Nagpur’s Alifya looked in complete control throughout the bout and made the opponent work hard with her swift movement and precise punches.
New Delhi :
Indian women boxers continued their fine run as Alfiya Pathan (81+kg) claimed the country’s first gold medal even as five others stormed into the finals of the 30th Adriatic Pearl Tournament in Budva, Montenegro.
Babyrojisana Chanu (51kg), Vinka (60kg), Arundhati (69kg) and Sanamacha Chanu (75kg) have made the finals in their respective categories.
An Asian junior girls champion in 2019, Alfiya showed superb form and fitness to notch up an easy 5-0 win against Daria Kozorev of Moldova.
Nagpur’s Alifya looked in complete control throughout the bout and made the opponent work hard with her swift movement and precise punches.
In the 51kg flyweight category, the proceedings began with a fiery encounter between India’s Babyrojisana and Uzbekistan’s Feruza Kazakova.
Both the boxers threw caution to the wind and exchanged mighty blows.
However, Chanu managed to pull off the winning punch in the dying seconds to outclass her opponent in a 3-2 split verdict and sail into the final.
Rohtak’s Vinka (60kg) made easy work of her Finnish opponent Suvi Tujula.
Suvi was no match for the Indian pugilist as she conceded a series of punches, forcing the referee to stop the contest in the second round.
She will face Kristian Kiper of Moldova in the final later on Saturday.
Arundhati (69kg) also continued from where she left in her last bout as she registered another clean sweep with a 5-0 win.
In the 75 kg semi-final, Sanamcha Chanu (75kg) defeated Uzbekistan’s Sokhiba Ruzmetova in an unanimous 5-0 win, setting up a final with compatriot Raj Sahiba.
Unlike other categories, India fielded two boxers in 75 kg and both of them will face each other for the gold medal.
In other matches, Neha (54kg) lost her semi-final bout against Claudie Totova of Czech Republic 0-5.
It turned out to be another tough day for the men as both Akash Gorkha (60kg) and Ankit Narwal (64kg) lost their respective bouts by a narrow 3-2 margin.
Other women boxer playing in the final on Saturday night is Gitika (48kg) who will be competing for the gold medal against Uzbekistan’s Farzona Fozilova while Preeti (57kg) and Lucky Rana (64kg) will play their semi-final bouts.
Two male boxers — Priyanshu Dabas (49kg) and Jugnoo (91+kg) — will also be competing in the semi-final laster in the day.
The Indian contingent has so far assured itself of 12 medals with five women eyeing gold.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sports> Others / by PTI / February 20th, 2021
Keep Calm and Ride On! Well, take a cue from this in life. And that’s what Lt Colonel Faiz Siddiqui’s book is also all about — horses.
Keep Calm & Ride On’: Meet Lt Colonel Faiz Siddiqui, and delve deeper into the art of horse riding
In times when we keep on telling ourselves how dogs are man’s best friend, we must not forget horses. Oh wait, hold your horses…quite literally.
Lt Colonel Faiz Siddiqui, an internationally certified coach, has come out with his book: ‘Keep Calm and Ride On’. The book delves deeper into the art of horse riding, especially at a time when parents are struggling hard to move out their children from mobile screen and experience real life.
Keep Calm & Ride On!
The book emphasises the importance of horses and horse riding. Infact, it is quite a part of every institute where future leaders are trained, be it Army, IAS or IPS.
This book gives an easy and interesting insight into the world of horses and induces a desire to experience them in real life. It covers all the important aspects which a non-rider or a beginner needs to know without overwhelming him/her with avoidable and boring details.
source: http://www.indiatvnews.com / IndiaTV / Home> English News / by India TV News Desk, New Delhi / September 27th, 2019
The felicitation programme was held at Karnataka Olympic Bhawan, Kanteerava Sports Complex, on Saturday. Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai felicitated over eight former basketball players.
Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai (centre) with K Govindaraj, president of Basketball Federation of India (second from right) at an event to felicitate Arjuna, Padma Shree awardees. | vinod kumar t
Bengaluru :
The Basketball Federation of India felicitated sportsperson who received Arjuna, Dhyan Chand and Padma Shri Awardees between 1961 and 2019 for their contribution and achievements in basketball. The felicitation programme was held at Karnataka Olympic Bhawan, Kanteerava Sports Complex, on Saturday. Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai felicitated over eight former basketball players.
Bommai said, “It gives me immense pleasure to know that the Basketball Federation of India felicitated Padma Shri, Arjuna and Dhyan Chand Awardees. I wish good luck to all the awardees.” The Arjuna awardees included Gulam Abbas Moontasir, Arjun awardee from the 1970 batch, Hanuman Singh (1975), Ajmer Singh (1982), Suman Sharma (1983), Sajjan Singh Cheema (1999), Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (2019), Surendra Kumar Kataria (1973), Om Prakash Dhull (1979-1980).
Anitha Paul Durai got the Padma Shri award 2020 and Ram Kumar got the Dhyan Chand award (2003).
K Govindaraj, president of the Basketball Federation of India said, “Basketball is believed to be the fastest growing sport. It has immense appeal among school and college students. Almost every school and college has a basketball court on its premises.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Express News Service / February 07th, 2021
The 75-year-old is one of the biggest names to emerge from the Late Bachookhan Municipal Playground in Nagpada.
Scroll.in photo
The tall frame of Gulam Abbas Moontasir stands out in the narrow by-lane with mushrooming slums that leads to the Nagpada Basketball Association courts. The ground has the distinction of producing almost a dozen internationals and many more national-level players. The 75-year-old Moontasir is one of the biggest names to emerge from the Late Bachookhan Municipal Playground.
Moontasir’s elder brothers were more inclined to body building but the youngster picked up basketball at the age of nine thanks to a group of friends and insists that he was a very bad player and can’t really explain when the transformation really took place.
“I was very bad. As an athlete, I just couldn’t run. Any child could have beaten me straight away but I don’t know I got into it. One thing we did because of our elder brothers was that they put us into weight training in the 1950s,’ says the man who captained India in the 1969 and 1975.
The strong foundation soon became the bedrock of Moontasir’s style of play as he was known to dominate play with his sheer physical presence as the Nagpada hoopsters began to first dominate arch rivals Mastan YMCA and then the state and national scene.
“It was physical but isn’t basketball also a physical game? I’ll tell you, some of my friends. For eg, Narsimha Sharma, who is in the US now, would tell me, ‘just grab the ball, you don’t have to push in your weight.’
“When I started out Napgpada was not a big name in basketball. It was known for its volleyball. But slowly we made a name for ourselves… The first tournament we won was under 5 feet. We beat Mastan YMCA in 1953. I was 11 years old. After that of course Nagpada picked up basketball.
“In 1957, before I was 16 years, we won the men’s state championship. And we were Nagpada ‘B’ team, not Nagpada ‘A’ team. We beat them in the finals in 1957. I was selected of course for the state team also then it was Bombay. Next year, I was the captain of the Bombay state team in nationals and I was ranked 3rd in the country in the men’s section,” explains Moontasir, who went on to ply his trade at the national and international level for three decades and became the first player from Nagpada to be honoured with the Arjuna Award in 1970.
Railways boost
His career really blossomed after he joined Western Railways as the side boasted of the country’s top stars and Moontasir was the pivot around whom the team revolved.
Ask him about his own memorable game and Moontasir prefers to speak about the worst one rather than the best. “It was in Bangalore. It was so bad that the children you see [points at youngsters dribbling in a basketball court] would have played better. I just couldn’t hold the ball. People always ask me about what my best game was. I say, I remember my worst game which I will never forget in my life.
“I don’t know why. I would double-dribble, I would fall down, I would lose the ball,” stating these were the kind of games that one needs to learn from.
Never the one to mince words, Moontasir was suspended twice for his run-ins with the referees and lost out almost three years of his career.
“Twice I got suspended for arguing with the referee. And I was suspended for three years. Arguing with the referee. Not abusing, not hammering, not doing anything. Just arguing with the referee I was suspended for three years. Anyway I did come back after that,” he adds.
He made his international debut during an exhibition game against Australia in 1960 and the high point of his career probably came in 1970 when Moontasir became the first Indian to be named in the Asian All-Star team after a brilliant showing in the Asian Games in Bangkok.
“We were supposed to tour Europe but we didn’t,” he says with little regret, adding he then tried to move to United States of America to make a career in basketball but things did not materialise.
“In fact, I had applied for an overseas scholarship in America. But unfortunately they said ‘We don’t give scholarships to overseas students.’ And then in those days I had to pay $3000 which I didn’t have. So I didn’t go,” he adds.
Moontasir, who played his last nationals for his employer at the age of 44 and continued playing competitive basketball for four more years, insists that even if had got a chance to go to America he would have had to work extremely hard on his fitness to match the standards of the players there.
A stickler for hard work, Moontasir uses the phrase “working very very hard” almost a dozen times during the half-an-hour interaction and goes on to explain why he would appreciate an Ivan Lendl more than his idol John McEnroe.
“Between McEnroe and Lendl, who do I think I appreciate more? Lendl. It was because the guy had no talent. It was sheer hard work. If McEnroe had worked as hard as Lendl, he would have had 30 Grand Slams,” he adds, before stating that the Indian players who are trying their luck in USA’s National Basketball Association League will have to really step up on the fitness front or would not stand a chance.
This is also why, Moontasir did not really venture into coaching after his playing career apart from working with the Western Railway women’s team.
Even today he visits the Nagpada Basketball Association courts occasionally and those running the show definitely want him to provide some inputs to the young trainees who are looking to make a mark on the domestic scene.
But Moontasir, who has even acted in a few feature films, isn’t really interested. “During our playing times we were told that a basketball player never walks on the court but runs. I don’t see that kind of intensity in these players now.”
The 75-year-old insists that even the Basketball Federation of India isn’t providing enough exposure and game time for the players to mature and excel. “We are far away from world standards. But we can definitely be among the top five in Asia and that should be our primary aim,” he signs off.
source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> The Field> Field Watch / by Abhijeet Kulkarni, Shashank Rajaram and Crystelle Rita Nunes / December 17th, 2017
Sameera Khan is a cyclist and a mountaineer. Image courtesy: IANS
Hyderabad:
A cyclist and mountaineer, she is out to prove to the world that girls are capable of doing anything without family support.
After losing mother when she was just nine and her father, a tailor, few years ago, P. Sameera Khan overcame all odds to come up in life and is now looking for sponsors to fulfill her ambition of scaling Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world.
A solo traveller, she has already cycled her way to 20 countries. The 30-year-old from Anantapur in in Andhra Pradesh has already scaled four mountains, the highest being 6,858 meter high Ama Dablam in Nepal.
“I want to tell the world that a girl in India needs lot of support from her parents. I am trying to pursue my dream, earning for it, spending for it, everything on my own but now I have come to a point where I need some financial support to attain my ambition. I want to tell the world that girls are capable of doing everything despite not having family support,” Sameera told IANS.
The backpacker’s Mt Everest expedition requires Rs 30-35 lakh. “I have some money and I need sponsorship. The kind of work I do should be getting lot of support,” she said.
She wants to scale Mt Everest from Tibet side and not Nepal, which she said is commercial and easy. ” “From Tibet side, it is tough and also very technical. Rather than doing just for the sake of doing, I want to do something which makes me feel I have done the whole thing beyond my ability,” she said.
Sameera said she approached the government authorities for help but they refused as they don’t consider mountaineering as a sport.
Youngest among five siblings, she lost her mother at the age of nine and was brought up by her father, a tailor.
While pursuing medical lab technology course after 10th standard, the family finances forced her to take up a job in BPO in Bengaluru.
During Srinagar floods of 2014, she travelled to Kashmir as a volunteer. She went on a solo Pahalgam valley trek for two days and soon she started learning how to survive in tough conditions.
Sameera, who lost her father in 2015, started undertaking solo travels with her savings. She cycled across South Asian and South East Asian countries. In India, she cycled for over 1,000 km covering various states.
Her trekking expedition started with Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and later extended to Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. She has already covered 550 km high altitude trekking.
She has have not done any course in mountaineering. “I was already cyclist. I cycled in 20 countries . I think that boosted my confidence to become a high-altitude trekker,” said Sameera currently an entrepreneur at Kepler Home Cinema in Hyderabad.
Always ready to accept new challenges, Sameera started high altitude mountaineering. “Mountaineering is very down thing. It’s toughest of all sports. People who are into mountaineering have to be mentally and physically tough. Only those people who are not afraid of death can survive,” she said.
On November 13, 2018, she climbed 6,859 meters high Ama Dablam mountain peak in Nepal. This came barely a month after she had ascended 6,160 meters high Imja Tse (island) peak.
This further boosted her confidence and she started training for scaling Mount Everest. She has to go to the UK for advance training, which alone will cost Rs 3.50 lakh.
“I want to attribute to my demised parents a legacy of my lifetime achievement by inspiring women and girls from the suburbs of South India. Then I want to publish my book and make a small documentary on my life journey. I want the world to respect women and regard them high,” shared Sameera, whose all four sisters are married.
She said that she has so much to say to the world but before that wants to scale the peak. “I can be heard if only I am at the top as people listen to eminent and dynamic personalities,” added the girl with Himalayan ambitions.
source: http://www.onmanorama.com / OnManorama / Home> Lifestyle / by IANS / February 05th, 2021
Ali’s coaching influenced well-known players like Vijay Amritraj, Anand Amritraj, Ramesh Krishnan, Leander Paes and Somdev Devvarman.
Tennis legend Akhtar Ali, a father figure in Indian tennis, passed away here in the early hours of February 7, said a Bengal Tennis Association source.
He was 81 and is survived by his son, well known tennis player Zeeshan Ali, and two daughters.
Ali had been suffering from various ailments for the last few months. He was hospitalised for a few days before being brought back home recently. He passed away at 2:30 a.m. on February 7.
His cremation is expected to take place around 4 p.m.
Born on July 5, 1939, Ali played in eight Davis Cup ties against Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran, Mexico, Japan and Monaco between 1958 and 1964. He also captained and coached the Indian side. He has also played in the Wimbledon and French Open grand slam events.
His last ATP tour outing was against Vijay Amritraj in a clay court match in Bombay on November 11, 1974.
A fine and soft-spoken person, Ali is well known as a coach, whose coaching influenced well-known players like Vijay Amritraj, Anand Amritraj, Ramesh Krishnan, Leander Paes and Somdev Devvarman.
He was passionately involved in coaching and organising events for grassroots players throughout his life.
Ali was conferred the Arjuna Award in 2000 for lifetime contribution to tennis.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Tennis / by Y.B. Sarangi / Kolkata – February 07th, 2021
Amir Sayed with his mother Marcela. File photo IANS
Coimbatore:
Teen sensation Amir Sayed from Kottayam sealed the Novice Cup in the 23 JK Tyre National Racing Championships at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Saturday.
The 16-year-old representing MSport has won all 10 races he has taken part in thus far and has won the championship with two races to go.
Chennai’s Ashwin Datta came a step closer to sealing the national title in the Formula LGB 4 category with a win and a second-pace finish on Saturday. The results took his points tally for the season to 57 in the FMSCI National Racing Championship.
“I like to focus from race to race and not on the overall championship and points etc. I am happy for myself and my team Dark Don as we have been very dominating on the track,” Datta, 22, said after race.
Meanwhile, Vadodara Mira Erda from Vadodara escaped unscathed after her car was hit from behind by Akshay Kapoor. Mira lost control of the car which turned turtle.
source: http://www.onmanorama.com /OnManorama / Home> Sports / by IANS / January 24th, 2021
This new card game created by two Bengaluru-based women, who hail from Kerala, celebrates Malayali culture, Mollywood and more.
The game needs at least four players and can be played by anyone aged 18 and above
Bengaluru :
You may take a Malayali out of Kerala but you can’t take the love for Malayalam pop culture out of a Malayali. Or so it seems from this new game developed by two Bengaluru- based women who hail from God’s own country. Called Malayali Aano, the new game by Sona Zainab Harris and Rose Mary Jacob is a cardbased game that draws heavily from Malayali pop culture, popular phrases, movie characters, food, stereotypes and other such trivia.
Those who have played the popular party game Cards Against Humanity need no introduction to the rules of Malayali Aano, whose tagline is: ‘A party game for devil’s own people’. It consists of 500 cards, of which 100 have questions on them while 400 have statements, movie dialogues, or phrases that could work as an answer. One player picks a question card, others throw the quirkiest answers from the 10 they possess into a pile. The player that poses the question reads out each question- answer pair, laughter ensues and the most creative or whackiest answer wins.
A minimum of four players is mandatory, with more being merrily encouraged. “Each statement in the answer card is iconic in its own way but when set to the context of another question, it can incite a laughter riot. Since we’ve picked out trivia from the 1980s to now, the nostalgia factor is high as well.
Any player aged between 18 and 45 will find something to remind them of their childhood, adolescence, first romance, parental relations or their connection to Kerala,” says Harris, the founder and creative director of Backflip Design Studio. But it is not just fun and games.
It also helps bring up important conversations. “When you hear certain dialogues – for example, ‘You are just a woman’ from the film The King – you don’t think much in the context of the plot. But isolating such things and using it in the game makes people see that it could be problematic too. Humour can help break barriers with topics like sexism, classism, misogyny, etc,” says Jacob, who is also the founder and curator of the popup My Cup of Tea.
The two women took a month to develop the content of the game. It makes use of, what Jacob and Harris refer to as, a “Manglish” script. There is also a leaflet with a QR code that can be scanned to understand the translation and reference of the answer cards. The game is meant for those aged 18 and above, with some players even finding it to be an effective ice breaker with their parents.
“One player told us he never thought he would talk to his father about the topics included in the game. But they had a good laugh about it, so it can help different generations bond better too,” says Harris.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Simran Ahuja / December 29th, 2020
Sondarapally Village (Thalassery),KERALA / Sharjah , UAE :
C P Rizwan won the man-of-the-match award his 109 against Ireland in the first ODI on Friday
Kannur:
The story of C P Rizwan, who on Friday became the first Keralite to score a One-Day International (ODI) century representing any country, bears testimony to the fact that if you strive hard and stay focussed, you will ultimately realise your dreams.
The 32-year-old hailing from Thalassery, the cradle of cricket in Kerala, never gave up and never lost hope, even when his career hit a roadblock.
Growing up at Saidar Pally, a small village near Thalassery, Rizwan’s childhood mostly revolved around playing cricket with his friends in the locality. The youngster was gifted with the qualities that make a batsman successful at the top level and had the potential to become a future star.
He went on to represent Kerala in the junior levels and captained the U-25 state team. Although his performance in age-group categories was rewarded with a place in the senior side which included the likes of Sanju Samson and Sachin Baby, he was never given a chance in the playing eleven.
As it was frustrating sitting on the bench, he moved to the UAE in 2014 and landed a job in Sharjah. He continued to play cricket there and was able to catch the attention of the local cricket fraternity with consistent performances in domestic tournaments. In 2018, Rizwan completed the four years required for him to be eligible to play for the UAE and was duly included in the national team.
Rizwan celebrates his hundred against Ireland
An electrical engineering graduate from the Cochin University of Science and Technology, Rizwan made his debut for the UAE on January 26, 2019, in an ODI against Nepal. The Emirates Cricket Board offered him a one-year central contract last month in recognition of his excellent batting against against the USA and Zimbabwe. Apart from him, two other Keralites – Basil Hameed and Alishan Sharafu – also made it to the squad.
On Friday, Rizwan made history when he guided the UAE to a six-wicket win over Ireland in the first ODI of the four-match series in Abu Dhabi by scoring 109 off 136 balls. The splendid knock, which earned him the man-of-the-match award, was laced with nine boundaries and a six. He shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 184 with Lahore-born Muhammed Usman, who made an unbeaten 102, and made short work of the 269-run target set by Ireland.
Centurions Rizwan and Muhammed Usman after the first one-dayer against Ireland
Born on April 19, 1988, to M P Abdul Rouf and C P Nasreen of Poovathankandy, Rizwan studied at the St Joseph’s Higher Secondary School in Thalassery and played for the local Students Cricket Club and the Kochi-based Cordiant Sports Foundation in his formative years.
The right-hander, who bats at No. 3, has so far scored 288 runs from 10 ODIs at an average of 32.
He is currently employed with the Eastern International LLC in Sharjah.
source: http://www.onmanorama.com / OnManorama / Home> Sports / by G. Dinesh Kumar / January 09th, 2021
Mohammed Shami, who Siraj replaced in this Test, was the last India bowler to take at least five wickets in a debut Test
Melbourne:
Mohammed Siraj became the first debutant for India in seven years to pick five wickets in a Test match when he finished the second Test match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with a haul of five wickets for 77 runs in 36.3 overs.
Siraj got the wicket of Cameron Green in both the innings while he had Marnus Labuschagne (in first innings) and Travis Head and Nathan Lyon (in second innings).
Mohammed Shami, who Siraj replaced in this Test, was the last India bowler to take at least five wickets in a debut Test when he got a nine-wicket haul against West Indies in Kolkata in November, 2013.
Off-spinner R Ashwin, who is also playing the ongoing second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, also took over five wickets in a Test on debut back in November, 2011 against West Indies in Delhi. He got a nine-wicket haul.
On Monday, after the third day’s play, Siraj had said that he focused on bowling dot balls and maiden overs and not try anything different.
He also gave credit to senior bowler Jasprit Bumrah for encouraging him throughout his debut Test.
“With a senior around, the junior always finds help. After every ball, he (Bumrah) was coming to me and giving me confidence, telling me to focus on every ball and be easy. He asked me to not give anything away and kept telling me, ‘you are doing good, have patience and keep bowling well’. That is what he told me,” said Siraj after Monday’s play.
source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Sports / by IANS / December 29th, 2020
