implemented very shortly. Thanks and Regards, Varadarajan Kasturi..

Can I Open account with zero brokerage company for share buy/sell.Whether it is safe? Please clarify..

(this is continuation of the title): Why is the daylight robber being rewarded instead of punished or fired BEFORE he proves he has value ?! Your proposed role for him doesn't seem to offer any value to us. I saw the mails about Ankit stealing research id..

Mr. Vivek Kaul once again interpret numbers like a politician - Don't see any difference between him and our politicians - be it ministers in govt. or opposition. I think he has forgotten economics in his eagerness to score political brownie points. Recen..

A former defense and trade minister, Nirmala Sitharaman became the first woman finance minister of India after Indira Gandhi.

She has inherited an economy facing a number of risks.

She faces immense challenges as finance minister. India's economy is starting to splutter on the back of a slow-down in consumption and private investment.

Fixing this and jump-starting the economy are the first order of business.

The data released on Friday was disappointing at different levels.

Lower growth in GDP, stagnant growth in core sector in April 2019, and the government just about managing the 3.4% deficit number in FY19 pose puzzles for the new Cabinet which assumes responsibility of kick-starting the economy.

A look at key macroeconomic indicators presents a gloomy picture.

Sinking GDP Growth Means FM Nirmala Sitharaman has to Push for Sweeping Reforms

According to the data released by the Central Statistics Office on Friday, gross domestic product (GDP) grew by only 5.8% in the last quarter of financial year 2019 (FY19), between January and March.

GDP Growth Slips to 5-Year Low

The data demonstrates GDP growth slowing steadily, from 8 to 7 to 6.6% in the first three quarters of FY19.

The signs of slowdown are visible throughout the economy.

Growth of Core Sector Industries Remained Flat

India's core economy grew at 4.3% in FY19, its second slowest pace in the past 5 years, down from 4.9% in FY15, according to latest data by the ministry of commerce and industry.

The 8 core industries include Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery, Fertilisers, Steel, Cement, and Electricity.

8 Core Sectors Report Flat Growth in FY19

The growth rate is also flat since fiscal FY18 which had also recorded a 4.3% growth.

Manufacturing and Services Sector Activity Decelerates

Core sector growth will have a direct impact on the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) as these sectors account for a major chunk of total factory output.

Worries Rise as Factory Output Shrinks in March

The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) and the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) are used to gauge the level of activity in the manufacturing sector.

What Does the PMI Say?

The country's manufacturing sector performance fell to an eight-month low in April as new business growth moderated, curbed by the elections and a challenging economic environment.

The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index declined from 52.6 in March to 51.8 in April, reflecting weakest improvement in business conditions since August 2018.

However, this was the 21st consecutive month that the manufacturing PMI remained above the 50-point mark.

In PMI parlance, a number above 50 means expansion, while a score below that denotes contraction.

The April PMI data indicated a softer increase in new orders had restricted growth of output, employment, and business sentiment.

Further, the Indian service sector lost momentum in April, with rates of new business and output growth both cooling to seven-month lows.

Indian Service Sector Loses Momentum Too

Falling from 52.0 in March to 51.0 at the start of FY19, the seasonally adjusted Nikkei India Services Business Activity Index pointed to the weakest upturn in output since last September.

Besides these, there are many other indicators of a slowdown.

A decline in consumer demand, a slowdown in government spending, and weak private investment have likely impacted India's growth in the fourth quarter.

One such high frequency indicator is automobile sales.

What do these numbers indicate?

Vehicle sales are a very important economic indicator about how the people of India feel about their economic prospects.

After all, no one is forcing anyone to buy a car and given that if a consumer buys a car, he chooses to make a down payment and/or take on an EMI.

This is only possible if the consumer is feeling positive about his future economic prospects.

Automobile Sales Skid as Demand Remains Sluggish

On Saturday, India's largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, reported a 22% decline in sales in May, the lowest in seven years.

Other auto-makers such as Tata Motors, Eicher Motors, and Hero Moto Corp reported declines in sales too.

All these economic indicators basically provide evidence of the Indian economy slowing down further since January 2019.

Another major area that needs immediate attention by the government, is job creation.

According to a CMIE survey, the unemployment number stands at 41 million people. That is too big a number to be ignored.

Now, job creation at such a mass level won't be a walk in the park. To set the wheels in motion, the government will have to look at infrastructure spending.

Capacity expansion in new projects has seen a gradual slowdown in the past few years.

Infra Capacity Expansion Likely to Be the Key Focus of the Modi Government

From Rs 3.3 trillion in June 2018, the number has come down sharply to Rs 2.1 trillion as of March 2019.

Co-head of research, Tanushree Banerjee believes this is first area the government will look to focus on.

Apart from creating jobs in the infrastructure sector, it opens a lot of other avenues.

Here's an excerpt of what she wrote in The 5Minute WrapUp:

• Better infrastructure will mean better connectivity to non-metros. This will attract manufacturing companies to set shop in these towns. It will give a boost to the urbanisation of the population.
  
  This is a trend I see clearly playing out in the coming years.
  
  Infrastructure spending -> Improved roads -> Increased two-wheeler sales.
  
  It is just one of the 50 irreversible trends I believe will carry the Sensex to 1,00,000.

Typically, when the capacity utilisation rises, it prompts companies to expand their capacities. If this gradual pick-up sustains, it could lead to a pick-up in private sector investment.

Thus, a revival in the investment cycle could be underway despite the current economic slowdown.

And, as far as equity markets are concerned, participants were expecting a weak fourth quarter growth data.

As such, the now published data may not weigh on the market but will raise expectations from the government and the RBI.

The pressure points in the form of finance, tax rates, infra expenditure, specific sector-related policies etc, must be addressed.

While the weak GDP data will be an important input for the Union Budget.

Most investors are now keen to know what's in store in the first week of July.

Warm regards,
Rini Mehta

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar says he cannot fathom why Mahendra Singh Dhoni has "dragged it for so long" as the right time for the maverick ex-India skipper to call it quits was after last year's ODI World Cup. Akhtar said he hopes the 38-year-old Dhoni gets a resounding farewell despite his resolute silence on what the future holds. "This guy has served to the best of his ability. He should leave cricket with dignity. I don't know why he dragged it for so long. He should have retired after the World Cup," Akhtar told PTI from Islamabad.

"If I would have been in his place, I would have hung up my boots. I could have played shorter formats for three-four years but I left [after the 2011 WC] as I wasn't into the game 100 per cent. So why drag?" he asked. Dhoni, who has not played a competitive game since the World Cup semi-final in July, was preparing to make a much-anticipated comeback with the IPL, which is now unlikely to take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If he had done well in the IPL, there was a possibility of him playing the T20 World Cup in October-November. Akhtar believes Dhoni is now in a limbo but deserves a grand send-off despite the anti- climactic turn of events.

Shoaib Akhtar

"As a country, you should let him go with a lot of respect and dignity. Give him a nice send off. He has won you the World Cup and done wonders for India. He is a wonderful human being at the same time. But right now, he seems to be stuck," he said. Akhtar said Dhoni should have ideally retired after last year's 50-over World Cup. "When he could not finish the game in the semi-final [v New Zealand], I felt he should have retired. Only he can answer why he didn't. He should have played a farewell series after that World Cup probably and then said goodbye in a manner befitting his great stature." Talking about the Indian team's inability to win a global event since the 2013 Champions Trophy, Akhtar said Virat Kohli's said: "Winning tournaments is one thing but staying at top is another. India is still the top-ranked Test team and among the top teams in the limited-overs format. We can't rate their performance only in ICC events.

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Former Pakistan first-class cricketer Zafar Sarfraz has died of COVID-19. According to a report in geo.tv, Zafar succumbed to the novel coronavirus at the Lady Reading Hospital late Monday. The 50-year old is the first professional cricket player from Pakistan to succumb to the coronavirus, after testing positive last Tuesday. He had been on a ventilator for the past three days, hospital officials added.

Zafar, a left-handed batter and slow left-arm orthodox bowler, played first-class cricket from 1988 to 1994 and List A cricket from 1990 to 1992. He made 616 runs from 15 first-class games for Peshawar and also had 96 runs from six one-day games before retiring in 1994 and moving on to coach both the senior and the Under-19 Peshawar teams in the mid-2000s.

Zafar was the brother of late Pakistan international cricketer Akhtar Sarfraz, who went on to play four ODIs between December 1997 and October 1998, scoring 66 runs in four innings.

Last month, great Pakistani squash player Azam Khan had also died of novel coronavirus at the age of 95. Azam, who won four consecutive British Open titles between 1959-62, had tested positive for COVID-19 in March end and breathed his last in London's Ealing Hospital.

Over 5,000 confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported so far in Pakistan, including 96 deaths.

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Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday urged people to beat coronavirus by staying at home and by maintaining social distancing. He termed the virus 'mother of all World Cups' and asked people to combat this disease together and win the World Cup of humanity.

Taking to Twitter, Shastri shared a video post where he cited cricket examples to aware people about the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic. "As I would know, sports teaches you life lessons that can be applied to just about anything you want to pursue in rest of your life. Today the COVID-19 has put us in a situation where we got our backs to the wall. To combat this coronavirus is like chasing a World Cup where you give your everything in trying to win it. What's staring you at the face is no ordinary World Cup. This is the mother of all World Cups where not just eleven are playing but 1.4 billion are in the playing arena and competing. Guys we can win this. For that, we have to observe the basics. You have got your Prime Minister leading from the front ahead of the curve like other countries have farmed out," Shastri said.

Stay Home, Stay Safe! 🙏#Lockdown2 #COVID19 #StayHome #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/JQTZVib2in

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) April 15, 2020

"You have to obey the orders that come from the top: be it centre, state or the frontline workers who are risking their lives. Two orders that stand out: staying home and maintaining social distancing. It is not easy but to win the game you got to go through the pain to break the chain and see the gain. Come on, guys! let's do it together. Let us get out there in a bruit force of 1.4 billion and beat this corona and get your hands on the World Cup of humanity. Let's do it," he added.

With 1,076 new COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's tally of coronavirus cases has risen to 11,439, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.

Out of the total tally, 9,756 cases are active while 1,306 patients have been cured/discharged and migrated. With 38 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll rises to 377.

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England batsman Jos Buttler was effusive in his praise for Rohit Sharma, describing the India opener as an awesome player, who can "effortlessly" take down any opposition by scoring big hundreds. "Rohit Sharma I think is an awesome player," Buttler said during an Instagram live session on Rajasthan Royals page.

"Effortless. Quite a lot of Indian players have that awesome style. "He has been fantastic for a long time and I just like the way he bats and the effortless nature in which he takes people down." Rohit is currently regarded as one of the greatest ODI players, ranked only behind India skipper Virat Kohli at the top of the ICC rankings. The Mumbaikar is the only batsman to have scored three double hundreds in the format. The 32-year-old had equalled Sachin Tendulkar's record for most centuries in World Cup matches when he scored five hundreds at the 2019 World Cup to end up as the highest-scorer with 648 runs.

"One of the things I have seen with Rohit is that if he gets in, he scores big runs and really affects the game. He must have scored 4-5 hundreds in the World Cup last year," said Buttler, who had shared the dressing room with Rohit at Mumbai Indians in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Buttler feels the Indian players now have become better in negotiating short balls. "I think a few years ago people used to attack Indian players with the short ball but Rohit smashes them. Then you go fuller and he smashes them right down the ground."

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With most people struggling with the Coronavirus pandemic-caused lockdown, staying upbeat is becoming a challenge.

Former Mumbai club cricketer and coach Kishore Harkisandas Kuvavala, 73, who is also a laughter therapist, is trying to make a difference albeit in the virtual space.

For the last 18 days, every evening at 6.30, Babulnath-resident Kuvavala goes live goes live from his Facebook account in an attempt to make people laugh and relieve some stress.

'Stress, a bigger threat'

He claims around 350 to 400 people join him live everyday for his fitness and laughter sessions. "Most people are worried about Coronavirus even if they are confined 24x7 to their homes. They are only watching and hearing about the pandemic during the day through various mediums. Corona will not be the biggest killer, but stress will surely have a huge impact on everybody.

There is nothing else left for people to talk about except Corona, it seems these days. So, I am trying to ease a bit of tension that's surrounding us today. Laughter is the best medicine. I have been championing this cause for over two decades now. I feel it can make a lot of difference to people especially in these times," a fit Kuvavala tells mid-day.

Kuvavala has always believed in leading an active life. He played competitive cricket on Mumbai's local circuit till he was 50. Kuvavala owes a lot to cricket. He got the Bank of Baroda job for his cricketing credentials. "I led the bank team too," he says with pride.

He played the famous Dr HD Kanga Cricket League in the 'A' Division for Young Maharashtra Cricket Club. He was also a Managing Committee member of the Mumbai Cricket Association in 1988-89 before taking up coaching.

Fitness first

Kuvavala decided to work towards spreading awareness on the importance of fitness after giving up the sport. In 1995, he began his journey as a laughter therapist, starting with lessons at Priyadarshini Park. Before the lockdown, Kuvavala and his group of 30 to 35 people would gather each morning at Chowpatty on Marine Drive for their dose of laughter. "Do we ever laugh at ourselves? When we do that, we laugh from the heart. There is an expression and feel involved in it. It is the best form of exercise. It fills you up with positivity," explains Kuvavala, who is often invited by top hospitals for laughter sessions. He also conducts laughter therapy activities for corporates. "I do that for a fee, though," he clarifies. "People nowadays have forgotten to laugh," he remarks.

With anxiety and sadness around due to the pandemic, all that Kuvavala wants to ensure is that people do not stop smiling.

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Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif on Wednesday backed MS Dhoni to play in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, saying that the wicket-keeper batsman has 'a lot of cricket' left in him and ruling him out will be 'unfair'.

"See, people may have eyes on Dhoni that how he is going to play in the IPL (Indian Premier League) and then there will be talks of the T20 World Cup but my view is different from others. I do not judge Dhoni based on his IPL form. He is a great batsman and he is fit now. He wants to play IPL, do captaincy and is showing his availability. He has a winning mentality and knows how to win games under pressure," Kaif told ANI.

"So, I think ruling him out will be unfair. See a lot of cricket is still left in Dhoni and when a player plays for this long, there are ups and downs in his career. It happens with every cricketer, not just Dhoni," he added.

Dhoni last played competitive cricket during the 2019 World Cup. India was knocked out of the tournament after suffering a semi-final defeat at the hands of New Zealand. Dhoni was run out in the 49th over after scoring 50 runs. After his dismissal, India failed to chase the 240-run target.

Despite Dhoni failing to take India over the line, Kaif termed him a 'champion player'.

"The semifinal of World Cup which we lost, everyone was expecting Dhoni to win it but it did not happen. So, from there on, people thought that Dhoni should not be there. But for me, Dhoni is a champion player. People should look at Dhoni's record in the last 10 to 15 years. See, the current form is important but at the same time his form was not that bad that you rule him out," Kaif said.

The ICC T20 World Cup 2020 is scheduled to be played between October 18 and November 15 at seven venues across Australia.

As the nationwide lockdown as been extended to May 3 due to the coronavirus, the IPL has been postponed indefinitely. "IPL 2020 season has been postponed indefinitely," sources within BCCI told ANI on Wednesday.

Kaif feels that postponing the league is the right decision as life is more important than sports at the moment.

"In the present scenario, life is more important than sports. I think the decision of BCCI is right. When the situation improves, we will think of sports. Sporting events all over the world have either been postponed or cancelled. In our country, cases are rising. So, as of now, the situation is not under control. So I think it's the right decision because at this stage first priority is to beat coronavirus and save the people," he said.

When asked about his views on the window for IPL, Kaif said: "I feel when things are sorted out and there is the possibility of games to be played, then they (BCCI) will look for options."

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Dinesh Karthik understands the reason for his exclusion from India's ODI team after an underwhelming 2019 World Cup but what he can't comprehend is the T20 snub as that is one format where he is still confident of making significant contributions. Karthik, who has played 26 Tests, 94 ODIs and 32 T20s over a 15-year-career, is used to making comebacks but to make another one will be tougher than ever for the 34-year-old. And he knows that. "My record in T20s has been good. A big tournament like the World Cup did not go exactly as per the plan. I could understand the one day bit (being dropped from ODIs) but even now I would like think that I stand a good chance in returning to the T20 side.

"I have done well even in the recent domestic games that I have played. I have no reason to doubt myself (that I can't make another comeback)," Karthik told PTI in an exclusive interview.

Out of the three formats, he averages best in T20s " 33.25 with a strike rate of 143.52. Does getting dropped hurts? "It does hurt, no doubt about that. I have always had this burning desire to play for my country and it hasn't diminished one bit." It was a rollercoaster ride for Karthik leading up to the World Cup as he was dropped for the home ODI series against Australia, India's last before the showpiece event.

However, the selectors picked him in the squad over Rishabh Pant for his "better" wicket-keeping skills. Eventually, Pant too became part of the World Cup side after Shikhar Dhawan fractured his thumb in the middle of the tournament. Karthik failed to make an impact in two innings he got in the World Cup including the semifinal which India lost to New Zealand. In fact, Indian team management drew heavy flak from all quarters for fielding three specialist keepers (MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant and Karthik) in playing XI while ignoring specialist batsman Kedar Jadhav.

He was assigned the role of a finisher in the T20 side and his most significant knock came in the 2018 Nidahas Trophy final where he hit a last-ball six to win India the title. Though he has slipped considerably in the pecking order, Karthik remains hopeful of another comeback. KL Rahul is currently being tried as a wicketkeeper-batsman in limited overs cricket at the expense of Pant. Sanju Samson too is in the mix but which route the new selection panel takes remains to be seen.
The KKR captain, who was preparing hard for the IPL before the lockdown was announced, seems to be comfortable in his own skin.

"That is how the sport has always been for me. Full of ups and downs. It has taught me a lot of things. It (being out of the team) is not something new to me so I am comfortable in the space that I am in. "There is a T20 World Cup round the corner and I know if I do well, I stand a good chance of making the team. I know it gets tougher every time. The team is getting stronger all the time and it is great to watch. But it is my duty to get better as a player and the rest will take care of itself," the Tamil Nadu veteran said.

The IPL, which has been postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, would have been an ideal platform for Karthik to make his case for his umpteenth comeback. But considering the circumstances, the game has taken a backseat. "With everything that has been happening, I am not able to think too much about the IPL. I have moved into a state where I have accepted that it is not going to happen for now. Before the lockdown, I was practising really hard for the IPL, just like I did it every other tournament.

"There is still a lot of hope (of playing for India again), it is always there. In fact, the entire world is living on hope right," said Karthik, who is keep himself fit with regular workout sessions at home. On how he is dealing with the lockdown, he added: "If at all, anybody is well acclimatised for a situation like this, it is the sportspersons. We tend to move around the world, stay in hotel rooms all alone, so to a large extent we are used to it.

"The whole world is doing it (staying at home) at the moment, fighting for one cause. Hopefully, we can eradicate this virus."

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Bollywood actor Athiya Shetty seems to have found the perfect day to make her relationship with India cricketer KL Rahul official on social media as he turned 28 on Saturday. She shared the picture with her 2.3 million Instagram followers along with a white heart emoji and wrote: "Happy birthday, my person. @rahulkl." To which, Rahul replied with three heart emojis.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

happy birthday, my person ðŸ¤Â @rahulkl

A post shared by Athiya Shetty (@athiyashetty) onApr 18, 2020 at 12:59am PDT

Rahul's friend Hardik Pandya commented: "Hay," while tennis star Sania Mirza wrote: "Awee" along with two heart emojis.

Rumours about them seeing each other began last year after the cricketer posted an adorable picture, recreating a scene of Athiya's dad Suneil Shetty's film, Hera Pheri and captioned it: "Hello, Devi Prasad?"

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Hello, devi prasad....?

A post shared by KL Rahul👑 (@rahulkl) onDec 27, 2019 at 10:15pm PST

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The threat of online corrupt approaches does not cause much anxiety to BCCI's head of Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) Ajit Singh, who says Indian players are well aware of the modus operandi of fixers and are quick to report anything suspect. The ICC ACU head Alex Marshall, in an interview to 'The Guardian', said that prolonged lockdown and players using various social media platform could lead to corrupt approaches being made and people need to tread carefully. Singh said BCCI ACU is in control. "...we have made our players aware about the way people approach you and modus operandi through social media. We have told them 'look this is how they (potential fixers and bookies) would approach you'," the veteran IPS officer told PTI in an interaction. "(They will) try and behave like a fan and then try to meet you through someone who may be your acquaintance," he added. "Somehow these elements try and touch base with players. Most of them (India players), whenever it happens, they do report to us that I have got a contact."

Most of the top players, with millions of followers, have been very active online with Q and A sessions on twitter, interactive chats on instagram and Facebook live. So is the BCCI's ACU team tracking the online content? "Whatever can be tracked online, we do that. But obviously the physical verification part of going out and checking locations is out of question in times of a lockdown," he spoke about practical problems. "But if something comes to our notice, it automatically goes into our database and once lockdown is over, we will verify those if the need arises." Singh said the easiest aspect of tracking social media content is that it doesn't require too much manpower. "A few men who know their jobs can do it pretty well," the former DGP of Rajasthan said. But Singh said that, in his two year stint, all current India players have been honest and upright, very aware about their responsibilities. "We are not adversaries of players. The players and ACU are one team. It's the people who are trying to corrupt the games, they are the ones we need to track down." He said that both tracking social media and physical verification of corrupt approaches has its own set of challenges.

"Those who were trying to corrupt the players with physical presence and those using fake IDs on social media handles, converge at some point," he said. "Either it's the same person with a fake ID who tries to approach the player or uses someone on his behalf. So there is a pattern of convergence. One has to follow both the lines," he added. Singh said even former players have approached the ACU when they have found something unusual. "There have been things coming from current players and also retired players. There has been information coming from them. Things that they doubted, which look suspicious. "Any information is useful. Even if it's a false alarm, it raises the awareness level of the players as well as the skills of the team investigating it," the retired top cop said. There are some structural plans for the BCCI's ACU which will only materialise once normalcy returns after the COVID-19 pandemic. "Every zone will have a zonal head as it had been said earlier. A few zones don't have zonal heads, so we will fill those posts," he said.

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