Two players have been named All-American, including one on the first team, and a coach has been chosen as national Coach of the Year.

Hundreds of worried fans of ailing Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan today performed a yagna here to pray for his speedy recovery.

The 2007 Be The Change Conference is fast approaching and has an amazing line up of speakers to inspire you with the theme "The Sky's the Limit". For the fourth year in a row the BTC conference brings together world leaders in sustainability and social

A German team practises mallakhamb with coach Uday Deshpande

In a TEDx Gateway talk held in 2017, 65-year-old Uday Deshpande talks of how he started learning mallakhamb at Shivaji Park's Samarth Vyayam Mandir (SVM) at the age of three. The passion for the sport, which has its origins in Maharashtra, gripped him so much, he says, that he even stuck to his daily regime on the day of his wedding. As the audience laughs, Deshpande moves on to talk about what he returned to the sport — spreading its awareness not just to other Indian cities across 29 states, but globally as well. He rattles off a statistic: in the last 25 years more than 2,500 foreigners from 52 countries have learnt mallakhamb.

His passport — which thanks to the several added visa pages has increasing so much in girth that it is a candidate for bariatric surgery — bears signs of his visits to countries like USA, Singapore, Nepal, Germany, France, Austria, Hong Kong. And now, says Deshpande, the director at SVM who also coaches there, all this effort is going to culminate into the first mallakhamb world championship to be held at Shivaji Park, next February. Speaking to mid-day from his Shivaji Park office, keeping a stern eye on the practice sessions on the grounds, Deshpande announces proudly," Mallakhamb is ready to go the next mile. France and Germany in fact, have mallakhamb federations in their countries. We need to now harness that exposure into a competition." The championships — to be held under the auspices of the newly-formed Vishwa Mallakhamb Federation (VMF) — will be held between February 16-17 2019. Deshpande, the secretary of VFM, says all the details of the organisation of the event are being taken care of by SVM officials.

Uday Deshpande

And 15 countries have already announced their participation. Dr (PhD) Neeta Tatke, administrative secretary, SVM, whose thesis was on the mental benefits of the sport, says, "A competition is one way to kindle curiosity, sustain the sport and watch it grow. We also need to increase participation at home." For Tatke, GenNext will take a shine to the rope and pole, "if we have national and world champions here, nurtured and made in our backyard. For instance, see the boost tennis and badminton got in India. This is because with the Saina Nehwals, Sania Mirzas and P V Sindhus, young Indians have role models to look up to. We need to create that in mallakhamb. Competition is one way to do so."

A couple of years ago, when Deutschland came to Dadar, the German mallakhamb team given an Indian experience by Samarth volunteers. After their morning mallakhamb practice, Samarth members taught the Germans, Lezim (a Maharashtrian folk) dance, they learnt to play the flute and even dabbled in Warli painting. This time, organisers say that at the World Championships, there will be a food court at the venue and an exhibition centre outlining the history of mallakhamb.

Ruth Azenberger, German mallakhamb coach — who started learning mallakhamb when she was eight years old, in 2004, and then received the Mallakhamb Trainers Certificate in 2012 from the University of Mumbai and Mallakhamb Federation of India — says, "We are thrilled to be a part of the competition and show what we have learned for the last 15 years." Azenberger adds that the final mallakhamb team will be selected in September.

Shreyas Mhaskar, trustee, SVM and former national Mallakhamb champion adds, "Mallakhamb's origins are Indian, so it is natural that India hosts the debut World Championship." Officials say that, "we also have plans of how to make this a more equitable field for all nations. We are going to negate the obvious advantage India will have, with its long tradition of mallakhamb with a few surprises in rules that we will not divulge now." Ambition is expensive. The committee says they are earmarking R2 crore expense overall and are now hunting for sponsors. Yet, to zero in on that elusive one with deep pockets, the organizers are holding on to their dream because they have the courage of conviction, or when it comes to mallakhamb, like the practitioners that should be courage of their contortions.

Binge watching has become the most common activity in the Coronavirus-forced lockdown. Mumbai's India all-rounder Shivam Dube is no different than the rest but his choice is rather unusual.

Dube, 26, who was drafted in the Indian team in place of injured Hardik Pandya (India v Bangladesh T20I series in November 2019), has been watching India's World Cup title campaigns spearheaded by MS Dhoni, for motivation.

India lifted the inaugural World T20 trophy in 2007 and the 50-over World Cup in 2011. "To keep my mindset healthy, I am watching India's two World Cup titles. They inspire me and provide me a pathway for what I can do for my country in the future. It keeps me motivated," Dube told Sunday mid-day on Saturday.

All-rounder Shivam Dube (right) with father Rajesh, mother Madhuri and sister Pooja at their Andheri East residence on Saturday

"I watched the 2011 ODI World Cup final many times because I am confident India can do it again [in 2023]. I also watched the T20 World Cup games several times. I think India are the best team in any format. I am sure we can win these two World Cups again," said Dube, who has featured in 13 T20Is and one ODI. Dube is working hard on his fitness at his Andheri East home. He was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the last IPL, where he scored 40 runs in four games. He was looking forward to playing the IPL again but it has been indefinitely suspended.

"I am missing everything of the IPL. It's difficult but we don't have a choice. We have to stay home and fight the virus," remarked Dube. But there are positives: "I am with my family after a long time, so I am helping my mother, father and sister as much as I can with household chores. I sometimes help my mother with cooking and cleaning. This also helps in bonding."

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Nayanthara has celebrated her 35th birthday with her boyfriend Vignesh Shivan in Miami.

Vignesh Shivan is teaming up with his girlfriend Nayanthara again. He is directing her next film Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal (KRK), which also has Vijay Sethupathi and Samantha.

Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai star Mohsin Khan created a frenzy on the internet when he shared a BTS video from his dance rehearsal with co-star Shivangi Joshi.

South actress Nayanthara is celebrating her 35th birthday with boyfriend Vignesh Shivan in New York City.

'ಶಿವಾಜಿ ಸುರತ್ಕಲ್' ಒಂದು ಪಕ್ಕಾ ಸಸ್ಪೆನ್ಸ್ ಥಿಲ್ಲರ್ ಸಿನಿಮಾ. ಒಂದು ಸಸ್ಪೆನ್ಸ್ ಸಿನಿಮಾಗೆ ಬೇಕಾದ ಎಲ್ಲ ಅಂಶಗಳು ಸಿನಿಮಾದಲ್ಲಿದೆ. ಪ್ರೇಕ್ಷಕರಿಗೆ ಥ್ರಿಲ್ ನೀಡುವುದರ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಸಿನಿಮಾದ ಭಾವುಕ ದೃಶ್ಯಗಳು ಮನಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ಹತ್ತಿರ ಆಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಕೆಲವು ಹಾರರ್ ಎನಿಸುವ ದೃಶ್ಯಗಳು ನೋಡುಗರಿಗೆ ಭಯ ಬೀಳಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.

Due to COVID-19 Lockdown, the entire world on cinema has come to halt. However, Century star Shivarajkumar is keeping busy with script narrations. The actor, in all likelihood, may officially announce his next project on father and yesteryear megastar Dr. Rajkumar’s

In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is considered as the greatest of all Gods and is believed to be the destroyer of evil thoughts, fears and materialistic desires. Devotees believe that He lives a simple life and stays away from all kinds of

In Hinduism, Lord Shiva also known as Mahadev is the Supreme God, is said to be one among the holy trinity i.e., Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Devotees of Lord Shiva have immense faith in Him and therefore, they celebrate

Lord Shiva is considered to be one of the most important Hindu deity. Devotees are often seen worshipping Him with utmost dedication and devotion. In order to pay tribute to Lord Shiva and express their gratitude for bestowing prosperity, devotees celebrate

Lord Shiva, is known as the God of destruction (when evil powers threaten humanity) and transformation. He is said often referred to as Bholenath, the one who is as innocent as a child and can be easily pleased. Devotees worship Lord

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

'I have started a series called Unsung Warriors.''This time, the film is about Tanhaji. The next film will be on someone from Rajasthan or maybe Punjab.''I don't want to pick a warrior that everyone knows about.'

Online Resource

Online Resource

Tukdeo, Shivali, author

Committee was aimed at better coordination between the party and the government.

Stadler, Nurit

Rotch Library - HQ1194.J34 2013

Rotch Library - N6487.N49 N496 2019

Online Resource

Online Resource