Gulshan Devaiah says he has navigated his way through the industry with sincerity, though times were testing and sometimes money–for projects he didn’t want to do–too tempting.
Gulshan Devaiah recently starred in the MX Player series Shiksha Mandal. (Photo: Gulshan Devaiah/Instagram)
In 2012, Gulshan Devaiah bagged the best debut Filmfare nomination for three diverse films Dum Maaro Dum, Shaitan and That Girl in Yellow Boots. His jubilation turned into a heartbreak when, despite the range of his performance on display, he went home without a trophy. Something fundamentally started shifting within the actor.
He realised that his love for his art should be without the expectation of a reward. That he shouldn’t look down upon others success. That he cannot fall prey to conspiracy theories in the industry about how things work– or don’t. That–despite his much loved and acclaim film with Vasan Bala six years later–Mard ko dard Nahi Hota.
In an interview with indianexpress.com to promote his latest MX Player show Shiksha Mandal, Gulshan Devaiah says he is a changed man today. He is not bitter, but grateful. He is grounded, but ambitious. And what still irks him the most, is the conversation about meritocracy in Bollywood.
Edited excerpts:
What about a project makes you think you can invest your time and energy in as an actor?
I am particular about choosing a project because it has to really, genuinely interest me. I don’t want to do projects just because they make me enough money to pay bills. Some say, ‘One for dill one for bill’. I am not criticising that, but I don’t ever want to be in that position where I am doing things just for the money. Characters and stories interest me. Sometimes it’s also about collaboration, like I wanted to work with Taapsee Pannu so one of the big reasons to do Blurr was that.
What caught your attention about Shiksha Mandal?
I liked that it was well researched about education scams. There has been no resolve to this, this stuff keeps happening, the nexus keeps going. It affects a lot of us. There is a misplaced anger about meritocracy in Bollywood. But meritocracy can’t exist in arts because you can’t measure an arts performance, can’t measure how beautiful somebody’s voice is. It is a subjective opinion.
In the case of an entrance exam scam, people work really hard, they burn the midnight oil, they prepare and then behold, there’s a scam. Then the deserving candidates are not picked because somebody else you know, cheated the system. So that way I found relevance in this story.
When it comes to misplaced anger about meritocracy in the industry, there is a section which gets easy access due to the backing that they have. Isn’t there a parallel with the ‘cheating the system’ argument of yours?
No, it is very misplaced. I’ll make it very simple. It’s a race, 10 people are running and in 100 meters you have to cross the line. You can measure who crossed the line first. But anything in arts–a performance, how beautiful a painting is, how good somebody’s poetry is– it is immeasurable. It’s always a perception. What is measurable is majority consensus or box office success. Which is a flawed standard of measure. Out of 10 people, we want all 10 to like us, to think that we are great.
If people have certain access to something, then it’s a privilege that exists. Of course, there are power structures and where there is this, there is politics. Power structure can be terribly beneficial also, but it can also have corruption all over. But to say only deserving people should… How can you decide who’s more deserving? There’s a flaw in the system. I would like to get opportunities and sometimes I get them and many times I don’t. But that’s how anything in the arts will work. Some people will be more fortunate than the others and there will be privileged. But you can’t make it about merit. I always have a problem with that.
Have you ever been at the receiving end of power play or politics because you don’t come from privilege?
In a few instances, I thought I may have been. I was of course upset. But I am not going to carry that poison in my vein and let it ruin my life.
You said you don’t do projects for money. But isn’t good money a temptation? Has there never been a point where you felt if I do this project, it can get me a bigger house, car?
Absolutely. I’m trying to buy a house and I’m short, so definitely the temptation is always there. The carrot is always juicy, but I have somehow managed to not bite it. This is also a business and I’m learning. I come from a background where I was doing business and was not very good at it. I’m still not very good at it but you have to learn how to manage your affairs, make money. I have set certain restrictions for myself. I don’t want to monetize my social media, I don’t want to do ads, I don’t want to do television, I don’t want to do voice acting.
Which means long formats are the only way I can run my thing. How do I make the best of it? This whole thing about market value is perception. One producer will think, ‘Why are paying Gulshan so much?’, the other producer I may be able to convince them to pay me a certain amount of money. It’s how you do business. It’s a game of perceptions. So here I am, accepting the game of perception trying to do my best in a sincere and authentic way.
Why have you put these restrictions on yourself?
It’s also fun to have restrictions. You can’t achieve anything new, fantastic and satisfying if it’s easy, right? The truth is I’m not interested in any of the other things. I never dreamt about being in ads or being on TV. I only dreamt of being in the movies and I would consider series format as movies too.
It’s been more than a decade for you in the industry. If you look back, what is your key takeaway about the industry and the way you’ve navigated your way?
I didn’t know anything. I knew how to act. I had to learn how to negotiate my way. I had to learn how to manage rejection. I had to learn how to hustle. I’m not really a hustler, but to some extent you have to when it’s absolutely required. And again, the whole thing about the game of perception, meritocracy and I was like everybody else, ‘How come they are getting all these opportunities? they are sh*t.’ But after a few years, my perception changed.
I’m not bitter. I’ve seen so many bitter people talk ill about everybody behind their backs in front of their faces and I figured that I don’t want to turn like this when I’m old. I didn’t want to be this bitter guy, because it didn’t make me feel nice about myself at all. It’s been a very satisfying journey. I’m very happy. I’ve achieved all of this because of good fortune and some wonderful people who have helped me and given me great opportunities. When I got these opportunities, I made good of them, I was ready for them. Could I have been successful? Yes, of course. Will I be more successful in the future? It’s very possible.
If at one point you felt how were others getting those opportunities despite not being good, when did the shift happen when you were at ease?
It started happening when I didn’t win the Filmfare award for best debut, I was nominated! Everybody has one film mentioned under the nomination, I had three (Dum Maaro Dum, Shaitan & That Girl in Yellow Boots). But I didn’t win. After that I was gutted, like what the hell is going on? Of course you hear all sorts of conspiracy theories. Friends, foes and everybody says, ‘Oh, it was fixed’ but it started to affect me.
I (realised) I can’t live like this. I don’t care if it was fixed or not, I care about how I am feeling about these things. It’s making me feel bad, I have to learn how to deal with it. It took me some time, maybe a few years, but because I was aware of it, was observant, I tried to fix it. I made sure this is not going to be poison in my veins because it will destroy me.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Bollywoood / by Justin Joseph Rao / Mumbai- September 29th, 2022
Sqn Ldr Devayya’s heroics to shoot down a PAF Starfighter in 1965 are among IAF’s finest hours. But he wasn’t lucky like Abhinandan & perished with his Mystere.
Flight Lieutenant Amjad Hussain ejecting from a Starfighter after being shot down by Squadron Leader Ajjimada Bopayya Devayya | Graphic: by special arrangement
The dogfight in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War is counted as among the finest in IAF’s history. Squadron leader Devayya, who was on standby, was part of the mission that went in. When he joined the air battle, he was intercepted by an enemy F-104 Starfighter flown by Pakistani Flight Lieutenant Amjad Hussain.
What follows is the ensuing combat between the heavy and slow-moving IAF Mystere and the faster and more modern F-104 Starfighter from Pakistan.
Late into the night of 6 September 1965, coded IAF Command tasking orders for authorizing multiple strikes against the PAF on 7 September were issued to the bases of Agra, Adampur and Halwara. The main components of the attack force were Canberra Bombers (5 Sqn) from Agra, Mysteres (1, 8 Sqn) from Adampur and Hunters (7 and 27 Sqn) from Halwara. In spite of the chaos relating to the Pakistan Army’s Special Service Group (SSG) paratrooper drops over Adampur and Halwara, as well as the incessant B57 night bombing raids over these airfields on the intervening nights of 6/7 September, these bases buzzed with activity during late night/early morning, preparing and arming their aircraft and holding elaborate mission briefs. Though the intelligence was limited on the PAF’s disposition, all air warriors at these bases were motivated and primed to hit back at the PAF. They wanted to pay them back in kind — tit for tat post the PAF’s strikes on 6th September!
Their primary target was the Sargodha Complex!
The Sargodha complex of airfields shown on a wartime Pakistan Air Force (PAF) map | Courtesy: Sameer Joshi
Sargodha during those days, minus the bases inside the Soviet Union, was probably the most well defended target across Asia. The PAF knew that with pre-emptive strikes on 6 September, they had stirred a Hornet’s nest and the IAF would strike with vengeance at this most strategic base. However, it was confident, that with an advanced early warning and multilayered defensive capability, only the most diehard IAF strike elements would be able to get through to Sargodha. And there they would be blown away to smithereens by the high-density ack-ack.
The PAF had grossly under estimated the tenacity and resolve of the IAF fighter pilots who were ready to absorb a high rate of attrition to hit back at the PAF at Sargodha. The IAF hit the Sargodha complex all through the day with daring raids. Over ten PAF jets were destroyed on the ground during these strikes. On this day, the infamous and false claim of ‘5 IAF Hunters shot down in 30 seconds’ over Sargodha, by Sqn Ldr MM Alam of the PAF was propagated by the PAF as a propaganda twist to the events of that day. However, the most significant dogfight of the 1965 war was also fought between a PAF Starfighter and an IAF Mystere jet that day. The story of which is most inspirational and beyond belief.
20 miles east of Sargodha, Pakistan. 0530 hours PST, 7 September 1965
‘Eagle, this is Sierra Control,’ the strained voice of PAF’s GCI control at Sakesar, boomed loud and clear in the ears of Flight Lieutenant Amjad Hussain. Hussain was piloting a F 104 Starfighter of 9 Sqn PAF ‘Griffins’, holding in a racecourse orbit 25 miles east of Sargodha at 15,000 feet. ‘Eagle, Sargodha is under attack. Sargodha’s ‘Killer’ (Base Air Defence) control spots three plus IAF fighters attacking the airfield. We are vectoring ‘Vulture’ and ‘Hawk’ CAPs to cover the eastern exits of the IAF aircraft inside the inner defence ring. Proceed ten miles southeast and hold anchor at 15,000 feet. No joy with the enemy aircraft presently. Stay clear of base. Guns are free over the airfield. Over anchor point, change over to Killer Control and monitor progress.’ Sakesar GCI vectored the Starfighter (Eagle) and Sabres (Vulture and Hawk) CAPs at the pre-determined points on the defensive circles around Sargodha, just as the first wave of IAF Mysteres of 1 Sqn ‘Tigers’ was striking Sargodha.
‘Roger, Eagle copies that!’ Hussain acknowledged the call and turned hard right in his sleek Starfighter, the most potent aircraft in the PAF’s arsenal. He went to full afterburner to go to supersonic speeds. The fuel-guzzling J79 turbojet responded without any lag as high-pressure jet fuel was injected in the combustion chamber to burn in mere nanoseconds. This produced the obligatory thrust through the High Pressure turbine, propelling the Starfighter to a commanding Mach 1.2 within a short period. As Hussain arrived over the position advised by GCI control, he throttled back to 450 knots, returning to subsonic speeds. The sonic boom distracted the villagers from their daily chores at Kot Nakka near Pindi Bhattian.
He grinned at the prospect of winning a Sitara-e-Jurat, the PAF’s award for getting an air-to-air kill in the coming moments. After all, nothing could stand in face of the mighty One O Four!
Amjad Hussain settled down in an orbit at 12,000 feet and started visually scanning the approaches from Sargodha determinedly to spot the IAF aircraft well in advance. He changed his R/T frequency to ‘Killer’ control, the CAP controller at Sargodha airfield, who was relaying a continuous commentary on the IAF’s raid. Amjad’s stomach tightened as he heard the call from Killer control, ‘strike exiting towards south east.’ He put the Starfighter in a gradual dive, which gave him better visibility and put the armament master ON.
A F-I04A Starfighter was the deadliest aircraft in Pakistan Air Force’s fighter fleet | Courtesy: Sameer Joshi
In the 1965 conflict, the F104A Starfighter was the most advanced aircraft in the PAF service. It was superior to all aircraft in the IAF’s inventory. The F104A was a supersonic interceptor with a needle nose, short wings to aid supersonic flights and a ‘T’ tail to aid stabilization at those speeds. Its acceleration was superior than anything in the world and could climb to its operational ceiling of 50,000 feet in sixty seconds. The short wings were needle thin so as to have the least amount of atmospheric drag and the aircraft would easily reach its top speed of Mach 2.2 in a very short duration of time. The pilot in a Starfighter was literally sitting on a rocket engine due to this unmatched performance.
Pakistan Air Force’s 9 Squadron Starfighters in dispersal at Peshawar | Photo: By special arrangement
The Starfighter was armed with two Sidewinder AAMs and a six-barrelled Vulcan 20 mm rotary revolver cannon. The cannon, mounted in the lower part of the port fuselage, was fed by a 725-round drum behind the pilot’s seat, giving only a continuous 7 second burst of fire. The gun’s location was advantageous as the gun-flash was not in the pilot’s line of sight, therefore not robbing him of night-adjusted vision. An AN/ASG-14T ranging radar helped the Starfighter get an accurate range feed for its Gyro gun sight and the Sidewinders. The two AIM-9B Sidewinder air-to-air missiles were carried on the wingtip stations, which could also be used for fuel tanks. While the Sidewinder gave a definitive stand-off engagement capability, the Vulcan cannon was the most powerful gun on any airborne platform in the world.
15 miles South-East of Sargodha, Pakistan. 0534 hours PST, 7 September 1965 ‘Contact with single bogey on radial one two zero. It is hugging the ground,’ Amjad exclaimed excitedly on spotting a single Mystere aircraft. ‘Go for the kill and lookout for the remaining fighters,’ bawled the Sargodha CAP controller. ‘Roger Wilco,’ Amjad dived towards the low-flying Mystere. At 5000 feet and closing in 2000 yards behind the Mystere, he got an intermittent lock on the right Sidewinder and fired the missile. The missile missed the target and exploded harmlessly on the ground. Hussain continued to close in rapidly and switched over to guns. At 600 yards, Amjad opened up with the deadly six barrelled 20-millimeter cannon. The millisecond burst of the 6000 rounds per minute cannon sounded like a canvas being ripped and seemed to slow down the Starfighter in its mighty recoil.
” He saw the Mystere pass through the tracer line of his bullets. ‘Splash One,’ Amjad gave a victor’s war cry over the R/T and pulled out of his dive to turn right, attempting to pick up the other IAF aircraft.
Flight Lieutenant Amjad Hussain | Photo: By special arrangement
Amjad carried out a slow roll and while passing inverted, hanging on his seat belt, he saw an IAF Mystere closing in rapidly behind him at roughly sixty-degree pitch at seven o’clock. ‘Contact with a second bogey. Engaging him,’ Amjad called out on R/T, while manoeuvring to neutralize the Mystere’s aggressive pitch towards him. He carried out a rolling reversal towards the Mystere and they crossed at a high angle off. Amjad Hussain reversed to find the Mystere cutting in rapidly inside his turn again.
He saw muzzle flashes from the nose profile of the Mystere and tracers passing too close for comfort. Hussain went to afterburner settings and pulled up in a yo-yo manoeuvre to zoom up and get a height advantage, as well as cut down his forward travel to maintain with his adversary. He dropped down on the Mystere, who again pulled up towards him, forcing Hussain to carry out another yo-yo. Dropping again, in his exuberance to cut inside the Mystere’s turn, Hussain went for a horizontal hard turn towards the Mystere. The wily Mystere pilot timely reversed towards the Starfighter and forced Hussain to get into horizontal scissors. The Starfighter was not made for low speed, high angle of attack combat and its short, negative camber wings were woefully inadequate to generate a meaningful lift at low speeds. Hussain’s Starfighter juddered near stall limits carrying out low speed scissors with a very skillful IAF Mystere pilot. The Mystere pilot had craftily trapped Amjad Hussain in a turning fight, where the Starfighter’s superior performance was progressively bled off.
‘Damn’, Hussain thought, ‘weren’t the IAF fighter pilots supposed to be dead scared of a Starfighter?’ The Mystere was manoeuvring very skillfully and managing to engage the Starfighter with vengeance. The IAF pilot appeared like a quintessential Teutonic Knight to Hussain, hell bent on dispatching him to Valhalla in the‘never say die’ code of a fanatical warrior!
As the two fighter pilots tediously battled it out over the village of Kot Nakka for their respective Air Forces in a classic one versus one situation, the question rattling Amjad Hussain’s brain continuously was, ‘Who the hell was this guy?’
Amjad Hussain’s adversary was a bold IAF Squadron Leader by the name of Ajjimada Bopayya Devayya or ‘Tubby’ as he was christened in the squadron.
A fighter pilot, whose peers described him as an ‘unusual chap, one of those World War types’! A descendant of the humble Kodava warriors from Coorg in South India, Devayya was a true soldier who lived by the virtues of honour, integrity and persistent bravery. He grew up reading about the chivalrous dogfights of the bygone era and epitomized idols like Von Richthofen, Douglas Bader, Eric Hartmann and other knights of the skies. Hence, it was only natural for Devayya to become a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force.
Squadron Leader Ajjimada Bopayya Devayya | Photo: By special arrangement
On that fateful day, Devayya, part of the IAF’s ‘Red’ formation made up of 1 Sqn Mysteres, was lagging behind Taneja and Verma when they were exiting in a south east direction at 200 feet.
Pilots of 1 Squadron ‘Tigers’ standing next to a Mystere IV aircraft during the 1965 war | Photo: By special arrangement
At about 15 miles from Sargodha, he spotted Amjad Hussain’s Starfighter in a threatening dive, with his guns blazing. Devayya carried out a late ‘Rip’ maneuver to turn rapidly into the Starfighter, which saved him from certain death. However, a small proportion of the Vulcan’s rounds may have found their mark, destroying the VHF radio setup of the Mystere, amongst other unknown damage. His bête noire, the Starfighter turned away, blissfully unaware to the fact that Devayya had survived the attack.
Indian Air Force counter strikes over the Sargodha complex | Map: Sameer Joshi
At this juncture, nursing his engine at low levels, he could have easily continued towards India, as his aircraft was flyable. Also, a low fuel reserve prevented the Mystere from engaging in wishful air combat of any manner. Devayya spottedthe Starfighter commence a slow roll in search of his compatriots. He realized that the unsuspecting Taneja and Verma would be easy kills for the undetected Starfighter. With no radio, Devayya could not warn others of the evolving threat from the Starfighter. Only he stood between the Starfighter and sure shot destruction of his comrades. Devayya did not flinch as he hauled his stick hard in his stomach and went to max engine rating to reach for the Starfighter hawking about 3000 feet high.
‘Tubby’ Devayya knew for certain that whatever the outcome of the impending engagement, he would not be returning home!
However, as he closed onto the Starfighter, saving the lives of his comrades was paramount on the mind of this gallant knight of the sky. A fact made more remarkable when we compare the capabilities of the Mystere with the Starfighter.
A Mystere IV displaying its complete weapon arsenal | Photo: By special arrangement
In terms of air combat capability, the Mystere was no match for the Starfighter. The Dassault Mystere IV was a subsonic fighter-bomber with a maximum speed of 690 knots at sea level and a combat ceiling of 49,000 feet. It had a 3500 kg thrust, Hispano Suiza Verdon 350 turbojet, with a first generation centrifugal flow compressor, which had a very sluggish engine response. Its rate of climb of 7500 feet per minute was nothing to be proud of.
In terms of performance, it was not suited for air combat operations. However, with two 30 mm DEFA cannons and an armament load comprising of retractable/ wing mounted 80mm SNEB/T 10 rockets and a bomb carriage capability of 1000 lbs under each wing, it was the perfect interdiction and strike aircraft. When flying at tree top levels at top speed, it could escape any PAF aircraft — except the Starfighter!
Village Kot Nakka, Pindi Bhatian, Pakistan. 0539 hours PST. 7 September 1965
Devayya successfully managed to engage the Starfighter flown by Amjad Hussain. He knew he could neutralize the Starfighter’s performance advantage if he could engage the Starfighter in horizontal maneuvering, where the Mystere would be able to ‘turn’ better than the Starfighter. After a couple of yo-yos, the Starfighter made the mistake that Devayya was waiting for.
The Starfighter pilot, in an attempt to get behind the Mystere, reduced his speed rapidly and carried out a turn in the horizontal plane to bore sight the Mystere for a gun solution. Grabbing this chance, Devayya turned hard into his adversary and managed to ‘force’ the Starfighter into horizontal scissors. Thereafter, with better handling and turning rate of the Mystere at lower speeds, Devayya began to reduce the angle required to get a shot at the Starfighter.
With each passing scissor, the fight moved to lower levels, increasing the difficulties of the battling pair! Devayya was gaining on the Starfighter, but was not there as of yet. He decided to gamble the last few knots of speed he possessed. As the Starfighter was coming for the next cross, Devayya turned hard into the Star-fighter, bleeding off his speed at a rapid rate, but was able to cut inside the turn of his adversary by his desperate action. Hence, when he reversed, he had the Starfighter within his gun sight. Devayya knew this was his only chance.
Point blank, at around 250 yards from the Starfighter, Devayya pressed the firing button. The 30 mm HE shells of the DEFA cannon caught the Starfighter in their spread some-where close to the vertical stabilizer at the rear part of the aircraft. The Starfighterwas terminally hit.
A shocked Amjad Hussain found his control jammed and the Starfighter plum-meting towards the ground. The Starfighter’s rear stabilizer was ripped away by the Mystere’s fire. Hussain ‘punched’ out. Hussain survived a harrowing low-level ejection from the doomed Starfighter and landed safely by parachute near Kot Nakka village. ‘Tubby’ Devayya’s last few moments of predicament will always remain a mystery.
After shooting down the Starfighter, his Mystere crashed close to Hinduana village, some distance away from Kot Nakka. Devayya had crashed with his stricken aircraft. It is possible, that after taking the shot at the Starfighter,Devayya was unable to eject out in the SNCASO ejection seat of his battle-damaged Mystere. Villagers found his body intact, thrown away from the burning wreckage of his Mystere by the force of the impact. Devayya was buried by the villagers in the nearby fields.
Amjad Hussain achieved what he so desperately sought that day, an award of Sitara-e-Jurat for shooting down Devayya’s Mystere. He, however, lived his life knowing that a gifted and very brave IAF pilot, while flying an inferior aircraft to his Starfighter, had got the better of him.
Unknown to Taneja and Verma, given the combat edge of the Starfighter, Devayya had saved them from certain doom. That Devayya stayed behind and managed to shoot down a supersonic, missile armed Starfighter, against all odds whilst operating a possibly damaged Mystere, speaks highly of the professional integrity, bravery and flying skill he possessed. Devayya amply substantiated the adage — it is the man behind the machine who matters most!
Taneja dejectedly reported Devayya as ‘missing in combat’ after Verma and he landed back at Adampur.
The story of this fantastic one versus one duel and Devayya’s heroism would have passed into obscurity, with Devayya’s fate remaining unknown, ironically, had it not been for the official publication of PAF’s history of the 1965 Air War with India in 1979, authored by John Fricker.
Aftermath 1979–88
Published in 1979, The Official History of the PAF in 1965 War was a book commissioned by the PAF to showcase the ‘comprehensive’ wins of the PAF over the IAF in the 1965 war as part of a dedicated propaganda effort to cloak the massive defeat suffered by the Pakistani Armed Forces. This obsequious tribute to showcase the larger than life role models like Sqn Ldr MM Alam and others, was biased in content to a great extent. However, John Fricker, the writer, did admit to the loss of a PAF Starfighter over Sargodha, which was reportedly shot down by an IAF Mystere on 7 September 1965. This may have been based on official PAF feedback after the loss of the Starfighter.
Letter recommending Squadron Leader Ajjimada Bopayya Devayya for the Mahavir Chakra
Now retired, Group Captain Omi Taneja, the 1 Sqn strike leader on that fateful day over Sargodha, happened to see this historical record and deduced that the Mystere pilot who had shot down a Starfighter, had to be A.B. Devayya. Flight Lieutenant U.B. Guha flew the only other Mystere lost by IAF on that day. A Sidewinder missile had unquestionably shot down Guha, which had been fired from a PAF Sabre.
Hence Devayya was the pilot who had shot down Amjad Hussain.
Also, Amjad Hussain was shot down again in the 1971 war against India. While interrogation as a POW, he recalled his fight with an IAF Mystere, admitting that he had ‘collided’ with the IAF jet. This provided the first clue to the inspirational dogfight between Hussain and Devayya.
In 1980, Taneja, after confirming the same details from various other sources, was left awed by this inspiring tale of valour and sacrifice. He reasoned that the Indian nation needed to know about the supreme gallantry and sacrifice of A.B. Devayya. He compiled Devayya’s story and wrote to the then IAF Chief of Air Staff, recommending Sqn Ldr AB Devayya for the awardof a Maha Vir Chakra, the second highest gallantry award of the Indian nation. Based on available evidence, the IAF was successfully able to convince the Indian government that A.B. Devayya had indeed shot down a F104 Starfighter.
In 1988, about 23 years after his valiant tale of glory near Sargodha, Devayya’s widow, MrsSundari Devayya received the Maha Vir Chakra from a grateful Indian nation.
The Maha Vir Chakra was awarded to Squadron Leader Ajjimada Bopayya Devayya in 1988 | Photo: By special arrangement
For many decades this famous dogfight has confounded historians and air enthusiasts alike. Devayya’s story is highly inspirational! He lived and died a Knight’s death, buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in Hinduana village deep inside Pakistan, at the Valhalla of his choosing!
Rest peacefully now, O brave knight, may the clouds welcome you in their final embrace.’
— A quote on the grave of a famous WWII German ace
This article was originally published in the Medium.
source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> Defence / by Sameer Joshi / September 07th, 2019
Published by Penguin India, ‘From the Heart of Nature’ by Pamela Gale Malhotra will be released on 25 January on ThePrint’s ‘SoftCover’.
New Delhi:
A new book written by a woman of Native American descent tells the “deeply fascinating and inspiring personal” story behind the setting up of a private wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka.
Published by Penguin India, ‘From the Heart of Nature’ by Pamela Gale Malhotra will be released on 25 January on Softcover, ThePrint’s online venue to launch non-fiction books.
Introducing the book as a narrative of the “struggles” and “obstacles”, “sorrows and joys”, and “wonders and awe-inspiring experiences” that she and her late husband, Anil, faced in the establishment and operations of the Save Animals Initiative (SAI) sanctuary in Kodagu, Karnataka, Malhotra writes that the sanctuary is dedicated to Mother Nature.
She describes the sanctuary as the brainchild of Native American culture and Indian culture coming together to preserve an environment “ravaged” and “decimated” by “illegal logging and poaching”.
The couple first purchased 55 acres of barren land for the sanctuary in 1991. Today, it’s a “treasure trove” of “indigenous trees and plants” as well as a refuge for various animal species under threat of endangerment and extinction, thanks to the restoration and conservation efforts involved, Penguin said in a statement.
As part of the story, Malhotra also details the mindset behind her efforts to establish the sanctuary, maintaining “physical and spiritual” connections with animals and trees, and how the preservation of nature is essential to save humanity.
Born in New Jersey of Native American heritage, Pamela Gale Malhotra, a graduate of Colorado State University, developed her “love affair” with the natural world by spending the majority of her childhood in the forests around her family estate.
Prior to their move to Karnataka and fulfilling a “childhood dream”, the couple had set up and operated a wildlife sanctuary on Hawaii’s Big Island. For her work with the SAI sanctuary, Malhotra has been a recipient of numerous awards, such as the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2017.
source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> SoftCover / by ThePrint Team / January 21st, 2022
Although less glamorous than those made with pork, fish and prawn pickles, varieties made with vegetables require time, and silence, to attain their flavour.
Courtesy Kaveri Ponnapa
There’s been a change in my kitchen lately. Every now and then, I find myself surrounded by heaps of rock salt, spices, jars and baranis (glazed earthenware crock pots with lids), entering into a frenzy of activity, gripped by pickle mania. Not that I haven’t made pickles and enjoyed the process before.
But it tended to be all about what I call the “glamorous” pickles: pork, fish and prawn, which are ready to eat practically as soon as the spices and oil are mixed in. These are big, dramatic pickles, which can be served as a significant part of a meal, each one practically a dish by itself. They are very tasty, and friends always quickly claim bottles.
I loved to hear how one particular friend, taking a bottle of my fish pickle home for the first time, opened the lid, inhaled, and began eating pieces of pickled fish with her fingers, barely managing to save some for everyone else in her family.
Long haul
But there are the other traditional pickles from Coorg – briny, fresh-flavoured, sour, infused with sparingly used spices: wrinkled hog-plums; crunchy bamboo shoots with green peppercorns; local limes; wild mangoes; bitter oranges and much more. These pickles take their own time to mature, for the spices to take hold of the fruit, and invariably, they get better with age.
Much as I loved them – most times much more than all the meaty pickles – so long as someone gave me a bottle or two every year, it did not seem so important to make them. The truth of the matter is I did not have the patience for this kind of pickle. The kind that took days and weeks of your time, demanded attention, and did not yield instant results, and seemed altogether too complicated.
What’s happening in my kitchen right now is something quite different. Presented with bags full of various kinds of fruit from Coorg, I find myself looking at them through new eyes, and plenty of gratitude. I feel a great reluctance to waste the abundance of a season and gifts from friends. I find myself becoming miserly about wasting even a single fruit, sifting and sorting through piles again and again, knowing that every one of the them can serve a purpose.
So I decided to try my hand at salting, brining and preserving. A series of long-distance phone calls to friends who are expert pickle makers, and I found myself on my way down an unfamiliar road. A very unfamiliar one, as I soon discovered, because being experts, my friends forgot to tell me many things about how the ingredients would behave.
Making pickles with fruits and vegetables is an inexact process, a narrative or story that you make up as you go along; one that refuses to be bound by precise measurements, instructions or recipes. There were disasters – like the first time I placed wild mangoes carefully in brine and covered the jar with a lid, not realising that the fermentation process would send up gasses that needed to be released. After a couple of messy explosions and overflows, I figured that I needed to leave the jar partially open or, better still, tie the neck with a muslin cloth.
It also took a day or two to work out that the fruit needed to be weighted down to keep it submerged; otherwise, it floated up in the brine and displaced quantities of it, which dried into extremely pretty crystals on my black stone floors – but that’s neither here nor there.
All photos: Courtesy Kaveri Ponnapa
Very soon though, a beautiful rhythm set in: sorting, washing, sunning, wilting and brining fruit; watching and waiting for the right moment to add the spices, followed by more waiting, as the pickles matured. Peering at the bottles day after day for any signs of change – and there always was: a slight bubbling; a deepening of colour; a change in the texture of the fruit.
Salting was equally fascinating. I loved picking up fistfuls of rock salt crystals, and layering fruit and salt until the jar was full. Then the wait, as the salt slowly drew moisture from the fruit, turning it wrinkled and leathery, while the liquid levels rose and rose.
Company of silence
Pickle making requires patience and silence – in fact, the belief is that speaking while working, ruins the batch. If you begin to really immerse yourself in it, it is a deeply satisfying and contemplative activity. It sets you thinking about how important it once was to preserve food and flavours to tide you over the bleak monsoon months, to stretch out one season across another.
In a day and age of shop-bought wonders, where you can pick up jars and jars of every imaginable pickle, year round, off supermarket shelves, we’ve almost forgotten how exquisite the taste of a cherished, home-made creation can be, and the community it creates through exchanges and gifts from the kitchen.
Salt is the essence of a pickle, an ingredient that we have learnt to love since civilisation began, one we cannot do without: “There is no better food than salted vegetables”, says an ancient Egyptian papyrus, confirming how long we have loved this mineral. Just think of what a wicked little mango or a sharp slice of pickled lime can do for you: it can liven up the most ordinary meal, sharpen your appetite, excite your palate, send your mind spinning with emotion, and conjure up your native soil in one bite.
Even after the spices have melted into your food, flavouring it deliciously, you can wander around with a left over, tiny mango or slice of lime. When you suck on it, it reveals its true, salty heart and shouts out a flavour so intense that it makes your senses sing and your nerves tingle.
Nostalgia trip
Alone in your kitchen, with fruit, salt and spices, there is plenty of space for your mind to wander and often, it drifts back to the past. Not so long ago, preparations for a wedding always brought a promise of pickles. A friend, neighbour or relative would drop by, and pledge a certain number of bottles of a special pickle for which she was justly famous. A few weeks before the event, she would come by again, carrying precious bottles wrapped in newspaper.
There was always an air of ceremony about these exchanges; as aunts and grandmothers chatted over coffee and mid-morning treats the bottles were unwrapped, carefully counted, and stashed away with their companions, and meticulous mental notes made, to reciprocate at an appropriate date. I never really noticed, but it was always aunts, mothers-in-law and grandmothers who arrived with those bottles; and the same women packed those bottles for us when we left for college, or married and went to live elsewhere.
All the women you remember, who made the most wonderful pickles, were never very young. Suddenly, you realise that the supply of homemade pickles has diminished; and when you look around, that comforting buffer of generous, older women is very small. You are aware that without any warning, abruptly, you are the age that your aunts once were, when the gifts of bottles of pickles came to you in such plenty.
Is there such a thing as the right age at which to be making pickles? I don’t really know, but I love where I am and what I am doing right now.
Kaad Mange Para: wild mangoes
This is not an exact recipe, as there are so many variables involved. But the general guidelines are accurate enough for you to experiment and make your own version of an absolutely delicious pickle, which will last you for a full year, if not longer. Take 70 to 80, small, unripened wild mangoes, and wash them in salted water.
Wipe and pat them dry, and place in a large stainless steel platter in the sun for two to three days, until they wilt, and begin to look slightly wrinkled. Roast about 500 gm non-iodised rock salt on a clean tava for a few minutes. Allow it to cool; gauge the amount of water you would need to cover water to cover the mangoes, and make a brine solution with the roasted salt. Allow the solution to cool overnight.
The next day, place the mangoes in a clean, dry jar, and pour the brine over it. You may need to place a weight, such as a ceramic saucer, or a small ceramic bowl to keep the mangoes immersed in brine. Tie the mouth of the jar with a clean muslin cloth. Set it aside for seven to eight days.
The mangoes will begin to get a wrinkled appearance. Take about 400 gm of baidige chillies, pound, break and de-seed them. Retain some of the seeds. In a small quantity of oil, fry the pounded chillies, cloves, cinnamon, fenugreek seeds, turmeric, according to taste. Dry roast a spoonful of sugar on a tava. Pour out just enough of the brine from the mangoes to grind all the roasted spices to a fine paste.
You can add some of the chilli seeds if you wish to have a spicier pickle. Mix the spice paste thoroughly with the mangoes and the remaining brine. Ensure that all the fruit is well covered with the spice paste and liquid. Store for about 20 days or longer, to allow it to mature and steep in the spices, before eating.
This article originally appeared on the writer’s blog, kaveriponnapa.com.
source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> In a Jar / by Kaveri Ponnapa / August 05th, 2015
Satara, Jul 6 (PTI) Three nature conservationists from Satara in Maharashtra claimed to have “rediscovered” a “nearly extinct” damselfly species ‘Lestes patricia’ after almost 100 years.
A colony of this sub-species, christened ‘Lestes patricia taamrpatti’, was discovered by Dr Shriram Bhakare, Sunil Bhoite and Pratima Pawar-Bhoite from Umrodi Dam area, situated at the foothills of the northern Western Ghats in the district.
According to the researchers, a single male specimen of Lestes patricia, endemic to the Western Ghats, was first discovered in 1922 from Kodagu (Coorg) district in Karnataka and the only specimen currently available is at Natural History Museum, London.
“The discovered colony of new species closely match the specimen of the single known male of Lestes patricia fromthe London-based museum. However, there are stable differences between the newly found species and description of Lestes patricia,” said Bhoite.
“While comparing the body structure and features of the newly found species with an existing specimen of Lestes patricia from the London-based museum, stable differences were found. That is why the sub-species from the damselfly family has been named Lestes patricia taamrpatti,” he added.
Dr Bhakare, an ophthalmologist from Satara, said the reason behind adding the word ‘taamrpatti’ was because thepecies has a coppery red-brown uniform band bordered by black.
“The likelihood the newly discovered population is, in fact, a distinct species cannot be ruled out, but cannot be confirmed until further, fresh specimens of Lestes Patricia are made available from the locality in Kodagu.
“Since the stable features observed in the newly discovered population preclude it from being indisputably placed under Lestes patricia, yet given the lack of comparative material, it is not possible to place it as a new species with certainty,” he added.
So the newly discovered population from Maharashtra is tentatively placed as a subspecies of Lestes patricia, Bhakare informed.
He said a research paper on discovery of the nearly extinct species was published in Bionotes Journal recently.
The researchers said 10 specimens, comprising six males and four females, have been collected for examination. Of the 10, two male and two female specimens have been deposited with Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), while the rest will be kept at other depositories in the country for further research.
PTI COR SPKBNM BNM
source: http://www.theweek.in / The Week / Home> Wire Updates> National / by PTI / July 06th, 2020
SV Sunil’s decision to call time came a day after drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh and defender Birendra Lakra announced their international retirements.
SV Sunil said it was time for him to make way for younger players and help to build a winning team for the future. Courtesy: The Hockey India
Veteran India men’s hockey team striker SV Sunil on Friday announced his international retirement, bringing the curtains down on a 14-year-long career during which he was a part of the 2014 Asian Games gold-winning side.
Sunil’s decision to call time came a day after drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh and defender Birendra Lakra, who played starring roles in the Indian hockey team’s historic bronze medal-winning Tokyo Olympics campaign, announced their international retirements on Friday.
The 32-year-old Sunil, hailing from Karnataka, was not a part of the team that competed in the Tokyo Olympics. Sunil, said it was time for him to make way for younger players and help to build a winning team for the future. The senior player appeared in 264 India matches, striking 72 goals.
“… time to take a break. More than 14 years after I wore India colours for the first time, I have decided to make myself unavailable for the national camp which begins next week,” Sunil, who gew up playing hockey with a bamboo stick due to his family’s limited resources, said in a statement on his Twitter handle.
“It was not the easiest decision to make, but it was not the toughest either, given that I did not make it to the team for the Tokyo Games. The omission put a question mark on my future as a player, in the 11-a-side format.
“With the 2024 Paris Olympics three years away, I think, as a senior player it is important that I make way for youngsters and help in building a winning team for the future,” he added.
The Arjuna awardee from Somwarpet in Coorg made his international debut in 2007 at the Asia Cup which India won after beating Pakistan in the Final.
There was no looking back for the speedy striker after that and he was a part of India’s incredible rise in global hockey.
The two-time Olympian (2012 and 2016) remained a key player in the Indian forward-line for over a decade with fine performances.
He was in the Indian team that won gold in the 2011 Asian Champions Trophy and silver in the same event in 2012.
He also won gold and bronze medals in the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games respectively besides a gold in the Asia Cup 2017.
He played an instrumental role in the team’s historic silver medal wins at the 2016 and 2018 FIH Champions Trophy.
In his long career, Sunil also led the forward-line in 2015 World League Final where the team won a bronze Medal and he was also part of the team that won bronze in the same event in 2017 in Bhubaneswar.
He also has a silver medal from the Commonwealth Games 2014 to his credit.
Congratulating Sunil for his contribution to Indian hockey, Hockey India President Gyanendro Ningombam said, “SV Sunil has been an inspiration to an entire generation of young hockey players.
“His commitment to the game and discipline was unmatched and he has given Indian hockey some very memorable performances.”
Sunil said he will continue to be available to play the shorter form of the game (5-a-side hockey).
He said the gold in the 2014 Asian Games was the turning point of his career.
“I am grateful that I represented my country at two Olympic Games — in London in 2012 and in Rio in 2012.
“I have seen a lot on and off the pitch in the past 14 years. I have battled personal tragedies, career-threatening injuries and other setbacks to remain focussed on giving my best for the country.”
source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> Sports / by Outlook Web Desk / October 01st, 2021
Actress Varsha Bollamma, who has acted in several critically acclaimed films in Tamil and Telugu, on Wednesday chose to have some fun with her followers on Instagram by putting out a video clip in which she was seen asking “tough questions” and also answering them.
Varsha Bollamma Instagram/ @varshabollamma
Taking to Instagram, the actress wrote: “After years of research, I bring to you the toughest questions to crack.!! #DontHate,” and posted the clip.
Some of the questions she asked and answered in the clip included:
“What did one volcano say to another?”
“I lava you.”
“What do you call a honey bee that is from the United States of America?
“A USB”.
“What do you call an ant that will never leave you no matter what you do?”
A PermanANT.”
“What do you call a honey bee that is not sure?”
“A MayBE.”
“Which sweet is never on time?”
“ChocoLATE, cos it is always late.”
On the work front, the actress will next be seen in the Telugu film ‘Swathimuthyam’, which is scheduled to hit screens on October 5.
source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> Art & Entertainment / by IANS / September 21st, 2022
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and the Kodagu district administration conducted a meeting in Madikeri on Thursday to elicit public opinion on establishing a solid waste management plant at 2nd Monnangeri village.
The Deputy Commissioner B.C. Satish underlined the imperatives of establishing such a plant for scientific disposal of solid waste being generated in Madikeri and sought public cooperation.
A section of the people from 2nd Monnangeri village expressed reservation that their source of drinking water would be polluted.
World Tourism Day celebrations
The Kodagu district administration will launch a slew of programmes with stakeholders of the hospitality sector to mark World Tourism Day on September 27.
There will be a walkathon in Madikeri at 6.30 a.m. while a plastic clearance drive will also be launched on the day.
The stakeholders sought concessions on vehicle entry tax for 10 days so as to encourage tourists from other States to visit Kodagu.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Karnataka / by The Hindu Bureau / Mysuru – September 22nd, 2022
Robin Uthappa has said that the memories from India’s 2007 T20 World Cup win are still fresh in his memory. Uthappa also hopes that Rohit Sharma and the current Indian team will be able to win the T20 World Cup this year.
Uthappa was an integral part of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup in 2007 (Courtesy: Reuters)
HIGHLIGHTS
Robin Uthappa was an integral member of the 2007 T20 World Cup squad
Uthappa opened up on the memories from the triumph
The former cricketer hopes the current Indian team can win this year’s World Cup
Former cricketer and member of India’s first T20 World Cup triumph, Robin Uthappa, has said that the memories from the outing in 2007 are still fresh in his memory.
India won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup exactly 15 years ago on this day and Uthappa was an integral part of the team. He scored a fifty in India’s opener against Pakistan and was also one of the bowlers who had success during the famous bowl out as well.
As quoted by NDTV, the former cricketer said that the memories from the World Cup triumph are still fresh in his memory and also wished the current Indian team all the best ahead of this year’s edition.
“I cannot believe that it has been 15 years since we won the T20 World Cup. For me, it feels as if it was just a few years ago. The fond memories from our first-ever T20 World Cup win are still fresh in my memory. I can still remember bowling in the bowl-out and tipping my hat in celebration as we won!”
“I would like to wish the Men in Blue all the very best as they go Down Under to try and repeat history and get us back the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with ‘Mission Melbourne’. It’s a special experience to win the World Cup and I wish Rohit and the boys play their hearts out to repeat the feat we achieved 15 years ago!”
Uthappa also said that he still gets goosebumps thinking about the final against Pakistan and said he is hoping that Rohit Sharma and his men can repeat the feat.
“I still get goosebumps when I think about the finals and how we won it in the last over. We played our very best in that World Cup and to be rewarded in the end with the trophy was just one of the most special feelings in my life.”
“I can still picture the team and the crowd celebrating for India as Sreesanth caught Misbah in that final over. I hope that the Indian team is fully prepared for ‘Mission Melbourne’ and aiming to bring the trophy once again to India. I wish them all the very best!” said Uthappa.
source: http://www.indiatoday.in / India Today / Home> News> Sports> Cricket / by India Todat Web Desk / New Delhi – September 26th, 2022
Meghalaya’s Shillong and Karnataka’s Coorg are similar, says Ratan Bhattacharjee
Coorg
One of the most popular poems by Wordsworth is ‘The Solitary Reaper’ about a highland girl reaping the harvest in a pasture in Scotland with a song on her lips. This is a familiar sight for a visitor to Shillong or Coorg.
Shillong is the 330th most populous city in India with 143,229 people according to the 2011 census. It is said that the rolling hills around the town reminded the British of Scotland. So did Coorg down south in Karnataka. They found the mist-laden pastures of Shillong and Coorg to be the closest to the paradise they knew back home and began referring to these two hill stations as the Scotland of the East.
There are indeed many similarities between Shillong, Meghalaya’s capital, and Scotland. Shillong’s landscape is beautified with rolling, cloud-kissed hills bestowed with lush greenery. It is often difficult to tell Scotland from Shillong from photographs without any captions. One has to take a backseat in a car on the roads to Cherrapunji, Mawlynnong and the curvaceous Shillong Bypass and let the hair flutter in the breeze and draw in the hypnotic sub-Himalayan panorama. The glittering waterfalls along the roads and the lakes in and around Shillong – boating on Umiam or Ward’s Lake is otherworldly – have a stunning resemblance to those in Scotland. Then there are several places untouched by mass tourism where you can pitch a tent and connect with nature. Shillong and Scotland also have culture connect – the Scottish are as colourful as the Khasis and are proud of their heritage.
Located along the Western Ghats, Coorg is a coffee-producing hilly area well-known for its jaw-dropping scenery and opulence. This misty landscape nurtures a rich culture and a unique clan – the Kodavas who are specialised in martial arts and are widely known for their hospitality. Heavenly Coorg is ideal for lazing around or going on a challenging trek or indulging in an adventure at Abbey Falls or relishing the spicy curries and the heart-melting handmade truffles.
Shillong
Coorg is also called Scotland of India because of its hills – Karkala, Savandurga and Nodda – lording over the coffee plantations. They are lush green mountains of foggy rolling hills with miles of walking trails. The climate is as cool as in Shillong, albeit a shade warmer than in Scotland. Madikeri or Mercara, the headquarters of Coorg is a beautiful hill town. The Chiklihole Reservoir is a wonderful place far from the madding crowd. The Dubare Elephant Camp will please wildlife enthusiasts as much as the Harangi Dam or Honnamana Kere Lake. Kotebetta is the third highest peak in Coorg. Mallalli Falls is one of the best places reminding at every moment of the beauty of the Scottish Highlands or Elephanta and Seven Sisters Falls in Meghalaya.
Coorg is the coffee cup of India and there is no doubt that the people there have Celtic roots, as their traditions and rituals reflect. They celebrate many festivals such as Makar Sankranti, Ugadi and Easter. The locals celebrate Christmas by lighting candles in their homes. The traditional dress of the Coorgis is similar to the Scottish kilt. Their attires have interesting patterns and designs. The cuisine of Coorg, like Shillong’s, has something in common with Scottish dishes made from pork and beef.
Coorg is also home to some magnificent forts and palaces that date back to the medieval era. These structures are a testament to its rich history and culture. One of the most popular forts in Coorg is the Madikeri Fort. Mudduraja, the prominent Haleri king built this fort in the 17th century. It is made from granite and features several turrets and bastions. The British army rebuilt this imposing structure in the late 1800s, and it now serves as a hotel and museum. Other notable colonial bungalows include the Raj Bhavan (Governor’s House) and the Deva Raya Paana (Toddy Tapper’s House). The British built them between the 18th and 19th centuries.
Like Shillong, Coorg is known for its “perfect weather” in spite of the incessant rains. The temperature is mild and comfortable, and the weather is usually sunny with a few scattered showers. This makes Coorg a popular tourist destination like Shillong, especially during the summer months. Coorg and Shillong are also connected to Scotland through the celebration of music in its many forms. All are great hosts of music festivals.
That’s astounding nature, as many would say. Just like Shillong and Coorg that find so many points of commonality, other places in India find resemblances with foreign destinations too. Some of them to find appropriate mentions would be Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Phi Phi Islands, Thailand, Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir and Switzerland, Gurudongmar Lake, Sikkim and Jökulsárlón Lake, Iceland, Thar Desert, Rajasthan and Sahara Desert, Africa and Chitrakote Falls, Chhattisgarh and Niagara Falls. There are many more, as travel enthusiasts would enlist them. However, it resounds that scenic beauty in India is infinite beginning with Shillong, itself.
Just like the Scottish hold immense pride in their culture, land and its people, similarly, the Khasis of Shillong, and the Kodava’s of Coorg hold their culture and indigenous identities in high regard, worshipping their ancestors and preserving their folklores.
Julia London once said about Scotland: “There are few places in my life that I’ve found more ruggedly beautiful than the highlands of Scotland. The place is magical – it’s so far north, so remote that sometimes it feels like you’ve left this world and gone to another.” This holds true for Shillong and Coorg too.
(Ratan Bhattacharjee is a contributor at The Shillong Times)
source: http://www.theshillongtimes.com / The Shillong Times / Home> Sunday Pullout / by Ratan Bhattacharjee / September 25th, 2022
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