A heartwarming video of a monkey playing with a kite amid lockdown across the country is winning hearts online. The beautiful video was shared on Twitter by Susanta Nanda, an Indian Forest Service officer who is working in Odisha. In the video, a monkey can be seen flying a kite from the terrace of a building.

Evolution happening fast due to lockdown😂

Monkey flying a kite. Yes it’s a monkey for sure😁 pic.twitter.com/6W8MtpPK43

— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) April 16, 2020

In the 12-seconds video clip, the monkey can be seen on top of a building terrace holding the string of a kite and pulling it towards itself. As the video moves further, the monkey can be seen successfully pulling the kite and holding it as people in the background cheer him.

Can't even imagine that a monkey can fly a kite

— Heena Mehta (@HeenaMe61603627) April 16, 2020

While sharing the video with his 30,000 followers, Forest officer Susanta Nanda captioned it: Evolution happening fast due to lockdown. Monkey flying a kite. Yes it's a monkey for sure. The heartwarming video which has left people suprised has garnered over 20,000 views and counting.

Superb video! In all probability, it might have caught hold of a cut string and pulling it in, but definitely a rare catch!

— Jyoti Shankar Roy Choudhury (@JSRoyChoudhury) April 16, 2020

Hundreds of netizens took to the comments section of the post to share their views. One user wrote, "Rise of the planet of the apes - RELOADED," while another user wrote, "And he is doing it better than I ever could."

Preparing to challenge the human after lockdown 😂😂😂

— Kalung Nyipa (@KalungNyipa) April 16, 2020

A third user said, "At this Pace, Brace for a Jumanji." While explaining the video a fourth user commented, "Superb video! In all probability, it might have caught hold of a cut string and pulling it in, but definitely a rare catch!"

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A video that captures a rare sight of four majestic tigers taking a stroll in the Satpura forest in Madhya Pradesh has been amusing netizens for quite some time now. In the undated video, the family big cats were seen taking a stroll as a vehicle of safari-goers parked behind them watched the sight in shock.

The 28-minute-long video posted by forest officer Ravindra Mani Tripathi on Twitter shows the big cats, some moving around while others seated. As a sight of the tiger would frighten anyone in real life, as one of the women can be heard in the video asking the driver to reverse the vehicle.

The video that was also shared by Ramesh Pandey IFS on Twitter was captioned as, "Such frequent sightings of 4 or more tigers were not so usual a decade back." The post has garnered more than 6,400 views and 500 likes and was retweeted 98 times.

After Pech, Panna, Tadoba and Dudhwa here goes a worth watching video from Satpura Forests MP as shared by @ravindramtripa1.
Such frequent sightings of 4 or more tigers were not so usual a decade back. #conservation pic.twitter.com/ukofC6cRmy

— Ramesh Pandey IFS (@rameshpandeyifs) April 16, 2020

The users commenting on the video has been praising the beauty of Satputa tiger Reserve and how lucky they were to catch a glimpse of the big cat in their tours.

Wow !! Beautiful. We did not opt for a safari at Satpura tiger reserve during our recent stay at Pachmarhi, as the chances of sightings are less. Next time we will try our luck :).

— Abhishek Jagdale (@CSABHI84) April 16, 2020

Lovely but why are people so loud and talkative even at this moment . Surprisingly it doesn’t distract the wildlife

— Liberator (@Tiksmum) April 16, 2020

Woww.. Satpura sighting is pretty difficult. Surprised to see four!! I remember forest guard saying, "Satpura is land of all animals cos predator is less here". And now here they come😮

— Chittra M (@masalaboxtravel) April 16, 2020

I have to say the IFS has done a tremendous job and everyone else who supported them

— Naveen Naidu (@NaveenN81477836) April 16, 2020

What do you think about the video?

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Amid the total lockdown across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, a heartwarming video of a baby rhino is winning hearts for all the right reasons. In the video, a baby rhino can be seen making efforts to make new friends amid lockdown across the country.

A new friend in the colony👍

Baby rhino making new friends. Love this adorable baby’s 1st day out there. pic.twitter.com/Gfa5yxljDV

— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) April 21, 2020

The adorable video was shared by Indian Forest Service officer Susanta Nanda, who is working in Odisha. In the 1 minute 15 seconds clip, the baby rhino, who is accompanied by his mother can be seen making innumerable attempts to make new friends in the forest.

New Kid on the Block... Backstreet Boyshttps://t.co/xfczdLYHx5

— Pankaj Thapliyal (@PankajT04765688) April 21, 2020

As the video moves forward, the baby rhino who is seen loitering around can be seen trying to form friendship with giraffes and fawn as the mother follows him wherever he goes. While sharing the adorable video with his followers, Susanta captioned it saying, "A new friend in the colony. Baby rhino making new friends. Love this adorable baby's first day out there."

Momma Rhino is the coolest. You know she has an eye on the baby at all times but love how she lets it explore in its own way 😊

— Smitha Murthy (@SmithaOne) April 21, 2020

The beautiful video which was shared on Tuesday has garnered over 4,000 views and about 600 likes. The cute and playful video of baby rhino left netizens gushing over the one minute sixteen second clip. One user said, "Woww! What a debut!," while lauding the mother another user commented, "Momma rhino is the coolest. You know she has an eye on the baby at all times but love how she lets it explore in its own way." A third user wrote, "So adorable..."

Woww! What a debut!

— Heena Mehta (@HeenaMe61603627) April 21, 2020

What do you think of the adorable video?

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An intriguing game of counting tigers in a picture has taken the social media by storm. A Twitter user posted a picture of a family of tigers with few other tigers hidden in the background, and asked netizens to spot the exact number of big cats. While few netizens guessed correctly, most were left scratching their heads with the intriguing brain-teaser.

Twitter user @isharmaneer posted the picture with the caption, "How Many Tigers You See In This Pic?" Spotting four tigers in the picture at first glace is relatively easy - two cubs and two adults. But on closer inspection, netizens realised that the big cats have been cleverly morphed in the background.

How Many Tigers You See In This Pic ? pic.twitter.com/GPOvxKYdRc

— EF Neer 🇮🇳 (@isharmaneer) April 22, 2020

The puzzle, that has received over 6,700 likes and 783 retweets, has not just baffled a few celebrities too. Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan commented that he found 11 tigers while actors Dia Mirza, and Prachi Desai said that they were able to spot 16 tigers. 

11 tigers .. https://t.co/s5Sa57G80n

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 23, 2020

16

— Dia Mirza (@deespeak) April 23, 2020

16 🐅

— Prachi Desai (@ItsPrachiDesai) April 23, 2020

According to the Daily Mail, there are 16 tigers in the picture, hiding in plain sight, users commenting on Neer's post claimed that they were able to find up to 20 tigers in the picture. Here are some responses:

Now 18 pic.twitter.com/XohawpPAYf

— Ajay Singh (@Ajay_Singh56) April 23, 2020

16 pic.twitter.com/3GEj6MAe0h

— Ramesh Nadoda 🇮🇳 (@rameshrnadoda) April 23, 2020

16 pic.twitter.com/3GEj6MAe0h

— Ramesh Nadoda 🇮🇳 (@rameshrnadoda) April 23, 2020

18 in one and remaining 2 marked in other. Total 20 pic.twitter.com/VG3z46tt2F

— Ko Ka (@its_KoKaKoKa) April 23, 2020

Amazing exercise to understand the behaviour of Tigers in the wild...Ambush Predators

— Ankit Kumar, IFS (@AnkitKumar_IFS) April 23, 2020

@Ajay_Singh56 agree
18 tigers ðŸ§Â

— Richa Paliwal (@therichapaliwal) April 23, 2020

How many tigers were you able to find?

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A unique initiative by Tamil Nadu's Tiruppur Police to teach lockdown offenders a lesson and create awareness about the spread of the novel coronavirus has taken the internet by storm. A viral video shared by a meme page on Facebook shows police officers in Tamil Nadu teaching people violating the lockdown guidelines a lesson for life.

In the three minute 50 seconds video clip, police officers of Tiruppur Police can be seen stopping people roaming freely without face mask amid lockdown across the country. In order to teach a lesson to those defying lockdown rules, the Tamil Nadu police came up with their own unique initiative which has been appreciated by netizens.

As the video moves forward, the police officers are seen pushing the lockdown violators into an ambulance which has a man posing as a COVID-19 patient. Once pushed inside, the violators can be seen begging the officers to let them comes out of the ambulance van.

The hilarious yet creative video ends with a police officer making an appeal to people to not roam without face masks. The officer says, "When you roam around, anyone can have the novel coronavirus and you may not know. The government and the police officials have been stressing on the importance of staying indoors. If at all you need to come out to buy essentials, please wear masks."

The funny video which aims to create awareness to combat the spread of COVID-19 has garnered over 2.3 million views and about 73 thousand shares. Hundreds of people took to the comments section of the viral video to laud the Tamil Nadu police and shower praise on their unique initiative.

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Hitting out at the Congress party, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that wilful defaulters were beneficiaries of 'phone banking' under the UPA regime and the Modi government is chasing them to recover the dues. She was responding to the opposition's allegations of loan waivers worth Rs 68,607 crore in the form of write-offs of top 50 wilful defaulters during the first half of the financial year ended March 2020. The Finance Minister, through a series of tweets posted late night on Tuesday, said that the Congress has attempted to mislead people, and former Congress President Rahul Gandhi should introspect why his party fails to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. "Shri @RahulGandhi MP (LS) and Shri @rssurjewala spokesperson of @INCIndia have attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner.

Typical to @INCIndia, they resort to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context. In the following tweets wish to respond to the issues raised. "@INCIndia and Shri.@RahulGandhi should introspect why they fail to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. Neither while in power, nor while in the opposition has the @INCIndia shown any commitment or inclination to stop corruption & cronyism," she said. Highlighting that between 2009-10 and 2013-14, scheduled commercial banks had written off Rs 1,45,226 crore, she quipped, 'Wished Gandhi consulted former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on what this writing-off was about'. She also referred to media reports quoting former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan as having said that a large number of bad loans originated in the period 2006-2008 and "too many loans were made to well-connected promoters who have a history of defaulting on their loans".

"Those defaulters who do not repay despite having capacity to pay, divert or siphon-off funds, or dispose of secured assets without bank's permission are categorised as wilful defaulters. They are those well connected promoters who benefitted from UPA's `phone banking'," she added. In another tweet she said, "Earlier, on 18.11.2019, in the Lok Sabha for an unstarred Question no:52, a list of 'Borrowers flagged as wilful defaulter by Public Sector Banks under CRILIC (Central Repository of Information on Large Credits) reporting as on 30.09.2019 (For borrowers with exposure of Rs. 5 crore and above, Global operations) was provided."

Bank-wise details of aggregate funded amount outstanding and amount technically/prudentially written off pertaining to top 50 wilful defaulters was provided as an annex to the answer to Lok Sabha starred question 305 of Gandhi on March 16, 2020. However, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he had asked the government in Parliament the names of the top 50 bank loan defaulters, but the Finance Minister did not answer his question. "Now the RBI has given the names of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and many of BJP's ''friends'' in the list of bank frauds. That is why this truth was held back from Parliament," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

The Congress alleged the government waived loans worth Rs 6.66 lakh crore since 2014 till September 2019. Sitharaman said this is an attempt of Congress leaders to mislead on wilful defaulters, bad loans and write-offs. She emphasised that it is the Narendra Modi-led government which is pursuing cases against these wilful defaulters and 9,967 recovery suits, 3,515 FIRs, invoking of Fugitive Amendment Act in cases are on now. The total value of attachment and seizures in the cases of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya is about Rs 18,332.7 crore, she said. Sharing details, she tweeted: "Vijay Mallya Case: Total value at the time of attachment was Rs 8,040 crore and of seizure was Rs 1,693 crore. Value of shares at the time of seizure was Rs 1,693 crore. Declared fugitive offender. On extradition request by GoI, UK High Court, has also ruled for extradition."

In case of Mehul Choksi she said, "attachments of Rs 1,936.95 crore including foreign attachment of Rs 67.9 crore. Seizure of Rs 597.75 crore. Red Notice issued. Extradition request sent to Antigua. Hearing for declaration of Mehul Choksi as fugitive offender is in progress." On the Nirav Modi case, the Finance Minister said, "Immovable and movable properties worth more than Rs 2,387 crore attached/seized. (Attachment Rs 1,898 crore and Seizure Rs 489.75 crore). This includes foreign attachments of Rs 961.47 crore. Auction of luxury items for Rs 53.45 crore. He is in prison in the UK."

Provisions are made for non-performing assets (NPAs) as per the four-year provisioning cycle laid down by the RBI, she said, adding, upon full provisioning being done banks write-off the fully provided NPA but continue to pursue recovery against the borrower and no loan is waived off. On Tuesday, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala demanded answers from the Prime Minister on why their loans were waived. "This is a classic case of promoting ''dupe, deceive and depart'' policy of the Modi government, which can no longer be accepted and the prime minister has to answer," Surjewala said. He said the entire country is fighting the coronavirus and the government has no money to pay.

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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

ates, but has the money to condone and write off Rs 68,607 crore of bank loan defaulters.

In a hair-raising video making rounds of social media, an elephant was seen charging on two bikers, forcing them to abandon their vehicles and run away. The video shared on Twitter by forest officer Susanta Nanda that was filmed by a user shows the bikers, ignoring the instructions given by the forest as they tried to cross the roads at the time as the elephant.

The user who filmed the video Sreedhar V, said while posting the video, "These two-wheeler riders did not listen to FD staff and decided to go ahead while elephants were crossing and got charged at." Nanda tweeted while sharing the video, "Gently saying no. Enough is enough. When the elephant is with calf, the gentle giant can be a real giant."

Gently saying no. Enough is enough.
When the elephant is with calf, the gentle giant can be a real giant. pic.twitter.com/401n5IEFb5

— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) April 29, 2020

The video, shared on Wednesday garnered more than 6,500 views on Twitter with 609 likes and was retweeted 129 times. Users commenting on the video posted on how man-animal conflict puts human beings and animals in danger.

Sir Notice the gentleness. Elephant in no way was trying to harm but only tried to scare off the people to protect its calf and after creating a safe distance left on its way. Elephants are 💜

— Sam (@TheRealSam_02) April 29, 2020

How did the rider come from the left to right? Is there a smaller road merging with the Main Road there?
Or was the rider trying to overtake the elephant, and lost control due to panic ðŸ¤Â”ðŸ¤Â” बà¤Âš à¤Â—à¤Â दà¥Â‹नà¥Â‹à¤Â‚ 😂😂

— @ul V (@AttulV) April 29, 2020

Narrow escape😱😱

— Tapan panda (@coolkitu) April 29, 2020

Lucky escape

— Ethiraja Sadaiyandi (@modhakethi) April 29, 2020

Such gentle wisdom in such a huge creature .. will not harm wilfully.. stupid humans shd realise that they need their space esp when she’s with her calf .. #universalFierceMother but still just scaring them away not trampling them

— Jaisree C (@cjaisree) April 29, 2020

What do you think about the video?

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Indian Air Force choppers on Sunday showered flower petals on the National Police Memorial here and hospitals treating COVID-19 patients to express gratitude and appreciation towards doctors, medical professionals, police officials and paramilitary forces who are at the forefront in the battle against the coronavirus. This aerial salute was part of planned activities by India's armed forces, which includes activities such as fly-pasts by fighter jets and transport aircraft of the IAF, playing of bands by the military and flashing warship lights, to express gratitude and honour the "corona warriors" of the country.

Early on Sunday morning, two C-130J Super Hercules special operations transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force conducted a fly-past over the Dal Lake in Srinagar followed by another over Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh. The aircraft took off from Srinagar and will fly all the way to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala to show gratitude towards COVID-19 warriors. IAF's SU-30 aircraft conducted flypast across Marine Drive in Mumbai.

Indian Air Force aircraft SU-30 flypast Marine Drive to express gratitude towards medical professionals and all frontline workers. Picture/Bipin Kokate

The Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers showered flower petals over hospitals treating coronavirus positive patients in Delhi, among locations across the country in order to express gratitude and appreciation to the COVID-19 warriors in the country. "The list of hospitals include AllMS, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, GTB Hospital, Loknayak Hospital, RML Hospital, Safdarjang Hospital, Ganga Ram Hospital, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Max Saket, Rohini Hospital, Apollo Indraprastha Hospital, and Army Hospital R&R," as per a statement by the Defence Ministry.

IAF also aircraft showered flowers on King George's Medical University in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. This flying activity is combined along with the training activity of IAF and opportunity flight for transport planes and helicopters, which are involved in moving supplies related to the COVID-19 task The IAS also conducted a flypast over Rajpath among other locations in the national capital as a mark of respect for those at the frontline in the fight against coronavirus.

Flower shower above J J hospital by Indian Navy in respect of Corona fighters. Picture/Shadab Khan

About 10 helicopters of Indian Coast Guard (ICG) will shower flower petals on COVID-19 hospitals at 5 locations. Apart from this, as many as 46 Coast Guard ships will carry out illumination, fire green flares and sound ships siren at 25 locations, including, the remote sites and far-flung island territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands, covering the coastline of 7516 km.

Indian Naval Aviation assets will be flying over the hospitals treating corona patients and shower flower petals at Mumbai, Goa, Kochi and Vizag.

The activities planned by the defence forces were delayed by over an hour due to rains in parts of the country early this morning.

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Remember when you used to sit in front of the television with your family to watch your favourite shows? Fighting for the remote and almost crying when you miss the first 5 minutes because of that? Quarantine comes with a lot of free time in our hands. While ongoing shows going on hiatus indefinitely, bring back memories with these shows from the past to keep you company.
Here are 6 on-air shows that will surely bring back all the delightful memories:

Two and a Half Men:

Two and a Half Men follows the life of a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper, his uptight brother, Alan and Alan's growing son, Jake. Charlie's free-wheeling life is complicated when his brother gets divorced and moves, along with his son, into Charlie's beach-front Malibu house. Aptly named, the series is humorous and entertaining to the T. Watch this eccentric family get through their lives only on Colors Infinity at 7 pm from Monday to Friday.

FRIENDS:

Who doesn't know about this bunch of unconventional friends break all norms to relate the best bond ever? We've all dreamed of having such friends, haven't we? The story follows the life of 6 friends struggling yet having fun as they cope with adulting. Prepare yourself to fall in love with every single one of them only on Comedy Central, Monday to Friday at 7 pm.

The Walking Dead:

Escaping grave danger and trying to stay alive under near-constant threat of attacks from the mindless zombies, colloquially known as "walkers", a group of survivors led by police officer Rick Grimes travel in search of a safe and secure home. Follow their difficult and tedious journey through the trials only on Starworld.

Mike and Molly:

Michael Biggs, an overweight police officer, meets Molly Flynn, a school teacher, at a Chicago Overeater's Anonymous group. Attempting to lose weight, both find themselves developing feelings for the other. Catch their sweet romance and hilarious moments only on Comedy Central, Monday to Friday at 10 pm.

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The late king of pop Micheal Jackson once got mad at pop diva Madonna for asking him to dress up like a girl for his "In the closet" music video. During Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds' Instagram Live battle with Teddy Riley, the former spilled some hot goss on Michael Jackson, reports aceshowbiz.com.

In between songs, Edmonds recalled what Jackson told him: " 'Babyface, can you believe she wants me to dress like a girl?' He was like, 'I'd never do that.' He said, 'She was trying to change it all up. It was crazy.' "

The record producer then mentioned that the "Heal the world" hitmaker "was really mad about it", to the point where he decided to replace Madonna with Naomi Campbell. Produced by MJ and Teddy Riley, "In the Closet" was released in April 1992 as the third single of his eighth album "Dangerous".

The song was originally conceived as a duet between MJ and Madonna.

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Quirky talk show host such as David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey, Graham Norton, Jimmy Kimmel is amongst the television maestros who engage with celebrities through humorous acts and discussions revealing interesting instances of theirs.

The Graham Norton Show has brought alive many such candid moments through its fun segments such as the big red chair, impromptu music gigs and more keeping the show highly entertaining as it remains top-rated amongst the audience even after 22 years. As Graham returns on the virtual sofa with a special lockdown series of his chat show, we take a look at the top moments of the greatest, goofiest moments through the years.

When Matt LeBlanc made Emilia Clarke blush:

The mother of dragons has always been about open about her crush on Matt Le Blanc and in awe of his portrayal of Joey from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Her prayers were finally answered when the two came together on The Graham Norton Show and Matt asked her ‘How you doing’. Turns out Joey’s immortal phase still works like a charm as Emilia simply could not blushing as she continued to giggle.

When father-son duo Will Smith and Jaden lit up the stage with their funky dance moves:

Will Smith took the stage with his son Jaden as the duo performed to Fresh Prince and then brought on Alfonso Ribeiro for a special appearance as the trio showed off their dance moves to the Sugarhill Gang’s Apache (Jump On It). The impromptu performance by Hollywood’s most popular star sent the audience into a state of frenzy and remains one of being amongst the show’s greatest moments!

Jason Momoa on stealing the limelight in pictures with Strangers' Girlfriends:

Along with his phenomenal performances in Baywatch, Game Of Thrones and Aquaman amongst others, global icon Jason Momoa is also known for his unique way of taking photos with female fans. Jason revealed on the Graham Norton Show that when married couples come to him for a photo, women want a tight hug and for him to push their husband away. Jason’s fan pictures won hearts and continue to remain an online trend earning him much appreciation from fans.

When the Spice Girls made Emma Stone cry!

The ever-gorgeous and stunning Emma Stone confessed to being obsessed with the 'Spice Girls' when she came on as a guest on the Graham Norton Show. Emma revealed that while she was in Australia, she wept on getting a video message from Melanie Brown. Emma went on to mention that the Spice Girls taught her about girl power and that Emma Button is her favourite spice girl.

Jennifer Lawrence spills the beans on why she banned her brother from awards shows:

Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence made some astonishing confessions when she attended the Graham Norton Show along with Eddie Redmayne. Jennifer revealed she had a meltdown the night she won an Oscar as she fell on her face moments before that and forgot to thank the movie’s director in her victory speech. She went on to mention of kicking her brother out from award season for a while because he tried to arm-wrestle Matthew McConaughey who was not into it.

The latest season of the Graham Norton Show will air in India 26th April 2020, 9 pm onwards on Comedy Central India.

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Known for belting out hits like "Love story", "Blank space" and "Look what you made me do", singer Taylor Swift is spending her lockdown hours cooking, sipping wine and listening to old classic numbers. "I love spending a full evening cooking a meal while sipping a glass of wine and listening to old music," Swift told People, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

She had earlier told the portal SiriusXM that she has been watching old films that she had not seen before. "A lot of people have been watching lots and lots of TV in this time of quarantine. I have actually been going back and watching old films that I hadn't seen before. I went and watched - I actually hadn't seen 'Rear Window' and if you haven't seen that film go check it out. It's got Grace Kelly, it's phenomenal, it's (by) (Alfred) Hitchcock," she said.

Recently, the singer lashed out at Big Machine Records after it was revealed that they were releasing an album of live performances of Swift's old songs. Earlier this month, Swift participated in pop star Lady Gaga's COVID-19 relief concert "One World: Together at Home", which raised almost $128 million in the US.

The two-hour event also saw the participation of Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra, besides international stars as Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Lizzo among others.

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Socialist and labour unions celebrate this day by organising programs to improve wages and working conditions of the workforce. With a Lockdown imposed by the governments of the various nations, this year, we celebrate those on the frontlines of this major epidemic and appreciate the work done by them. So aid to our battle against the virus by staying at home and doing your bit and while you do that, here are moments from these amazing shows that make us appreciate these workers even more:

Amy catching a criminal in a wedding dress (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

There is one thing certain about the Nine-Nine squad and that is their passion to solve the crime and catch the criminals no matter what. Whether they are sleep deprived, facing a personal crisis or in this case, shopping for their wedding dress during their break, nothing will stop them from doing their duty. In season 5, when Amy is out shopping for her wedding dress with Rosa, a criminal is fleeing a crime right around the shop. Amy makes a dive and caught the culprit while still in the Wedding dress. Pretty Badass if you ask us! Watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 7 exclusively on Comedy Central on Saturdays at 7 pm.

When the Cloud 9 employees are stuck in the store during a Blizzard (Superstore)

Matching the circumstances of the recent pandemic when people began hoarding home supplies, St. Louis has a massive blizzard barreling towards it. The residents wish to stock up on their supplies to avoid getting trapped in their homes without any food and rush to Cloud 9 which is forced to stay open by the corporate. Trapping the employees and a few customers in, they have to spend the night in the superstore are the blizzard rages on outside. Watch the essential workers on Comedy Central, 11 am onwards, on 1st May to celebrate Labor Day!

Special Episode on New Amsterdam for Covid-19

The crew of New Amsterdam came up with a special episode showcasing a pandemic and introducing a new character who is also a trauma expert. Keeping in mind that the episode might hit too close for those on the front lines, the crew decided to edit the episode and only hint at the pandemic. However, there is no denying the appreciative work done by the health experts and the hospital staff amidst the chaos. Watch all the episodes of this medical drama only on Colors Infinity to celebrate Labour Day Weekend (1st – 3rd May) from 9 am onwards.

When the doctors come together to treat the patients during a Blizzard (Grey's Anatomy)

In a remarkable episode, Meredith and Carina question DeLuca's uncharacteristic behaviour when he volunteers to perform a life-threatening task during a blizzard. While the others focus on the Blizzard, Bailey tries to help Joey with his future and Richard tries training a new intern at the hospital. We must appreciate everything the doctors do for us and go through during such tough times. Catch all the episode of Grey's Anatomy on Disney+ Hotstar.

When an old Women's life is at Risk (Chicago Fire)

We often do not give enough credit to the Fire Department but the teams always put extra effort into saving everyone's life. In this particular episode, Cruz and Severide suspect foul play when a fire started by an elderly woman turns deadly. Kidd, Foster and Brett create a women's-only lounge. The Fire Department is truly one of the bravest of the lot and ensures they save lives even if it puts them in danger. Watch the thrilling show only on Colors Infinity.

So, don't forget to tune in to these shows this Labor Day Weekend and stay safe inside your homes as we appreciate everyone on the frontlines of the pandemic.

Laughter is the best medicine and what more do you need to get through these tough times than some amazing sitcoms? Even though the world is in turmoil, nothing should stop you from spreading some much-needed light and laughter. So, this World Laughter Day, huddle in front of your TV sets with your loved ones and binge on these shows that will make you burst into laughter!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

The Detectives in NYPD's 99th Precinct are the most entertaining lot you'll come across. With quirky tactics and brilliant detective skills, they are all so different and yet work so seamlessly together. You must watch the show for some hilarious moments that will surely make you roll on the floor laughing. Catch all the drama on this surprisingly functional precinct on Comedy Central on Saturdays at 7 pm.

Two and a Half Men

There is nothing more entertaining than two brothers who are stark opposites with one's son who has a different personality of his own. Charlie Harper is the epitome of cool while his brother Alan is somewhat socially awkward. Add to this Alan's son, Jake, who takes inspiration on life from both his dad and his uncle and you've got yourself 12 seasons of uninterrupted laughter. Tune in to Colors Infinity every day at 7 pm and witness the madness unfold.

Modern Family

When Modern Family first premiered on our screens, we could never have guessed it would turn into the juggernaut it is today. Centring around the lives of one extended family with three branches of immediate families, the show is one of the funniest and most relatable. Overcoming multiple challenges and addressing social diversity, the show has managed to change the way we look at families. Catch this unique family in its element only on Disney+ Hotstar.

FRIENDS

Let's not forget the classics. There is a strong possibility that you have watched this show countless times, yet whenever you watch it again, you realise how much you missed it. You must watch Chandler cracking sarcastic jokes when he is uncomfortable and Phobe being her quirky self while the rest of the gang continue to make you laugh. Watch the six Friends on COMEDY CENTRAL and amp up your Sunday.

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

A clutter-breaking show, Midge Maisel is a brilliant comedienne trying to rise to stardom while she deals with her marriage and it's falling out. If you appreciate stand-up comedy yet like the twist of an extended back story, this is the show for you. Set in the late 1950s, the show portrays the life of a young American couple and their struggle to do comedy. Watch this brilliant show on Amazon Prime Video.

What are you waiting for? Celebrate World Laughter Day with these amazing shows and laugh your way into the new week.

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Actor Priyanka Chopra seems headstrong when it comes to fitness. Despite not hitting the gym due to lockdown, the actor has a solution to maintain her workout routine at home. The star on Saturday posted a video of herself on Instagram in which she could be seen half-laid on the couch while pulling up a kid with her hands.

 

 

 

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No gym, no problem. @sky.krishna @divya_jyoti

A post shared by Priyanka Chopra Jonas (@priyankachopra) onMay 2, 2020 at 12:05pm PDT

The 37-year-old was pounding out reps over reps as she lifted the little young girl instead of dumbells. Taking to the captions, the 'Don' actor wrote: 'No gym, no problem'.

The 'Fashion' actor is currently staying indoors with her singer husband Nick Jonas in the United States.

Recently, the actor shared a picture of herself in a stunning blue saree, saying she 'felt like wearing' one at home.

Earlier, Chopra pledged USD 100,000 in total to four incredible women who rose above the challenges to make a difference during the coronavirus crises.

Moreover, she along with Nick donated to several organisations including PM CARES Fund, Goonj, Feeding America and others to combat COVID-19 which has affected over 10 lakh people globally.

The 'Baywatch' actor took part in WHO's live stream event 'ONE WORLD: TOGETHER AT HOME' to raise funds for COVID-19 relief.

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After the decision to postpone the event due to the coronavirus crisis, the Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards on Saturday, rather, held a virtual telecast which was no short of slime and the awards.

On Saturday a virtual show was hosted by the 'Victorious' star Victoria Justice of the event, whic was originally scheduled to take place on March 22 in Los Angeles.

The star-studded awards show had specials appearances of 'The Avengers' cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeremy Renner.

The team's big hit superhero film 'Avengers: Endgame' won favourite movie, and 'Spider-Man' actor Tom Holland was voted favourite superhero.

Netflix's 'Stranger Things' grabbed the favourite TV show awards, meanwhile, the young star Millie Bobby Brown took home the favourite female TV actor award for her role as Eleven.

In the music category, artists including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, and BTS took home the glory.

Reported by Variety, the show also made USD 1 million donations to No Kid Hungry, a national campaign to help end childhood hunger and support people affected by coronavirus crisis.

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American author Katherine Schwarzenegger showed off her growing baby bump while walking her dog Maverick in her Los Angeles neighbourhood on Saturday. According to People magazine, the pregnant 'The Gift of Forgiveness' author was spotted wearing simple black leggings and a black T-shirt paired with a hat and sunglasses.

Schwarzenegger is expecting her first child with husband and American actor Chris Pratt, the outlet confirmed last week. This will be the first child for Schwarzenegger Pratt and the second for Pratt, who shares seven and a half years son Jack with ex Anna Faris.

The couple were spotted riding their bikes in Brentwood, California, just after the exciting news came out. Pratt covered his face with an American flag bandana while his pregnant wife hid her bump in a white T-shirt.

The duo began dating in summer 2018, tied the knot about 10 months ago and have been ready to expand their family ever since.

Recently, a source to People said: "After they got married, they couldn't wait to grow their family. Jack will be a great big brother. Katherine always says that he is the sweetest, most caring boy."

"They can't wait for Jack to have a sibling," a friend added.

Pratt, on Thursday, discussed their new addition to the family with his mother-in-law, Maria Shriver.

Shriver, and Schwarzenegger Pratt's brother, Patrick Schwarzenegger, spoke with the 'Jurassic World 'star for a #HomeTogether Instagram Live chat.

During the chat, they discussed Pratt's recent 'Parks and Recreation' reunion special that raised funds for Feeding America.

After Pratt raved about his in-laws, Shriver also mentioned her daughter's baby on the way.

Pratt said: "I really love what you're doing. This is really fun, and being right here, right now, it's just uncanny, you guys are both just so beautiful. I'm so lucky to have married into such a gorgeous family."

Shriver said in return: "You're gonna have another beautiful family member."

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Work from home is not ending any time sooner, and nor is boredom! Online meetings, Skype calls, turning your bedroom into a conference room, everything has been done now. As the lockdown extends, we are here to share some good shows which highlight workplace fun. While some are still running successfully to tickle our funny bone, and a few are long forgotten. So, let's take a look at them right away!

The Office:

 

 

 

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A post shared by The Office (@theofficeus) onOct 29, 2014 at 6:09am PDT

How can anyone miss out on this one? Dark humour, mockery on people who work together, same place, same people, for numerous years, The Office was not only loved and appreciated by many that time but is still considered as one of the classics. Steve Carell's over-the-top behaviour, John Krasinski's witty responses, everything in The Office is outright hilarious. It is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Grey's Anatomy:

This medical drama is extremely relatable? Courtesy, the doctors are always in the hospital. Working nonstop for god-only-knows how many hours. Do they get some sleep? Yes, in-between, on the stretcher! People who are workaholics will surely relate to the world Meredith Grey and her 'people' belongs too. 

Ugly Betty:

For all the Indians, this one might be a familiar show but with a different name. Do you remember Mona Singh's 'Jassie Jaisi Koi Nahi?' Yes, it was a remake of the popular American show, Ugly Betty. Do we need to say anymore?

Silicon Valley:

 

 

 

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A post shared by Silicon Valley (@siliconhbo) onNov 12, 2019 at 7:39am PST

Available on Disney+ Hotstar, Silicon Valley shares the story of a few geeks, living in Silicon Valley and cracking a big deal out in their startup. The entire journey to make it big in the world filled with some great brains and massive competitors, Silicon Valley has to share its struggles in the world of successful people.

Superstore:

Have you ever imagined the life of the store-runners? Exactly! It's not easy. They have to handle the crowd, look after the supplies, arrange, rearrange and reorganize everything in every single aisle. It is difficult! Yes! And that is what Superstore is all about.

Fun, isn't it? The workplace is fun!

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Singer Selena Gomez will host and produce a new cooking series for the upcoming streaming platform HBO Max.

"I've always been very vocal about my love of food. I think I've been asked hundreds of times in interviews if I had another career, what would I do and I've answered that it would be fun to be a chef," The Hollywood Reporter quoted Gomez as saying.

"I definitely don't have the formal training though! Like many of us while being home I find myself cooking more and experimenting in the kitchen," the 27-year-old singer added.

The cooking show will be a 10-episode series, with each episode having Gomez joined remotely by a different master chef.

Each installment will also highlight a food-related charity and struggle of learning to cook.

The 'Wolves' singer will also executive produce via her July Moon Productions, along with Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman of Industrial Media's The Intellectual Property Corporation.

The upcoming subscription streaming service, HBO Max, from WarnerMedia Entertainment, will debut on May 27 in the US.

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If you are a budding entrepreneur and an avid watcher of TV shows, you must be certainly thinking of which product to launch post the lockdown and if there are any shows out there that can help you better assess the target audience, risks, financial aspect amongst other facts that are involved with launching your own business.

While business markets and sectors are certainly a tough place to be in with a humongous competition, here are a few shows that will give you a glimpse of the entrepreneurial world with a few lessons that will help you through your journey.

Silicon Valley

Created by Mike Judge, Silicon Valley is a critically-acclaimed sitcom that follows the struggle of a group of young software programmers and developers trying to succeed in Silicon Valley. The show features the challenges new entrepreneurs face to make an impact in the competitive environment of Silicon Valley, despite having a game-changing product. Silicon Valley recently completed its 6th season and can be viewed in the country on Disney+Hotstar

Shark Tank

Shark Tank, the critically acclaimed and multi-Emmy Award-winning reality show that has reinvigorated entrepreneurship around the world, recently returned with its dynamic eleventh season. The Sharks – tough, self-made, multi-millionaire and billionaire tycoons – continue their search to invest in the best businesses and products that America has to offer. Watching this show will give you an insight of all aspects of the business world as you will develop the insight of a venture capitalist mind. Season 11 of Shark Tank is exclusively streaming on Voot Select while its television premier on 18th May 2020 on Colors Infinity

Billions

Think of Billions as the high-finance counterpart to House of Cards and you will not be far off the mark. Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti are superb as, respectively, the win-at-all-costs head of a massive hedge fund and the win-at-all-costs district attorney determined to put him behind bars, although both are thoroughly upstaged by the even better Maggie Siff as the woman who keeps both at the top of their game. This show emphasizes on the importance of being street smart and ahead of the game. The latest season of Billions is streaming in the country on Disney+Hotstar

Empire

Created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, Empire is a drama series that tells the story of Empire Entertainment, a fictional hip hop music and entertainment company, and the drama that unfolds among the members of the founders’ family as they fight for control of it. The show will familiarize you with the importance of always staying on top of your game, the show is streaming in the country on Disney+Hotstar

Startup

StartUp follows the emergence of GenCoin, a brilliant yet controversial tech idea centred on a digital currency — an idea that gets incubated on the wrong side of the tracks by three strangers who don’t necessarily fit the mould of 'tech entrepreneurs' and a crooked FBI agent who will go to any lengths to take them down. The series is available to watch in the country on Amazon Prime India.

Tune-in to these compelling entrepreneurial shows for all the inspiration you need to begin your journey towards your dreams.

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Bhumi Pednekar is one of the most exciting young actors of our generation. The young actress in her first few years of journey in Bollywood has already given audiences some really strong and brilliant female protagonists in films like Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Toilet, Shubh Mangal Saavdhaan, Bala, Saand Ki Aankh, Son Chiriya, among others.

“For me, how I represent women on screen is very important. Cinema has the power to influence people and I do feel that through our portrayal of women, we can push the messaging of equality, of independence. I have looked out for such characters and play them with all my heart of screen. I have been fortunate to have got these characters that have made a mark and stood out,” says Bhumi.

The talented actress will be soon seen as a leading lady in the Akshay Kumar presentation Durgavati and award-winning director Alankrita Srivastava’s Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitaare.

“I thank my visionary filmmakers who chose to tell stories of these magnificent women to the people of my country. It has been an honour to be a part of their cinema and bring such courageous, fantastic, confident women on screen,” she says.

Bhumi intends people to realise how equality is yet to be achieved in society through cinema. “My journey in cinema has just begun. I will continue to strive to find more such women whose stories I want to tell on screen. I feel when people see such women and their lives, their struggles, their pain, their dreams, their victories, there can be a shift in perspective. It might help us to further understand how far we are from achieving equality and how much women can contribute in making our country and our society stronger,” she says.

ALSO READ: Bhumi Pednekar to speak to nutritionist and share health tips to tackle emotional eating during coronavirus

‘Main Shayar To Nahin’ in Bobby gave birth to two stars. Rishi Kapoor who lip-synced this timeless song and Shailendra Sing who actually sang the tune to eternal fame. Singh, now 67, living alone in blissful isolation, blames his own poor networking abilities to his short-lived stardom. “I don’t speak about my past glory and when my friend Chintu (Rishi Kapoor) passed away I saw that wonderful phase in my life when we both dazzled the world come to a closure,” says the affable singer when I coax him into an interview.

“I met him after he returned from his treatment, three months ago. He was his usual self, so full of life, sparkling with humour and warmth…Why does such a man leave us so quickly? We were almost the same age. I still remember a very young fair-skinned boy standing quietly in the studio when I was recording ‘Main Shayar Toh Nahin’ for Raj Saab and Laxmikant-Pyarelalji. He didn’t say anything. Just kept observing, later he introduced himself as the hero of the film that I was singing for, says Shailendra fondly.

How did he, a newcomer, get such a prized singing assignment like Bobby? Shailendra sighs, “Even I wondered why, and how. I had nothing to do with the film fraternity. I lived in Pune and learnt classical Hindustani music from my Guru. Then suddenly one day I was told that Raj Kapoor Saab was looking for a fresh voice for his son, and why don’t I try for it?”

Shailendra “gave it a try” with no expectations. “How was I to know that Raj Saab would like my voice? At that time I had no idea what it was for, that Raj Saab was making a film called Bobby with his son Rishi Kapoor in the lead. Or that the composers were the great Laxmikant-Pyarelal and that my duets would be with the Singing Queen Lata Mangeshkarji. I knew none of this.”

Here came a seemingly insurmountable hurdle. “Laxmikant-Pyarelal wanted the voice of Mohd Rafi Saab for Chintu. But Raj Saab was adamant. It had to be a fresh new voice for Chintu. Aur bhala Raj Saab ki baat kaun taal sakta ttha? So there I was, being told by Laxmikantji to sing something, anything…And guess what I chose to sing for him? ‘Dekha Na Haye Re Socha Na Haye Re’ from Bombay To Goa. An R D Burman composition for Laxmikant-Pyarelal! I remember the very talented composer Rajesh Roshan played the congo as I sang for Laxmi-Pyareji. That was the song of my life ‘Dekha Na Haye Re Socha Na Haye Re’. I never cared about cultivating the right people in the film industry, or belonging to any camp.”

Thereafter a couple of significant incidents happened in the Kapoor parivar. “Daboo (Randhir Kapoor) got married. Raj Saab lost his father (Prithviraj Kapoor). Finally I recorded ‘Main Shayar Toh Nahin’. Everyone congratulated me. I was formally introduced to the film fraternity by Raj saab at a get-together. I remember Sharmila Tagore, Mumtaz, Rajesh Khanna, R D Burman they were all there. My dream run had just begun. The duets with Lataji were yet to come, though she was there for my recording of ‘Main Shayar Toh Nahin’. I remember she introduced herself (as though I didn’t know who she was!), watched me sing and then left quietly. Soon I was singing ‘Hum Tum Ek Kamre Band Ho’ with her. The first of our three super hit duets in Bobby. She saw my nervousness and put me at ease. I became a lifelong fan. My day still starts with her song. By the way ‘Main Shayar Toh Nahin’ was re-recorded. I had to do it a second time, though I thought I was better in the first version.”

Shailendra Singh reveals how his dream of becoming Rishi Kapoor’s permanent ghost voice were shattered. “I thought I’d be Chintu’s ghost-voice, just like Mukesh Saab for Raaj saab. Chintu of course believed in my voice. He would always recommend me. I sang two songs for him in his second film Zehreela Insaan. I was supposed to sing a third song ‘Oh Hanseeni’, which became the biggest hit of the film. Before I knew it, the song was taken away from me and given to Kishore Kumar Saab.”

An identical situation arose during Saagar. “I was told S P Balasubramaniamji would be Kamal Haasan’s voice. And I would be singing all the songs for Chintu. I recorded one song ‘Jaane Do Na’ with Ashaji for Saagar .It was used for the mahurat of the film. And then suddenly, all the other songs were sung by Kishore Kumar Saab. I don’t blame anyone for this sudden change. Kishoreda was a much bigger and better singer than me. I am happy to have got songs like ‘Main Shayar Toh Nahin’ (Bobby), ‘Humne Tumko Dekha’ (Khel Khel Mein), ‘Sham Suhanee Aaye’ (Zinda Dil), ‘Hoga Tumse Pyara Kaun’ (Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai), ‘Jaane Do Na’ (Saagar) and ‘Oh Meri Jaan’ (Manzil Manzil). The rest was all destiny.”

In 1994, Shailendra Singh was hospitalized for complication due to diabetes. “The talk in the industry was that I had a heart attack and that I had died. I didn’t die. But the rumours killed my career.”

Shailendra’s acting ambitions also came in the way of his singing career. “I played the lead in a couple of Hindi films Agreement opposite Rekhaji and Do Jasoos where I got to work with Raj Saab as an actor. Then I did guest appearances in two films with Bhaijaan (Mehmood) Ginny Aur Johnny and Naukar. I was very close to Bhaijaan. I also played the lead in a Bengali film Ajosro Dhanyobaad with Aparna Sen as my leading lady. I spoke all my dialogue in Bengali and sang all the songs…I soon realized acting wasn’t my forte. Singing was. And singing it shall remain. Even today no matter where I go at every concert the audiences go wild when I sing ‘Main Shayar Toh Nahin’. Incidentally Chintu returned to sing ‘Main Shayar Toh Nahin’ in Kunal Kohli’s Hum Tum in my voice. It was a grand reunion. Now I will sing ‘Main Shayar Toh Nahin’ for Chintu when we meet again. ”

Also Read: Dimple Kapadia’s big Rishi Kapoor connection & little Irrfan Khan connection

A few weeks back, actor Abhishek Bachchan, on Instagram, shared a priceless throwback photo from his first ever stage performance as an actor alongside father Amitabh Bachchan, in 2004. His love for the stage, however, began when he was merely a child and would accompany his father for his live shows. He shared a video, giving us glimpses of one such show and also spoke about the fondest memories spread over the years.

"I have so many memories of being on the road with him, his co-stars and the immense Kalyanji and Anandji and their 40 piece orchestra helmed by a young and upcoming Viju Shah ( Kalyan ji's son and future Music Director of huge fame)," he wrote.

 

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#FlashbackFriday My 1st ever stage performance after becoming an actor. Got to share it with a pretty cool dude! This was for the "Help" telethon which was done to raise money to help all the victims of the devastating tsunami which occurred on December 26th 2004. This huge enterprise of getting the entire Hindi film industry together ( a Herculean task) was spearheaded by @duttsanjay . And although I was slated to make my debut stage performance in Amsterdam for the IIFA awards later in the year, I just couldn't say no to the cause and Sanju sir. Both dad and I performed to a mix/ medley of his song रंग बरसे and "one love" a track I had done as a cameo in my dear friend @suniel.shetty film Rakth. The show took place in early February 2005. Both dad and I were shooting for "Kajra re" with Aishwarya for Bunty aur Babli. I would shoot the song all day from 9am to 10pm and then drive to the concert venue and rehearse all night. I even spent my birthday shooting Kajra re ( but that is a different story, reserved for another Friday). At night, after the shoot I remember when I reached the venue for my rehearsal all the lights were off!!! Thinking that I had made a mistake and showed up to rehearse when there wasn't any.... Suddenly all the stage lights came on and all the dancers, Ganesh Hegde the choreographer, stage hands and technical staff surprised me! Then Sanju sir and @walia_bunty ( he was one of the organisers) rolled out a huge cake and a birthday present for me. They all sang and managed to embarrass me to bits! What fun. Good times!

A post shared by Abhishek Bachchan (@bachchan) on Apr 24, 2020 at 3:38am PDT

The actor went on to recall how the artists would gather in his parents' suite for a midnight dinner and how their return journey by flight would be nothing less than a mini concert mid-air! In the video, Big B can be seen calling Abhishek and sister Shweta to the stage as he introduces them to the audience.

"What times! As a child standing in the wings looking at the show in awe and wonderment. Not realising at that time the legends that I was blessed to witness perform live. Secretly imagining myself on that stage once I grew up," Abhishek added.

That's certainly where it all started!

Actress Rakul Preet Singh took to Twitter to debunk false news being shared about her. It was reported that she was spotted buying alcohol in the market.

“What was @Rakulpreet buying during the #lockdown? She was buying alcohol?,” read a tweet by @KRKBoxOffice. In the video shared, Rakul was seen in casuals. She had a mask on her mouth and is seen carrying a few items in her hands. Replying to the tweet, Rakul wrote, "Oh wow ! I wasn’t aware that medical stores were selling alcohol.”

What was @Rakulpreet buying during the #lockdown? She was buying alchohol? pic.twitter.com/XmBVYVL8Gn

— KRKBOXOFFICE (@KRKBoxOffice) May 7, 2020

Following Rakul's response, several netizens came to her support and tweeted that she need not justify the video as buying alcohol is not wrong. Some also pointed out that it is an invasion of privacy by making a video and posting it online.

All liquor shops were shut down when the lockdown was first imposed on March 25. During the third phase of lockdown which started on May 4, the government allowed liquor shops to function. However, owing to the chaos outside liquor shops on day one of the lockdown 3.0, several state governments shut down liquor shops.

Rakul will soon be seen in a cross-border romantic-comedy with actor Arjun Kapoor. The film is directed by debutant Kaashvie Nair and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Nikkhil Advani and John Abraham.

ALSO READ: Rakul Preet Singh talks about how her parents were more comfortable with the idea of her wearing a bikini

For all of you who do not know, Sara Ali Khan happened to be a great student throughout her school and college days. An alumna of Columbia University, she originally wanted to go to Oxford University to pursue her higher studies, and had a difficult time coping when she did not crack through!

In a conversation with Bollywood Hungama, the actor opened up on being disheartened after the university rejected her candidature. She also recalled how she called mother Amrita Singh and nearly threw a fit. "Mom had gone out with Ibrahim, and suddenly she gets a call from me, howling. And when I mean howling, I don't mean crying in a lady-like fashion. I mean screaming, and crying loudly. She was like, 'what happened? what's going on?' I could not stop crying," she said, adding how her mother got really worried and kept asking her what went wrong. After calming herself down and breathing a little, she informed her mom that she was rejected by Oxford University.

For those uninitiated, Sara's grandfather Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was quite a scholar who studied Arabic and French at Oxford's Balliol College. Sara's aunt Soha Ali Khan went to the same college to study modern history.

Love for Oxford certainly runs in the family!

Former England footballer Peter Crouch has plans to enter the Crufts, an international dog show held in UK, and walk away with the trophy. Peter and his model wife Abbey Clancy, who have a new Labrador named Sonny, were denied entry this March. And the football star is determined to win the coveted title with his pet dog in 2021.

In the latest episode of That Peter Crouch Podcast, Peter said: "We couldn't get into Crufts last time so we're trying to train this bad boy up."

Meanwhile, Abbey revealed: "He likes getting in the cage with the dog. The dog cage is the biggest one we could get on Amazon. And it does fit Peter and all four children and the dog. He's trying to train him for little biccies. He's a good trainer. He doesn't like to fail at anything. So after the whole Crufts episode, he said, 'I'm gonna train a dog then I'm gonna enter it into Crufts'."

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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.

Wimbledon champion Simona Halep, 28, is pretty shocked to see a global lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic. "Not even in my worst nightmares could I think that the globe can stop in such a way. For me, it's a shock because I'm pretty young and haven't gone through too many tough times. This is something that belongs to a fantastic realm. They have stopped travelling, flight in order to avoid affecting our health and well-being. Maybe it's the best interdiction," Simona, 28, told Romanian TV show Garantat 100%.

The former World No. 1, who is currently in isolation at her Bucharest home, is taking "maximum care" to avoid contracting the virus, fearing it could affect her lungs.

"In the beginning, I had this fear but then analysed the situation and figured out that if you protect yourself, everything will be OK but I'm afraid for those with health issues. I fear this virus because even if we are healthy and have good immunity–we may resist it–but it [the virus] will leave us with a serious lung affection. That's why I have decided to take maximum care of myself. That's why I have decided to take maximum care of myself," added Simona.

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Spain's tennis ace Rafael Nadal, who is in self-isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is trying to remain positive but is getting affected by the suffering of the people around him.

"I am a sentimental person, who is affected by things, and to see so many people suffering so much, so many people who have lost family their members without being able to even say goodbye...," the World No. 2 was quoted as saying by Tennis World USA.

The 19-time Grand Slam champion urged his fans to keep moving forward. "In the end, being able to give your brother or sister a hug will relieve some pain, and imagine that they have not been able to do it. You have to be positive and keep moving forward. There is no other choice. I am a super lucky guy." he added.

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Representation pic

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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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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London: Dog owners, take note! Your pet pooch may not only comprehend the words that you speak, but also how you say them, a new study suggests.

Researchers have found that dogs have the ability to distinguish vocabulary words and the intonation of human speech through brain regions similar to those that humans use.

Representational Picture

Attila Andics from Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary said that vocabulary learning "does not appear to be a uniquely human capacity that follows from the emergence of language, but rather a more ancient function that can be exploited to link arbitrary sound sequences to meanings."

Words are the basic building blocks of human languages, but they are hardly ever found in nonhuman vocal communications.

Intonation is another way that information is conveyed through speech, where, for example, praises tend to be conveyed with higher and more varying pitch. Humans understand speech through both vocabulary and intonation.

Andics and colleagues explored whether dogs also depend on both mechanisms.

Dogs were exposed to recordings of their trainers' voices as the trainers spoke to them using multiple combinations of vocabulary and intonation, in both praising and neutral ways.

For example, trainers spoke praise words with a praising intonation, praise words with a neutral intonation, neutral words with a praising intonation, and neutral words with neutral intonation.

Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to analyse the dogs' brain activity as the animals listened to each combination.

The results show that, regardless of intonation, dogs process vocabulary, recognising each word as distinct, and further, that they do so in a way similar to humans, using the left hemisphere of the brain.

Also like humans, the researchers found that dogs process intonation separately from vocabulary, in auditory regions in the right hemisphere of the brain.

Lastly, and also like humans, the team found that the dogs relied on both word meaning and intonation when processing the reward value of utterances.

Thus, dogs seem to understand both human words and intonation. The researchers noted that it is possible that selective forces during domestication could have supported the emergence of the brain structure underlying this capability in dogs, but, such rapid evolution of speech-related hemispheric asymmetries is unlikely.

Humans are only unique in their ability to invent words, they said. The research appears in the journal Science.

Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by mid-day online. This story is taken from a syndicated feed & is published on AS IS basis.

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Nupur Dhingra Paiva with daughters Tara, 9, and Isabelle, 6. Pic/Shadab Khan

When five-year-old Armaan walked into child psychotherapist Nupur Dhingra Paiva's clinic, her impression about the kid, whose shoulders were hunched over, was that he was "weighed down by something significant". Armaan's mother would later tell her how he felt unloved, wanted to run away from home and even shoot himself. But, it wasn't until Armaan's father joined the therapist and his wife for chat, an hour later, that Paiva noticed something alter in the child. The kid slowly crawled into his father's lap, and curled up there like a little prawn, Paiva recounted. That the child was craving for his dad's attention was a given.

Vignettes like these form the crux of Paiva's new book, Love and Rage: The Inner Worlds of Children (Yoda Press), where she breaks down conversations she has had in her healing room with both parents and children, to reiterate how love and affection is central to influencing a child's personality. "I felt an urgent need to communicate with the world that what comes into our consulting room is not crazy or bizarre -it is the stuff of ordinary life - ordinary conflicts, struggles and joys. And that mental health distress in adolescence and adulthood is almost entirely based on early life experience, from conception onwards," says the Delhi-based clinical psychologist, of why she wrote the book. "Adults who are interacting with children, as parents, teachers or carers, are sometimes far removed from the lived experience of the child. They become task focussed and outcome oriented - it becomes a lot about achievement, growth and the end result of happiness," she adds. In doing so, Paiva says that people forget "that the growth of the personality is a complex, slow process that needs nurturing".

Here, Paiva, who is also mother to two daughters, offers an "only love-not rage" guide.

>> It takes two
When a child is angry with one parent, it helps to have an available alternative. I have to add that I am not necessarily talking about the heteronormative two parents - male-female couple. Children need a diversity of responsible caregivers, someone who will take it upon themselves to keep the child's emotional needs in mind. The role of mother and father is about a mental attitude, the function they play for the child. It does not have to be a biological parent.

>> We need daddy
Often women find it difficult to let men get involved in caregiving tasks like feeding, bathing and putting to sleep. When a child has emotional access to their fathers, the diversity of experience offers them a wider range of seeing how to live in the world, because men and women live in the world quite differently. Just as an involved father gives a son a sense of someone to look up to, he gives a daughter an experience of being loved and valued - something she will carry with herself into future relationships with men.

>> Prep for school
The first couple of years of kindergarten are not about learning shapes or the alphabet, it is about learning to separate from home. It is a physical/emotional wrench, leaving safety and going to another space - one that can be fun and engaging, provided we can get over the fear of separating from the people we feel safe around. Once children are helped to adapt to this huge change, they can get on with learning. Otherwise, anxiety hampers learning for years afterwards.

Start early with picture story-books or perhaps even a visit to the school for the child to see what it looks like a month or so before the emotional temperature rises in April. Be prepared for repetition for as every parent of a young child knows, once is never enough. Stories that matter the most must be repeated endlessly, without variation so that they can sink in. The story of how everyone leaves home and goes to school is of central emotional import. In fact, it is a rite of passage.

>> Play hard
Using our bodies is a release for everything - anger, anxiety and other feelings - that get stuck in our muscles. In the emphasis on growing children's minds [or getting them to finish homework and projects], we forget about how important it is to be using their bodies. Children are calmer and more attentive, when they have had an experience of using their muscles in activity, especially free play.

>> It's okay to cry
Never tell a child not to cry. All children cry, for all sorts of things, so it is important to first figure out what the crying is trying to communicate. Simply telling a child to stop crying without first trying to understand what is under it, will damage their relationship with you. If the crying is because of sadness, then telling them to stop crying is plain selfish. We do it because we can't bear their expression of sadness. It is far healthier to accept that they are sad, and give them a hug. This kind of acceptance lets them know that while nothing can be done about it, at least their experience is being validated and acknowledged.

>> Don't ignore
Ignoring feelings teaches your child that you don't particularly care for his feelings, just his actions or his/her compliance. This only ensures that the feelings will reappear in a form that is harder to link to its source. In other words, the child will use a defence in order to deal with a feeling, and the anxiety its presence creates.

>> Keep it real
I am not advising that people deny that they also can get angry with their children. "Only love" is not a reality. My aim is to be real with my relationships, including my children. So, I freely express affection - lots of hugs and physical warmth, an hour at bedtime talking about their day and their worries. I also freely express disapproval or annoyance. I explain, and negotiate. As a result, I have very opinionated children who are expressive and open, including about their anger with me or their father. We accept it as real and engage with it as much as is possible at the time.

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Mayank Gandhi on ground at rural development projects

The Aam Admi Party (AAP) took the country by storm in 2012 and people believed they were looking at a new dawn. But "leaders are not what they seem like from far. When you go closer, you can see that they have feet of clay. What they project and what they actually are, are two different things", alleged Mayank Gandhi, former AAP leader and a founder member of the party, in an email interview, hours before his book AAP & Down: An Insider's Story of India's Most Controversial Party (Simon and Schuster India), co-authored by Shrey Shah, was released in the city yesterday.

At the book launch in Mumbai. Pic/Bipin Kokate 

Wake up, India
The tell-all was released to mark the third anniversary as the ruling party in Delhi. When we asked the Mumbai-based leader about his reasons for penning it, he said, "The primary purpose was to lay down the bare truth about what happened and how the country's citizens realised that democracy was more than just about voting during five-year elections. It is to also tell the youth who still harbour the hope of alternative politics coming from AAP that their dream is over."

In the book, besides Arvind Kejriwal and Anna Hazare, Gandhi focuses on those who worked behind the scene to shake the nation into consciousness. He elaborated, "As a young man, I had felt the pain of being betrayed when the Janata Party experiment failed, in which I had personally invested part of my life. I was insignificant then and inconsequential. Now, when the youth of the country are being betrayed all over again, I can feel their pain. And this time, I am not so inconsequential and would like to be a medium of letting the people know what happened and how."

A file photo of Arvind Kejriwal at an AAP rally in Delhi

Opportunity lost
Gandhi, who played a key role in AAP's formation, admits that writing the book was a tumultuous journey. From re-living the India Against Corruption (IAC) days to the crushing of dreams, "the only thought that came to my mind was the opportunity that we lost in transforming the nation". Gandhi believes that AAP failed because instead of maintaining the founding principles for which it received extraordinary support, the party decided to indulge in the three Cs — corruption, casteism and communalism — after it won Delhi by unprecedented margins. "This impatience and abandonment of ethics and morals was the biggest mistake it made," he said.

But despite losing focus, the IAC movement has given people the courage to assert themselves before authorities and politicians. "Counter hegemony has started appearing as people have understood the power of standing up to the wrongs," says the man who has decided to focus on development politics, and is now working for the development of rural India, starting with the Beed district in Maharashtra.

AAP & Down, which is a documentation of India's "second independence" struggle according to Gandhi, gives readers a chance to see how power changes man. "People who operate in the name of serving the poor, many a times are serving their personal ambitions and egos," the author said.

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Representational Image

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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I want to find a way of telling my girlfriend to wear better perfume without hurting her feelings. She smells like a florist's shop, which is irritating and hard to ignore. How do I do it in a subtle manner?
If you believe her perfume doesn't suit her, you should talk about it while giving her the prerogative of continuing to wear it if she likes it. Being honest is an important part of building trust, and she should trust you enough to know that you mean well. Also get another person's opinion though. You may be the only one who thinks it excessive. Maybe you have an over-sensitive nose and everyone else thinks she smells great.

My boyfriend refuses to take anything I say seriously. He loves me a lot, but anything I say is treated with amusement, whether it is my opinion about a restaurant or anything to do with his career. He assumes only the things he and his friends say matter. I don't know if he believes I am genuinely incapable of thinking, because I sometimes feel like a child when I am around him and his friends. This affects me to such an extent that I now simply clam up when I am out with them and speak only when I am spoken to. I don't even bother contributing to any discussion or argument because they don't acknowledge my perspective. How do I get him to take me seriously?
This isn't about him taking you seriously; it's about respect. If he thinks you are incapable of thinking, or that your opinion is of no importance to him in any way, why is he with you? If he doesn't respect your perspective, why does he want a relationship with you? If this is a one-sided affair with no exchange of opinions, thoughts, likes and dislikes, what makes you think this is a substantial relationship worth wasting time on? I suggest you ask yourself, and him, these questions first.

The inbox is now open to take your most carnal and amorous queries. Send your questions on email to lovedoc@mid-day.com

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Michael Jackson

In the last few days, neurosurgeons Dr Sandeep Mohindra, Dr Manjul Tripathi and Dr Nishant S Yagnick, have all become mini celebrities at Chandigarh's Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGMIR). In between attending to OPD and other hospital duties, Mohindra and Yagnick have been fielding press questions, while Tripathi, currently in the UK pursuing a short course, has recorded a video to offer his version should the media approach. And, all this fuss is thanks to a 683-word paper that the trio submitted four weeks ago to The Journal of Neurosurgery which has been able to answer the question that many generations have pondered over: How did Michael Jackson manage his gravity-defying moves?

Blood on the Dance Floor
Mohindra, 45, and Tripathi, 39, have been working together for the last seven years. While Mohindra is an Additional Professor, Tripathi is an Assistant Professor and Yagnick, a registrar, has been with the institute for three years. Mohindra says the team of neurosurgeons at the institute had been reporting a lot of dance injuries — kids or amateur dancers coming in with spinal injuries from trying to copy dance moves off YouTube videos.

Dr Nishant S Yagnick and wife Shweta are amateur dancers, and regulars at contests and reallity shows

"While our textbooks have mechanisms of injury for certain sports or postures — say if you play cricket, this is the injury you are most prone to get, or this is how you will hurt yourself if you ride a bike without a helmet — not much research has been done in the field of dance. There are people turning on their heads and B-Boying, and when they come in with injuries, we wonder how they fractured these many vertebra in this specific way?"

The study began six months ago when Tripathi called in Yagnick, asking him to participate in a research to understand the bio-mechanics of certain moves. They zoomed in on MJ's anti-gravity lean which debuted in 1987.

Smooth Criminal
In the seventh minute of the video, Smooth Criminal, in which Jackson (then 29 years old), dressed in his trademark outfit, along with a group of dancers, leans forward — without bending his legs or taking any support — at an angle of 45 degrees. For the average human, this range is 20 degrees. "Medical science," says Mohindra, "fails when Jackson starts dancing."

The first thing that the trio found out was that a patent, registered under Jackson's name, made the move partially possible. "Along with fellow inventors, MJ developed a special shoe that had a slot in the heel. The triangular slot could engage a hitch member (a metallic peg, which emerged from the stage floor at just the right time), allowing the dancer to obtain the right amount of extra support to be able to lean forward beyond physiological limits. Alas, MJ's move was an illusionary trick." Yet, says Yagnick, even with this extra support, not everyone can do an MJ.

Dr Manjul Tripathi and Dr Sandeep Mohindra

Yagnick and his wife Shweta are both amateur dancers. While he has taken training in jazz and hip hop, his wife has added ballet, modern contemporary and Indian contemporary, to her repertoire. The couple regularly participates in reality shows, in fact in February they won a Punjab state-level contest. When the research idea was mooted, the couple tried to replicate the MJ lean, but realised that even with the support of the shoes, it was impossible. "We tried the angulation against the wall. Even when we held each other's feet and legs, we could not get his angulation," says Yagnick.

Speed Demon
There was then more to this. While studying various videos and trying to replicate the move, the doctors studied the muscles that come into play. To put it simply, when the human body leans forward, it's the core muscles (or the erector spinae muscles) that act like cables to support the suspended spinal column during the forward shift, preventing the body from toppling over. However, when the body leans further, the weight is transferred from the core to the to the ankle joints, "and strain is shifted to the Achilles tendon". The paper states: "This allows for a very limited degree of forward bending from the ankle joints, while keeping a stiff straight posture — unless you are Michael Jackson. Most trained dancers with strong core strength will reach a maximum of 25° to 30°..."

A] Drawings showing the "antigravity tilt" (>45° forward bend), the dance move introduced by Michael Jackson, in comparison to the normal limit of a human tilt (20° forward bend), as well as the conceptualized shoe designed by MJ and co-inventors. B] Shift of the fulcrum from the sacrum to the Achilles tendon in MJ's antigravity tilt; the pic on the right show MJ do the tilt in Smooth Criminal. Courtesy/Journal of Neurology

What then allowed Jackson to manage what few could? Several years of training and special exercises, not unlike perhaps what sprinters such as Usain Bolt perform daily. "If you see Bolt preparing for the 100 m dash, you will see the same forward bend," says Mohindra, adding, that for the most famous dancer in the world, the idea would have been to make his Achilles Tendon so strong that the two legs could hold his 60 kg weight when he shifted his weight on them. While the average tendon can hold 10k to 15 kg, for Jackson that weight almost doubled.

Heal The World
It could take months for a paper to get accepted by the Journal of Neurosurgery, but the curiosity of the gravity-defying lean is such that the journal's editor accepted it within 24 hours of submission. Not just that. Yagnick says they have been asked to continue the research with other dancers in order to understand where injuries originate and how some people, defy the spine. Hrithik Roshan, for instance, says Mohindra has scoliosis of spine i.e. an abnormal curve. "Yet, he is one of best dancers one has seen. He has, obviously trained his muscles to challenge these bio-mechanics."

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Yashodhara Dalmia with Mashe and his family in the early 1980s. Pic/Maseeh Rahman

When art historian and curator Yashodhara Dalmia first met Jivya Soma Mashe in the early 1980s, the Warli artist had just started working on paper instead of the walls on which his peers and ancestors had for generations. "I found it inventive, brave and fascinating," says Dalmia, who authored The Painted World of the Warlis: Art and Ritual of the Warli Tribes of Maharashtra in 1988.

Traditionally associated with the rituals and ceremonies of the Warli community, who reside in the Maharashtra-Gujarat border, the art form found new horizons through Mashe, who passed away on May 15 in Ganjad village, Palghar. He was 84. On his passing away, he was remembered as the artist who popularised the folk art form, rendering figures on paper smeared with cow-dung or a red background, and nudging Warli into mainstream visual culture.

Mashe's The Fish Bowl

Cultural theorist and curator Nancy Adajania says that it is a misconception that Mashe 'popularised' or 'preserved' Warli. "He did neither. He invented Warli art, as we know it today. He was a pioneer," she says. Before him, there was no "Warli art" as such. In its ritual form, it was practised in the Warli community by its women, not men, who would paint on the walls of their houses, a sacred square with the fertility goddess, surrounded by human and animal forms. "But Mashe wasn't consecrating the goddess in his paintings. He was a witness to his times, using the existing vocabulary of the ritual form and creating a new one," she says.

Cultural historian, prof Jyotindra Jain, who included Mashe in his seminal exhibition Other Masters: Five Contemporary Folk and Tribal Artists of India (1998), says the artist went far beyond the conventional themes of Warli, infusing the form with a narrative quality. "In 1998, Jivya produced an epic work comprising two large paintings on wooden boards entitled: My Life. This work relates to memory — memory of fragmentation and fear," he says.

(From left) Former gallerists Kekoo and Khorshed Gandhy with Mashe (centre) at his 1975 solo exhibition at Chemould Pic/ChemoulD Prescott Road archive

Jain's observation cuts through common misconceptions about Warli being a simplistic 'folksy' art. In My Life, a bipartite work, Jain observes that in one section, Mashe ruthlessly depicts a railway line cutting a village in two, dividing the fields, the river, the families, and the community. The second section depicts the memory of Jivya's first visit to this city, arriving at the Mumbai Central railway station filled with an ocean of people. "Despite the limited vocabulary of thin, linear humans of the Warli idiom, Jivya powerfully characterises each figure, be it a coolie carrying luggage, a policeman chasing a thief, or a monkey jumping on to a roof," he says.

In his paintings, we find signs of modernity — schools, railway junctions, as well as a depiction of the crafty moneylender, observes Adajania. His themes may find growing relevance now, as they did then, particularly through what Adajania describes as 'an environmental ethic' — an interdependence of human beings with other living things. Recalling one of his most famous and captivating works, Fisherman, she says, "A vast cosmic net held by a speck of a human being overpowers the painting. But this is not an expression of a competition with the powers of the divine; instead, Mashe is transmitting an ethic of empathetic coexistence among species, even as he asserts his own artistic agency."

The commercialisation of Warli art these days, says Adajania, is a symptom of a chronic problem faced by these artists. "They are susceptible to exploitation, because there are two unequal economies in our art world — one for the contemporary artist, the other for the so-called folk artist," she says. As a practice running parallel to other contemporary practices, as Mashe's did with the Bombay Progressives, there is the continuing need to give the art form the place it deserves. Dalmia, when she remembers that first meeting with Mashe, says he was living in poor circumstances. He would soon become the first from his community to find recognition, both Indian and international, as an artist.

Mentored by Bhaskar Kulkarni, a senior member of Crafts Board, Mashe had his first solo exhibition in 1975 at Kekoo and Khorshed Gandhy's Gallery Chemould. It was the first time that an exhibition of an artist from an indigenous community was held at a contemporary art gallery. When the gallery shifted in 2010, from Kala Ghoda to Fort, the gallerists decided to bid farewell by revisiting Mashe's works, instead of a group show of any of the other stellar Modernists. "He was not just an artist who transported the ritual tradition into a parallel contemporary form of art, but also a man of vision. He could foresee that this art would convey the daily life of his people and his own life," says Dalmia.

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In under 3 years, Yes Bank has gone from being a darling of investors to a pariah. Here's a look at the events that led to the crisis in 10 points.

1. 2017: RBI forces Yes Bank to disclose that there is big divergence in its non-performing loans of Rs 42 billion reported in the company's audited accounts for the year ended March 2016. The divergence further widened to almost Rs 64 billion a year later. To put this in perspective, the RBI audit had pegged its total gross non-performing assets (NPAs) at 5% for FY16, against the bank's own assessment of only 0.8% for the same year.
2. September 19, 2018: Not surprisingly, a year later, RBI refuses to give Yes Bank CEO Rana Kapoor an extension to his term as MD. The apex bank asks Kapoor to step down by end of January 2019. Kapoor fights back...but it always seemed like a battle he was set to lose.
3. November 27, 2018: Rating agency Moody's cuts bank's rating outlook to 'negative' from 'stable' citing concerns over corporate governance. This is a big whammy...for a bank, its credit rating is everything.
4. January 24, 2019: Yes Bank hires the head of Deutsche Bank India, Ravneet Gill, as its new CEO. There's hope...even though Gill has not run a bank of this size before. The stock price rallies 66% in the days following the appointment.
5. May 14, 2019: RBI appoints former central bank Deputy Governor R. Gandhi as additional director to Yes Bank's board - a rare move signaling an increased level of scrutiny on the lender.
   
   Yes Bank reports 91% drop in profit in 1QFY20, provisions surge and gross NPA ratio stands at 5%.
6. October 3, 2019: CEO Gill says bank is in talks with private equity firms, strategic investors and family offices to raise additional capital. Again, this appears to be good news.
7. October 31, 2019: Yes Bank gets binding investment offer of US$ 1.2 billion from a global investor. But this does not go down well as credibility of the likely largest investor is questioned in the media.
8. November 1, 2019: Yes Bank reports bigger-than-expected loss for 2QFY20, NPA to loans ratio swells to 7.4% and provisions swell to Rs 13.4 billion.
9. March 6, 2020: It's been months now and there is little progress on capital raising (other than rumours floating around). RBI takes over Yes Bank's board and imposes a month-long moratorium, imposing a limit of Rs 50,000 on withdrawals.
10. March 7, 2020: Stock price of Yes Bank crashes by nearly 60%. At it's worse the stock was down at Rs 5.7 that day. RBI shares a restructuring plan for Yes Bank...basically a bailout by SBI.

Well, then...that's the Yes Bank timeline. At the time of writing, stock price of Yes Bank was trading up by 31%.

Next time, when you think of buying a banking share...or making a deposit...be sure you understand the risk.

With the ongoing panic in the global as well as Indian stock markets, there is no end to foreign investors dumping Indian shares.

This wasn't the case a while back. Foreign institutional investor (FII) were making a beeline for Indian equities few months back.

How has this trend been so far this year? What has changed in recent weeks and months? And what's behind the heavy movement of foreign funds in India?

Let us look at some key points to answer these questions...

1. September 2019: FII Money Returns to India Again

   If we track the trend of FII flows in financial year 2019-20, after the Union Budget in July 2019, foreign investors began selling. They pulled out a ton of money from Indian equities.

   Why? Well, they were disappointed with the budget as it did not address the key concerns the economy was facing.

   However, the month of September was a different ballgame altogether as foreign money once again made its way into Indian equities. Not surprisingly it was also the month in which the Government made amends for its failed budget.

   This is evident in the chart below:

   September 2019: Foreign Money Returns to India Again

2. 3rd Quarter 2019-20: FIIs Keep Pouring Money in Indian Equities

   There were two reasons behind the above FII rush to Indian equities:

   1. Clarification by the FM that the tax on the super-rich was not applicable on foreign investors
   2. Cut in corporate tax rates, among other efforts, that had the potential to make Indian manufacturing globally competitive

   Both the above points strengthened the case for investing in Indian for FIIs.

   And they kept on pouring money in the following months.

   Here's how much money came by FIIs to Indian stock markets in the third quarter of FY20:

   Month	Net Investment (Rs, m)
   Oct-19	85,956
   Nov-19	129,249
   Dec-19	6,941
   Total	222,146

   Data Source: Equitymaster

3. 2019: Best FII Flows in Six Years

   Overall, in calendar year 2019, FIIs pumped in a net of more than Rs 1,000 bn (billion) in Indian stocks. This made it their best such infusion in six years. The previous high was Rs 1,130 bn in 2013.

4. 2020: The Downtrend Starts

   The buying trend, however, didn't last long. FIIs rushed out of India amid concerns of slowing economic growth and high stock valuations.

   In the month of January, they pulled out Rs 126.8 bn from Indian stock markets.

5. Feb-Mar 2020: Coronavirus Triggers FII Sell off

   The selling intensified further in February and March 2020. The major trigger was the coronavirus led panic sell-off across global financial markets.

   In February and March, Nifty and Sensex corrected sharply. It was not just Indian share markets but even global indices like the Dow Jones, NASDAQ, FTSE, DAX, CAC and the Nikkei that witnessed the brunt.

   In the Indian context, the stock market correction was exacerbated by the weak foreign investor sentiments. The real surprise was not the FII selling. It was the ferocity and the intensity of the selling in such a short span of time.

   From February 14th, the FIIs have been sellers on all days except one.

6. March FII Outflows to date to Surpass the 2008 Crisis Level

   So far in March, FIIs have sold a net of Rs 478.9 bn of Indian shares.

   And this makes the outflows of the month set to surpass the 2008 crisis level.

   While India is still better placed relative to other emerging market peers, the wipe-out has been massive.

What Should Market Participants Do?

There is no denying that FIIs play an important role in the Indian stock markets.

Strong FII participation is good from the domestic investors' point of view in the sense that it leads to enhanced liquidity and greater depth in the market.

However, in the event of FIIs pulling out on a larger scale and a free fall in the markets, the correction in valuations of fundamentally solid companies would be just temporary. It may in fact offer some lucrative value buying opportunities.

How do you zero in on these opportunities?

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Stock markets around the world witnessed one of the most painful correction phases in the month of March 2020.

Indian stock markets too mirrored the trend.

Here are six charts showing how Indian financial markets performed in March 2020.

1. Record Wealth Destruction
   
   

   In the month of March 2020, the Sensex fell as much as 23%.

   It is not the month where the market has fallen the most. That honor goes to October 2008 where markets tanked 23.9%, beating the 23.1% the market lost last month by a whisker.

   However, March 2020 wins hands down in wealth destruction.

   Wealth destruction of Rs 4.4 lakh crores back in 2008 pales in comparison to the Rs 14.6 lakh crores worth of wealth destroyed on the Sensex in the last month alone.

   March 2020 the Second Worst Month in History

2. Huge Selling Pressure for Individual Stocks
   
   

   Except two, all the stocks in the BSE Sensex plunged in March 2020.

   The decline was mainly led by banking stocks and financial stocks.

   Stocks such as IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, and Axis Bank fell as much as 40%-70%.

   Top BSE Gainers and Losers in March 2020

3. All Sectors in a Sea of Red
   
   

   Among sectors, all the BSE indices gave negative returns in March 2020.

   BSE Realty, BSE Bankex, BSE Finance, and BSE Auto Index fell more than 30%.

   It was a double whammy for banking and finance stocks that witnessed most of the brunt on the back of coronavirus outbreak and Yes bank crisis.

   Worst Hit Sectors in March 2020

4. Crude Oil Slumps Over 50%
   
   

   Crude oil crashed over 50% in March 2020.

   The fall was seen because of oversupply amid subdued demand.

   Oil prices crashed last month in what was the worst price dip since the 1991 Gulf War with Brent prices plunging to US$ 31 per barrel.

   Oil markets faced a double whammy from the coronavirus outbreak and a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia after OPEC and other producers failed to agree on deeper cuts to support oil prices in early March.

   Shares of oil marketing companies such as Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), GAIL, ONGC, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Indraprastha Gas were in focus in March amid record low crude oil prices.

   They witnessed buying interest and capped most losses led by the stock market crash.

   In his latest video, Ajit Dayal shares his views on the impact of the coronavirus crisis and the oil price war on the Indian economy and the stock market. You can view the same here.

   Crude Oil Continues Free Fall

5. Gold Prices Shine
   
   

   Base metals also remained under pressure as lockdown imposed in several parts of the world curbed demand, pushing stockpiles higher.

   However, gold prices rose 3% in March 2020 as demand for the safe haven asset rose with market participants bracing prolonged uncertainty in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

   To know more about gold, you can check one of Vijay Bhambwani's recent articles here: Is the Price of Gold About to Go Higher?

   Gold Witnesses Buying

6. Rupee Hits Record Low in March 2020
   
   

   Massive sell-off in equities and bonds led to a huge fall in rupee against the dollar in the month of March.

   The rupee hit a record low of 76.32 against dollar earlier this week.

   Most of the selling pressure for rupee was seen on the back of slump in equities and currencies globally. Investors were concerned that support measures from governments and central banks may be insufficient to halt the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

   Rupee Continues Downtrend

So, that was a round-up on how Indian financial markets performed in the month of March 2020.

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Fast bowler Ishant Sharma said that he can't pick between his seven-wicket haul at Lord's in 2014 and the fifer he took in India's maiden pink ball Test against Bangladesh in November 2019.

"Both of them are equally memorable," Ishant said in a video tweeted by his Indian Premier League side Delhi Capitals. "Taking seven wickets at Lord's is obviously something I can't forget. And taking those five wickets with the pink ball also I can't forget because after 12 years I had taken a five-wicket haul."

Ishant's 7/74 was crucial in India recording a historic win at Lord's over England in 2014. It was the first time in 28 years that India had won a Test at the famous stadium.

Ishant's career went through many troughs after that before he resurfaced and became an integral part of the fierce pace battery that Virat Kohli's team now possesses alongwith Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

In the pink ball Test against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens, Ishant blew the opposition away in the first innings and ended up with figures of 5/22. It was his first fifer at home since 2007.

Ishant last played for India at Wellington in their first Test against New Zealand before his ankle injury resurfaced. He was expected to play for Delhi Capitals in the 2020 edition of the IPL but it has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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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."

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Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar recalled a hilarious incident which ended up with his former teammate Mohammed Kaif getting a new nickname. The Master Blaster was referring to an incident that took place recently in the first match of Road Safety Series against West Indies XI.

Tendulkar stated that Kaif was giving his all in the field despite being 39 and that prompted others to caution him that it is the first match of the tournament and there is still a long way to go.

"We had to tell Kaif to be cautious. We nicknamed him 'bhai sahab, bhai sahab, thoda sambhalke.' It's the first match of the tournament and there are a lot of matches to be played," Tendulkar said in a video uploaded on 100 MB YouTube channel.

"What if you pull a hamstring or something. It (diving and fielding quickly) comes naturally to him. He thinks if you are fit, you continue doing those things. He was a really fit guy. He was an outstanding fielder in team," he added.

Kaif was regarded as one of the finest fielders ever to don the iconic blue jersey. He, along with Yuvraj Singh, marshalled the cover-point area with great aplomb in an era where fielding wasn't Team India's strongest suit.

Despite his incredible fielding skills, Kaif is fondly remembered by almost every Indian cricket fan for his Man of the Match performance in the Natwest Trophy final against England at Lord's in 2002.

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India pacer Mohammed Shami on Tuesday revealed what role Zaheer Khan and Wasim Akram have played in shaping his bowling career. Shami also revealed that growing up he used to look up to Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer, and Akram.

The pacer was doing an Instagram Live session with batsman Manoj Tiwary. "When we were growing up, we used to witness that India and Pakistan used to be the most intense matches. Sachin Tendulkar is a great of the game and I looked up at him when I was growing up. The best pair was of Virender Sehwag and Sachin. When it comes to batting, I used to look up to Sehwag and Sachin," Shami said during the Instagram Live session.

"When it comes to bowling, I used to look at Zaheer Khan. When India and Pakistan faced off against each other, I also used to like Wasim Akram. Both Zaheer and Akram were left-arm bowlers," he added.

Shami had a stint with Kolkata Knight Riders and as a result, he got the chance to learn from Wasim Akram as the former Pakistan bowler used to be the bowling coach of KKR.

The Indian pacer also had a chance to learn from Zaheer as the duo enjoyed a stint together at IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.

"When I came to KKR, I realised the skill and value associated with cricket. I watched Wasim Akram all my life on television, but with KKR, I had the chance to learn from him. For the initial days, I was not even able to talk to him.

"Wasim Bhai came up to me then, and he initiated the conversation with me and he started telling me things about bowling. He read me very fast, he realised what I am all about, I learnt a lot from him. If you have someone experienced close to you, then you should not shy away and try to learn maximum things as well," Shami said.

"Zaheer Bhai and I did not play much together, but whenever I got the chance to talk to him, he was very helpful. I spent time with him during IPL stint with Delhi Capitals, Zaheer Bhai is very experienced, I just wanted to learn how to go about bowling with the new ball," he added.

Shami was last seen in action during the two-match Test series against New Zealand. The pacer would have been in action for the Kings XI Punjab if the IPL had started on March 29.

However, the tournament has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Pakistan's top female cricket star and former captain Sana Mir retired from international cricket on Saturday and sports lovers from the country have showered honours on her achievements in the game.

The 34-year-old Mir announced her retirement after 14 years in cricket which she was honoured as one of the most successful female spin bowlers in ODIs cricket history, reported Xinhua news agency.

Sana Mir took to Instagram to share a heartfelt post about her retirement.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

For all my fans and cricket lovers, words fall short when I want to thank all of you for your love, support and encouragement you extended in the past 15 years. It has been an honour to serve Pakistan in cricket and to wear the green Jersey with absolute pride. It is time for me to move on. In sha Allah the service will continue in essence in a different form. Pakistan Zindabad. 💚🏏🇵🇰

A post shared by Sana Mir (@mir.sana05) onApr 25, 2020 at 2:18am PDT

Mir said in a statement that it was an honour for her to serve Pakistan and she has retired with absolute pride, adding, "words fall short when I want to thank you all for the love, support and encouragement in the past".

Here are some of the fan reactions on Instagram as well as Twitter.

aqsa_javed__ - I'll miss you my inspiration for sure thankyou for motivating me and yeah you have set a very high goal for every girl out there. Thankyou for making Pakistan so proud. Pakistan zindabad

saboora1532 - Sana you are the biggest inspiration for all of us ...We love you ... Your hard work and your passion has made so many people to rethink over the fate of Pakistani girls in cricket... Thank you And God Bless You

omama__siddiqui - Thankkkkk you for whatever you did for Pakistan and cricket for those great and wonderful 15 years!!! You deserve all the love, support, and appreciation for being an amazing, strong, and courageous woman. Stay happy and loved for the rest of your life You have been an extraordinary inspiration for thousands of women around the world. Thank you for being SANA MIR!!!!!

ovaisfazal7
Thank you for your services. You will be missed on the field. But your passion and dedication for the game have left a deep impact on how women are perceived in sports. LEGEND!!! May Allah guide and bless you in all your endeavours. Ameen

i_am_muhammadusman - I wish you best of luck for your future endeavours, Miss Sana Mir. We are proud of you. Thanks for your services for the country.

amalmurtaza - Congratulations and all the very best for whatever comes your way! You are Pakistan’s pride and our family’s too mA!

A fan named Adil Tasawar said on Twitter, "when we talk about Pakistan women cricket, one person first in our mind she is Sana Mir, thank you Sana you give honour and dignity."

Another fan named Shamilo paid tribute, saying, "Sana Mir truly changed the course of women's cricket, became the first household name in the women's game. That in and of itself is an achievement, but she also helped create a legacy of players behind her."

Four years after her appearance at the international level cricket, Mir took the reins of Pakistan women team as captain and played a vital role to lift the team's international ranking. She led Pakistan team to win gold medals from the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games.

Inputs from IANS

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Former India pacer Ashish Nehra went down the memory lane with ex-teammate Aakash Chropra during a chat on Chopra's show Aakashvani. Nehra said how he had only one pair of shoes which he used for Ranji Trophy games as well as his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1999.

"I wore them for the first time in Ranji Trophy and had only one pair which I took them with me to play in my first Test match in 1999. I still remember I used to get the shoe stitched after each innings and that is how it survived the entire Test," Nehra said.

Talking about practicing bowling action at the Delhi Cantonment Railway station with the club's bowling coach, Nehra said: "I wasn't alone. There used to be a bunch of us who would go to drop sir at the railway station. He would ask us to show him different bowling actions. I remember we would pick up the stones at the station and bowl with them."

The pair also discussed a game they had played at the Race Course ground in Delhi for their club team. "You remember we had to bowl into the wind and against the wind? The coach asked me why I didn't bowl you from that end. I told him that you wanted to bowl from the other end," said Chopra as the two had a good laugh going down memory lane. Left-arm pacer Nehra played 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 27 T20Is for India.

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The out of favour Suresh Raina might have felt hard done by the national selection committee but its former chairman MSK Prasad made it clear that it was poor form during the 2018-19 domestic season that became his undoing. The 33-year-old, who has appeared in 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is apart from 18 Tests, last played for India in July 2018 in England after which he was dropped for good. Last year, he had a knee surgery in The Netherlands and was eyeing a comeback with his favourite team Chennai Super Kings in the currently postponed Indian Premier League.

"See VVS Laxman, when he was dropped from the Indian Test squad in 1999, he forced himself back by scoring over 1400 runs in domestic cricket. This is what is expected from senior players when they are dropped," Prasad told PTI, expressing surprise at Raina's recent comments that selectors should have taken "more responsibility" as far as senior players were concerned. Raina scored 243 runs, with two fifties, in five Ranji games in 2018-19 season. A terrific IPL player, he scored only 383 runs in 17 games for CSK in 2019 which dashed his World Cup hopes.

"Unfortunately, we didn't see that form here in Raina's case in domestic cricket while other youngsters emerged at the big stage with their brilliant performances in domestic cricket and India A," Prasad, who had an eventful four-year tenure, said. Recently, Raina, during a YouTube show 'Sports Tak', accused the selectors of not clarifying why he was dropped, something that Prasad said wasn't "true".

"I think selectors should have taken more responsibility towards the senior players. Tell me, if I have any deficiency then I will work hard. When the cause is not known, how he will improve," Raina was quoted as saying. Prasad, a former India wicketkeeper, seemed hurt by the allegation from a veteran player, which he said was far from truth. "It is so sad to hear from him that selectors don't watch Ranji games. Please check the records with BCCI that how many matches were watched by senior selection committee members in the last four years." Prasad said he had personally spoken to Raina about his exclusion and told him what was expected of him.

"I had personally spoken to Raina calling him to my room and explained him the roadmap for his future comebacks. He had, back then, appreciated my efforts. I am really surprised when I have heard things which are exactly contrary to what had happened." In fact, he gave a lowdown of how many of Uttar Pradesh's Ranji matches he has seen. "I gave postings to my selectors looking at those matches where the consistent players, fringe players, probables or comeback players are playing.

"Personally, I watched four UP games in Lucknow and Kanpur in the last four years apart from the other many UP matches my colleagues have seen. ""I take pride in saying that our selection committee has watched more than 200 Ranji matches in the last four years." For any senior player, the template for national comeback should be that of Mohinder Amarnath, who made a record of sorts during his 20-year-career with the national team. "When a senior player is dropped from the squad, we expect him to go back to domestic cricket and get his form back," he said. "If you look at the great Mohinder Amarnath, check how many times he was dropped and made a strong comeback with stellar performances in domestic cricket."

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Star Sports, India’s leading broadcaster, through their show Cricket Connected, has used the power of technology to engage with cricket fans and bring them voices of the world’s best former and current cricketers. On this week’s episode, Indian captain Virat Kohli will be interacting with host Jatin Sapru and a few of his young fans who will pepper King Kohli with questions, especially around what has been doing during the government-mandated nation-wide lockdown period.

This is an enjoyable format to engage with cricket fans and legends of the game through easy-going conversations. With the lockdown extended for another two weeks, cricket fans now have an opportunity to catch Captain Kohli as he talks about daily routine at home and how he is keeping himself busy. The skipper also speaks about the importance of staying at home, finding motivation and focusing on fitness and training despite the limited conditions.

Captain Virat Kohli said on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected, “I am keeping myself positive and happy and just looking forward in life so that whenever I return to the game, I know I will be in a good position to start from where we left.”

While speaking to his fans, Virat Kohli also talks about the things he misses while staying at home like the IPL, the excitement the tournament brings for the players and the fans and the magical moments that are created. Virat even answers a few questions asked by his young fans around his unflappable mindset during batting, Virat emphasizes on how important it is to have a proper mindset especially while playing a sport, sending a strong message to all the young cricket aspirants in the country. On the episode, captain Kohli also catches up team mate Yuzvendra Chahal and reminisces their comradery.

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